Can someone hit me with the magical progess stick?

[Raincloak]

So a few months back, I decided to run a marathon for my 30th birthday, which is in late September.

 

I think the longest I've run in the past is 10k or 12k (8 or 10 miles ... not really sure), and not frequently.  I can walk all day, and often do, but when you crank up the pace, I have trouble.  My day hike record is 12 miles with serious elevation, so I'm confident I could walk 26 miles on rolling hills if I really had to.  But I'm not walking this whole thing.  It'll take forever and I'll be shamed for life.

 

So to prepare, I've gone for runs a few times a week, as well as jumping rope and climbing stairs.  I'm definitely seeing minor improvements in my endurance and strength, but ... the problem there is "minor."  (upper body progress is also aggravatingly slow.  Despite months of patience I can still only manage a few pushups before hitting my knees, and the pullup continues to elude me.   Granted, my efforts could be more consistent, but I should've seen SOMETHING by now.)

 

I took a test "long" run yesterday and lasted 40 minutes (with a few walk breaks) before the run muscles gave out.  I could keep walking for another couple hours no problem, but I couldn't run any more.  And that's not nearly enough.  It's 4:45 or bust.

 

what'll I do?  The race is in 7 weeks.

[hwrdfrnd]

Are you in a caloric deficit? Maybe you need the to eat a bit more

Are you sleeping enough?

What's your routine look like for upper body? ( unless there are angry dogs or crazy homeless guys after me I just don't run)

[Raincloak]

nothing wrong with calories or sleep.  I'm not losing any weight and I sleep 7-8 hours a night.

 

upper body is basically pushups (mostly on knees since I can't do many regular), dips, and negatives and assisted pullups.

[Tanktimus the Encourager]

Keep pushing as best you can then do the best you can when the race rolls around. Failure is not attempting the race and not being able to run the whole way. Failure is not even trying the course.

[hwrdfrnd]

Try doing pushups at an incline (like a coffee table or a park bench) instead of on your knees. When you can do 3x8 or so either decrease the incline or try them on the floor again.

Inverted rows would probably help with your pull ups and wouldn't hurt to do in any case.

[Lycansbane]

Try doing pushups at an incline (like a coffee table or a park bench) instead of on your knees. When you can do 3x8 or so either decrease the incline or try them on the floor again.

Inverted rows would probably help with your pull ups and wouldn't hurt to do in any case.

 

 

I agree with this.  I read somewhere that Kneeling pushups work different muscles than normal push-ups and so incline push-ups are better for progressing into full push-ups.

[Raincloak]

oh, I forgot about incline pushups ... I mean, I do those too, on a bench and/or curb when I go to the park.  Maybe I should do more of them and fewer on my knees.

 

I dunno about inverted rows, I've tried at the local playground, but the bars are all too high (leaving me standing almost straight) and the benches are too low (so I don't have much leverage when I squeeze underneath).  And there's no furniture in my house that is suitable (almost broke my table, chairs and broom finding that out).  Maybe it's time to order a pullup bar and just set it low enough for rows.

 

Seeing some progress again now, after I rested a couple days and tried again.  Evidently the problem was lack of patience.  I can now do a pullup starting from halfway up with my arms flexed (woot!), and can get about 1/3 up from a dead hang, but can not yet put the two together.   Why do I have to bust my ass and then waaaaaiiiiiiit to see progress.  (whine whine, moan moan.)

 

Still way the hell behind on my running schedule.  Five and a half weeks to go till marathon, and the last week is for tapering, so in practical terms that's only one month left to train.  And if I try to push too hard, my body thwarts me.  Fuzz.  I guess there's nothing to do but avoid overtraining and keep making my slow-ass progress.  Slow is better than going backward, right?