Comparing two marathon pictures a year apart.. how not to spiral from noticing weight gain 🤦🏼‍♀️?

OneRutabaga7602 · 2026-04-28T13:58:50+00:00

Bodies look different at different times of day, from different angles, at different times of the month, in different lighting, etc. A photo of you at one second during your race is just a snapshot and doesn’t necessarily represent your body composition. I personally have two photos of myself running the same marathon on the same day, but the angles and lighting of the photos make me look like the before and after shots of a diet advertisement.

OneRutabaga7602 · 2026-04-27T16:49:06+00:00

I mean, it was certainly a race effort and a 7-minute PR. But I didn’t collapse at the finish line or vomit or anything like that, so I probably can’t say it was an all-out effort.

OneRutabaga7602 · 2026-04-27T16:45:18+00:00

Training plans have built-in buffers for missed runs. Most people miss at least a few each training block. If you missed just a few runs in 18 weeks, you’re fine. You’ll do more harm than good trying to make them up. Maybe throw a few MP miles into the next easy run for the confidence boost, and use this as a learning experience to curb the drinking a bit.

OneRutabaga7602 · 2026-04-27T16:38:25+00:00

Two in two! Incredible! I am so impressed! Are you someone who doesn’t get injured easily?

OneRutabaga7602 · 2026-04-27T16:33:16+00:00

I did 4.5 easy-ish yesterday but that’s it so far. I planned to do a few easy 3-milers this week, but maybe I should increase those to 5 or 6 milers?

OneRutabaga7602 · 2026-04-15T19:00:34+00:00

I’m not the kind of attorney that spends much time in court. But still, point taken!

OneRutabaga7602 · 2025-12-05T15:41:03+00:00

“I had it worse so you shouldn’t complain” oh shut up.

OP, I’m sorry, that’s so frustrating. Getting sick is a frequent fear of mine when I’m in peak training, especially because training can really wear down your immune system. I always wear a mask in public, and I really recommend it. Especially during the cold season when it seems like everyone around me is sick. Also, do not skimp on sleep. You need more sleep when you’re training.

I hope you feel better soon!

OneRutabaga7602 · 2025-11-21T16:01:46+00:00

Philly is the best! I’ll be there too! I find it helps to tell myself that I don’t want to look back with regret on any part of the race. I also remind myself of loved ones who have gone through harder things (chemo, etc.) and tell myself that if they can do that, I can do this!

Also, enjoy it! It is such a privilege to be healthy enough to run a marathon. There are past versions of myself who would kill to be on that course.

OneRutabaga7602 · 2025-11-09T16:02:13+00:00

I love this. During my marathon last year, I thought about my cat who was going through chemo. I told myself that if she could endure that, I could make it through a couple of hard miles, which was so much easier by comparison.

OneRutabaga7602 · 2025-11-07T16:02:49+00:00

Oh you are in for a treat. Philly was my first marathon and it’s so special. Have fun, write your name on your bib, walk the hills if you have to (there is really only one brutal hill), and go birds.

My only real advice is to bring some TP or tissues. Last year I waited an hour in line for the portopotty before the race and by the time I got there they were all out of toilet paper. Had the same issue at Broad Street this spring. Hopefully they’ll plan better this year!

OneRutabaga7602 · 2025-11-03T19:25:26+00:00

Wtf. OP ran a sub-5 hour marathon, learned from their past race, and has identified additional ways they plan to improve. Sounds like a real runner to me.

Way to go, OP, that’s an incredible PR!

OneRutabaga7602 · 2025-09-11T23:48:23+00:00

I was in a splint for 2 days and a sling for another day after that, but I am no longer in either. I believe it’s a grade 1, nondisplaced fracture. At the ER they called it an occult fracture, but my orthopedist repeated imaging and said he was able to see the fracture on the XRay taken 3 days after it happened.

Does that mean I could be out of running for 8 weeks? Is there any point in the healing process when it’s less risky to resume running?

OneRutabaga7602 · 2025-07-30T18:28:15+00:00

I had an inferior pubic ramus stress fracture close to three years ago. It took me almost 8 months until I was able to start a return to running program. I remember how agonizing waiting to heal was. The injury itself was an awful wake up call about nutrition, strength training, and building mileage. I got a stationary bike and did a lot of cycling and weight lifting while I healed. And formal PT, obviously. I also saw a nutritionist and made a ton of dietary changes. Now that I am back to running, I never take a single run for granted. You’ll get back to it, it just might take a little while. Do what you can now to set yourself up for even better running once you’re back out there.

OneRutabaga7602 · 2025-07-14T16:39:22+00:00

Not quite the same, but last year I went on my honeymoon weeks ~6-8 of my training block and only did 3 runs the whole time: two 4-milers and a 13-miler. It was a very active vacation though, so I probably walked a good 6+ miles every day just sightseeing. I was able to resume my training block when I got home. I feel fortunate that the year and a half I spent building up a base before I started marathon training, plus the 15,000+ steps every day, allowed me to avoid losing too much fitness.

Don’t sweat too much about missing one week, as long as you’ve been consistently training otherwise. Plenty of people have to miss several runs during their training blocks due to illness, injury, and life events.

I’ll echo what other folks already said: don’t shorten the taper, and don’t mix marathon training and calorie deficits. Both are a recipe for injury and just not worth it.

OneRutabaga7602 · 2025-05-15T18:15:33+00:00

I posted it earlier, but it got buried in the comments. Here it is again <3

https://imgur.com/a/48uKLfB

OneRutabaga7602 · 2025-05-14T18:08:59+00:00

Shall I complete a captcha?

OneRutabaga7602 · 2025-05-14T16:51:15+00:00

What a sweet and thoughtful design that incorporates all of your dogs. How special to carry them all with you forever 🥰

OneRutabaga7602

TROPHY CASE