Anybody know if race times will get better just by dropping those few extra winter pounds? Not talking about the seriously overweight, but a good runner that put on 4 or 5 pounds over the winter?
How many secs per mile per pound in a race?
Anybody know if race times will get better just by dropping those few extra winter pounds? Not talking about the seriously overweight, but a good runner that put on 4 or 5 pounds over the winter?
How many secs per mile per pound in a race?
Depends how much you are running, and how much of the added weight is fat vs. muscle. I weigh about 12 lbs more than I did last year at this time but I am actually racing and working out slighlty faster than last year.
From what I understand body fat percentage is infinitely more important than weight. Infinitely
I wouldn't say infinitely better. THere are tons 250lb bodybuilders with 4 percent bodyfat that I don't think could run a 7 minute mile. Weight has something to do with it, along with the ability to move that weight.
this is a little off topic, but it seems to me that even more important than weight or fat % is body mass index...if you calculate the BMI for most of the top american distance runners, you will find that they mostly fall into a very narrow range of around 20-21...there are a few exceptions on each end of course, and while it obviously doesn't prove anything, i think it's probably an important indicator.
similarly alot of the top kenyans and ethiopians have a very narrow range of BMI...which while lower than the top americans is not so much lower as you might think. exceptoins here of course, tergat off the top of my head is one.
since high school, i have never been able to get my BMI below 21. but nowadays when i keep it in the 21-21.5 range i tend to run a ton better than when i creep up to 22 or 23.