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Learning to run 100-mile marathons thanks to the science of self-control

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Re: Learning to run 100-mile marathons thanks to the science of self-control

#121

Post by mdekkers »

scintill76 wrote: post #86

> And so I set about fortifying my sense of self-control, based on the following factors: [Standards, Monitoring, and Strength] > Strength: ... I built my mental strength by running even when I didn’t want to—when I was sore, stressed, or sleepy. He built his will power by doing things he didn't have the will to do? One of the pillars of his self-control is that he has self-control? Maybe I'm missing something or jum…

Indeed. Started reading to learn more about willpower and the science behind it. Didn't actually learn anything about how to build willpower, other then "if you have it, you can do a lot of things"

Re: Learning to run 100-mile marathons thanks to the science of self-control

#123

Post by xiaoma »

Swizec wrote: post #29
HorizonXP wrote: post #15

I'm a bit evangelical about low-carb, high-fat (LCHF) diets nowadays, especially keto. Personally, I'm not at the fitness level where I could conceivably run a marathon. Maybe a 5K or a half. But the article mentions him hitting walls as he hit certain mile markers, and having his wife help him reach the finish. This guy: https://youtu.be/96VZFklUM_Q runs ultra marathons, using fat for fuel. He leaves his fellow comp…

As someone currently training for the SF Marathon, here's my perspective on low carb and glucose packets. Low-ish carb is great. It helps you endure long runs overall and it's a good habit in general. Especially for recovering after the race and getting all those calories back. During the long run itself however, glucose packets are absolutely necessary. You run out of glycogen stores every 45 minutes or so. That's w…

Okay, so it looks like I disagree with both you and the low carb nut.

You don't need glucose packets. They might help speed you up a bit, but as long as you've built up your range progressively, the human body can go without them. As I mentioned above, I used to do > marathon distances once or twice a month in the mountains for fun (which I realize is very different than racing. I did dozens if not hundreds of 50k+ runs and have never yet even tried a gel pack. Some of those runs were at a weight of over 90kg!

Yes, you'll burn a ton of calories. I often found I weighed in at a full 5kg less after a run and probably 0.5kg less after re-hydrating. Sure, I was never anywhere near as good at long distances as mid distances, but you don't need gel packs. At least I didn't for anything up to 50k, and I probably could have gone further if not for the logistics of carrying enough water and dealing with the heat and humidity that go along with living on a semi-tropical island.

Re: Learning to run 100-mile marathons thanks to the science of self-control

#124

Post by kentt »

rickpmg wrote: post #94
kentt wrote: post #44

Earlier quoted context omitted.

> 18 minute miles is walking pace. Thank you for pointing this out. I'm so sick if people telling me they ran a marathon only to find out they walked. I'm totally fine with that being an accomplishment to finish, but it's entirely dissimilar to those who were racing.

What an elitist comment. People do marathons for different reasons. Time is just one factor. Some people actually ( gasp ) do marathons to prove something to _themselves_. It's one thing to be proud of your own time, it's entirely unsportsmanlike to criticize someone not as good as you.

I understand what you're getting at but I think you may have misunderstood me. Being able to run a marathon in 3 hours probably meant you set aside a hour or two, 5 times a week for years. Walking a marathon in 7 hours means that your in the sort of shape that is required to not die early from being sedentary.

If you tell me you RAN a marathon, I'll think that you RAN a marathon. If you walked a marathon and you think that's a great accomplishment (and it very well may be), I'm also very happy for you. But it's not the same thing. Conflating the two is dishonest and devalues what others are doing. It's the difference between building a website as a fullstack dev vs building one using Square Space. It's not that there's anything wrong with Square Space, but if you tell me your a software engineer afterwards, I'll think of you the same way I think of marathon walkers who tell me they ran a marathon.

Re: Learning to run 100-mile marathons thanks to the science of self-control

#126

Post by didibus »

I think what's good about fitness goals, is that they're all very achievable. If you are motivated, you're chances of success are almost 100%. There's not a lot of factors out of your control apart from the limits of your own body. In that sense, they're good for moral and confidence. If you struggled at other things, taking a goal whose success is in your hand, and for which failure has no consequence is a good way to test if you're the problem or not.
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