Overweight distance running?
nicolejo143
Posts: 214 Member
Is anyone an overweight (or even better an ex-overweight) distance runner? I need some advice. 
I am 6lbs overweight and training for my first marathon next year. I used to be slim and fast back in the day. I could run a 5k in 22min, now I can barely run it in 36min! I'm 22lbs heavier than I was back then. I'm 5'1" (petite), so 22lbs is a lot on me. I have the endurance and I've been running for a while now, but I'm still pretty slow and not losing a lot of weight.
How long should it take to lose weight and get faster? Is it just my weight slowing me down or should I also work on speed? My speed bothers me for a couple of reasons: 1) I used to compete in 5ks in high school, I was way way faster (even on a bad day). I didn't even know anybody who was as slow as I am right now. 2) I'm practicing with a couple of other people (who are very supportive) and I'm afraid that I'm slowing them down. I always fall behind and they keep looking back, stopping until I catch up, or ask me if I'm "ok", like they are concerned something is wrong with me...and I am totally fine, I'm just slow! I can't keep up with their healthy-weight-person-pace even though I want to.
I am currently losing weight, but just very slowly. I'm currently running 4 days a week and I think that I should have lost more weight by now. I've only lost like 5lbs this year. I'm not sure if I should increase my distance or decrease my calories or both? Will I be super fit by next year when I run the marathon?
I am 6lbs overweight and training for my first marathon next year. I used to be slim and fast back in the day. I could run a 5k in 22min, now I can barely run it in 36min! I'm 22lbs heavier than I was back then. I'm 5'1" (petite), so 22lbs is a lot on me. I have the endurance and I've been running for a while now, but I'm still pretty slow and not losing a lot of weight.
How long should it take to lose weight and get faster? Is it just my weight slowing me down or should I also work on speed? My speed bothers me for a couple of reasons: 1) I used to compete in 5ks in high school, I was way way faster (even on a bad day). I didn't even know anybody who was as slow as I am right now. 2) I'm practicing with a couple of other people (who are very supportive) and I'm afraid that I'm slowing them down. I always fall behind and they keep looking back, stopping until I catch up, or ask me if I'm "ok", like they are concerned something is wrong with me...and I am totally fine, I'm just slow! I can't keep up with their healthy-weight-person-pace even though I want to.
I am currently losing weight, but just very slowly. I'm currently running 4 days a week and I think that I should have lost more weight by now. I've only lost like 5lbs this year. I'm not sure if I should increase my distance or decrease my calories or both? Will I be super fit by next year when I run the marathon?
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Well, when I look at your profile, you are losing and it shows up in inches not pounds. I spent an entire year at the same weight (190 pounds), but I lost 4 inches each off my chest, waist, and hips. So, even though I was hauling around the same mass, the proportion of muscle and fat completely changed.
It is hard to train for distance and lose a significant amount of weight at the same time. It can be done, it is just downright difficult because you have too many competing priorities. If you read any of the advice provided by Matt Fitzgerald it would tell you it to lose weight first, and then train.
I took a quick look at your food and exercise diary. It is a personal choice of how you log your exercise and there are people who do log their calories as one or two calories. But when you begin a volume of running, not eating back calories or at least a portion of them can be detrimental. You have to fuel the running machine and if you starve it, it doesn't necessarily respond to lose weight. If you don't eat anything, it will force your body to respond by weight loss. But there are too many downsides to that.
Yes, losing weight will be help make you faster if all the loss was fat (which is our ideal goal) but the reality can be a mixture of muscle and fat loss and not an ideal one, at that.
Your comment of being slow, particularly compared to your friends, suggests that you are having to work so hard that you are quickly coming out of the fat burning zone where you burn a higher percentage of fat compared to carbohydrates and going into zones where so much more is burned from carbohydrates (glycogen). Experience says that as you build endurance to the half marathon and marathon distance, you will see some increases in speed in the shorter distances.
I got pretty close to the weight I wanted to be at when I took up training for a marathon. In fact my weight got even more stable when I took up running (less day to day weight variation).
When I first started running again (May 2013), I could run a single mile in 11:40 (on a track). I could run a 5K in about 34:30. I could run a 10K in about 1:20. Since I was already capable of running six miles, I aligned my training schedule to a November marathon. In the training plan I was following to train for a marathon, the distance of the long run increased by 2 miles every two weeks. Once I reached the 14-mile distance on the long run (the hardest run I had in the entire training), the distance jumped by 3-miles but there were also three weeks between the step increases.
