Is going from totally untrained (255-260lbs) to sub 2hr HM in one year and sub 4hr marathon in two years realistic?

You're on the right path challenging both yourself and your friend, but I'm not a huge fan of your goal being a 2 hour HM. Aim a lot higher. Challenge yourself to do a 5K. Not to finish it, but to actually RUN it. It will feel vastly better breaking ~20:00 for 5k (roughly 6:30/mile) versus slogging through 13 miles at 9:00/mile. At 6'4" 260lbs, you could do it if you were at all athletic at some point in your life. 180 is going to be way too light for you. 200-210 would have you feeling terrific, but give yourself the whole year to get there. After doing a 20:00 5k at 200-210, then you can shoot for a sub 1:30 HM if you haven't been having injury problems.

You want greater quality of life with better fitness, right? 20:00 5K fitness is far far superior to a 2:00:00 HM.

Is this a troll post?

42 years old, 260lbs, couch to sub 20 5k isn't happening in.12 months.

Coevett wrote:

Is this a troll post?

42 years old, 260lbs, couch to sub 20 5k isn't happening in.12 months.

Look up at the weights/progression of Priscilla Welch and Steve Way and you will realize there is MUCH more possible than just that depending on talent.

He can lose a lot of weight in 12 months and if his ultimate potential is really high (say a 2:15 marathoner) he will already run very fast times off limited training while still being overweight.

How fast someone gets is about TALENT and not about previous history/shape when starting to run. Many people need a long time to become fast, especially after being overweight/sedentary/unhealthy, but talented ones get there quickly and their ceiling is of course MUCH higher.

I agree - if he is in the top 0.00001% of the population talent wise, then it's on.

OP - ignore the negativity here. It's just some frustrated havebeens or neverhavebeens.

The important thing is that you have a goal and train for it consistently. Obviously it will take you some time to run competitely, but that is not your primary goal. In the end, it doesn't really matter whether or not you run a 1:59 or 2:05 HM. What matters is that you have been training for a year and get rid of the fat.

I had been chainsmoking for 20 years. After quitting, successfully trained for a 1:20 HM and various sub 3 marathons in my 40ies. Yes, it took me some time and dedication. No, I am not 0.0000001% of the population, just the average guy next door without any track & field background.

Could be doable, depends on you. I started running just before my 50th birthday, in September 2015, and I weighed 225. By Thanksgiving I had gotten just under 200 and ran 10K in just over an hour. By the next spring I had gotten my weekly mileage into the 40s and ran a 10 miler in 85 minutes, then a 1:53 half. In summer of 2015 I got consistent around 50 mpw and gradually lowered my 5K times to 24 then 23 then 22+. By then my weight was under 160. I did a fall half in 1:41 and a Thanksgiving 5K in 22-low.

If your body can handle the running and you don't have have lasting lung damage, I think a 4-hour marathon is realistic for you if you get to within the normal BMI range for your height and can run 50 miles a week consistently.

Being your age/weight, my word of advice is not to try to "beat" the weight off of yourself through excessive cardio.

I would take a hard look at your diet and try to lose as much weight as possible, via diet and caloric deficit. Of course work out and stuff, but don't try to mimic some of the more advanced training regimens on this site. Only setting yourself up for failure.

You could reach your goal but it will be a long road. If you are consistent month over month, it will come. If I were you, I would make a thread here about your progress and report on it weekly. Much more likely to get serious responses.

Coevett wrote:

Is this a troll post?

42 years old, 260lbs, couch to sub 20 5k isn't happening in.12 months.

+1. 20:00 5k is hauling. That’s probably not happening.

25:00 5k is compatible with 1:59:59 half marathon. At least it was for me, within 1 year of beginning training, losing 30 lbs but not quite quitting smoking. Another year later, I ran 1:48 HM and 4:06 marathon. Opening 5k for my HM was about 24:00. I could probably have run 22 low 5k if I tried.

Ignore the Hero Zero guy. Where did that come from and what does it have to do with your question?

I'm 6'4" and have run a 22:47 5k at 255 lbs. My marathons have been over 4 hours however. Pretty sure I could go under 4 hours at 220 lbs, but there's a huge difference between "could" and "did".

It'll make it a lot easier if you if lose weight.

There's a lot of "it depends" in the answer to your question, but your goals are reasonable.

