Hi!

I just recently began training for a marathon and I have two questions. Actually, just to be clear, I have about 3 weeks before the marathon training begins, but I am "pre-training" for the "real" training so to speak.

Last night, when I went out running, after about .25 of a mile, the outer part of my right foot began hurting. BAD. It felt like someone had sliced it off. It was not good. I had to stop and then it began to throb and burn so badly that I had to limp the rest of the way home.

I am new to running. I wasn't over-exerting myself, at least I don't believe I was. I was running at a good pace for me so I'm thinking it may have had something to do with my shoes? My form? I'm going to get new shoes this weekend, but do you think that's the problem?

Also, I had joined Weight Watchers a few weeks ago and now I'm beginning to wonder if I should continue to follow it while I am training for a marathon. I was reading up about marathons and I read that runners must intake a lot of carbs in order to fuel their body. Should I stop following Weight Watchers?

Thank you for any advice/thoughts/opinions!

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Sylvia

I don't know much about Weight Watchers, but, I seriously doubt that you should follow it, especially if it restricts carbs significantly. A single marathon could have you burning 3,000 calories or more, not counting all the training, and Weight Watchers simply wasn't built to provide athletes the best fueling and recovering. You'd be racking up points so fast that there wouldn't be any point. There are athletic books you can order off of Amazon that will teach you better, plus you don't have to pay to follow the diet. Start reading all the articles you can in Runner's World and similar websites and magazines too.

Once you start running seriously, your metabolism, appetite, protein requirements, and carb requirements are going to go sky high. Weight Watchers (or any of the other fad diets) isn't going to complement this very well at all.

I had an injury at that same spot on my left foot a few weeks ago. I stepped on a rock while trail running. That area is a high impact strike zone. You hit with your heel but then all of your weight transitions forward along that area. If anything is sore, or if there is a pressure point, you're going to feel it. I would try to rub the affected foot in the area you're talking about to see if it's sore. If it is, you may have some kind of similar injury on a smaller scale. Also, yeah, if there's any pressure point on your shoes that could definitely be a problem. You may want to get a really cushy sole insert, maybe that would help. Everybody puts alot of weight on that area so I doubt that it's your form, although, who knows.

Thank you for the input. Yeah, I agree. I've been reading a lot of stuff (books, magazines) about running and marathon training and it all says that I need to be on a high-carb diet because I'll be burning so many calories and carbs. WW has been helping me lose weight, but I think maybe I should try a different approach if my ultimate goal is to run and complete this marathon. I think the training in itself, done properly, will help me in my fitness goals.

My foot is not swollen or hurt. It was almost like a really bad cramp. Like a shin splint feeling in my foot! I am going to a running store this weekend so I will see what they say. I think I'll be spending quite a bit of money on some shoes.

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Sylvia

Also, does anyone know what kind of diet I should be following during this time? Should I basically eat whenever I feel hungry or should I stick to certain meal times? What should I eat before a run or should I not be eating anything at all before hand?

Thanks again! I know, I have so many questions!

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Sylvia

If there is nobody there who can analyze your form and arch, try to look elsewhere. If you can, go to a place such as Fleet Feet. Foot Locker is not the place to shop for marathon shoes, unless you know for sure that they will work for you before you go in there.

If you can't find a local place, you may want to try roadrunnersports.com, they are very knowledgeable, and they break down all the different shoes into different arch types, running style, and sometimes bodyweight. runningwarehouse.com is also a good source, better prices, but not quite the same amount of information as roadrunner. Roadrunner also has a 60 day guarantee... you can use them for up to 2 months and send them back and get a different pair. I've never seen that ANYWHERE else. They make you pay $40 a year for their VIP package though, but this also includes an extra 10% off and free shipping.

Also get a good pair of insoles. Try to see if you can try different insoles out, as they all don't work for every person, there's several styles... supportive, cushy, high arch, low arch, etc.

My personal favorite shoe is the Asics Trail Sensor Gel with very cushy insoles, but most people would probably hate them, as they're very stiff and heavy. You just have to figure out what works for you, and some of these stores in the mall just isn't the place to be doing that.

Your injury could definately be shoe-related. I did two half-marathons a few years ago and I never had any injuries, but I had very good shoes from a running store and I ran at an appropropriate (read SLOW) pace for me.

I second the Fleet Feet recommendation from corndoggy - that's where I go and they're awsome.

A good running store will take a lot of time helping you find the right shoe. Though they'll be expensive, it will be worth every penny considering the miles you're going to put in. Good luck!

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Amazon.com: running nutrition


Before a run, its best to have complex carbs and some protein well beforehand. For example, grits/oatmeal/rice and eggs. Some people like smoothies. Some crazy people don't like to eat anything at all before hand if it's in the mornings, at least for races. Personally I like fruit and beef jerky if it's later in the day. I like to bring along a sports drink such as PowerBar Endurance. If it's long enough, I'll bring a Clif Bar with me.

Just wanted to put my 2 cents in here. I've run 2 marathons with the main goal of losing weight, super bad choice to run a marathon because I didn't lose a single pound. I finished is great time, but my body looked like what is called, "skinny fat". As for food, I didn't watch what I ate, but if I had to train for a marathon again, I would most definitely increase my food intake to about 2500 calories a day. You don't have to carbo load at every meal but I would think increasing your carb intake with quality foods, like whole wheat bread and fruits will help with fueling your body. One thing I would stress is to include some sort of weight training in also during your easy run days. this will help with strengthening your body for all those long runs!

I'm not an expert. Just wanted to add in my own experience when I trained for my marathons and the mistakes that I did.

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I really haven't seen many good looking marathon runners. Marathons are pretty hard on your body. Most of the hotties are doing the 5K scene. Something to think about. If you just want to do it, that's great, but yeah, after reading this, I kind of have to agree.

I've actually heard this same thing from other people who have run marathons. They all told me that they didn't really weight train and didn't know what they were doing eating-wise, so they didn't lose a single pound. They were able to run and complete it, but didn't get the body results they were expecting. I've also spoken with others though that have also said what you said - that if I incorporate weight training on a consistent basis and eat right, that I'll see good results. I would like to lose weight and it was primary focus, but if I had to choose between that and running the marathon, I choose the marathon because I committed to it, am raising money for the cause (American Stroke Association) and running in my grandfather's memory, and have always wanted to run one. So hopefully, I'll do it as right as I can and see some results.

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Sylvia

Yes, trust me. I learned my lesson with marathons. I'll be doing no more than 10 miles from now on! The only reason why I did the second one was to get a better time than my first and I trained on the treadmill for my shorter runs and went outside with my long runs. I found that running on the treadmill during the week helped with less pounding when I actually ran my long runs outside. Again, this is just me. So take it for what it's worth.

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