Marathon and Half-Marathon (21 page)
Read Marathon and Half-Marathon Online
Authors: Marnie Caron,Sport Medicine Council of British Columbia
Tags: #SPO035000, #book
• Being a parent is the most important job of all, and taking the time to work out can be challenging. You might want to consider using your lunch hour to fit in your weekly runs. If you need a little extra time, perhaps speak with your boss and organize yourself so that you can eat a bag lunch at your desk.
• Perhaps you can utilize your workout as your mode of transportation, alternating traveling by foot to work one day, and home from work on another. You’ll have to organize your clean, dry clothing and necessary toiletries at your workplace, but it’s possible. And chances are you’ll feel great about using your legs instead of your car.
• Start your weekend long run early so that you can still enjoy the bulk of the day with family.
• If your children are older, be sure to have a discussion with them about the demands of your program, what you’ll need from them, and what it will mean in terms of the household. Give them the opportunity to make suggestions as to how they can help.
• Have your teen make a commitment to take care of a younger sibling once a week during your workout.
• Have your older children take turns preparing a simple dinner for the family on the nights that you run. It’s a good time for them to learn how to be creative in the kitchen, anyway! It’s our job as parents to teach our children some culinary skills.
• Create a family chore schedule together, so that the duties are shared. Perhaps the vacuuming and dusting get done while you’re doing your workout once a week.
• If your teen can drive, have him or her take other siblings to their extracurricular activities. If not, don’t be afraid to ask neighbors and friends to help. Shared carpooling is the answer. Again, take the time to make a routine for yourself so that everybody can adjust to the changes and your commitment.
• The family that works together and shares together stays together and learns to appreciate one another. Your marathon journey can strengthen your family as easily as it can cause resentment.
Family meal planning
• Keeping enough food in the house and consistently planning healthy meals is always a challenge. Now is not the time to plan gourmet meals. Prepare a large batch of pasta sauce or soup so that leftovers can be easily warmed in the microwave.
• Now is the time to look at the staple foods in your local supermarket with new eyes. If you can’t manage the shopping, have your partner support you by doing the big-bulk shop once every couple of weeks so that you can get your long workout in and to ensure there is enough food for the week.
• Fresh produce, vegetables, pastas, and breads are simple and healthy options for you and your family. It takes only minutes to make spaghetti with a simple tomato sauce. Try to avoid packaged fast-food items that are packed with fat and preservatives.
• Grabbing a piece of fruit on the go is a much better choice than a handful of cookies. To feel your best, you must commit to making healthy food choices.
Running with the Family Dog
Reliable, committed, and quiet. For many runners, the family dog is the best training partner they could find. But, like humans, not all dogs are created equal. As you can imagine, some breeds are better suited for running than others.
Finding a good running dog
Generally, a good running dog has a medium build, weighs between 50 and 70 pounds (about 22 to 32 kilograms) and has medium-short hair. Breeds such as retired greyhounds, Labradors and other retrievers, setters, spaniels, and working dogs such as Border collies and huskies make good running dogs. As well, some crossbreeds can make great running companions. If you live in a warm climate, it may be important to know that black-coated dogs do not fare well in a hot and humid climate.
RUNNER
PROFILE
Kathy
Kathy is a 55-year-old family physician and mother of four beautiful daughters. This year her youngest daughter, Em, will graduate from high school and head off to university. Kathy and her husband, Pete, will be on their own for the first time since the early days of their marriage.
Kathy had run regularly a couple of times a week but always preferred swimming and windsurfing. She would occasionally run with one of her daughters, but for company she usually relied on her faithful pooch, Baily, a golden retriever. Kathy was always pleased to see her daughters joining their dad on runs. Initially, it was just around the block; later, as the girls grew and became crazy about soccer and cross-country running, they would run farther. Finally, as university and high school athletes, the four girls, now faster and fitter than their father, would drag him out for part of their long runs while home on vacation.
It always looked as if they were having so much fun, and many inside jokes were lost on mom. Secretly, Kathy always wanted to join in, but she told herself this was something the kids did with their dad. After all, it was Pete who was the great runner.
Kathy had done one local 10-kilometer race but didn’t find it very enjoyable. So when she turned 55 and announced to her daughters that she was training for a half marathon, they were more than a little surprised. Kathy had decided it would be her year to do some of the things she had put off while the kids were growing. The two items at the top of her list were hiking the challenging West Coast Trail on Vancouver Island in British Columbia and running a half marathon with her daughters Laura and Care.
At first her family thought Kathy’s goals were just part of a midlife crisis that would pass with time. She thought otherwise. She went on-line and found a half-marathon training schedule that would give her guidance and a newfound confidence to push her farther than she had thought possible. She did most of her training alone but shared her aches and pains with her daughters over the phone. She was surprised when the girls began asking her about her training. She was beginning to feel like a real runner.
On the day of her half marathon, Kathy was nervous and uncertain she would be able to complete the distance. But Laura, an elite runner, gave her comfort by saying that she and Care would walk with her when needed and go at a pace that worked. This was all Kathy needed to hear. The first 10 kilometers felt great, but then Kathy took in too much water and began to get a cramp. After walking for a few minutes, she was ready to resume running. With the exception of also walking up a small hill, she ran the entire half-marathon course and was thrilled to cross the finish line with two of her daughters.
