Getting started

[theMoreDisneytheBetter]

After gaining an obnoxious amount of weight over the past few years (15-20% of body weight) I really need to figure out how to get back to “me.” Dieting isn’t working - if anything it is making things worse because I am starving all the time and just can’t handle it. So I want to at least pretend that exercising will help by signing up for a half marathon that I don’t have time to train for. I could walk the full thing right now without even thinking about it but any running at all, even at a slow pace, for longer than a few minutes is challenging.

I have used Equinox (gym)’s excellent precision run program in the past. It uses run/walk intervals but progressively makes sets harder (increasing speed, incline, or both). One of the concepts is built around something called a “PR” which is based on a repeatable 1 minute pace on zero incline at the end of a workout. I have found that 90% of the workout is “too easy” but if I move my PR any higher the whole thing falls apart.

My PR is currently set to 7.2, but realistically 7.5 might be more accurate if the rest of the workout weren’t so hard. That translates into somewhere between an 8 and an 820 mile. The starting pace for most Precision Run workouts is 2 min below PR, or 5.2 on the treadmill.

How would I use that information to set my run walk run times? I will do pretty much all of my training on a treadmill so intervals are annoying. (Precision Run at the gym will handle the changes automatically). What’s the best way to start down this crazy journey? I hired a trainer at the gym but it hasn’t helped at all.

 

[Herding_Cats]

I have no experience with your tread/gym system and their metric for measuring things, so everything I'm saying you can take with a grain of salt.

Training for a HM needs a HM training plan, not a pre-programmed workout on a treadmill. Especially if you're new to distance running. In distance running, there's something called the 80/20 "rule" where 80% of your minutes (or miles) should be at an "easy" pace and UP TO 20% of your minutes (or miles) should be "workout" pace. HM training plans are usually +/- somewhere around 16 weeks long, and start short and build up. Following the 80/20 guideline helps you keep from over-training and decreases your chances of getting injured. "Easy" pace is something that gets debated a lot, and we tend to use things like HR zones, phrases like "conversational pace" (where you can talk in full sentences, not have to stop your sentence to take big breaths, etc), or "a pace that you could maintain for hours. This pace is likely slower than you think it "should be."

Many of us follow Jeff Galloway principles for our training, some using his paid training plans, and others borrow from a few different training philosophies and Galloway-style intervals are one of those things. Galloway uses a "Magic Mile" to help determine what your training paces should be, and that could be a good starting place for you. (All of that can be found on his website.) You don't have to use run/walk intervals if you don't want to, but the MM will give you a baseline to work from for pacing. (Galloway also has suggested intervals, but I do NOT use them on a treadmill because I'd be changing the speed every 30sec that who wants to push buttons that many times? I figured out speeds that work for me for 4:30/0:30 instead for my treadmill days.)

Looking back on my own beginnings (a HM was my first real race!) I *could* run a mile in around 9min, but my training paces ended up being more like 13:30-14:00 for easy runs, and 11:30 for workout runs because a mile and a HM are not the same thing. Be warned that it may be slightly addicting and many/most of us got started with "I'm only going to do 1 of these"

 

[theMoreDisneytheBetter]

I have no experience with your tread/gym system and their metric for measuring things, so everything I'm saying you can take with a grain of salt.

Training for a HM needs a HM training plan, not a pre-programmed workout on a treadmill. Especially if you're new to distance running. In distance running, there's something called the 80/20 "rule" where 80% of your minutes (or miles) should be at an "easy" pace and UP TO 20% of your minutes (or miles) should be "workout" pace. HM training plans are usually +/- somewhere around 16 weeks long, and start short and build up. Following the 80/20 guideline helps you keep from over-training and decreases your chances of getting injured. "Easy" pace is something that gets debated a lot, and we tend to use things like HR zones, phrases like "conversational pace" (where you can talk in full sentences, not have to stop your sentence to take big breaths, etc), or "a pace that you could maintain for hours. This pace is likely slower than you think it "should be."

Many of us follow Jeff Galloway principles for our training, some using his paid training plans, and others borrow from a few different training philosophies and Galloway-style intervals are one of those things. Galloway uses a "Magic Mile" to help determine what your training paces should be, and that could be a good starting place for you. (All of that can be found on his website.) You don't have to use run/walk intervals if you don't want to, but the MM will give you a baseline to work from for pacing. (Galloway also has suggested intervals, but I do NOT use them on a treadmill because I'd be changing the speed every 30sec that who wants to push buttons that many times? I figured out speeds that work for me for 4:30/0:30 instead for my treadmill days.)

Looking back on my own beginnings (a HM was my first real race!) I *could* run a mile in around 9min, but my training paces ended up being more like 13:30-14:00 for easy runs, and 11:30 for workout runs because a mile and a HM are not the same thing. Be warned that it may be slightly addicting and many/most of us got started with "I'm only going to do 1 of these"

Thank you for the thoughtful response.

