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Question: I badly want to do a marathon, but I am afraid. I am hesitating
because I realize I must make major adjustments in my eating and training. I get
to a number on my bathroom scale and say to myself, “Alright, that’s
it! I will not let my weight go any higher. I will watch my food intake.”
I usually stick with the program for awhile, but unfortunately it is a cycle
that is eventually followed by more weight gain. My biggest problem is that
I always eat late at night. I crave ice cream, a sandwich, or whatever else
I can get my hands on. Can you help?
Answer: What helps you most is making a goal and putting it on your
calendar. Once you have a goal, it forces you to set priorities, especially
when it comes to training. Before I got serious about training for my first
marathon, the 1997 Honolulu race, I always used to stay up late Saturday night
and have dinner with friends. But when I was training, I couldn’t do that
because I had to meet my training group on Sunday mornings at 6:30. I was a
night owl back then. It took me a long time to force myself to go to bed early,
but I had a goal and it was to finish my first marathon. Everything else took a
back seat.
Reaching a personal goal takes some sacrifices, but I now know that when I have
goals, everything else in my life falls into place and I always manage to get it
all done. If I don’t set goals, months will go by and I feel like I’m
not accomplishing much anyway.
As for nighttime snacking, my best suggestion is to keep sugar-free Jell-O or
sugar-free pudding on hand. Also, I eat every two to three hours during the day
so I never get too hungry. I cut up fruit to nibble on all day long, or I snack
on veggies.
Finally, when you set a goal that actually scares you, you are motivated to make
better choices for yourself. Why? Because at that point you really are “an
athlete in training.” I highly recommend going for that marathon, but it
doesn’t have to be a marathon to start with. Train for a 10K and build from
there!
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