Conflicted

I really, really, really want to run a marathon. However, my wife and my surgeon don't want me to. My surgeon simply does not like marathons. He feels that WLS patients are 1 injury away from sliding back into a sedentary lifestyle and by training for a marathon you increase your risk of an overuse injury. He wants me to run 5k, 10k, half, , bi, and triathlons. I don't know what to do. I'd love to do a triathlon but the cost of a bike and extra equipment scare me.

Advise and guidance.

you love to swim!  we live on the ocean!  duh!  a starter bike won't cost much, and we can save up for a nice bike.  you are using the cost as an excuse, my love.

No offense to your wife , but don't let anyone tell you what you are or are not capable of. You are starting a new life and deserve to be able to reach all of YOUR goals. You decided to save your own life with surgery and should be able to go after anything you want to do. My family thinks I'm crazy for the lifestyle I have chose since surgery , but they will not stop me from being the person I have always wanted to be and that I now have the chance to become.

 Training for a 5k means your 1 step away from tripping.  Training for a tri means your one spill on the bike from an injured hip.  Heck, sitting in the lazy boy you're one missed handle from spilling hot coffee on your lap.  Get busy living or get busy dying (its my Facebook status today too)!

If Marathons were easy, more than 1% of the population would run them.  Some people have a history of injury, or simply have trouble with the nutrition, or simply don't have the time to train right - they aren't for everyone.  But not to go for it simply because of FEAR of getting hurt?  Sorry, but that's LAME.  I'll suggest one of the big reasons we needed WLS in the first place was "fear" of doing something to change.  

Should you be prudent in training?  Of course.  If you start getting signs of overuse should you slow down?  Of course - I did for sure.  But never start?  Sorry bro - if its your goal, rock it.  

 I tend to agree with the boys, go for it!!! If we never try, we will never succeed.  We all had the surgery to get healthy, how is sitting around going to accomplish that? The only person I listen to is myself, my body tells me what to do these days.  My husband would never tell me not to do something, especially if he knew how much I wanted to do it.
I have been waylaid these past two weeks with a cold and an injury and I still managed to lose weight, yes I am still in the "honeymoon" stage, but I also watched what I ate more closely because I was not doing anything major for my workouts.  Every athlete goes through injury and sickness, it is just a matter of watching what you eat and paying attention to your body.  We had this surgery to change our lives, so get out there and change it.
Do what you want, not what other people want.

ps. I wanted to add that my injury was not from training, it was from cheering at my son's football game, I slipped on the wet bleachers..go figure...still klutzy, that is not going to change I guess...LOL

...and by the way, it's not that your wife doesn't want you to run a marathon.  Your wife wants you to get clearance from your doctor.  It would be silly to run a marathon against medical advice.  That's care and concern, not discouragement.

I'm training for a marathon myself. On any day out running I could injure this or that part of my leg, or I could get hit by a car, but I want to run a marathon, so both are risks I am willing to take. I would rather be out on the street trying to do this, then be back to the way I used to be, morbidly obese sitting on the couch waiting for my life to start, and not knowing when that would be.

As for triathlons, in June I bought a brand new Trek 1.1 C for $620 in Savannah. Its an entry level road bike, it got the job done, got me through 2 triathlons and I won my division in the second one I did. That being said, I discovered in these 2 triathlons that it is something I absolutely love, and last week I put a large down payment on a triathlon bike. The 2 bike shops in Savannah have layaway plans, you can put $100 down on a bike and bring some money every payday and pick up the bike when you pay it off, the shop I am getting my bike through also does a bike fitting for free, which is essential with a new bike. The shop already did the fitting for me on the triathlon bike and it took an hour and a half, I am very un- proportionate, I have very short legs, a long torso, and very long arms, but these guys were able to fit me perfectly and I am counting down the days until I can pick up my new bike on the 29th.

Also there is an awesome store in Hilton Head called Go Tri Sports, they are a triathlon specific store, they have everything you could ever need for triathlons, they even sell starter packages that include a bike, pedals, a wetsuit, a race belt, goggles, and body glide.

You have time, the first local triathlon in the area isn't until March, but triathlons are tons of fun, I love all races, but triathlons are by far my favorite.

my $0.02.  i think it is more dangerous to put limits on yourself, and i'm really concerned that your doctor is advising you against training because he fears you will slip back into a sedentary lifestyle.  that is just wacky thinking.  you WILL get injured if you train long enough regardless of the distance.  i've sustained oversuse injuries training for sprint tri's, 5K's, half marathons, half IM, and marathons.  when you are injured you take care of your injury and do what you can in the meantime, then push on.

that being said, i hate going against medical advice, i would suggest gettting a 2nd opinion.  not all doctors give good advice, and at the end of the day they are just people that have bias and make mistakes like the rest of us.

I have done 4 including 2 goofy's which is a half on Saturday followed by a full on Sunday. There is a way to do it right and limit your risk for injury. Gradually increase your mileage and when you do start your training for the full, give yourself some extra time so that if you do feel an injury comming you can back off or take a little time off without throwing off the whole plan. I would like to see people build a nice base of running before attempting the marathon. Perhaps a year of so. The body is so used to doing nothing that it can take a while to cooperate with your new exercise routine. By all means, go for it but do it slowly and be willing to lay low if something starts acting up.

I think I can have the best of both worlds right now. I'm still a good ways away from my goal weight. That of course adds more wear and tear to my musculoskelatal system. So, I'm going to train for a Triathlon at the same time as training for my first Half. When I reach my weight goal and complete a Triathlon and Half. Then I'll set my eyes on my marathon with an attitude of "Damn the torpedoes!!! Full speed ahead!!!"