A Frustrated Girl who Runs and Lifts

IronAngel26pt2

If you can relate please reply with your experiences~ thanks!

I want to do it all... I've been told I cant. I've read I cant...I was determined to prove "them" wrong. But now I'm starting to wonder.....

Where is the balance? At what point do you start using your muscle as fuel instead of fat? Can you trick your body?

I trained and ran a marathon in 2012....all the while still weight training. Results: FAT! 10lbs heavier the day of the marathon.

On paper there is NO way I ate more than I was burning. Maybe that was the problem. Maybe I did not eat enough? Or maybe I ate the wrong things? OR maybe....just maybe your body prefers to use muscle as fuel and not fat? It makes a little sense....why NOT burn the good stuff (muscle)? Maybe thats like Race Fuel to your body?.....

If thats the case.....who wants to bust their butt in the gym lifting weights if it gets wasted on the road? Why not just skip the weights and have no muscle forcing your body to burn that ugly fat?

haha..... just my thoughts.

Ok so plan B: DON'T train for a marathon. Run a reasonable amount, eat clean and lift heavy!!!

RESULTS: ......to be continued

~Renae

bonelessskinless

inb4 inb4's

LaurenAOK

I can't explain how you gained 10 pounds while training for a marathon if you're SURE you weren't eating more than you burned. Scientifically, it seems impossible... but I won't get into that.

When I first started lifting I was doing lifting 3 days a week and running 3 days a week. I saw AMAZING results. I wasn't training for a marathon but I was running for about 30 minutes when I ran, and weight training for 30-45 minutes on lifting days.

Personally I greatly prefer strength training and it helps sculpt the kind of body I want more than cardio... but as they say, "everything in moderation." I don't see anything wrong with doing a good balance of cardio and strength training.

kgraves3

This may be a silly question, but are you tracking your progress in JUST pounds? If so, that might be your problem. You should start taking your measurements if you haven't already, because if you're lifting it's very possible that you've built significant muscle. Muscle is heavier than fat, but, of course, it is much more compact. Meaning that you could be gaining weight in muscle, but still losing fat. This would result in a much smaller but perhaps only somewhat lighter body.

IronAngel26pt2

kgraves3:
Thanks, that is a great question. I was at 18% body fat before starting to train. I KNOW it was fat i gained..;) lol I could tell in my belly... no more abs. =( I did not get it tested because I was afraid to know the results.

I know the the calories I put in my mouth and I know the calories I was burning because I wore a bodybugg. I'm pretty sure I should have been invisible....

We have fast and slow twitch muscles. I've read that your body only wants to build one at a time. I'm not sure if that is true or not. But in my case I defiantly didnt have it dialed in. As soon as I reduced the milage the fat came off......

The problem is I love to run. I really dont want to give that up....but I want to be about 16% fat.

texans00

hello i know the feeling i have always been a bigger guy and have run 18 marathons . I am new to weight training and having mixed emotions. I am going to train to run one this october and do one smaller then i ever have just seems that it would be easier but on the other hand dont wanna be a skinny runner wanna have a good build . My problem is i thought about your idea just mix both in just to stay in shape but i love to run marathons and i would some day like to run 100 in total so i know how you feel to be continued as well lol

IronAngel26pt2

LaurenAOK,

My run sessions were between 3-4 hours long not 30 min. You seem good at math.....imagine how many calories I would need to eat to gain 10lbs while burning that many calories.

Thanks for your reply but I was interested in advice from someone who can relate with those numbers.

IronAngel26pt2

texans00,

hello! thanks for replying!
I would love to hear about your results. So that means you are just starting your training?

Have you ever heard of the training plan where you run only 3 days a week? Training for a purpose is what the theory is. I think the idea is illuminating junk miles and adding more quality miles? I'm not sure I was just starting to read about it before I decided to not do the marathon in July.

LaurenAOK

I know this has been posted on the MFP forums like a million times, but perhaps you haven't seen it yet: http://athlete.io/5343/why-women-should-not-run/

This article might offer at least some kind of explanation as to why you saw weight gain when you were running 3-4 hours a day? I definitely don't think you need to give up running (never give up something you love!) but maybe you could just decrease your sessions to no more than an hour long. Also, try to mix things up with some interval training, not just steady state jogging.

You're sure you don't have any metabolic problems, right? Might be worth getting checked out by a doctor. It's true that you probably weren't eating enough when you were running that much, but I don't think "starvation mode" exists to the point that it would make you GAIN ten pounds! Something just isn't adding up.

aFootballLife25

Long distance running is absolutely awful for body compositions. Especially THAT long.

Diet, lift, and SPRINT. You will be incredibly lean in no time.

IronAngel26pt2

Thanks~

IronAngel26pt2

Long distance running is absolutely awful for body compositions. Especially THAT long.

Diet, lift, and SPRINT. You will be incredibly lean in no time.

June 12, 2013 11:08 am

aFootballLife:
Thanks~
I'm sure you are correct. I will not get the results I want doing all the running i love. It just feels so good to go on a long run. . . . choices. =(

mojohowitz

Check your sodium.

Running taxes muscles and causes them to retain water. 10 lbs seems excessive. However, runners become very efficient with calories. Even if MFP says you are burning x number of calories you probably are not. May need to cut calories or carbs.

Check your medications. Alleve, hormone replacement, etc all cause water weight gain.

I always gain a few pounds after I run more than 13 miles.

The human body is weird.

mojohowitz

My run sessions were between 3-4 hours long not 30 min.

How many times a week?

jennifershoo

How much do you eat? With all that cardio and weight training, you should eat a LOT! You need to fuel those workouts.

IronAngel26pt2

My run sessions were between 3-4 hours long not 30 min.

How many times a week?

I was running about 45-50 miles a week. One long run of 16-20 miles. But a few 8-10 milers during the week too...
I am only running 20-30 now that the marathon is over. This seems to be a better balance.

IronAngel26pt2

How much do you eat? With all that cardio and weight training, you should eat a LOT! You need to fuel those workouts.

Yeah I agree. That was probably my problem...along with the wrong types of food. Its easy to convince yourself that a slice of pizza wont matter because of what you just got done doing.... I was only eating about 2000 calories a day....and I was burning on average 3600. This information was from my bodymedia device.

moondawg14

Long distance running is absolutely awful for body compositions. Especially THAT long.

Diet, lift, and SPRINT. You will be incredibly lean in no time.

Indeed. All of those marathon fatties. yuck.

jayliospecky

I think if running is what you love, then you should do it. No, I don't think you could become a powerlifter and also run marathons at the same time, but I do think you can incorporate some strength training that would benefit your running.

Oh, and yes, you should definitely eat the foods.

DragonSquatter

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imondrugz

Marathons are actually pretty damn ****ty imo.. More lifting less cardio and a small deficit = being quite lean while saving your muscles !