I'm 17 and am graduating this May. I've ran xc for 4 years and track for 3. I was always around 145 but I dropped track my junior year. I took a lot of mass gainers and bulked up to around 185 and played a season of rugby. Over the 2013 xc season I managed to get back down to around 173 despite it pretty much ruining my xc season. My leg strength did increase a ton and that's helped with my kick, but I still feel like I'm way heavier and get gassed out faster than I should.
I'm currently hitting 2:04 on my portion of the 3200 relay with a 58-66 split. My 1600 is sitting at 4:51 right now. I stopped trying to lose weight once track season started because it was hindered my recovery too much. As soon as state is done though, I'm planning on dropping the rest of it so I'll be back to my normal weight before my first season of college xc. I'll be visiting Colorado for about 1 month to try training in high elevation.
My main question is... Would it be more beneficial for me to try and drop around 15-20 lbs in the 2 months before I go to colorado, then maintain my weight so I can get the most out of my trip, then drop the rest of the weight after I get back? Or would it be more beneficial to try and drop back down to 145 over the course of like 3.5 months including during the colorado trip and just let my performance slightly suffer the whole duration?
I'd like to maximize the benefits of my time in Colorado and prepare for my upcoming season as best I can. I'd also like to be back down to my normal weight ASAP so I can hit some PRs