Just how costly is 10lbs to performance?

Trying to quantify how many seconds gained per mile per pound lost is like trying to quantify how many seconds gained per mile per minute spent running of the course of your season.

More than nothing, but utterly unquantifiable as some kind of magic equation for everyone.

Rocket2 wrote:

You are correct….the improvement would not be linear, however if you were to get down to 160, in a healthy sort of way, you probably could run close to 1:18 given what you have told us….now for the big question….is it worth it to you?

Interesting that you chose that time. It is my main goal (actually sub 6 pace for a half). I have not had a soda at all in 2015, and have switched to salads and chicken breast for lunch instead of high-carb crap. I have lost 7 pounds thus far, which is a little disappointing, but is progress. Hoping by 2016 I can qualify for Boston.

Just for the heck of it, Post a PR and your height and weight. This is interesting.

5'11 134

10k - 30:17

5k: 14:12

If you doubt that it has a significant effect, ask why most of the top runners, particularly the really elite runners (virtually all African), are so incredibly skinny.

Maybe these almost unbelievable calculations of 1-4 seconds per mile per pound are accurate and it isn't your training that keeps you, say, in the 15s or 16s for 5k, but rather your not being another ten or fifteen lbs lighter.

10/150 = .06666

.06666 * .618 = 4.12%

8:30 * 95.88% = 8:09

I think intuitively most of realize this is right. You aren't going to run 7:52 all of a sudden by dropping 10 pounds. The correct answer is 8:09! Do I get a prize?

How costly? About $15.24

Just for the f of it wrote:

Just for the heck of it, Post a PR and your height and weight. This is interesting.

5'11 134

10k - 30:17

5k: 14:12

5'11, maybe closer to 6' 134

800-1:57

3k-8:50

Moe runs PDX wrote:

I think the law of diminishing marginal returns comes into effect at some point.

The whole weight issue is sort of a red herring. What you're trying to do is maximize the strength to weight ratio as required by your event. Obviously, if you can, for the sake of argument, maintain your strength (the explosiveness of each stride maintained over the duration of the race) but reduce your weight, by definition you will go faster. But of course that's the catch. As you reduce muscle mass, at what point will your loss of strength over-balance the benefits of a lighter weight?

You look at the top 3000 meter guys in the record books, here's what you see:

Komen: 5' 7" 121 lbs

El Guerrouj: 5' 9" 128

Saidi-Sief: 6' 154 lbs

Gebreselassie: 5' 5" 123 lbs

Mourceli: 5" 9" 130

Saidi-Sief is the interesting outlier...

Saidi-Sief was the only proven cheat from that list.

2004/1:26 half Mary at 75 mpw. With speed work. 162 lbs. 34 yrs old

2014/1:45 half Mary at 30 mpw. Minimal speed work. 177 lbs. 44 yrs old

RedMulesRunning.com wrote:

Someone has calculated just the simple fact of running on mondo track surfaces compared to the cinder tracks would drop about 4 seconds off a mile time. Meaning if they had our all weather surfaces in the 40's and 50's we would not be touting Sir Roger Bannister as the first sub-4 miler!

Sir Roger Bannister broke the 4 minute mile on a cinder track you plum!

I ran my PRs at 154. I didn't perform nearly as well at 147.

This is also something I've always tried to toy with as well. However its really hard for me to lose and maintain a lighter weight while still consuming enough calories to train and compete at the level I want to. Any recommendation how to shed some pounds? Should I even try?

I'm 5'11/6' ish. I weight about 148 on any given day.

5k; 15:37

3k; 9:00

Mile; 4:28

on the up and up with training. Want to PR at all distances. 18yrs old, college frosh.

Dude you 6ft 150....... Why would you want to lose 10lbs you would look so thin and you would mostly be losing muscle not fat so your performance would be worse.

FWIW - if you start ramping up your training to lose 15 lbs., you've introduced another variable besides weight loss.

6'0'' / 165lb, but I am running similar times in 5k/10k as when I was 150-155. I have been unable to run, so half of my training has been indoor rowing. I don't feel that much fatter than before, though.

Bump

This.

I have observed this a ton, but I like to add:

"Over optimum weight, you lose two seconds per mile, per pound."

Ten pounds over optimum weight in a 10K = two minutes.

I think this works very well for people at average heights. Not sure about very tall or very short or very old/young:

20-55

5' - 5'8" W -- 5'5" - 6'2" M +/-.

All anecdotal.

I keep quite detailed records of my training and racing for the past 15 years. The two variables most closely correlated to race perfromance are mileage and weight. But they're confounding variables, do I run more mileage becasue I weight less or do I weight less because I run more mileage.

Mileage up / weight down = faster.