By September, I had reached the 20-mile distance (my training plan included a 23 and a 26-mile run before the marathon before tapering back) and I went out to run a 5K as one of my shorter weekend runs. By that time, my mile time had dropped to 7:45, nearly 4 minutes per mile faster than when I started and I wasn't working on "speed." I ran that 5K in 28:03.
I completed that first marathon in November in 5:10. The second one was 5:12, and the third was 4:57. In the summer of 2014, I wanted to start working on "speed." Without a substantial change in calorie intake, my weight increased by eight pounds pretty quickly. I eventually lost a few pounds coming into the next marathon and ran that a 4:41. In the ensuing months I have come back down to my "original" marathon weight.
My last marathon I did in 4:34. And I could have gone faster.
It is unlikely that I will ever have that sub 6-minute mile speed that I had in my 20's. But my mile time has dropped below 7 minutes per mile. Its been six months since I ran a half-marathon (as a training run, not as a flat out race) and my time was 2:01.
All that being said, you might not have to run slower to get faster (to really build the endurance) and you might have to eat more. Not a lot more, And finally, you might also need to do some strengthening which I know from personal experience is easy to give a lower priority over running.0 -
6 pounds is not overweight. 22 pounds is really not that significant at this stage of your running.
You just need to regain your aerobic fitness by running lots of easy miles, conversational pace miles. As you were a runner before, some of the physical adaptations remain, so it will come back to you more quickly than it would for a complete newbie.
You can lose weight and train. Just accurately log your food and exercise and end each day in a deficit. Simple.0 -
I was 295, now weigh 197. Technically still overweight and I'm training for a half and I don't find it difficult to lose and train, in fact the running allows me to eat more.0
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I ran my 1st HM last June having lost about 70lbs, in total I ran 6 HM's last year taking 45mins off my PB (currently 1:55). I've now lost 141lbs and stll have another 15lbs (+/- 5lbs) and have my 1st marathon in 2 weeks. I also did my 1t ultra yesterday (33 miles). During marathon training my weight loss has slowed to about 1lb a month, mainly because I could (an sometimes do) eat anything that's not nailed down. My speed came through a combination of training and diet (took my PB from 37:36 to 24:11 over 16 months and 50lbs weight loss).
You have to be religious about weighing, measuring and logging your food intake and be careful not to overestimate calorie burn (I use a Garmin and HRM and its pretty accurate based on my losses).
From a training perspective see if there's a local beignners group attached to a running club. Running with a group really helps me push myself a bit harder in training than I would alone, especially for speed work, hills, thesholds.0 -
Run easy miles, lots of them, at 77% max HR and below. At that level you are burning mostly fat so its easy to do the miles at a pretty big calorie deficit and not be out of control hungry. Plus, you recover quickly and can run more without a huge injury risk. That will build your aerobic capacity so that you will eventually be as fast as before.0
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You have to build your endurance back up to what it used to be before you can get your "speed" back. Follow a good training plan that will give you speed work, hill work, and long runs. It'll come. The weight loss will help also but you're not very overweight so I don't think that's what's slowing you down.0
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I believe that have it in you to get back or close to your younger speed and agree with runforun that the little amount that you believe you are overweight is slowing you down. Ditto on the speed work and hills to get your muscles stronger.
If you've been running with your friends for a while and they still go out with you then they are aware of your speed and are probably there for you. They can get their own workout in their own time, so they want to be there to encourage you in your workout.
After losing almost 100 lbs, I am sure I can lose a another 10-15 lbs, but alot of runners feel that way, but I realize that at this point, further weight loss is done in the kitchen rather on the track. Good luck.0 -
Congrats on your loss congvo, I'm having a hell of a time reaching that 100lb mark myself. 2.4 more to go to hit 100, hopefully I'll get there soon0
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Thanks. I was down 105 at one point but that was after a crash achieving some PR in 5K and 10K's. When I started marathon training I meander around at 95lb loss. You've got this Robbnva. Once you hit the 100lbs loss, it's a great achievement.Congrats on your loss congvo, I'm having a hell of a time reaching that 100lb mark myself. 2.4 more to go to hit 100, hopefully I'll get there soon
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I was at least 10 pounds overweight (am still losing but now working toward 'racing weight') when I got back into running in 2013. I was also a runner in high school and while my speed has improved in the last year+, I'm still nowhere near as fast as I used to be. Would be happy to talk more details of my personal experience in PM, but in general I found it helpful to focus on fitness goals rather than scale movement (the weight loss just happened naturally as I logged foods and fueled for training).0
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I'm working on cutting back on the weight now that I'm not doing any type of marathon training. I currently weigh about 225. I'm tall but still that's a lot of weight to haul around long distance. I need to get back to 205 - 210. That's the weight that had every vein standing out in my arm and my girlfriend telling me to stop losing weight. It was perfect!
