Deficit during 5k obstacle training?

jarrettd

For Christmas, my kids paid my registration for Run for Your Lives in May, (SUPER FREAKIN' EXCITED) and I want to train up right. I'm a 45 year old female and at a healthy weight, but have a few vanity pounds left to lose. I've chosen a training plan that combines LOTS of running with some plyo, hill drills, and upper body work.

My question is: what to do with calories and macros? I have been 100-300 below maintenance at 40/30/30, and recycling the same 5 pounds for months, doing strength training and some running. I want to lose a little more weight, but I want to "survive" the Run more.

Any thoughts?

melaniecheeks

Is it just a 5k run or is there more involved?

I don't think you need to do much more different from what you're currently doing - aim to eat your carbs before any training, as they'll give you fuel.

jarrettd

It's an obstacle course/mud run/flag-football kind of thing. I'll be chased through an obstacle course by "zombies" trying to take my "lives"(flags on a waist-belt). The objective is to finish with at least one life-flag remaining.

scottb81

You can run all you want at 100 to 300 cal deficit. I do that during marathon training when losing weight. You may get a little hungry sometimes but it won't cause you any problems.

Unless you are running way too hard all the time around half of what you burn will be fat. That doesn't need to be replaced by eating. At a small deficit you should be getting enough carbs to replace the glycogen you burn.

sunflowerhippi

OOhh, congrats. I should have asked Santa to sign me up for the one here in August. I don't have any help but thanks for asking this as it anwsers some of my questions as well.

ds233005

Very cool! I don't have any advice, but I am working on getting ready for an obstacle race too! What are you doing for training?

jarrettd

Thanks for the responses!

ds, I'm doing a Zombies, RUN! 5k training app by Six to Start that I will finish the end of January, followed by the regular Zombies, RUN! season 1, just for ambience, ya know?

I researched some mud run training articles and kind of combined two that seemed to merge with my age and fitness level.

Day 1: 3 mile run, intervals of burpees and alligator crawls.
Day 2: Hill sprints x8
Day 3: 1 mile run, circuit of mountain climbers and burpee broad-jumps
Day 4: 3 miles with intervals of pull-ups and burpees
Day 5: Plyo circuit, tabata style, 4 minutes work, 1 minute rest x4 (may just use PlyoX or Supreme 90 Tabata Inferno DVD)
Day 6: Long run, 60 minute,s easy pace.
Day 7: recovery

I'm terrified, as I have never run a 5k race before, let alone an obstacle run with people who will be trying to "eat" my brains, lol! Hope I don't make a fool of myself.

JingleMuffin

theyll be lots of adrenaline so im sure youll make it just fine.

the biggest thing come race day is being prepared. Ive done 4 of these so far with out getting hurt.
wear two pairs of socks, tie your shoes TIGHT and double knot them. youll want to wear pants that cover the knee but arent full length. theyll get wet and stretch and trip you but if they dont cover the knee your knees will get mangled. Just go and do you best. its fun.

sm1zzle

For Christmas, my kids paid my registration for Run for Your Lives in May, (SUPER FREAKIN' EXCITED) and I want to train up right. I'm a 45 year old female and at a healthy weight, but have a few vanity pounds left to lose. I've chosen a training plan that combines LOTS of running with some plyo, hill drills, and upper body work.

My question is: what to do with calories and macros? I have been 100-300 below maintenance at 40/30/30, and recycling the same 5 pounds for months, doing strength training and some running. I want to lose a little more weight, but I want to "survive" the Run more.

Any thoughts?

I want to do that run... It looks awesome.
I've done the Spartan and Warrior but they do not have Zombies !

Edit: And don't worry.. a 5k is just over 3 miles. It will be over before you know it.

ds233005

Thanks! I will look it up. I did the Warrior Dash last year with little training and finished in under an hour. Just have fun! The obstacles weren't that bad, I only had trouble with one. I'm short- 5'2 and my hubby had to help me out of water that was over my head and up onto a floating platform. Your training sounds great and I am sure you will have a BLAST!

DavPul

You can run all you want at 100 to 300 cal deficit. I do that during marathon training when losing weight. You may get a little hungry sometimes but it won't cause you any problems.

Unless you are running way too hard all the time around half of what you burn will be fat. That doesn't need to be replaced by eating. At a small deficit you should be getting enough carbs to replace the glycogen you burn.

Agree with every word. Sound advice

sjohnny

I just did Run For Your Lives! on December 15. I was pretty much at a deficit the whole time I was getting ready for it. No problems.

I would add some sprint intervals (farlteks, hills, whatever) into whatever you're doing for training. I stayed at a nice easy pace (because I was running with a friend who thought she was slow) until we came upon the zombies and then I went balls out dodge duck dip dive and dodge until I was clear of them and then recovered while waiting for my friend and returned to an easy pace. I hadn't been doing any speed intervals because I was training for my first half marathon that was two weeks before the zombie race. I know they would have helped a lot.

It was a freakin blast.

leelaleela

Hi! I'm going to run in the Boston one this year. Anybody else?

DavPul

Keep your macros where they are. You'll be fine. I'm training for similar run on a much larger deficit and I'm not bothered by it at all