running a marathon

[imthebaker]

So i was training for a half marathon and got up to about 6 miles a day but then i stopped and now i want to start again so i can do that and then eventually do a marathon. here's the story:

i was doing about 6 a day and then this sort of pain started on my heel area, the achilles i think? and when i walked during the day it was like a rubberband stretching up and down and it felt like it was ready to snap, it's hard to describe. and i'm not even old so i'm thinking this shouldn't be happening. so i kept on running thinking it would stop, but it didn't and got worse. eventually the soccer season at my highschool started so i quit running in the morning altogether. and the rubberband feeling stopped altogether too.

so i'm gonna start again and am afraid it's gonna happen again.what was i doing wrong? my mom said i shouldn't have run 6 a day but i disagree. also when you start getting comfortable with 8 miles and 12 do you increase that to 8 or 12 miles a day? that's what i think you should do.

p.s: i think it's kind of funny cause my mom's like 40 or something and she's run the L.A marathon and San Diego and other ones and i haven't joined her in anyone of them. So i feel like i have to step up my game. (in a good way)

[greenrunner]

If your mom has ran more than 2 marathons, and you live with her, it sounds like you're sitting on a goldmine of info right there :) Maybe you shouldn't shrug off everything she says about running!

Anyway - 6 miles a day is fine, but you should alternate the style of running you do during training. One day do a tempo run, one day do hill repeats, one day do a distance run, and so forth. That 6 miles will feel mighty different depending on the type of run you're doing. Most schedules plan a recovery day after a hard day... so instead of taking days off, you just go hard/easy, hard/easy.. None of the serious runners I know take more than 1 day off a week during training, and most of them won't even do that. Check out runnersworld.com and letsrun.com - they both have marathon training routines. You don't run 12 miles a day just because you can, and there's usually only one or two distance (long) runs a week. Six miles is plenty most days. Please look into a training schedule, you will really optimize your results. Although I love LSD (long slow runs), training for a marathon is a bit different than just running for fun and health.

BUT, your injury is another story. Has it come back? Are you wearing proper shoes for your foot style?

[Dirty Martini]

^^ :yes:

check out and use marathon training programs online. Most of them have you running 4 days per week - 3 training days (like greenrunner said, hills, intervals, tempo, etc) where you run for 30, 40, 50, or 60 minutes... and 1 distance day where you increase your mileage by 1-2 miles each week. And then 1 or 2 days of cross training (swimming, cycling, weight lifting), often replacing one of the training run days.

But in regard to the injury. Go to a sport clinic if you can. But definitely get a good pair of shoes. find a running store in your area (and I don't mean Finish Line or Foot Locker) and buy your shoes there. They will be able to tell you if you supinate, overpronate, etc and recommend a pair of shoes to suit your gait.

[imthebaker]

thanks for the info. Hearing it from your mom is annoying, hearing it from someone else is beneficial.
I have Nike shoes with shocks so i don't think that's the problem. So far i don't have the pain yet, only if it starts up again will i go see what's wrong, but i think it's cause i have flat feet. The marathon's in November so i have plenty of time to get ready. Thanks again for the help.

[Dirty Martini]

thanks for the info. Hearing it from your mom is annoying, hearing it from someone else is beneficial.
I have Nike shoes with shocks so i don't think that's the problem. So far i don't have the pain yet, only if it starts up again will i go see what's wrong, but i think it's cause i have flat feet. The marathon's in November so i have plenty of time to get ready. Thanks again for the help.

So it's your shoes. :p

"Nike with Shocks" means nothing to your individual foot and gait - your feet may turn inward/outward when you run or you may have too much arch support in your shoe.

You really ought to go to a running store and have them recommend a shoe style to you (like medium support). You can (and probably should) buy separate insoles that are designed for distance runners and provide varying levels of heel support and arch height, depending on your foot shape.

And, if I may be so bold, waiting until you have pain is far too late. Your goal should be to find something that will prevent pain.

[greenrunner]

So it's your shoes. :p

"Nike with Shocks" means nothing to your individual foot and gait - your feet may turn inward/outward when you run or you may have too much arch support in your shoe.

You really ought to go to a running store and have them recommend a shoe style to you (like medium support). You can (and probably should) buy separate insoles that are designed for distance runners and provide varying levels of heel support and arch height, depending on your foot shape.

And, if I may be so bold, waiting until you have pain is far too late. Your goal should be to find something that will prevent pain.

:wayne::lovesign: Listen to her!

[Terry B.]

i was doing about 6 a day and then this sort of pain started on my heel area, the achilles i think? and when i walked during the day it was like a rubberband stretching up and down and it felt like it was ready to snap, it's hard to describe.

Where?

[Tweety]

I have plantar faciaitis and it's manifested by heel pain. This type of condition usually doesn't occur while you're running though, but afterwards, especially when you get up in the morning. Wearing heel and arch supports inside my shoes help, as well as stretching and other foot exercises. Stretch those achilles often. It's much better now, but seems to always be there when I wake up.

I trained for a marthon once and it's quite a committment and should be done long before the run. I've had to quit running because of a knee condition, but when I was training for a marathon I would only do one long run a week, adding only 5 minutes to the run each week. I was forced to stop when I got to 13 miles. I miss those long runs.

[Brandon]

I'm running in my first 5k this coming Saturday. I've been running longer distances than that for a couple years but this is my first "organized" event.

I'm not anticipating any problems, aside from possibly the fact that it's at 8 am and I don't usually run in the morning. I'm more of a mid to late afternoon runner historically. I'm planning on waking up early and getting there early so I have time to wake up enough to not fall on my face. :lol:

I don't plan on trying to win or anything, I'm just doing it to do it. It's for charity so it's a good cause.