First let me say, at the beginning of 2024, I had no plans to run a marathon, nor was it on any bucket list with my name on it, but that changed in February.
I was 56-year-old grandma, 55#'s overweight and have been a type 2 diabetic for over fifteen years. Even though I've always been an active person and have run several half-marathons, the pounds had snuck up on me. Again.
In February, my husband's company was bought out, and he decided to move to another company. Great. Right? He'd be happier and have new opportunities. The bad news was the new company didn't offer health insurance for over 3 months. No problem. Then we learned the COBRA cost of over $2000/month which would total over $7000 until we'd be covered. We decided to pay for my meds out of pocket. Most of my prescriptions were affordable, except for my two insulins. The fast-acting insulin was $300+/month and the long-acting was near $1000. Could we afford this? We could manage it, but I was angry--mainly with myself. Do you know what I could buy for $3000. Shrug. I don't know, but I can guarantee you it would be more fun than buying insulin. How could I have gotten into this situation? Couldn't I simply control my eating?
Talk about humiliating!
I've always been a stubborn person, and I decided I was going to control my blood sugar levels with healthy eating and only the short-acting insulin. (Please don't take this as advice for what you should do. Everyone is different. Talk to your doctor before making any drastic health decisions. Seriously, I'm just a person who looks things up on the internet and am no doctor.) But I also know me. I'm an author who spends a lot of time at my computer. I'm home. Alone. With food. I don't do well thinking about what I shouldn't be eating. I need something else as my goal.
Determined, I went to my computer that day and began researching marathons in our area. 26.2 miles. The same as running 8-5k's back-to-back, 2 half-marathons, or 106 laps around a track. As I said, I've always enjoyed running, but there was no way after running a half-marathon, I could turn around and do it again. And I was 30 pounds heavier since the last time I'd run one. Nervous with whether I could do this, I got busy making plans how to train to run further than I ever had at 56-years-old while keeping my blood sugars at a healthy level. If you're a diabetic, you know just cutting back doesn't keep your numbers in check and some "healthy" foods make your numbers skyrocket.
My diabetes took priority. Heathy, low-glycemic foods. (I hadn't talked to my doc and didn't want to be fussed at. Nor did I want to wind up in the ER. Fear of dying is a great motivator.) Also, I had tried different diets through the years. I've always had good success with counting calories. Now, if that's not your thing, that's okay. Do what works for you. I have family and friends who love Keto, Carnivore, Weightwatchers or are on Ozempic-type meds and have had great success. But the calorie deficit-goal mentality and writing down what I eat gives me a feeling of control. Power over my choices. And if I plateau, I always know if I stick with it a few more days, the scales will move.
So, here's the thing, even though my blood sugars and weight loss takes precedence, it's also the best thing for running, too. Believe me, it's much easier to move 150 pounds up a hill, than 200 pounds. When considering food choices, I try to pick those that fuel my workouts. Sodas, chips, or cookie dough were not going to help my workout. It's a mind game. "I'm not saying no to a treat, I'm doing what's best for training." It's basically the same thing, I know. But it makes all the difference. Telling myself "no" feels like I'm denying myself. Fueling myself for marathon training seems like a smart, athletic move.
Keep in mind, even though I was chubby and loved comfort food, I walked or biked often before I started my training.
I'm also an empty nester-author with time to write and exercise. If you work a fulltime, out-of-the-house job, you might have to tweak how often you train.
Here's what I did:
1. February 12th. Weighed in at #204, just 2 pounds shy of my heaviest weight, ever. Not real happy I let myself get that weight again, but it is what it is. I began writing down everything I ate using MyFitnessPal, a program I had used before to track my calories, food, and nutrients. I used the free version. There are many programs out there to help you track your daily food and calories burned during exercise. Find what works for you.
2. I researched local marathons. I found one and signed up that was in the middle of October. I enjoy smaller events compared to sharing the starting line with thousands of other runners. This is probably due to the two larger races where I fell and bloodied my knees due to the crowds. That's another story.
Oh, and my husband decided to join me in the marathon, so I signed him up, too.
2. I created a "34-Week to Marathon" training chart to track my miles. (I knew I needed to lose at least 50 pounds and that was going to take time. I'm 56 and it'd be easy to injure myself if I move too fast too soon. Also, a lot of training plans were for 20 weeks which would've had me running my race during the summer heat in Texas if I signed up for an earlier race. Umm. No.)
3. My daily calorie count was very strict, and my workouts consisted of long walks. If I was feeling good, I might jog downhill. After researching many plans, one thing they had in common was one long run (or walk) per week and then add a mile every week. I started with a 7-mile "long run" on my first week. If you're just beginning, then go for one or two miles or whatever is challenging, but do not risk an injury. It will only set you back.
4. Cross-training. I didn't run every day. Your body needs rest. Bike, swim, or use an elliptical or row-machine a couple of times per week. Anything really that keeps you moving. Or simply walk.
Also take 1 or 2 days to rest. Seriously, your workouts will be stronger, and your body will thank you.