I'm actually logging food now. *cries*.0 -
I was 295, now weigh 197. Technically still overweight and I'm training for a half and I don't find it difficult to lose and train, in fact the running allows me to eat more.
No doubt. I added 2 miles on the end of my run today because it was cloudy and cool. Also I wanted an egg biscuit from McDonalds. :laugh:0 -
I was 295, now weigh 197. Technically still overweight and I'm training for a half and I don't find it difficult to lose and train, in fact the running allows me to eat more.
No doubt. I added 2 miles on the end of my run today because it was cloudy and cool. Also I wanted an egg biscuit from McDonalds. :laugh:
Exactly a running group near me celebrates their long runs with chipotle burritos0 -
I was 295, now weigh 197. Technically still overweight and I'm training for a half and I don't find it difficult to lose and train, in fact the running allows me to eat more.
No doubt. I added 2 miles on the end of my run today because it was cloudy and cool. Also I wanted an egg biscuit from McDonalds. :laugh:
Exactly a running group near me celebrates their long runs with chipotle burritosI was 295, now weigh 197. Technically still overweight and I'm training for a half and I don't find it difficult to lose and train, in fact the running allows me to eat more.
No doubt. I added 2 miles on the end of my run today because it was cloudy and cool. Also I wanted an egg biscuit from McDonalds. :laugh:
Exactly a running group near me celebrates their long runs with chipotle burritos
Besides the fact that Moes is better, there's nothing wrong with that1 -
6lbs overweight is still overweight, not by much, but it still is what it is. I was 116 and now I'm 138, "only 22lbs" heavier but for me thats almost a 20% increase in body weight, which I think is significant. I'm pretty petite so the pounds really show up on me.CarsonRuns wrote: »6 pounds is not overweight. 22 pounds is really not that significant at this stage of your running.0 -
In the context of your question, it is not that significant. The general rule is 1 to 2 seconds faster per mile for every pound lost. 6 pounds isn't going to get you from 36 to 22 in the 5K. 22 pounds would likely only get you a minute faster per mile. Still not back to 22.nicolejo143 wrote: »
6lbs overweight is still overweight, not by much, but it still is what it is. I was 116 and now I'm 138, "only 22lbs" heavier but for me thats almost a 20% increase in body weight, which I think is significant. I'm pretty petite so the pounds really show up on me.CarsonRuns wrote: »6 pounds is not overweight. 22 pounds is really not that significant at this stage of your running.
What will get you there is running more easy miles over a period of time.
I'm small too, so I get it. At 5'4", I range between 120 and 140. At the high end, I'm only slightly slower than at the low end, like a couple minutes in 5K (low 19s vs 21s).
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lishie_rebooted wrote: »I was 295, now weigh 197. Technically still overweight and I'm training for a half and I don't find it difficult to lose and train, in fact the running allows me to eat more.
No doubt. I added 2 miles on the end of my run today because it was cloudy and cool. Also I wanted an egg biscuit from McDonalds. :laugh:
Exactly a running group near me celebrates their long runs with chipotle burritosI was 295, now weigh 197. Technically still overweight and I'm training for a half and I don't find it difficult to lose and train, in fact the running allows me to eat more.
No doubt. I added 2 miles on the end of my run today because it was cloudy and cool. Also I wanted an egg biscuit from McDonalds. :laugh:
Exactly a running group near me celebrates their long runs with chipotle burritos
Besides the fact that Moes is better, there's nothing wrong with that
I used to think so but the last time I had Moe's, I wasn't impressed.
I haven't had an actual burrito in almost a year, I can't wait to go on a long run and eat one. I run in the mornings though0 -
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CarsonRuns wrote: »
In the context of your question, it is not that significant. The general rule is 1 to 2 seconds faster per mile for every pound lost. 6 pounds isn't going to get you from 36 to 22 in the 5K. 22 pounds would likely only get you a minute faster per mile. Still not back to 22.nicolejo143 wrote: »
6lbs overweight is still overweight, not by much, but it still is what it is. I was 116 and now I'm 138, "only 22lbs" heavier but for me thats almost a 20% increase in body weight, which I think is significant. I'm pretty petite so the pounds really show up on me.CarsonRuns wrote: »6 pounds is not overweight. 22 pounds is really not that significant at this stage of your running.
