Fat Man Running: Marathon Training & Running Advice for Overweight Middle-Aged Men

By Jelmar Manuel

Men in crisis often start running. 

It gives them a sense of control, a space to breathe. And it’s cheaper than a Porsche. 

Fat Man Running safely prepares you for marathon running. No matter how much you weigh or how fit you feel, it takes you from 0 to 42 kilometers.

It contains running wisdom, diet advice and

• Language: English
• Publisher: Aquarian Consultant
• Release date: Dec 1, 2017
• ISBN: 9789082801507

Book preview

FAT MAN RUNNING

Marathon Training & Running Advice for Overweight Middle-Aged Men

International Edition

Jelmar Manuel

Copyright

Copyright © 2017 by Jelmar Manuel

All rights reserved. This book or any portion thereof may not be reproduced or used in any manner whatsoever without the express written permission of the publisher except for the use of brief quotations in a book review.

First Printing, 2018

ISBN 978-90-828015-0-7

www.jelmarmanuel.com

For Guru Deva

Knitter. Provider of great suggestions. Love of my life.

On being a runner

It's a treat being a runner, out in the world by yourself with not a soul to make you bad-tempered or tell you what to do.

— Alan Silitoe

What this Book is About

Men in crisis often start running.

It gives them a sense of control, a space to breathe. And it’s cheaper than a Porsche.

Fat Man Running safely prepares you for marathon running. No matter how much you weigh or how fit you feel, it takes you from 0 to 42 kilometers.

It contains running wisdom, diet advice and training schedules. It also tells you how to apply that information in your life.

With this book in hand you will be able to lose weight and build up the strength, endurance and resilience to conquer that Distance of Distances: 42.195 kilometers. And all the smaller distances in between.

If life is like a prison, running is like tunneling yourself out. This book is a practical help. It gives you a map of the territory. It shows you where to start digging.

Run well.

An Inspiring Moment

Years ago we had a house guest from Canada who came to Amsterdam to run the marathon. He was in his late 40s or early 50s and an incredibly sympathetic man. I remember him sitting on our staircase tying his shoe laces, gearing up for the marathon. He said: « You know Jelmar, there comes a time in your life when you realize that you just need to do something »

For some reason I was very touched by this. He was just a normal guy. He did not seem especially sportive. He did not seem very obsessed, or even slightly competitive, for that matter. He was just a man who had decided to turn his life around; who decided to run marathons. It resonated with my soul. Many years later, the memory of that moment freed me. Freed me to the notion that perhaps — no, definitely maybe, I might be able to run a marathon too.

Thank you, John.

17 ... you're ready

There is a scene in South Park where one of the kids ask Chef: « What IS the right age to start having sex? »

Chef replies with absolute certainty: « Seventeen »

« But » says someone « What if you’re not ready? »

Chef: « Nope. Seventeen. You’re ready. »

This book is written in that spirit. It is not medical advice. Much of it not even scientifically proven. But it does not belong entirely to the realm of folklore, either.

It is the solid advice of someone that has walked the path. Dug out the information from the earth with his own two hands.

I share what I have learned. I feel that much of this wisdom can benefit many men. That is why I wrote this book.

Much of the information will be useful to you if you are not overweight, not a man, or not middle-aged. But this is the group I know about.

In this book you will find everything you need in order to make your weight loss marathon journey a success: diet advice, training schedules and many tips.

Much of this information was ‘hard won’, so to speak. The marathon, 42.195 km, is an incredible teacher. During the training it was always present on the horizon of my consciousness. Every time, it showed me where I was. Where I needed to go to take the next step. In more than one aspect of my life.

Marathon training is a process that requires intelligence, discipline, resourcefulness and above all, awareness of the body. If these qualities are not present in the beginning, the training process — if approached with maturity — will bestow them by itself.

In this book you will find several rules of thumb. They are not hard and fast rules. Like Chef says: Seventeen, you’re ready. You need to see where you are in relation to these guidelines, if they hold true for you. I give you the measure, so that you can assess how to apply the wisdom to yourself.

Run well,

Jelmar Manuel

The Ideal Marathon Weight

There is a simple formula to find the weight that is ideal for you to run the marathon. Simply take the number of centimeters of your height that are over 1 meter. We call this the baseline. Subtract 10% from this baseline: and there it is, your ideal marathon weight in kilos. The range of kilograms between the ideal weight and the baseline is a good weight to run the marathon. Over the baseline you are still eligible to run the marathon within a 10% range. Beyond that you are too heavy right now. But not to worry. This will change.

Understand where you are by looking up your height and the corresponding weights. (Tables in pounds are here and for stone and pounds go here. And here is a length and weight conversion table for easy reference.)

Ideal weights (in kg and cm)

Height: 150 cm

Baseline weight: 50 kg

Ideal weight: 45 kg

Good weight range: 45 - 50 kg

Still okay weight range: 50 - 55 kg

Overweight: 55+ kg

Height: 155 cm

Baseline weight: 55 kg

Ideal weight: 50 kg

Good weight range: 50 - 55 kg

Still okay weight range: 55 - 61 kg

Overweight: 61+ kg

Height: 160 cm

Baseline weight: 60 kg

Ideal weight: 54 kg

Good weight range: 54 - 60 kg

Still okay weight range: 60-66 kg

Overweight: 66+ kg

Height: 165 cm

Baseline weight: 65 kg

Ideal weight: 59 kg

Good weight range: 59 - 65 kg

Still okay weight range: 65 - 72 kg

Overweight: 72+ kg

Height: 170 cm

Baseline weight: 70 kg

Ideal weight: 63 kg

Good weight range: 63 - 70 kg

Still okay weight range: 70 - 77 kg

Overweight: 77+ kg

Height: 175 cm

Baseline weight: 75 kg

Ideal weight: 68 kg

Good weight range: 68 - 75 kg

Still okay weight range: 75 - 83 kg

Overweight: 83+ kg

Height: 180 cm

Baseline weight: 80 kg

Ideal weight: 72 kg

Good weight range: 72 - 80 kg

Still okay weight range: 80 - 88 kg

Overweight: 88+ kg

Height: 185 cm

Baseline weight: 85 kg

Ideal weight: 77 kg

Good weight range: 77 - 85 kg

Still okay weight range: 85 - 94 kg

Overweight: 94+ kg

Height: 190 cm

Baseline weight: 90 kg

Ideal weight: 81 kg

Good weight range: 81 - 90 kg

Still okay weight range: 90 - 99 kg

Overweight: 99+ kg

Height: 195 cm

Baseline weight: 95 kg

Ideal weight: 84 kg

Good weight range: 84 -