Marathon runners why are they not all stick thin???

I've run four marathons and countless halves and shorter races. At my peak, I hit 50 miles per week in training. That's a lot for a tired mom. I was 13-30 lbs overweight during all of them, candy apple on a stick shape. My legs got granite hard, but the belly never went away. Basically, it's what Erickirb said, that you don't get the big-time burn once your body is accustomed to that much running, and also the dietary aspect. However, people are acting like we must eat crap all day long to overcome that deficit. The fact is, it isn't hard. Say I run 17 miles as my longest run of the week. That's about three hours for me. I burn about 1600-1800 calories. During the run, I am taking in an extra 300 cal, probably, a gatorade and a Gu. After three hours on the road, an ice bath, and a shower, I am famished and go out to eat with my family. I have always had a big appetite, and after a big run you do have some entitlement issues. So I have a burger, or a big plate of pasta, or whatever, because I earned it. That's probably 1,000 extra calories. Add in a dessert or a drink or a soda and you're maybe a few hundred under for the day. OK, then the next day you rest, so you have no exercise calories, but you're still hungrier than usual from the previous day's effort, so you probably go over by 300 or more. Think about it, a full marathon gets you less than a pound worth of burned calories, and you have to eat lots of them back to accomplish it in the first place. My coach always used to get hysterical when I tried to drop weight during marathon training. You have to fuel the work.

I am so in awe of bigger runners. I am not very heavy and find running really hard work. I can look at a skinny runner and think 'Maybe if I lost a little more I'd find running easier'; I look at a larger runner and think 'Wow! I wish I was that fit!'.

I had a colleague who really admired me for my weight loss and came to me for tips. She has thyroid problems, I don't. I lose weight really easily, she doesn't; she runs 5km regularly, while I find 1km challenging. I admired her too, probably more, because she had to work to be a runner and all I did was eat less and have lucky genetics.

To the OP, does your sister WANT to lose weight? If so, I can understand your puzzlement. If not, from what you describe, she may well be close to the ideal weight for her health. Fat carried as you describe, in the hips and thighs, has been proven to have heart health benefits (unlike my spare tyre ).

Runners do not run because they are trying to be rail thin. Running is not the exercise to do if you are looking to drop 30+ lbs. Runners do it because we love it.

I would have to disagree with this statement. I lost 45 pounds by running. I hardly lifted weights. I may have done some pushups, but the main activity was and still is running.

Diet is the key. I never drank anything but water. Many times people think if they are running, they can eat what ever they want.

I wrote about this today on my blog.

Jay

http://www.runningwithoutawatch.com/2012/08/diet-vs-exercise.html

There's also an element of cause and effect. Good marathon runners are thin because being thin makes them fast, not just because running marathons makes them thin.

I think if she isn't concerned about her weight than you shouldn't be either. Maybe she runs partly because she can eat more. Who are we to judge what a runners body should look like. The only bodies we can control are our own. Everyone has their own story.

My older sister has been involved in running marathon for about 4 years now. She is planning on running 4 next year. She runs probably 30-40 miles per week. From a conditioning stand point she is in great shape but it kind of baffles me that she is still slightly over weight. Using BMI she would probably be at the very upper end of a "healthy weight" if not at the lower end of "over weight".

That's hardly overweight for someone who's very athletic. Lots of athletes are overweight according to BMI when their body fat percentage is in the healthy range.

Does your sister know her body fat percentage? Unless *that's* in the overweight or obese range then she is healthy and not overweight. If she wants to be ripped (i.e. very low body fat percentage to look like a fitness model, have six pack abs, etc) then she should eat like a body builder/fitness model. If she doesn't want to be ripped and is happy how she is then just leave her be. Women whose body fat percentage is in the healthy range do usually have some fat on their thighs, it's healthy and normal. Fitness models etc usually have body fat percentages that are below the healthy range, e.g. 13-15% body fat (the healthy range is 18-25% although it goes up a little as you age) and also fitness models drop their body fat for photo shoots then let it go up to around 18-19% for some of the year, i.e. within the healthy range and looking less ripped for some of the time.

It sounds like maybe you have unrealistic expectation for your sister (and if she's complaining to you about it then maybe she does too) - if she wants to look like a fitness model then there's plenty of information online about how to eat and exercise to get there. If she doesn't and is happy like she is then really she sounds very healthy.

If her body fat percentage really is in the overweight range, then the fitness model/body building diet and exercise will help her to get it in the healthy range. Anyone who's very athletic but their body fat percentage is still to high, the problem is simply one of not eating right. You can't out-train a bad diet. Even if the person eats very healthy, they're simply eating too much, and better portion control will fix it.

I used to go for pancake breakfasts with my running friends after every long run. I also did lots of social thingsith my running group. Gained 10 lbs training for my first marathon. Learner my lesson. 2nd marathon I avoided those gettogethers

This topic has often puzzled me. I am currently training for my first marathon & am no stranger to dieting/counting cals & weight loss. From years of various workouts I have learned that running 3 miles a few times a week leads to weightloss where as running 6+ miles leads to gaining. I think this is because every little calorie you consume your body stores because runs that are that long leave your body going "wtf?" and it clings to calories that much more. I've been down to 125 lbs (5'7" female) but I was the weakest I've ever been in my life doing only 120 minutes of cardio a week & simply some ab routines & lat pull downs, now I'm at 140 lbs, my pants barely fit & I've gained quite a few inches on my waist, but I can easily run 6 miles without breaking a sweat & lift more weight than ever. Some is clearly muscle, but there's definitely fat there too despite eating well under 2000 cal a day most of which is protein & fiber. In conclusion, must be genetics for most.

This is pretty much my same experience. When I was just doing short runs and light cardio, I lost weight. I started training for longer runs and half marathons and I gained, despite still eating well and maintaining a caloric deficit (but not just ignoring eating back calories burned). But I can run longer than ever before without walking and can lift more than before as well.

I know there's muscle there, I can feel it under the fat, I just can't get the fat to go away. That's why, after I run this next half marathon, I'm done with the distance running. I actually had to go out and buy bigger pants again, which I'd like to get rid of and get back into the pants I wore before I started distance running.

I'm training for my 3rd goofy challenge (half and full). I'm overweight but can still finish 39.3 miles. I struggle to lose weight while training but I think for me personally its my diet. I burn 3500 to 3800 calories per day (per my body bugg) and I'm usually not hungry. I drink a lot of water but most days have to force myself to eat. I think each person is different and what works for one doesn't always work for the next. I've had a lot of runners tell me they can't believe I'm not hungry while training. After a race it usually takes me 2-3 days before I start to feel like eating again. MFP is a huge help to me so I make sure I eat and fuel myself.