Same here wrote:

Coevett wrote:

Is this a troll post?

42 years old, 260lbs, couch to sub 20 5k isn't happening in.12 months.

+1. 20:00 5k is hauling. That’s probably not happening.

25:00 5k is compatible with 1:59:59 half marathon. At least it was for me, within 1 year of beginning training, losing 30 lbs but not quite quitting smoking. Another year later, I ran 1:48 HM and 4:06 marathon. Opening 5k for my HM was about 24:00. I could probably have run 22 low 5k if I tried.

Hey anything seems possible at midnight.

My point was he should focus on running faster, not further. Without knowing his past abilities it's hard to guess what 5k time is most appropriate. Maybe 20:00, maybe 24:00.

OP: how fast can you currently run 400 meters in without hurting yourself?

Forget the sub 20 5K. If you were interested in that as a goal, you'd have stated it from the beginning. Stick with your original plan. And yes, it's very possible. If you read Runners World, it happens all the time!

Getting back into running when you're fat, out of shape and old is an area where I have a lot of experience. Here are a couple lessons I've learned along way:

To get faster and make big gains you need to: (a) increase your weekly mileage, so that you're running a lot more, on a regular basis; (b) you need to lose weight; (c) you’ll eventually need to start doing hard workouts focused on building speed; and (d) not get injured.

*When you're over 40, heavy, and haven’t run in over 10 years, it's really easy to injure yourself when you’re building up your mileage or trying to increase your speed. You need to build up your muscles and bones to handle the pounding of long miles and hard workouts. This is a slow process.

*You are going to improve a lot, and quickly when you first start running regularly. You’ll feel great and your leg muscles and cardio will be ready to push the pace and mileage before your bones and tendons can handle it. It’s important to keep yourself in check and not push too hard, too fast.

*It will probably take you at least 4 or 5 months before you are ready to run a full 13.1 at any speed, without hurting yourself. Hal Higdon's Novice 1 Half Marathon Plan is a great place to start.

*When you first start out, it’s a bad idea to chase too many goals at once. Trying to dramatically increase your speed while you are simultaneously building up your mileage for the first time is a good way to get injured. There will be a time when your body can handle both, but it’s not during your first year of running.

*Especially when you are just starting out, try to focus on one thing at a time. It’s ok to restrict calories to lose weight, but don’t do it at the same time that you are increasing your mileage. Your body won’t recover if you’re starving it for fuel.

Anyway, I’m starting to repeat myself…

As for whether your time goals are realistic, a lot depend on your physiology. If you were a great athlete once upon a time, cardio workouts have always come easy to you, etc., then a 2-hour half marathon probably won't be a problem.

Personally, I’ve been running for 4 years and still haven’t broken two hours (though I’m getting close). I have, however, shaved 30 minutes off my half marathon time and have run a couple full marathons. But that’s my body – cardio was my weakness when I was a ripped high-schooler. There are plenty of fatter and older guys who smoke me at every race.

OP, based on the amount of cross training you're doing or planning on doing, have you considered looking into triathlon as an alternative to a marathon? The only reason I ask is because you'll get the same (or possibly greater) cardio and weight loss benefits of running with significantly less pounding on your legs (if you're worried about injury).

Nevertheless, if you're all in on running a half and full marathon, grab a good training plan and go for it. The goals are ambitious, and it may also be helpful to link up with a local coach, if that's an option for you.

Concentric Hero - Eccentric Zero wrote:

Same here wrote:

+1. 20:00 5k is hauling. That’s probably not happening.

25:00 5k is compatible with 1:59:59 half marathon. At least it was for me, within 1 year of beginning training, losing 30 lbs but not quite quitting smoking. Another year later, I ran 1:48 HM and 4:06 marathon. Opening 5k for my HM was about 24:00. I could probably have run 22 low 5k if I tried.

Hey anything seems possible at midnight.

Especially if you're a manipulative, passive-aggressive piece of sht.

Obese middle age guy with emphysema wants encouragement? Tell him he's a loser if he can't run a 19 minute 5k.

You're probably 5'7" or shorter, and you were triggered by OP's height.

POS

I was 48 couch potato. 190 lbs 5’7”. Half pack a day smoker. Couldn’t jog more than 100 meters.