5. Do not beat yourself up if you have a slow or bad work out day. Some days you're tired. No matter how hard you try to move faster, it just doesn't happen. Do not let doubt or frustration slip in. "I'm a loser," thoughts are not allowed. Even the professional athletes have off days. Slow down and keep moving. Call a friend and visit on the phone, or simply enjoy your walk.
6. Try to stick to the diet every day, but if you fall of the wagon and land smack dab in the middle of a cream-filled doughnut, do not give up. Resist the urge to pig out the rest of the day because "you've already messed up." Remember, this is not about telling yourself no to food, but what is good for training. There is nothing worse at stealing your energy for a workout after a sweet pastry, unless you follow it with chili cheese fries and a milkshake. Do not punish yourself with food.
7. By the end of my first month, I had stuck with my plan almost 100%. I had lost 14 pounds and jogged/walked a 10-mile-long run.
8. There is no glory in killing yourself. We have hills near out house. Whenever I start running and am trying to get into shape, I normally jog downhill and walk uphill for several weeks. Then I add uphill runs, at a telephone-length at a time. Or I use fenceposts for measurement. On level terrain, I might walk 4 fence posts for every one I jogged. Gradually, I upped the ratio over time. (Can you tell I'm 56? LOL. My kids would laugh at me. Most people probably set the timer on their cell phone to guide them when to run/walk by minutes instead of distance.)
Note: My husband is eating healthy with me and tries to work out as often as he can. Considering he works long hours at his fulltime job, he's not able to exercise as much as me.
9. My blood sugars stayed within a good range most of the time. My first half-marathon was in 2012, and I learned something then. Sugars spike during a run. It was the first time I had realized this, and it totally baffled me. Why? Honestly, I felt ripped off. If ever I should not have to worry about what I consumed it was after a 13-mile run. Right? Not necessarily.
I wasn't on insulin then, but I learned that when your muscles need energy, your body releases glucose. I'm diabetic. My body doesn't handle glucose. So, my blood gets bombarded with sugar. Okay. Not bombarded, but it definitely spiked. After the race, instead of enjoying a pasta-filled reward meal, I still had to eat a small serving for lunch. I say all this to let you know, nothing has changed. I'm still diabetic. I constantly must check my numbers. Before, during, and after a run.
Also, as my long runs increased, I began carrying energy bits/balls with me. I found a couple recipes for granola bar type snacks. (LINK HERE>) It took several runs to figure out how much fuel I needed and how often. One small energy bite approximately every two miles seems to keep my numbers in a safe zone of 90 to 160. If I wait too long and my sugars crash, not only must I stop running, but I need to eat more to get it back up. Then it may keep going up until it's too high. To avoid having to take insulin on my run, I must take my fuel in small increments. This of course, will vary wildly from person to person. It will take some trial and error to figure out what works for you. Can I say having diabetes is exhausting?
10. In March, I had a doctor's appointment where I confessed what I was doing: not taking one of my insulins and training for a marathon. At this time, I had been "training" for about 6 weeks. My doctor was not upset. (Even though I'm pretty certain he was scrutinizing me...) When I asked about taking the quick acting insulin without the long-acting one, he warned me it would give me hills and valleys in my numbers. He was right. I struggle to keep the numbers from spiking and then from dropping too low--something I have never struggled with before. My labs showed my A1C had dropped so everything was going in the right direction.
11. By the end of month two I had lost another 9 pounds, and by month 3 another 13 for a total of 36 pounds lost. Probably 95% of the time, I had stuck to my calorie/deficit goals.
12. June 11, I ran 20 miles! This was the longest run I had ever run. (Okay, once my long runs got over 13, every long run was the longest I had ever gone...)
13. Then, I got to start over. What I mean is most training programs suggest 20 miles is a long as you need to run during workouts, but normally it's around 3 weeks before the race. I still had about 17 weeks before my big day. I found another training plan and started back at 6-miles for my long run. Being that I had time during the day, I could exercise forever, but at an extremely SLOW pace. Now I felt like I could tweak my program a bit. Go to the track and work on sprints. (Ha. I'm the only one who would call it a sprint.) I implemented more swimming into my program. Started tracking my personal best times. You know, the things that start making you feel like you're a real runner who is legitimately in training.
14. By mid-July I had lost 50 pounds, and my running sessions were getting more enjoyable. I actually looked forward to them. Hearing people tell me how good I looked was a great confidence booster!
Oh, and you know how I told you my husband had joined me? Because of the heat, we started working out before he went to work. This meant getting up at 4 am. I'm not a fan of hitting the pavement that early, but I really enjoyed working out with him, and if we could find a way to do it together, I was willing to make the adjustment. I eat breakfast (even though I'm not hungry) and take my insulin. Then we head out the door.
Side note: Once, I had planned a short run and since I wasn't hungry, I thought it'd be okay to skip breakfast. My blood sugar was at a good spot, and I only was going 2 miles. When I got back, my sugar had skyrocketed. I didn't quite believe the result was normal, so I tried it again two days later. Dumb move. Yes, it did again. For me, I must eat and take my meds even if I'm not hungry and it's a quick day.
