I graduated college in May and haven't run a step since my bad race at regionals. I am starting to want to run again, and am really thinking about trying to get an OT qualifier in about 4 months. I think that I am the kind of runner that 2:21 would be possible, but I have been lifting weights alot and have gained 20 pounds and probably 15 in muscle in my arms and chest. Will this severely hurt my chances at reaching my goal? Thanks for the input.
YES! THE ANSWER IS YES!
It is physically impossible to build 15lbs. of muscle in 3 months.Get back on a healthy diet and that weight will disappear.
I question your game plan. A marathon in 4 months means roughly Dec 1st. Follow this with three weeks of recovery before you can attack your training. That leaves you 5 weeks to train for the trials.
I believe the maximum amount of muscle a large person can gain in a year is something like 8 or 9 pounds. Most of the weight you gained is probably fat and water.
To clear a few things up, I don't know whether it is muscle or not, but I am still pretty cut and my chest and arms are noticeably bigger. I still have a six pack, so I am not sure where 20 pounds of fat is hiding. Also, about the time frame, when I am at 135 pounds, I can usually get from totally out of shape, to sub 15 minutes for 5k in about a month. I can just get fit really quickly. I was injured until January and ran my first 5k off of 2 weeks training and no workouts and went 15:40. By the beginning of March I ran 14:33 and by April I ran 14:11. I do not think the time frame is an issue with me...just the weight. So can I still be a runner although I am currently fat/muscular?
Yes, if you are running 14:11 for 5k, then you have the potentiala to run a 2:21 marathon qualifier. Get in your longer, faster distance runs at least every other week (50-90 minutes at close to 2:20 race pace) and you just might make it. Obviously, you are aerobically talented.
I gained 15 pounds of muscle in one summer because it was the first time I took lifting seriously. Plus, it was a heavy program designed for football.
15 pounds is not impossible. You could use creatine, weight gainer, CLA, HMB, the list goes on. Where have you been for the last 10 years? The trouble is after the first year of bodybuilding the gains come less. But you can eat more meals. Wake up in the middle of the night for a meal GH spurt. Well and I quit the sport a few years ago so this list is nowhere up to date. Mr Chest could answer if he even lifts weight for real.
The exact same thing happened to me when I graduated a few years ago. I concentrated more on lifting, less on running, and my weight went from 140 to 155 in less than three months. This wasn't fat either, my upper body was noticeably bigger and I was lifting more than I ever had. If you really want to refocus again....primarily on running the standard for the trials, cutting down on the additional muscle would be something to consider. Excess bulk isn't needed in a thon, esp. if you want to be an elite. On the other hand, I was more inclined to keep the add'l muscle and still run, but I'm not serious about being in the shape I was in college, i.e. hitting the standard.
It's rather easy (as many of you have noted) for collegiate distance runners to gain weight quickly after graduation. Training for competitive distance running induces a catabolic environment (high cortisol, yada..) which will naturally prevent weight gain. Remove the many miles and intense training while likely maintaining caloric intake will definately lead to rapid weight gain. I've have no scientific evidence, but it is logical to suspect that a distance athlete coming off training may experience an accelerated protein syntheis rate that would enhance the muscle accretion. To be simplistic, the body has a set point body weight and under normal homeostatic conditions (not running 100 mi/wk), the desire for your body to get to that weight is rather strong.
To attempt to answer your original question, 15 lbs of any weight, especially in the upper body will likely do nothing to improve your marathon performance. Proper long runs will easily take care of the excess fat and as you sharpen closer to the marahon, i would suspect that you will find yourself back at your collegiate race weight.
Good Luck.
Thanks to everyone for the advice. I started running today for the first time since Regionals. I felt kind of heavy, but I went ahead and picked it up the last half mile just to see where I was, and I did fine. I logged three miles in my training log for the day. I will be willing to bet that I could break 15:30 for 5k by next Saturday! Thanks again.
Post Collegiate is pulling your legs. He's a fraud.
Post-Collegiate wrote:
Thanks to everyone for the advice. I started running today for the first time since Regionals. I felt kind of heavy, but I went ahead and picked it up the last half mile just to see where I was, and I did fine. I logged three miles in my training log for the day. I will be willing to bet that I could break 15:30 for 5k by next Saturday! Thanks again.
The answer is quite simply "yes"...15 pounds of muscle will make you a slower long distance runner.
I don't understand how a person who's run 14:11 could ask such a stupid question. I thought only football players graduated without ever learning anything, but even the dumbest lineman could figure out if dropping weight by running 100 miles a week would adversely affect his ability to block. You're an idiot. Your biggest concern should be whether or not you can follow the person in front of you during a race without getting lost.
Fraud Police wrote:
Post Collegiate is pulling your legs. He's a fraud.
yeah, you might be right ... but how do we know you're really the Fraud Police and not a fraud???