What will get you there is running more easy miles over a period of time.
I'm small too, so I get it. At 5'4", I range between 120 and 140. At the high end, I'm only slightly slower than at the low end, like a couple minutes in 5K (low 19s vs 21s).
Another thing to consider is that (especially when you're short), "overweight" per BMI might not be what you think it is. According to BMI I am still overweight but have an athletic BF% according to Hydrostatic testing because I carry quite a bit of muscle mass on my little frame. I agree that speed has less to do with weight than experience.0 -
CarsonRuns wrote: »
Burritos aren't available in the mornings...0 -
CarsonRuns wrote: »
Burritos aren't available in the mornings...
Dinner
calories don't magically expire.
I run in the AM too. I also broke my leg and still ate a burrito that fit into my sedentary maintenance calories. it was both delicious and satisfying. So if you run in the morning you should definitely be able to eat a burrito. Doesn't have to be a long run.
Jr burrito double chicken, no rice, had beans and cheese and some other stuff: 530 calories.0 -
lishie_rebooted wrote: »I was 295, now weigh 197. Technically still overweight and I'm training for a half and I don't find it difficult to lose and train, in fact the running allows me to eat more.
No doubt. I added 2 miles on the end of my run today because it was cloudy and cool. Also I wanted an egg biscuit from McDonalds. :laugh:
Exactly a running group near me celebrates their long runs with chipotle burritosI was 295, now weigh 197. Technically still overweight and I'm training for a half and I don't find it difficult to lose and train, in fact the running allows me to eat more.
No doubt. I added 2 miles on the end of my run today because it was cloudy and cool. Also I wanted an egg biscuit from McDonalds. :laugh:
Exactly a running group near me celebrates their long runs with chipotle burritos
Besides the fact that Moes is better, there's nothing wrong with that
I used to think so but the last time I had Moe's, I wasn't impressed.
I haven't had an actual burrito in almost a year, I can't wait to go on a long run and eat one. I run in the mornings though
Treat yo' self in the afternoon! Last summer after my long runs, I'd usually make some eggs, drink some coffee, water, Gatorade, etc., then shower, call some friends, and go out for burritos/burgers/etc. Those calories last all day!0 -
At the distances we are talking about here speed is really just stamina. That is the ability to hold your faster speeds for longer periods of time. stamina = easy effort runs x time with a small amount of moderade LT effort topping it off.
In my personal experience (others may differ), from the time you begin training until you build enough stamina to really begin to feel good running fast is about 400 hours of running. The only way to speed up the process is to increase weekly volume so you reach that 400 hours sooner. Adding in more than just a little harder running does not really speed up the process but will result one sabatoging their long term progress by reducing volume to increase recovery, or injury, or simply long term stagnation in improvement.
Also in my experience and from reading a lot, optimum volume for running is around 10 to 12 hours on your feet a week.0 -
So its been a week, I increased my milage and decreased my calories slightly and I lost a whole pound!
Whoopie! Now I'm only 5lbs overweight.
At some point in my training when I'm closer to the marathon (next February) or even half marathon (this October) I'm guessing I will need to eat more though? Is there a formula to this? I guess I was overestimating my activity level before and I overshot my calories. I don't want to do that again, but I don't want to undereat either.
As far as speed goes I guess I'll just keep running and the speed will come in time?0 -
I ran my first mile without stopping on 12/20/2013, at a weight of 205 lbs (after losing 68 lbs over the previous year). Ten months later, I ran the Marine Corps Marathon (without stopping) at a weight of 173. My pace dropped from 13:00 per mile in December to 10:08 in the marathon, and is now about 08:00 for shorter runs.
I never focused on speed - it just came naturally as I lost weight, and ran more.
As far as losing weight - I burn about 110 calories per mile, so it is a whole lot easier to skip a slice of pizza and a beer than it is to run an extra 10K. For me, cutting calories has been the key!0 -
I ran my first mile without stopping on 12/20/2013, at a weight of 205 lbs (after losing 68 lbs over the previous year). Ten months later, I ran the Marine Corps Marathon (without stopping) at a weight of 173. My pace dropped from 13:00 per mile in December to 10:08 in the marathon, and is now about 08:00 for shorter runs.
I never focused on speed - it just came naturally as I lost weight, and ran more.
As far as losing weight - I burn about 110 calories per mile, so it is a whole lot easier to skip a slice of pizza and a beer than it is to run an extra 10K. For me, cutting calories has been the key!
Wow. Kudos to you. That is some serious progress in a short amount of time. Way to go!0
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