Beginners Guide to Running for the Obese

[JamieLogical 8,684]

@@treblecutie23 Glad you made it! Congratulations! I have been practicing my race-day nutrition on all of my long runs during training. I have a piece of multi-grain bread with two tablespoons of Peanut Butter about 40 minutes before I run. I fill the four 10 oz. bottles on my hydration belt with G2. I have a GU in my pack for every 3 miles. And then I have a bottle of plain Water within reach (that will be the Water stations on race day). I am doing a run/walk plan, which has me running 5 minutes and walking 1 minute at a time. So I have practiced with sipping my G2 and eating my GU gels during those 1 minute walks. I always follow the GU with plain water on the next walk interval to help wash it down. Then I do a Protein bar AFTER the run. I agree that Protein Bar before or during the run is WAY too heavy.

So I think I have it all down now. I've practiced several times with that exact combination. Earlier on I'd experimented with Protein Bars, fig bars, energy gummies, and different flavors of GU. The GU, while having a disgusting texture, was the easiest for me to eat quickly and it metabolizes so fast that I almost immediately feel the effects. Drier things were terrible when already struggling with hydration. And I found the gummies took forever to chew. So I finally found two flavors of the GU gel I can tolerate and that seems to work best for me.

My race is on Sunday! Had my last long run yesterday. Now it's tapering way down this week (only run Tuesday and Thursday and no other cardio) and the race itself on Sunday! Now I'm contemplating signing up for a full marathon in September, which would mean having to begin the 20 week training program for that a week after my half.

[chrisredjeep 357]

Best wishes coming to you for your race . I think you are marvellous ! I'm on week 4 of c25k and to my utter amazement I am enjoying it

[treblecutie23 318]

Any tips on weight gain right after a race? I'm assuming it's still a lot off fluids floating around and my muscles are all still definitely inflamed! ((And oh so sore!)) I'm up 2lbs since last week. Nothing crazy. Drinking lots of Water and indulging in a massage this morning.

Hoping to see a drop soon....between walking to and from the corrals and the race I logged 17 miles on Sunday! Insane.

[JamieLogical 8,684]

@@treblecutie23 Definitely just keep up with the hydration. For distance races, I've heard it can take up to a week. Oh, and make sure you are doing some "active recovery". Nothing intense, but a fair amount of walking.

[heather5565 959]

I appreciate this, thank you!

I'm going to figure out how to save it so I can use it when I'm ready to start running again.

I STILL suffer from plantar fasciitis after 3.5 years and many different treatments.

(Some very expensive that weren't covered under medical)

I have a really bad knee too which I've already had minor surgery on it and it looks like that isn't going to be the last one.

Thanks again!

[JamieLogical 8,684]

@@heather5565 I hope some of it prooves helpful. With your plantar fasciitis and knee issues, you will definitely want to take is slow and carefully. There are some techniques you can use (stretching, taping, PT exercises, icing, etc.) that can reduce your risk of further injury and help you deal with pain/discomfort, but definitely best to be cautious.

You might find that you get some relief from those things just by losing weight as well.

[sleevedinseptember 69]

Thanks so much for this great thread @@JamieLogical! I've done C25K before and have been trying to gt back into running recently. Your post has inspired me to give it another try. I need to get some good running playlists - music is what fuels me. You shared some very important and helpful information that I'll keep in mind as I try again.

[heather5565 959]

@@heather5565 I hope some of it prooves helpful. With your plantar fasciitis and knee issues, you will definitely want to take is slow and carefully. There are some techniques you can use (stretching, taping, PT exercises, icing, etc.) that can reduce your risk of further injury and help you deal with pain/discomfort, but definitely best to be cautious.

You might find that you get some relief from those things just by losing weight as well.

What's so odd is that both my feet and knees have gotten WORSE since I've lost weight!

I know, weird right?!

Maybe because when I was huge and inactive they didn't hurt so much but now that I'm way more active and doing a bunch of high impact exercises - that's why?!

