Losing a bit of weight.

Losing Weight wrote:

So I am 5 foot 6 and weigh 134lbs. My current PRs are 4:15 for the 1500m, 9:06 3000m, 16:20 road 5k. I was wondering if I just lost some weight and got down to 120lbs if that would make me a bit faster. Has anyone ever tried that and what were your experiences?

Yes you would be significantly faster over all distances. 21.6 BMI is a lot for a distance runner, especially for one with your size.

I hard-dieted (eating less than half of usual) 2 weeks ago, lost 10 lbs in 3-4 days and got much quicker. Then I had to deal with glycogen depletion on some runs (couldn't get HR above 120 and was completely out of energy), so I started eating more again and I'm now still at the lower weight and faster. Was faster in 1k repeats, easy runs, 200s, and biggest difference was on hills where I'm just blasting up now. Always had the strength/strong legs for hills but with too much weight the VO2MAX is too low (or in other words-aerobic ability/fitness) so I was super slow up hill.

Now it's gonna depend on your body type, and if you have a lot of fat, especially around your glutes and quads. I lost a combination of fat and muscle, but most of my muscle were from cycling on the butt/quads so I happily accepted losing that weight and becoming a much faster runner. I don't think I lost that much fat actually, as body kinda went into emergency mode and preserved the fat that I had left. But useless muscle mass on upper body or from other sports like cycling can go too and make you faster!

Since I don't know your body type and fat, I recommend you a more cautious approach and just lose 2 lbs each week or something by doing a 500-600 calories deficit each day. I'm more of an extreme case, so unless you have already been much lighter (like I was back in the days) and know your body is fine at that weight rather take it slow with the loss.

Losing Weight wrote:

So I am 5 foot 6 and weigh 134lbs. My current PRs are 4:15 for the 1500m, 9:06 3000m, 16:20 road 5k. I was wondering if I just lost some weight and got down to 120lbs if that would make me a bit faster. Has anyone ever tried that and what were your experiences?

I you are under 7 1/2% body fat, do not try to lose weight. Do not listen to posters telling you what the chart says. You can get sick burning your muscle. We all have different bone structure and bone density varies.

if under 7 1/2% do not wrote:

[quote]Losing Weight wrote:

I you are under 7 1/2% body fat, do not try to lose weight. Do not listen to posters telling you what the chart says. You can get sick burning your muscle. We all have different bone structure and bone density varies.

+1

Plus two more key points:

- If you eat healthy and train right, over time your body will find its own proper racing weight.

-Going too light can have disastrous effects and at a minimum keep you from achieving your best performances.

I agree, tried to lose weight two times, got sick both of those times which severely hampered my training. Was at about 110 pounds at 5'6, so it might have been stupid to start with losing weight in the first place.

I'd say, just eat healthy and run and your body will figure itself out.

Why bother?

Are you bored with running? Having no fun

At your times, you could lose weight and run a couple of seconds faster, but will it be satisfying? Those seconds are miserable unless they are on the way to Olympic qualifying.

Just train harder and watch what you eat. Stop this thought of dieting. I can assure you, there is more you can do physically. If you think you can stay at the same effort and get those seconds by dieting, then you are in the wrong game.

LateRunnerPhil wrote:

I hard-dieted (eating less than half of usual) 2 weeks ago, lost 10 lbs in 3-4 days and got much quicker.

How is that possible to eat that leas? Will power or just alot of running so you’re eating a decent amount but not near enough that you’re burning?

Ggfghh wrote:

LateRunnerPhil wrote:

I hard-dieted (eating less than half of usual) 2 weeks ago, lost 10 lbs in 3-4 days and got much quicker.

How is that possible to eat that leas? Will power or just alot of running so you’re eating a decent amount but not near enough that you’re burning?

Water weight lost. Or meth.

"Now it's gonna depend on your body type, and if you have a lot of fat, especially around your glutes and quads. I lost a combination of fat and muscle, but most of my muscle were from cycling on the butt/quads so I happily accepted losing that weight and becoming a much faster runner."

Yes indeed, I do have a lot of fat around my glutes and quads especially. I will try to lose some weight and see how my performances are affected.

How old are you? It matters a lot. No one should be telling you to lose weight without knowing this information, and anyone telling you to lose weight quickly is just plain idiotic. What makes sense for a 35-year old may be utterly disastrous for a 15-year old. Whatever you do, don't try to cut a lot of weight quickly or reduce your calorie intake drastically. Just cut back on portion sizes a bit or drink water instead of soda if you must. The goal is not to feel hungry all the time, just to avoid feeling bloated after eating. Then put in the miles and let your body find its natural weight over time.

I strongly recommend reading either one of the two books in the Racing Weight series. Used copies are super cheap, and the books provide a lot of really good info presented in am easy to digest format.

LateRunnerPhil,

What do you think I can run for the 1500, 3k and 5k if I were to come down to 120lbs? I am just curious because you said it would be a significant improvement and I am just wondering just how much.

Kung pow chicken,

What is the name of this book that you are referring to?

You never get the memo? Skinnier = faster. I have 2 inches on you and weigh 10 lbs less.

Losing Weight wrote:

Kung pow chicken,

What is the name of this book that you are referring to?

This is it.

Okay, but the real question is if I were to get down to 120lbs, what do you think I could potentially run for the given distances?

Bump

I'd like to hear some answers to this as well as I think I am in a similar situation.

Body fat is way more indicative of what you can stand to lose than weight. Weight is a near pointless measure. Any idea what your body fat is? Preferably taken with a reliable measure system like a DEXA.

I think I may have tested it out a while back although I don't know how reliable it was. I was at like 16% body fat.

Losing Weight wrote:

Okay, but the real question is if I were to get down to 120lbs, what do you think I could potentially run for the given distances?

This Runner's World article provides a cliff notes answer to your question:

Here's the weight loss conversion (based on a healthy diet and healthy weight):

2 lbs lost: 12.4 secs off 5k time; 25 secs for 10k; 52 secs for half; 1:45 for marathon.

5 lbs lost: 31 secs off 5k time; 1:02 for 10k; 2:11 for half; 4:22 for marathon.

10 lbs lost: 1:02 off 5k time; 2:04 for 10k; 4:22 for half; 8:44 for marathon.

20 lbs lost: 2:04 off 5k time; 4:08 for 10k; 8:44 for half; 17:28 for marathon.

But seriously, I strongly recommend checking out either "Racing Weight" or "Racing Weight Quick Start" by Fitzgerald. You can cop used copies super cheap on the internet. There are also some tools on the Racing Weight website. It can provide you with an evidence based answer to the questions you are asking: what your ideal healthy "racing weight" is, a formula for how much faster you tend to be after shedding some weight, and how to achieve an ideal weight in a healthy way. Basically, if you don't go about it in the right way, you'll be at a very serious increased risk of either suffering from energy depletion and train poorly, bonk/over train, or get injured.

Nothing in the books is revolutionary, but the info is presented extremely well. The books can help you understand what your healthy racing weight is and how to achieve and sustain it.

I'm not trying to be a hack for the author, but after about four years of languishing at a "skinny fat" weight, I read both books and got down to my ideal weight, and have been able to sustain it.

Alternatively, consult a sports dietitian for advice.