Honestly the one thing i’m not worried about is getting addicted to running. My life is so insanely busy/complicated that just isn’t going to happen. I was hard-core into Peloton during the pandemic but the day RTO was announced it all fell apart. I went from 45 min+ 6 days/week for more than a year to nothing overnight, and may have gotten on the bike a dozen times in the past few years. Add in the fact that I have bad feet and knee problems...

I have looked at the Galloway training plans but they don’t make a lot of sense to me. 2 30 minute runs could be as little over 2 miles at the pace that you were going at for your easy runs, and then just 1 long run/week. That doesn’t seem like nearly enough cardio to build endurance. Plus the jumps from week to week on the long runs (1.5 miles), or ~20 minutes of additional running at a time seem unrealistic.

My biggest issue is that I just need to START something. But I get hungry, so I eat, and then when I have food in my stomach I can’t run. Rinse and repeat, and throw in a family, an early/long commute, and a good bit of guilt/self-loathing for good measure to spice things up.

 

[Herding_Cats]

The best plan is the one that fits your life/schedule and that you will actually do and not the one that looks the best but is not executed well. (This was an important lesson for me to learn.)

I completely understand what you're saying about being skeptical about the Galloway plans, but there are thousands of people who use them every year with success. The fact that you only have to fit in those 2 short runs during the week helps eliminate the excuse of "I just didn't have time." AND, part of Galloway's methodology is that it's OK to walk some or all of the long runs. Starting small helps keep you from doing too much too soon and getting injured. Building up the endurance of time-on-feet is just as important as the cardio aspect, and if you're walking with a purpose you're more than likely in a good HR zone for building endurance. I know for myself that if I take too many days off I quickly snowball into doing nothing for weeks, so I use Galloway principles (run/walk intervals) and apply them to other training plans.

Another place to look is at Hal Higdon for a beginner plan. They are popular, and the novice 1 or 2 plans will get you across the finish line.

 

[nancipants]

My biggest issue is that I just need to START something. But I get hungry, so I eat, and then when I have food in my stomach I can’t run. Rinse and repeat, and throw in a family, an early/long commute, and a good bit of guilt/self-loathing for good measure to spice things up.

As far as not being able to run when you have food in your stomach, you could look into liquid carbs for pre-workout or something like applesauce pouches or even gels. Just something to get calories in your body and give you enough energy for your run. I use Tailwind powder for long runs, but even Powerade or other electrolyte drinks can get you out the door for shorter workouts. A piece of bread, dry cheerios, bananas, and nutrigrain bars are other foods that are easy on my stomach.

As far as schedule goes, I am extremely lucky to work from home, but even so, if I don't run first thing in the morning, it doesn't happen. (Especially since I live in Florida where it's too hot to run during the middle of the day or even at night.) It was hard to drag myself out of bed at first, but now it's a habit, and I feel antsy when I don't run for a few days.

 

[TheOneWithTheTriplets]

Where I'd start if I were at square one:

Couch to 5k plan
5k to 10k plan
Half marathon plan that assumes you are at a 10k base.

I did all of my half marathon training doing 3 midweek 5ks and then one long run, starting at 10k and then adding a mile each week on the long run until I got to 13 miles. It's what worked for my work and family schedule and the 3 5s and a 10 cadence I find to be a great year round base, with only increasing long run miles when I sign up for a race.

I also loathe treadmills, so outdoor it is, regardless of temp or precipitation, unless the conditions are truly unsafe (ice in the winter is the main thing that gets me). I feel that an outdoor 5k feels half a hard as the same treadmill pace, plus I can just walk out my door and go, no gym needed.

 

[theMoreDisneytheBetter]

As far as not being able to run when you have food in your stomach, you could look into liquid carbs for pre-workout or something like applesauce pouches or even gels. Just something to get calories in your body and give you enough energy for your run. I use Tailwind powder for long runs, but even Powerade or other electrolyte drinks can get you out the door for shorter workouts. A piece of bread, dry cheerios, bananas, and nutrigrain bars are other foods that are easy on my stomach.

As far as schedule goes, I am extremely lucky to work from home, but even so, if I don't run first thing in the morning, it doesn't happen. (Especially since I live in Florida where it's too hot to run during the middle of the day or even at night.) It was hard to drag myself out of bed at first, but now it's a habit, and I feel antsy when I don't run for a few days.

It must be nice to get the run out so early. I am already getting up at 4:45am to get to work on time (long commute + early start time). there’s no way I will get up any earlier to train. That’s why life was so much better during the pandemic when I was working from home.

