I don't think it is simply about carbs and overeating. For most hobby ioggers, even 6 miles/hour jogging can a stressful cortisol filled workout if they never learned to relax while running. I think think is also true about many hobby lifters and cross fit participants. They will have a hard time losing weight if their bodies are in a constant starte of stress and they add marathon training over their already stressed lives.
Seriously,, wrote:
I am at Berlin marathon, and overheard a few obese American ladies complaining about how "tiny" Europeans are at the marathon expo, and that they feel intimidated.
But first off, if they are training for marathons and have the means to fly all the way over here for a major race, why are they obese?
If they put in just 15 MPW for about 16 weeks, they should be at least at BMI of 22 or something.
Are they drinking booze / coca cola after every training run?
Well don't forget they probably got in because of some charity. They can't compare themselves to the top European racers who actually are entered based on time vs the 5:30 -6:00 finish time of the Americans who raised their $3K to be able to come in and walk the marathon. Doesn't involve that much training - or enough to lose 100 pounds.
Reality though wrote:
What percentage are actually obese? I’ve run very large marathons (over 10,000 people) and while I see a lot of overweight people, I’ve never seen very many obese people. A very small amount and usually walkers with charity bibs.
I think training for a marathon for most people is easier than dieting. Jogging a 4 hour marathon for an overweight person doesn’t take that much of a commitment. I think it’s positive that people are out running regardless of how many miles they run or how fast they run. Would you prefer anyone who was overweight not run at all? What good would that do?
I’ve always been very thin and staying thin has been easy for me. However, that is simply not the case for most people. The obesity epidemic is not because people are lazy and it doesn’t help to take such a restrictive view. Obesity is a serious problem/issue and I have a huge amount of sympathy for people dealing with weight issues. If an obese person wants to walk a marathon that deserves nothing but praise. Steps in the right direction.
Well I do see a lot of obese runners at marathons. Let's remember what the definition of obese is. Anyone over a 30 BMI. So a 5' 5" runner weighing 180 lbs is obese. Lots of those walking in the backpack of any marathon. And realistically, you say "jogging" a 4 hr marathon doesn't take commitment? Really? For who? The competitiverunners in a good running club maybe. Any average person especially overweight would need a rigorous training plan to achieve that.
kore wrote:
I don't think it is simply about carbs and overeating. For most hobby ioggers, even 6 miles/hour jogging can a stressful cortisol filled workout if they never learned to relax while running. I think think is also true about many hobby lifters and cross fit participants. They will have a hard time losing weight if their bodies are in a constant starte of stress and they add marathon training over their already stressed lives.
This is an interesting take and I fear I may be getting into this trap, since most of my runs are at quite a high effort and I feel a bit fatter than I used to be (6'3" 178 lbs).
How does one escape this cortisol dilemma?
College and N.F.L. offensive lineman in (20 to 35)% bodyfat range:
* Weight train 5 or 6 days per week two hours per day;
* Do 1/2 an hour free hand exercises 5 or 6 days per week;
* Do sprints and drills and line up and hit the sled or hit each other in practice 3 or 4 days per week;
* Jog 1/2 mile to 1 mile in practice 3 or 4 days per week;
* Do additional cardio, either swimming or rowing machine or elliptical machine, etc. 3 or 4 days per week.
Offensive lineman burn more calories than your average 30 mile per week runner but ...
What you put in your mouth is more important than exercise.
As mentioned a few years ago in this thread, quite possibly those overweight runners are less overweight now than they were before they started running.