Anyone been told to lose weight like this?

Man, that is *not* what she needed right then.

runnerchick wrote:

http://steeplechics.com/viewblogs.php?id=2

This really pissed me off when I read it. Good for her for sticking to her guns. This kind of comment can cause no end of trauma.

Some things:

1) That dude has no idea if 3-4 pounds lost would help her at all.

2) The steepler chick though also has no idea if "genetics" is keeping her from being any thinner. Just because she is thinner now than she was previously in college doesn't mean she's as thin as should could healthily be. Her last statement that "I'm not going to lose 3 or 4 pounds" almost sounds defiant against it. If she's thinner now than she was previously in college, then maybe continued training would just take her down 3-4 pounds. If she's adamant about proving a point then I guess she could just continue training and weigh herself and eat enough so that she doesn't lose any weight out of spite, but that seems silly. Since she ran her PR at the same weight, it's likely that this very slow time was just a bad race and that she'll likely run faster next time, even if she GAINS weight, but she doesn't know genetics from anything. Has she done some genetics testing on "thinner" runners and then on herself and done a comparison with someone who knows what they're talking about? No.

3) Even IF she could and should lose a little more weight, it was wrong of that guy to say that to her. He's not her coach, not her doctor, not her dietician. Timing was all wrong too, but bottom line is he was way out of line. She has every right to be pissed and every right to question his knowledge, but she has no knowledge of her own genetic makeup and whether or not her genetics are keeping her from getting thinner. But that guy was being an ass.

Ann doesn't need to lose any weight - she is very lean.

The only reason it bothered her was because she is down about other things. People always say stupid things, and you can't let them get in your head. Flagpole is right, he has no way of knowing what her most efficient weight is anyway.

I think you missed the point "bro."

She should have punched him.

FW, why did you write #2?

Steeplechick is Anne Gaffigan, former US steeple champ. I think she won the race at the 2004 trials when the leader missed a barrier.

Nonetheless, she ran slow and is lighter than when she ran fast. I bet that is very frustrating.

I've seen Anne training a few times, and she appears VERY VERY fit. I hope things turn around for her.

A swift karate chop to the jugular would have done the trick. Hai-ya!!

Carrying 3 lbs extra weight won't slow one down by a minute over 3000m. Maybe she's a tad overtrained or over-raced and needs to take a little break for a while. Maybe run some distances without barriers, flat 1,500s or 800s. Carry on girl, we all get in a slump, and as they say a change is as good as a break, maybe you need one or the other. Best of luck.

Bdubs wrote:

FW, why did you write #2?

Steeplechick is Anne Gaffigan, former US steeple champ. I think she won the race at the 2004 trials when the leader missed a barrier.

Nonetheless, she ran slow and is lighter than when she ran fast. I bet that is very frustrating.

I've seen Anne training a few times, and she appears VERY VERY fit. I hope things turn around for her.

I wrote it because it is true. Matters not that she's a former US steeple champ. Unless she has a background in genetics and has tested herself and compared those results to other thinner runners, then she has no way of knowing if genetics is keeping her from being thinner or not. This is not a judgement call on whether or not she needs to lose weight, because I have no idea. It is though a point that she has no genetics-based reason to believe she can or can't, so it was a silly comment from her. The main thing in all this though is that guy was way off base and out of line.

[quote]Flagpole Willy wrote:

It is though a point that she has no genetics-based reason to believe she can or can't, so it was a silly comment from her. [quote]

Have you ever made a silly scientifically baseless comment on letsrun?

Flagpole Willy wrote:Unless she has a background in genetics and has tested herself and compared those results to other thinner runners, then she has no way of knowing if genetics is keeping her from being thinner or not. .

Why would a background in genetics be relevant, Flagpole? Are you planning some sort of diabolical breeding program here? Personally, I feel that a background in Chinese Literature or Art History with a minor in Physiognomy or Astrology might be more relevant.

speaking of silly comments...

