Speed vs. Attractivness

Maybe you should just avoid the protein shakes. You can still lift and maintain your goal weight without the shakes. I think they're dangerous in the world of distance running in terms of achieving your optimal race weight.

I feel ya on the"attractiveness" side of this argument. I'm 6'0 and 161 lbs. I used to be the same height and 145 as a freshman in college and just got tired of being that skinny. I'm a 800/1500 runner so I can get away with some extra weight. So I guess it really depends on what your best event/distance is.

I agree with the guy who posted above. Push ups and core (and dumbbells too) can really get the job done. I do one heavier lift a week (sometimes two) and have maintained my weight at about 160 for awhile now. It's never really affected my running.

5'11 155 lbs and I feel good. I think it's a good balance.

When single, my experience was that when I felt good physically (and, as a result, mentally, my attractiveness to the opposite sex improved. For better or worse, that meant maintaining some muscle mass and losing some speed. I feel bad physically (weak and tired) when I'm skinny enough to run fast over distance.

THIS IS NOT LETS BE ATTRACTIVE TO GIRLS DOT COM IT'S F!!KING LET'S RUN DOT COM. damn. they got me.

Magnum Runner wrote:

I find good distance runners more attractive than I would find their appearance if I didn't know they were runners. Actually, sometimes I'm attracted to women that look like runners, whether or not I know they are a runner. Of course, not every runner has the same body time. I will admit that there are some variations that turn me off, but in general, the runners physique is not a bad thing. Besides, as cliche as it is, looks aren't everything.

My point is, if you are attracted to female runners in any way, then there is a good chance female runners aren't going to be completely turned off by your runners' physique.

Of course, if you care about dating a non-runner....

*COUGH* (speed goggles) *COUGH*

love the legends wrote:

THIS IS NOT LETS BE ATTRACTIVE TO GIRLS DOT COM IT'S F!!KING LET'S RUN DOT COM. damn. they got me.

Easy, tiger.

OP, it's all about priorities.

You must perform a personal cost/benefit analysis regarding your running and your appearance.

Anyone over 6ft needs to be VERY thin in order to run to their potential, especially as the race distance goes up. There is no getting around this fact.

So you must decide if running to your potential matters to you, or if you would accept reduced running performance in exchange for "improved" appearance.

My personal experience: I ran 14:15 5k when at my racing weight of 159lbs at 6-2. Achieving this weight was not "natural" for me; my body, if left to its own devices, stabilizes at about 185lbs. I had to consciously act in order to achieve 159.

After it became apparent low 14s was about my limit, and I would not be a 13:15 man, I decided to de-emphasize running performance. I began to weight train for the first time ever (while still running at a reduced level). As I said above, I was "artificially" low at 159, so I very easily packed on lean muscle by lifting and eating cleanly.

It is especially easy to look great in this situation because you have very low body fat to begin with, and then start packing on muscle. I admit that I very noticeably became more successful with the ladies, which pains me to say because i'm a runner to the core.

I agree with the poster above who said it sucks that the joy of racing fast can not be combined with getting larger.

My times got much slower, but I was also running much less. It would be very interesting to compare If I was 25lbs heavier but still running the same amount--but this may be impossible (gaining significant muscle while still running seriously). I think the two are mutually exclusive.

The only recent "serious" runner I can recall who seemed to lift a lot and still run well was James Neilsen?

Chris Solinsky is a big cat for a runner, and we've all seen what he has run in the longer distances.

you're a man - the benefit of being a man is that it doesn't matter what the heck you look like.

Clue: there are dozens of plain looking successful male actors. There are maybe three plain looking women actors.

It's all the attitude. (and, well, the money)

wisest thing anyone ever said about dating is that the kind of man who dates beautiful women is the kind of man who dates beautiful women.

Yeah, I guess what it all comes down to for me is that I have a very hard time accepting that I might never reach my potential. I failed to approach my potential in college due to injuries, and now at 29 have the usual issues of balancing my work life, my social life, and time to train (not to mention the aforementioned body image conundrum). I don't doubt that I could get to the point of setting some PR's, even at this weight, given the right training. But, as you say, I will know that I never actually met my absolute potential due to being heavier than ideal while at my peak fitness.

Attitude is way overrated. Either a man looks good or has a thick wallet if successful with the opposite sex.

poor and ugly, no attitude will ever help you. this is

genetics. how can he provide for my offspring (yep looking good- good genes. money=resources).

Are there any surveys showing the average number of children

of good/elite runners (defined appropriately) compared to average Joe?? A sure bet, is that it is significantly lower

since we are not attractive. And most are not very rich to compensate either!

That same guy wrote:

Ahh, maybe cut back on the cheese cake and listen to more Parliament?

I'm all about Parliament, but is this advice not something of a non-sequitur? And can you make my funk the p-funk? Thanks

OP I went through a similar situation last year. I was convinced if I put on a few pounds that it would make myself more attractive to ladies and that meant more to me than running. I cut the mileage and hit the gym and protein. I went from 145 to 170, yeah I had more muscle. But relatively speaking it was still skinny to women. In additon I felt like crap because of the extra weight. My times didn't take much of a hit I went from 1:23 half to a 1:25 half. So its not like I had any potential to be a great runner.

My point is the extra weight wont make a difference its all about how you feel about yourself.

I didn't clearly express what I wanted to say in the previous post, so let me add this.

OP you are clearly not happy with yourself, if you are not happy with yourself you can't expect others to be happy with you and as a result you can't expect a girl to happy with you. Work on building your self esteem and go from there, no matter how much you weigh.

Good Luck.

stuck with match.com wrote:

I went from 145 to 170, yeah I had more muscle. But relatively speaking it was still skinny to women. In additon I felt like crap because of the extra weight. My times didn't take much of a hit I went from 1:23 half to a 1:25 half. So its not like I had any potential to be a great runner.

stuck-

I'm curious as to where you added the weight because 25lbs sounds like alot of weight to be adding without that much of a drop in running times.

And what made you think that you were still considered skinny after you gained the weight?

whats the skinny wrote:

And what made you think that you were still considered skinny after you gained the weight?

It was in the arms and upper body, with some weight in the legs. I was still considered. Those around me noticed I put on some weight but I was still looking thin to their eyes. Now in fairness by bone structure is pretty small so it would take a lot of weight for me too look not thin. I presumed this to be the case with the OP as most runners have small bone structures.

Wardrobe goes a long way. Read - form-fitting clothes; not tight, not loose.....form-fitting!

I've done the exact same thing. It's very very difficult for me to gain weight but in the last few years finally dropped running almost entirely (at most, 20 miles a week but even that is very rare), started weight lifting a lot more seriously, taking protein shakes, eating differently.

It's made a HUGE difference and I have been dating way out of (what I consider to be) my league the past year or two. I've gained 20 lbs since I started.

I probably went overboard as I liked the attention/attractive dates but I prefer this to running fast. Now I am just a fan.

To the OP...like most people have already mentioned, it is really about your confidence that determines how attractive you are to women. If you derive your confidence from running, then that has to be your priority. Odds are the girls you want to truly attract are those that run themselves, or at the least are athletes, and can appreciate the work/effort that has resulted in your body type.

You have a pretty nice height, so if you dress yourself well and carry yourself with confidence, regardless of weight, you are going to successful with women.

Like others have mentioned though, if your into non-running girls, then having some solid mass on you is obviously going to help.

Bottomline...put the focus on yourself...do what makes you feel the best mentally...the rest will fall into place.