Kathy was tired after the race, but more than anything she soaked in the euphoria of achieving her distance-running goal with her daughters alongside and cheering her on for the entire 13.1 miles. Her running goal may have been part of a midlife crisis, but it was also a way for Kathy to connect with her daughters and experience some of the excitement and fun she had watched for so many years.
How to train your dog to run with you
Depending on the size of your dog, you should wait between 6 months and 1 year before introducing it to running. If you have a larger-breed dog you should wait at least a year before including it in our running program. According to veterinarian Dr. Nicky Parkinson, of Victoria, B.C., “The reason for the discrepancy is that larger-breed dogs mature over a longer period of time. For example, a small-breed dog will often come into heat before a larger-breed dog at the same age.”
Once your dog is old enough to run, most veterinarians suggest a gradual introduction to running with you. For the first few weeks, have your dog run no more than 3 miles at a time, then gradually build up the running time over the course of several months.
Warning signs that your dog has done too much
Be aware of increased saliva, vomiting, irregular breathing, or an uneven gait. If you notice these signs, stop your dog and take a break. If the symptoms persist, take your pet to the vet to be checked out.
Lameness in dogs that run
If you ignore the warning signs that your dog is overdoing it, you can risk injuring your pup. Dr. Parkinson says, “Many owners don’t always appreciate their animal is lame until it is at an acute level. Keep in mind, dogs will run even when they are lame. Watch for a slowing of the pace over time during a run, or an inability to complete a route the dog is normally able to do with ease. As well, some dogs will change their eating habits when they are in pain; their appetite may decrease, or they might become choosier about the food they will eat. If you notice any of these signs, take the dog to your veterinarian and have a checkup.
9
Pitfalls and Potential Problems
RESTED AND READY TO RUN... WHEN IT COMES TO PREPARing for a half or full marathon, there is a fine balance between training enough and training too much. One of the most difficult aspects of marathon training is to make it to the start line rested and injury free. Training for a distance event is demanding for even the fittest folk.
The programs in this book are designed to minimize your chances of suffering a running-related injury while training for your half or full marathon. You can, however, still be sidelined as a result of an illness, overzealous training, or your own biomechanical weaknesses. In order to remain healthy, it is important to understand and incorporate some basic injury-prevention strategies into your training. As you make your way through your program, you will likely notice an increasing awareness of your body. With some simple guidelines, you will be able to detect the difference between a sore muscle and a more serious pain that has potential for injury.
Avoid Inconsistent Training
A slow, gradual, and deliberate approach is by far the safest way to train for a marathon. But it’s easy to get overzealous. It’s especially common for beginners to take the approach that more training is better. For first-timers, more running usually translates to more chances of injury. This is why we suggest you take a graduated approach to training and avoid dramatic increases in the amount of running you do from one week to the next.
If you ask, any sport medicine physician will tell you that the leading cause of injuries for new exercisers is running too far, or too fast, before they’re ready. Your focus should be on making it to the start line healthy and ready to run. Avoid getting caught up over the total miles you run midweek or the speed at which you finish each of your sessions. Your long run is the only session for which we recommend measuring and keeping track of your distance. For more information on your long run, return to chapter 3. Beginners often have difficulty understanding the time and patience required to become a marathoner. Elite runners, for example, will train for and race shorter-distance races like 5- and 10-kilometer (3- and 6-mile) events before even contemplating the half- or full-marathon distances.
To be successful in the marathon, you need to do your homework. This means following the suggested three sessions per week. If the first few weeks of your program seem too easy, rest assured the workload does increase and will become too difficult if you haven’t properly completed the sessions in the weeks before. Try to make the appointment with yourself to do your workouts, stick to it, and resist the temptation to jump ahead in the schedule. Inconsistency can also be problematic. Skipping a workout and then adding an extra session to the following week’s training schedule in an effort to make up for the lost workout is dangerous. It is also not advisable to cram your three weekly sessions into consecutive days. Instead, plan ahead, and space your runs evenly throughout the week.
Don’t overdo it
• Go at your own pace. If you’re in a marathon clinic, don’t be pressured into going too fast just to keep up with the group. Take the first couple of weeks to experiment with different pace groups. And don’t be concerned about dropping back to a slower group if you have an off day or if you just cannot keep up.
• Use the talk test as a way to judge your own pace. You want to find a pace that allows you to comfortably hold a conversation with your training partner. If you cannot speak four or five consecutive sentences without feeling winded, you’re going too fast and need to slow down.
• Start slowly. Trust and follow your marathon-training schedule—you will be properly guided and avoid doing too much, too soon. Remember that it takes time to learn to run, and it takes time for your body to adapt to the stresses you place on it.
Don’t be concerned if you miss the odd session throughout your training program. Life is busy, and there are many competing demands for our time. If you miss a session one week, try not to worry; tell yourself you will be back on track next week. Again, remember to avoid running on consecutive days. The risks of injury far outweigh the benefits of getting in that extra run.