12 months later I was down to 165 lbs, 24:25 5k and 1:58 HM. Ran a marathon on a lark, and just barely broke 6:00. Walked it in basically from mile 16 although I had a lot of company. 25MPW average. Still half a pack a day.

Another 12 months and I was at 1:48 for the half and 4:06 with a bonk in the marathon. 47 high for 10k. 153 lbs. 55MPW average. Still half a pack a day.

12 months later my body broke down. I think I ramped up mileage too quickly and did not take enough rest days.

I continued with the smoking for another 6 years with occasional jogging. Quit smoking last year. It got too expensive.

You post a post on Letsrun, go to sleep, and when you wake up there is plenty of mostly constructive feedback on it.

Cool! Thanks people. In all it looks like people agree it's a reasonable target, good!

As someone said, I don't want to set myself up for failure and I don't quite know how much my lung capacity is permanently reduced with that stage 1 enphysema thing (Not TOO bad I think, atleast the "beeping" in my lungs are more or less gone already and I know of no smokers with far less endurance than me), so sub 20 5k seems quite ambitious currently and probably (hopefully) more realistic to do as a next step. Thanks for suggesting I raise the bar though!

Also appreciate the advice on eating. I'm pretty conscious of eating less. They say losing weight is at least 75% diet, so the aim is for 500+ kcal defeciancy a day, which in theory should take at least 1 lbs off every week. I don't weigh every single thing I eat or anything, and I don't plan on going on the scale too often (don't wanna get manic over the weight) but know my body well enough (and can see it on my clothes etc) to monitor if I'm having progress. So far without weighing myself the week I started or this week I'm on a little over 1 lbs of weight reduction a week

If that trend stops, I'll obviously have to count those calories more carefully.

As someone said, consistency is key and I'm obviously aware of this. This is why I put the goals 1 AND 2 years out in time, to make it a continuing process..

Now, I want the goal to be realistic and hard enough so that I have to be fit to reach it, but not so hard it's basically impossible, and since the potential of my lungs are a bit of an x-factor I'd rather move the target if it's obvious that it's too easy.

I've never ran 400m on time in my life EVER. (only running PB I can remember was an 8:15 on a 2k when i was 15, I remember vommiting after).

I had planned on rowing today, but heck, I live just a 5 minute jog (even for me) away from a track, so I'll let the food digest a little, warm up and check it out TODAY.. haha! (Me from 2,5 months ago would be laughing hard at that idea)

Considering I've never been fast and the other obvious limitations I suspect it's worse than 90 sec maybe even 100+, but we'll see..

I thought I'd wait treating myself to a Garmin 235 until I've done more progress, so I'll time it with my mobile.

I have however bought the most expensive pair of shoes I've ever bought in my life now owning a pair of $200 hokas.

Not really track shoes I think but it's the only pair of joggers I own so they'll have to do.

As I make progress and start running more I'll invest in a couple of more pairs.

Posting my training is probably a good idea to get some feedback on the training I'm doing. Thanks!

User name is now registered and I'll try updating this thread at least weekly (starting with my 400m time).

Thanks for feedback all.

Slow and steady easy kilometers. Run every day, but not too much. During the first year aim to building up to a weekly run of an hour or so (however slow, but never walking). By the third year of regular running (! Not other crap) running 60km a week without injury should be reasonable as should running 21km in 2 hours once every now and again.

You have to think of yourself as the tortoise.

Kung Pow Chicken wrote:

OP, based on the amount of cross training you're doing or planning on doing, have you considered looking into triathlon as an alternative to a marathon? The only reason I ask is because you'll get the same (or possibly greater) cardio and weight loss benefits of running with significantly less pounding on your legs (if you're worried about injury).

Nevertheless, if you're all in on running a half and full marathon, grab a good training plan and go for it. The goals are ambitious, and it may also be helpful to link up with a local coach, if that's an option for you.

Cheers for the advice and it sounds like very sound advice..

It's just that the idea of running a marathon has been building in my mind for the last 2 months, so even though I actually swam age 10-13 and own a racing bike I kind of want to give it a go first.

(Swimming is also a bit inpractical as I live on an island in Scandinavia and it's 2 a hour round trip with $30 just in ferry fees to get to work out in a indoor pool)

I have great hilly gravel tracks to run on, so I hope that if I don't overdo the build up on the running the legs will handle it... We'll see!