But even going to the beach and walking into the Water (against the current and waves, mind you) it hurts.

It hurts to ride my road bike on even pavement without even a touch of incline. Ugh!

I have another appoint with my knee surgeon in June, who knows, maybe this will be an appoint to book for a knee replacement! Yikes I'm way to young for one but if it helps....

Although he has told me in the past that I need to stop running so he'd be pretty pissed if he was doing a replacement just so I can start wrecking it hahaha

We shall see. I used to run (poorly and painfully) - maybe I just need to let it go.

I love biking and hiking mountains too so maybe I just need to accept that I am not a runner!

I saved your post anyways. .. Heeheehee

Edited April 19, 2016 by heather5565

[treblecutie23 318]

Finally saw a big loss after 4 days! Down almost 4 lbs from my race weight!

Stretching has helped with the sore legs.

My one regret was not taping the balls of my feet to prevent blisters. Because these blisters are no joke.....but slowly getting better.

[JamieLogical 8,684]

Finally saw a big loss after 4 days! Down almost 4 lbs from my race weight!

Stretching has helped with the sore legs.

My one regret was not taping the balls of my feet to prevent blisters. Because these blisters are no joke.....but slowly getting better.

Had you had problems with blisters in any of your training runs?

[treblecutie23 318]

No but I did most of my training on an elliptical to be lower impact because I have a ruptured disk in my lower back. :/

[JamieLogical 8,684]

For anyone who was following my half marathon training, here's my post about today's race:

http://www.bariatricpal.com/topic/366121-proof-i-did-it

[Oak Park Lorena 162]

I realize this is a bit of an old thread, but I was so thrilled to find it, just have to say thank you, thank you for such a detailed and running-positive post!

I had been a runner during periods of weight loss thorughout my adulthood and always loved it, not just because it burns a huge number of calories, but it is the one exercise I have found that really transports me to my happy place during and after!

I started running about six months after my sleeve, so February 2014. In October 2014, I ran in the Bourbon Chase, it's a 200-mile relay marathon. The rest of my team members were all 20 years younger than me, all much thinner and much faster runners, but I loved every minute of it (even the gu!) I finished all three of my legs for a total of almost 20 miles. I got up to running 40 miles a week on a regular basis. It really helped me with the weight loss/maintenenance and it was a very positive thing in my life. I did it on vacation, I did it on business trips--one of the things I love about it is that you can do it almost anywhere if you've got your shoes!

Unfortunately, I have a congenital foot condition that finally caught up with me and I had to have surgery. The running had nothing to do with it, in fact, my ortho had strongly encouraged me to run as long as I could before the surgery to keep up my conditioning. I was off running and pretty much everything else except some sad chair yoga for many months. I gained weight, watched in horror as my quads seemed to melt down to nothing, winced as my hamstrings seemed to want to roll themselves into little unhappy balls. It was not a fun experience. I've been back to the running for a few weeks now, started the day my ortho cleared me and started really slowly, walk/run/walk run for a few miles. I did my first 5-mile run yesterday. My surgical foot is doing terrific, the rest of me is still adjusting to the long period of inactivity! Thank you for taking the time to write such an encouraging post for those of us who are not skinny, I love running and it is a bit frustrating how negative so many people are about it (you can't run, you're fat, ugh!!!

[chrisredjeep 357]

Glad you are running again. Thanks to jamielogical I started the C25k and now I run most days even whilst on holiday in Cyprus , just returned from there and just done my first morning run back on home territory this morning. I never ever thought I would be a runner but I really enjoy it. I had my op July 16 2015. Best thing I ever did !

[JamieLogical 8,684]

@@Oak Park Lorena Glad you are back to running! Down time from running is the worst! You'll get your conditioning back sooner than you think.

@@chrisredjeep I am so thrilled to hear I helped inspire you to run and you are enjoying it so much. I think that for those of us with no natural aptitude for running, it is all the more fulfilling when we can call ourselves "runners".