Need Running Advice

[figuregirl]

I've been a competitive figure (bodybuilding) competitor for several years and I'm interested in training for a marathon. When it comes to bodybuilding I know a lot about diet/training, but I don't really know how I should train to increase my performance as a runner. I just started taking cytomel to lose some mass. Even at 6% bodyfat, I still weigh about 135lbs. I've been running about 6 miles a day and I have not lifted weights in about 3 weeks. I have the energy to run more, but my knees and hamstrings start to bother me if I run more than I'm running now. Can anyone give me advice on supplements/performance enhancements/diet/training??

 

[katdav]

How exciting, first marathons are the best!!!
I've followed a training schedule that has gotten me thru 3 marathons. My time is 5 hours so I'm not super fast at all. What is your finish time goal??

I do speed work (at the track) on Tues, 45-60 minute cardio on Weds (usually spinning), and 45-60 min of hills on Thurs. Sat is my Long, Slow Distance. Anywhere between 10 and 22 miles depending on how far out the marathon is. On the 10 -16 mile runs I do between 9 and 1/2 to 10 minute miles. Sunday is a 45 minute easy recovery run.

Eating is more carbs on Fri before my LSD. Enough so my stomach feels pretty full. I also eat in the morning before my LSD run and take Power Gels w/ me.

I got this from a marathon training group I run w/ out here by me.

 

[figuregirl]

Right now I can run 6 miles in about 45min, but I have not tried to run beyond that. I feel like I have the stamina to run more, but my hamstrings and knees start bothering me after about 6 miles. Also, the arch on my feet starts bothering me. I think I just haven't found the right pair of sneakers. I'm hoping that as I condition my body my leg problems will go away. I'm afraid to start sprinting or running longer distances until my body gets used to the standard 6 miles that I've been running every day.
Do you lift weights? Most things I've read say that runners should lift weights about 2days a week. Since I have a lot of muscle from the bodybuilding, I'm not sure what to do. I'm afraid that I'll get flabby if I don't lift, but other people tell me that running alone gets them toned.
I'm hoping to run a full marathon in about a year and possibly a half marathon sometime before that.

 

[katdav]

Good running shoes is a MUST. When I was training for my first marathon I used to get this piercing pain in my right hip. It didn't happen when I was running but after I drove home and stepped out of my car. I would suggest going to a running store where they will let you return the shoes if you are still in pain. You might need inserts too. (They will know all about that).

I do lift weights 4 x a week. I cut way back on legs if I'm running 18-22 miles on Sats. Also w/ my training I completely rest my legs 2 days a week. The Fri before my LSD and the Mon after my recovery run on Sun. The week before the marathon I don't do legs at all and the week after I don't do anything but maybe some walking and stretching.

I'll be more then happy to give you any advice!!

You are going to do great!!

 

[figuregirl]

Do you do a different bodypart each day? When I trained for figure competitions I would train back/hams one day, chest/bis, shoulders/tris, quads/glutes. Do you do something like that or do you train all upper one day, all lower one day...or full body workouts?

 

[katdav]

I train back, bi's on mon, legs on tues. Legs on thurs, chest, tri's, shoulders on fri. Cardio is Tues, Weds, Thurs, Sat. Sometimes Sun depending on how I feel.

 

[rocky_road]

Don't do 6 miles every single day. Do 4 one day, 7 the next, 3 of sprints the next, etc, and gradually, week by week, add more total distance. This alternation ensures that your body won't adapt, as well as keeps your legs well-rested.

Eventually you probobly won't ever run less than about 5 miles per day, except of course when you taper down before the event.

I hope this works.

 

[hammer37]

Figure girl,

I've raced 15 marathons and 3 Ironman triathlons. The best advice I ever got in reference to running was "listen to your body". Some basics you may already know: You want to run a consistent amount of mileage for a 3-4 week period of time and then take a recovery week where you drop volume by 30-40% to allow the body to rest. Your long run should never be more than 30% or so of your desired weekly mileage. If you're doing speedwork, make it no more than 8% of total weekly mileage.

This may sound sick but I always squated (and worked legs in general) on Sunday in the gym after my long run. I recovered by Tue or so by running easy and my legs felt very strong by week's end for my long run. I got to the point where I was lifting 3x/week and running 70 miles per week. It can be done.

Recently I had a very good training block of 10 weeks getting ready for a half Ironman triathlon. I'll share it here with you. I hope it helps. I cut and pasted it from another post I made to someone else. Good luck with the marathon and have fun. Don't hesitate to contact me if I can be of any more help.

"I used Fitday to help me track my diet and calorie burn. In response to your post, I had a great deal of success taking off BF and maintain lean mass by keeping my carb intake at 65-70%, fat to 25% (ideally 20%), and protein as the balance. I calculated how many calories I burned through activity and basal metobolic rate and set up a deficit of about 7,000 calories/week to facilitate a healthy loss. I started at 225 pounds and cut down to 209 in 10 weeks. My endurance went through the roof and the fat melted away. I never bonked and never felt deprived at meal time. When I had periods of less mileage, I just adjusted my calories, not percentage of carb intake. However, this diet would probably be too carb rich without the tremendous cardio I was doing (10k+ meters swimming/wk, 220 mi biking/wk and 40 mi/wk running.)" Best of luck again.

 

[Gymgurl]

This is a grat thread...need to go the cardio forum...Many people would benifit from it! Hammer I sent you a pm about some help!


Figuregrl.....Maybe stretch out those hams and weight train them a little more to build the muscle...I ice my knees after my long runs

 

[annieree]

Don't do 6 miles every single day. Do 4 one day, 7 the next, 3 of sprints the next, etc, and gradually, week by week, add more total distance. This alternation ensures that your body won't adapt, as well as keeps your legs well-rested.

Eventually you probobly won't ever run less than about 5 miles per day, except of course when you taper down before the event.

I hope this works.

Added to this have a hill session once every couple of weeks - running up, jogging down.

there are a lot of good training programmes on the internet, I've done a lot of research as I'm hoping to do the London marathon in April.

good luck!