Disillusioned beginner seeks training partner (possibly with a big stick)

Hi anyone and everyone,

So lets not beat about the bush I desperately need some hep/advice. I've been running for about 8 years and having built up over the years I completed my second marathon this June in 4:48 (a 30min PB on 2011). I'm 6`2" and 17 & 1/2 stone and gaining weight at an alarming rate!!

Anyway a change of job has lead to a change in training regime and I've lost my way. Basically running further and further particularly alone is dull, so I thought I'd move over to Triathlon. I thought the variety outweighed the greater challenge.

But after a couple of months it's all going wrong, I can only manage a 3 mile run, my swimming has improved (distance not sure about technique) and i haven't started any proper cycle training yet (other than my 6 miles of commuting daily)

I've read lots of training plans and diet advice and I can't decide what's best for me. Years of regular running has never helped stabilise my weight.

I'll take any advice including being told to man up.

Thanks for listening

If you post what you are actually doing at the moment, Im sure you will get a few suggestions on how to improve.

Foggy is right, some info as to what you are doing and what your goals are too


If years of running have not stabilised your weight then you are likely eating too much or not moving enough  

A good point F.oggy!!

Running - 2-3 times a week 3 miles 8.30 m/m

Swimming (converting from breaststroker to front crawl)  - 2-3 times a week. 25m pool. 10 length bs/10 lengths alternating bs/fc then/30 lengths trying to do consectutive fc lengths (a struggle).

Cycling - just my commuting, but i try and do it at a challenging pace

Take the point on eating too much, but i don't think i have a bad diet. I don't eat loads of junk and takeaway and i think I'm pretty active!

you also don't say what your goals are!

but in essence you need advice from a professional(s) not a forum

do you belong to a tri club??  that may help of you don't as you will come under the guidance of their coach and senior members who can advise you and give you more focused training regimes.   swimming is always tough and the best advice is always to get 1:1 coaching but that can cost - again a tri club often has swim sessions where you can get coached.

as for only managing a 3 mile run I don't get that - you've done 2 marathons and you must have gone further in training for those.  I suspect you're trying to go too fast and blowing out rather than do a progressive speed increase.  tri club again.

you weight/size is no big deal really - we have a number of larger chaps around these parts (I'm a 16+ stone ex rugby player).

overall you need to break the reasons why it's not going well down into various areas - motivation, training time, diet and direction - and look at these and see what needs doing.  

Cheeky Conswala wrote (see)

Take the point on eating too much, but i don't think i have a bad diet. I don't eat loads of junk and takeaway and i think I'm pretty active!

and that may be key, what you 'think' and what you do could be vastly different, sign up to one of the calorie counter apps/website which seem to be quite popular these days, a food diary can be very telling !!

+1 with Mouldy on that

there are good diets and good diets and even good diets will make you fat if you eat too much of it and don't do enough exercise.   and if you think you're putting weight on - reduce what you eat.  sounds simple but it can often be hard to break eating habits

fat buddha wrote (see)

+1 with Mouldy on that

there are good diets and good diets and even good diets will make you fat if you eat too much of it and don't do enough exercise.   and if you think you're putting weight on - reduce what you eat.  sounds simple but it can often be hard to break eating habits

Thanks and I know your right.

I'm not great with groups of people I don't know, so thats why I've shyed away from joining a club (and looking out of place!!). So I took the easy way out and asked on here.

I'll change my diet, keep trying and think about manning up and meeting new people.

best way is to keep a food diary for a few weeks..its amazing how writing everything down makes you cut out things you forget you even eat 

Crux wrote (see)

I'm constantly disillusioned with how little I'm actually meant to be eating even while ironman training. Track your calorie intake including all the milk in hot drinks. It can be illuminating!

Milk?? Whats wrong with Milk, I only drink the 1% stuff

I use a tracker and because I am a simple person I tend to eat similar meals for a while and then have a change so I do as above, once in a while I record it for a week and make any adjustments needed

Simple Facts
If you eat more calries than you burn you gain wait. If you burn more calories than you eat you lose weight.

You are gaining weight - therefore you are eating more calories than you burn.

Two options now exist: eat less calories or burn more calories.

(P.S. Just for reference I am 16.5 stone having gained 1.5 stone since The Outlaw. I will be 15 Stone come race day next year. I can be a fat git or a thin git and I make a choice. The thin git has a food diary for motivation)

I suspect you are still eating like you are training for a marathon.

Training
Now a question - do you enjoy training across the three sports? If so great, if not consider what that will do to your motivation.

Swimming can be an issue. There was study that proved swimming made you eat more calories than you burn. Runners ate less. The only reason they could come up with was a possible lowering of core body temperature switching on a primeval hunger mode. So be extra aware of eating post swim - I am not saying don't do it but if you have only done 30-minutes then you haven't earn't much and you need to include the calories eaten in your daily allowance.

If you can only manage a 3 mile run then run three and walk another 3 (or 2 or 1) but don't go back in the house. Then at some point you will run a bit further because you may as well rather than walk it. Any mental thought that you can't go further is banished becuase you have to go further. Run 3-miles away from home if you have to. Then you will need to either sit and cry at the side of the road, or man-up and make the return journey.

Pick a 10k training plan and use that to get the running back on track.

Good Luck.

M..eface

Yup, I second the above advice by m..eface. I also LOVE the idea of the 3 mile out and back option. Running too fast is the opposite of being able to run long. Only when you've got the distance in the legs will the speed some back. If you are carrying extra weight, then it's like doing your June marathon with a backpack on.

To give yourself an idea of the disadvantage that it brings, get yourself a rucksack and fill it up, so that it weighs exactly the same as your weight gain since June. Now go for a 1 mile run with it on.

I await your feedback...

A genuine thank you for the advice and pointing out the things i was ignoring. I will spend the weekend evaluating and report back on Monday with my plan and goals!

I've basically become complacent!!

I enjoy all 3 disciplines btw

I also have by rucksack loaded and ready for the morning Blisters!

So firstly running carrying the extra weight has opened my eyes and made me determinded to make changes.

So this is what I've done. I have researched a few beginners training schedules and tailored a 10 week one that suits me and I think challenges me. The first 4 weeks concentrate on running, swimming and core strengthening (something I think I have overlooked previously)

Weeks 6-10 build on this and introduce the bike. Im not looking to be able to compete after this, but feel confident to move on

I am keeping a food diary, but making some sensible changes already (portion size etc)

I will book a swimming lesson or two to make sure that the swimming training isn't a waste of time.

Goals - Lose 1/2 - 1 stone (17st 4lb today), be back to running 10k comfortably & swim 16 lengths fc non-stop. I believe these are achieveable.

Thanks for the advice all I will give updates for anyone who cares to read.

We like updates - stick with it, keep laying down the blocks.

My fitness pal is a good ap if you have a smart phone to track your food.