2008: A Look Back
Entering 2008 I was running about 35-45 minutes per day six days a week. This was a routine I had followed for many years and I had become (lazily) set in my ways. When I turned my attention to qualifying for Boston 2009 in February 2008 I increased these daily runs up to about 60 minutes with weekly long runs of 10-12 miles beginning in March gradually increasing these to 14-15 miles by May, 16-18 miles by June/July and 20-22 miles by late August. I also paid for a 24 week training plan from Greg McMillan http://www.mcmillanrunning.com/ which was key.
Before receiving the plan I filled out a detailed questionnaire on my training habits and goals. I was initially skeptical of following a plan designed via e-mail but needed the structure that a formal training plan would provide.
In addition to the long runs I also learned from the BMI (Body Mass Index) that at 5' 8" (standing up very straight) I was overweight (my BMI was 26.7 above top end of "normal" weight for this height which was 24.9) and certainly too heavy to run a Boston qualifying time (3:35). Here is the link to determine your BMI http://www.nhlbisupport.com/bmi/ .
As I gradually increased my weekly mileage up to above 40 miles per week the weight began to come off at a rate of about one pound a week. I did three other things: I made sure I weighed myself every day (and cutting back the next day if I slipped), reduced (but not eliminate) my intake of carbs (breads, bagels donuts etc.) and started eating lots of uncooked fruits and vegetables a couple of times a day when I got hungry.
These changes were not easy at first but eventually became second nature. Looking back, I'm absolutely convinced that in my case the weight loss was as important as the long runs in qualifying for Boston. It not only made the training easier, I had fewer aches and pains after each workout, especially in the lower extremities. I found the weight loss had a compounding effect: the more I ran, the more weight I lost and the more miles I could run and the more weight I lost....etc. etc. I found several well documented medical studies that revealed that for each pound of weight lost resulted in a 4800 lb. lessening of the compressive load on each knee per mile. With a ten pound loss this increased to a 48,000 lb. reduction over a mile. In 2001 I underwent two medial knee meniscectomies and never realized at the time that the likely cause of the small meniscus tears was that I was too heavy. It is my impression many runners (I include myself prior to 2008 in this group) search for "cures" for their lower extremity ailments such as medial or lateral meniscus pain, heel soreness, patella pain, plantar fasciitis etc. They try new shoes, undergo surgery, physical therapy, or chiropractic, take various anti-inflammatory drugs or place heel inserts into their running shoes. The answer however is often simple: lose the weight. In early March 2008 when I was weighing in at a portly 170 (yes better than the 190 a few years earlier but I was still a pudge) my knees would ache after just a 10 mile run. By September after losing close to 30 lbs. I experienced no lower extremity pain despite running 20+ miles each Sunday. Here is just one of many articles detailing the beneficial effects on your lower extremities of even a minor weight loss: http://www.webmd.com/osteoarthritis/news/20050629/small-weight-loss-takes-pressure-off-knee
At the peak of my training in August/mid-Sept. 2008. I was averaging 60+ miles per week with three weeks over 70. My weight had dropped from 172 in January 2008 to 142 by September 2008. My longest run was 24 miles (on September 14) By years end my mileage totaled 2489.
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