Marathon Madness

Marathon Madness – Not dissimilar to the weight loss journey.

Marathon – check!

I have always loved exercise ever since I can remember, so it was only a matter of time before I was bound to make the decision to complete a marathon. So at the close of 2010, I decided that in 2011, I would complete my first marathon and what better one to do than the local event here at the Brisbane running festival. The furthest I had ever run prior to this was 24km so I knew that I had my work cut out for me. The race date was August the 7th giving me 8 months to prepare with 4 months solidly focused on the marathon and marathon only. So I had my long term goal… now I just had to figure out how to get there.

Goal setting - short term and long term. Mapping out my goal.

With something like a marathon, similar to weight loss, planning and mapping out short term goals and how I was going to get to my target comfortably was imperative. So first up I had to review where my fitness was at. So like in the walk consults, I performed a blood lactate test on myself, hired a coach and started to look at my availability for training. I decided to get a coach so that I could detach myself emotionally from what I was doing. If someone else told me I was doing enough and not to do too much, I was much more likely to follow the program. Once I put my data together and I knew my aerobic (fat burning) zone and running paces, I could start to work with my coach to put together a training program. I knew that my body could realistically run 5-6 days a week before injuries would start to pop up, so I worked on a 5 day per week program with an extra recovery run/walk and cross training session on the bike or in the pool. I also had to work on my technique and strength to make sure my body could cover the distances efficiently, so I had 3 sessions of that in my program as well. I had chosen a half marathon race 4 months out from race day, so I could then review my fitness and program and then another 10km race about 6 weeks out to help determine if my training was on track for the marathon.  The most important thing about a marathon is training load and not doing too much so that you can get to race day without any injuries and in good health. Gradually building up and reviewing my progress helped ensure this.

Preparation and regular reviews

There is no cutting the corners in marathon preparation. I knew that would only cheat my results and so I made this my priority. I had to do my best to get 80% of the training sessions in and get to know my body so I could tell when I needed a break or to mix things up a bit. Body awareness is huge in achieving any physical feat. Without knowing when you need to have a day off and when you can push through, will make all the difference to achieving that goal. So I had my program, I knew my pacings and zones for the training sessions and I had the mental capacity to stick to it and make it my main focus outside of work. There were tough weeks when work or family became a priority and consumed my time or illness was creeping up on me, however the most valuable tool I gained throughout this process from my coach was that once I had missed a training session then it was too late, it was done and there was no point in trying to make up for it in my next training session. Something that translates into weight loss very appropriately. If you have a bad day and you eat too much then that was a bad day. The next day you just have to get on with it and back on the program, there is no point in not eating all the meals in the meal plan the next day as that will slow your metabolism down and play havoc with your hunger. The best thing to do in that situation is go for a walk to get some extra calorie burning and boost the metabolism.

Maintenance and training – finding what works

The program was periodised out in phases. The first few months, base fitness was the focus to prepare my body with adequate physiology to train aerobically or to utilize fat efficiently while exercising. The following stage was to pick up the intensity and do some hard work to improve my fitness, then the following phase was maintaining that fitness and working out what would work race day. Like weight loss it’s a step by step process, you have the active weight loss phase and then transferring all your knowledge into maintaining. This is what continues forever, working out what works best is imperative as this is often where people start to have trouble. This last phase was one of the most important phases in the marathon process as well, working out what to wear, how much water to take on board and when and what to eat without upsetting my stomach and so on.

The race

Well my first marathon was appropriately gruelling and tested me more than anything before. With all the preparation and time spent training and early nights and following a meal plan to fuel my body for the training, it was still harder than what I had mentally prepared myself for. The week leading up I significantly dropped off my training and continued to eat as if I was doing the big kilometres to prepare my body for what it was about to go through. The first 30km were easy; it was all about not going too fast, pacing out and getting to the end. Very similar to what we tell clients with weight loss. Losing too much too quickly may not be maintainable. Following a plan that is easy to adhere to and taking part in exercise that is enjoyable and something that can be done long term, will ensure long lasting lifestyle change. After the first 30km I started to hit trouble, I started to hurt. Mentally I had to be tough as my body was hurting almost to the point of concern. I started to get calf cramps at 32km, then the heart burn started to kick in, then the nausea and at 39km - the final 3km seemed like a marathon in itself. I did question my ability to get to the end but I knew that I had come this far I just had to keep going, one foot in front of the other. Then there it was, the finish line, I barely knew what my body was doing and had no emotion. All I knew I needed was water, shade and a seat. I had made it. Marathon – check.

Weight loss – a marathon effort.

The weight loss journey is not dissimilar to my marathon feat. You have to name your goal, work out what steps you need to take to get there, be organized and plan, acquire the help you need and allow time to see what works for you. It is a process not a result. It is not about the race, it is about the training or processes you need to take to get to the race day or your desired result. You learn a lot about yourself on such a journey and hopefully you can take it all on board and continue to apply and use these tools going forward. Weightloss is not just about what physically happens with your body changing shape and the changing figures on the scales, it is how you change emotionally and like the marathon, it is mentally tough and testing at times but that will be what gets you through. You must make it a priority and make time for yourself to do what you need to do in order to reach your goals. The result is satisfying and long lasting.