I have plenty of fat reserves to burn to power a workout- am not looking for fuel. The problem is that I’m hungry (all the time) in real life so I eat a meal, and then I’m too full to run. By the time I feel like I can run I’m hungry again and need to eat. Hence the weight gain.

 

[Zutroy]

The reality is that running is not going to fix the issues you’ve brought up. There’s a saying, “you can’t outrun a bad diet.” If you increase your exercise, your body will try to compensate for the increased energy consumption by increasing your appetite. During marathon training, I am ravenous and constantly eating, and certainly not losing weight.

What is your goal? If it’s to run for health benefits, then just go out and do it. But if you want to lose weight, there’s no way getting around food. It’s calories in, calories out. As long as you burn more calories than you consume, you will lose weight. For many people, this means tracking absolutely everything you eat to make sure you are in a calorie deficit.

 

[Mr_Incr3dible]

Dittos to the comments about the "Couch to <distance>" plans, the Galloway plan, or Higdon.

I can absolutely reiterate to pick a plan that will work for you and make sure you do it.

Don't have a lot of time in the evening? How much do you have? Even 30 minutes is a start. I have appx an hour between end of work and when the DW wants us to be eating dinner, so that's when I run, plus (sometimes) a weekend run. The results are below.

The key is to get out and start building endurance, even if it is just walking, which is one of Galloway's tenets. When I started, I kept having to stop and walk every 1/8 mile.

I will also echo that I don't care for treadmills; it just isn't the same as outside. (Yes, they have their place, but I prefer outside, so don't @ me. You know who you are....). And I can see how intervals on a treadmill might be a bit challenging. A rD race has a 16-minute/mile requirement. Can you do that now? If not, that's a good pace goal. Measure a mile or half-mile route with your car, your phone or a watch device (or find a track at a school), then go walk it and see what kind of pace you can sustain. Use that as a starting benchmark and walk progressively faster paces until you are down into 14-something minutes per mile, then start mixing in some run intervals. Rinse and repeat as many days per week as you can. I don't mean that to say run every single day, but do something every day. I try to run every other day, but on the "off" days I'll still go for a brisk walk, even if just for a mile. And if I'm feeling a bit "blah", I'll still make myself go walk, and I usually feel better afterwards for doing it. Got 10 minutes during lunch at work? Go for a walk around the building.

As for being hungry, I have found that as the exercise ramps up, it helps reduce my appetite. The other thing that has worked for me for weight loss is cutting the carbs and eating protein instead. If it's late and I want a snack, I'll have a stick of string cheese instead of a carb. Eating carbs begets carb cravings, so I've weaned myself off them as much as possible. Having pizza? Eat all the toppings and leave the crust. Having a Rueben or a burger? Pull the top slice off and minimize the amount of the bottom slice of bread.
Artificial sweeteners are still carbs, and while they may not have many calories, they can still cause carb cravings, so I now mostly drink bubbly water or plain water. Low fat? When the fat is removed from a food, it us usually replaced by sugar. After doing a lot of label-reading, I started ignoring "low fat" and just started looking at total calories. Fat is high density calorically in foods and leaves you feeling full for longer. That isn't to say I'm consuming lard, but just that I've come to realize that "low fat" rarely equates to lower calories. And if I am really having a sugar craving, a small amount of dark chocolate will usually take care of it. Mid-morning hunger? A handful of nuts or trail-mix instead of a donut. And my daily breakfast is a Quest protein bar, both for portion and calorie control.
I recently sustained an injury and put back on some pounds I had fought hard to take off. I've resumed running/walking, and have made myself return to being more diligent about what and how much I'm eating, and the pounds are slowly starting to come back off. And while slowly can be frustrating, pounds that come off slowly due to changes in eating and exercise are less likely to go back on.

That's my 2-cents worth. YMMV. There are a lot of people on here who have started running late(r) in life, and who have gone from couch to various distances. Look at their responses and the different plans that have been mentioned and see which one will work for your situation. Good luck and happy running.

 

[TheOneWithTheTriplets]

I have plenty of fat reserves to burn to power a workout- am not looking for fuel. The problem is that I’m hungry (all the time) in real life so I eat a meal, and then I’m too full to run. By the time I feel like I can run I’m hungry again and need to eat. Hence the weight gain.

Have you discussed your hunger with your doctor? Run blood tests?

For what it's worth, any time I've successfully lost weight, it's been by maintaining a calorie deficit that is maybe 20% running and 80% food management. I have to make sure I drink an absolute ton of zero calorie drinks; stock up on high volume, low calorie snacks (raw veggies with fat free greek yogurt tatziki or ranch dip); and meal prep to ensure that I have high fiber, high volume meals that are still within my calorie allotment for the day. If you've done these things to set yourself up for success and you're still finding that you're hungry to the degree that you're describing, I would be concerned about an underlying cause.