Flagpole Willy wrote:

I wrote it because it is true. Matters not that she's a former US steeple champ. Unless she has a background in genetics and has tested herself and compared those results to other thinner runners, then she has no way of knowing if genetics is keeping her from being thinner or not. This is not a judgement call on whether or not she needs to lose weight, because I have no idea. It is though a point that she has no genetics-based reason to believe she can or can't, so it was a silly comment from her. The main thing in all this though is that guy was way off base and out of line.

sometimes when you're down nothing goes your way, you're psyched up for a big meet,raring to run a fast time and then when you get there there's loads of little things that don't go your way, bad heat, too windy,crap track (there ARE bad slow tracks where you couldn't run a PB if you were shot up with EPO,modanfil,HGH,theclear and the whole drugstore). Then you get over anxious and run badly,so you get more down and the spiral goes on.If you get into it you gotta let it go, plan another race on a known fast track,well sheltered from the wind, even if it means travelling far away.

People are way too sensitive about their weight.

When you think about, the tip this guy gave her, if accurate, is something she can actually do! Its not like he said she was too tall or short or big-boned.

If I were as frustrated as she is, I would actually give that weight-loss tip a shot. She has nothing to lose (haha) by trying it.

malmo wrote:

Flagpole Willy wrote:Unless she has a background in genetics and has tested herself and compared those results to other thinner runners, then she has no way of knowing if genetics is keeping her from being thinner or not. .

Why would a background in genetics be relevant, Flagpole? Are you planning some sort of diabolical breeding program here? Personally, I feel that a background in Chinese Literature or Art History with a minor in Physiognomy or Astrology might be more relevant.

Not sure what you mean malmo. If you read what the steepler wrote (your comment makes me think you didn't read it), she says she told the guy that she didn't have the genetics to get skinnier. My question is how the hell does she know? That's all I'm saying. All too often I see accomplished runners or weight lifters or whatever and suddenly they think they have an MD and are currently doing cutting edge research.

Maybe she's optimally thin and maybe she isn't. Maybe through trial and error she knows that she runs best at her current weight and not at a lesser weight...fine. What she doesn't know though is how her genetics play into that at all.

anEconomist wrote:

speaking of silly comments...

Flagpole Willy wrote:

I wrote it because it is true. Matters not that she's a former US steeple champ. Unless she has a background in genetics and has tested herself and compared those results to other thinner runners, then she has no way of knowing if genetics is keeping her from being thinner or not. This is not a judgement call on whether or not she needs to lose weight, because I have no idea. It is though a point that she has no genetics-based reason to believe she can or can't, so it was a silly comment from her. The main thing in all this though is that guy was way off base and out of line.

How is it silly brother? She doesn't know if she can't get skinnier because of her genetics any more than I know what it's like to mow the front yard with my shirt of and have the women NOT stop to chat.

She's probably just saying she's tried to get skinnier and wasn't successful and so this may just her "build". I don't think she's claiming to have an MD.

Read the quote: "I don't have the genetics to get as skinny *as some of the other women.*"

This is a true statement. She doesn't say she couldn't lose a gram; she just points out that different runners have different limitations, and she is not at the extreme from thinness. Thank goodness.

dude, just b/c your girls throw up their dinner everynite does not mean she should too!!! I tried that one once and trust me, it does NOT work, actually it backfires.

girls trying to lose weight during race season is kinda suicidal (not really but you can end up badly injured, underperforming, etc.)

I'm not claiming to be her doctor or an expert of any sort, but I do know first-hand just how f-kd up womens running can be with eating disorders, and wanting to lose weight to improve performance. I understand the performance aspect, but it can easily get out of hand.

Yes, the way I read it she just meant that she has a different build, which is genetically determined. She didn't mean that she *couldn't* lose that weight, she just meant that she has a different build than some super-skinny runners. I'm actually in that position as well. I'm 5'7" and run my best at 125, where all my competitors are around 110-115. I got down to 110 (keeping my nutrition and iron up) thinking it would help me and found out from my performances that that's just not what I was meant to be. Call it genetics, call it build (which is a result of genetics), but I am simply not one of those tiny distance runners. (I beat a lot of those tiny distance runners:) I think that's all she meant.

It frustrates me when people focus on weight so much over strength (not that you were doing this FW). Women feel so much pressure to be thin as it is, and for some going so low actually compromises their strength and performance, never mind health.