Calorie deficit and running time.
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Asher_Ethan
Posts: 2,430 Member
I started back up with MFP about 3 weeks ago because I had been in a weight loss plateau for 6 weeks and I needed to change something. I have MFP set to, "lose .5 pounds," a week, I underestimate on my exercises and usually only eat half my exercise calories so I probably average 2000 calories a day. I lost 4 pounds right off the bat and these last 2 weeks I've lost another 2 pounds so weight loss isn't an issue.
Every Monday and Friday I run at least 5 miles and for the last 2 months I've been averaging 9 minute miles. But in these last 3 weeks I've definitely had to work harder to hit 9. Monday and Today I was averaging almost 10 minute mile.
I'm mostly concerned with my running time because I worked so hard to get it to 9 minute miles. So my question is; Is there a correlation between a calorie deficit and running time? And if there is, is there any way to get over it?
Every Monday and Friday I run at least 5 miles and for the last 2 months I've been averaging 9 minute miles. But in these last 3 weeks I've definitely had to work harder to hit 9. Monday and Today I was averaging almost 10 minute mile.
I'm mostly concerned with my running time because I worked so hard to get it to 9 minute miles. So my question is; Is there a correlation between a calorie deficit and running time? And if there is, is there any way to get over it?
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Replies
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Asher_Ethan wrote: »I started back up with MFP about 3 weeks ago because I had been in a weight loss plateau for 6 weeks and I needed to change something. I have MFP set to, "lose .5 pounds," a week, I underestimate on my exercises and usually only eat half my exercise calories so I probably average 2000 calories a day. I lost 4 pounds right off the bat and these last 2 weeks I've lost another 2 pounds so weight loss isn't an issue.
Every Monday and Friday I run at least 5 miles and for the last 2 months I've been averaging 9 minute miles. But in these last 3 weeks I've definitely had to work harder to hit 9. Monday and Today I was averaging almost 10 minute mile.
I'm mostly concerned with my running time because I worked so hard to get it to 9 minute miles. So my question is; Is there a correlation between a calorie deficit and running time? And if there is, is there any way to get over it?
Are you on a treadmill? If so is it the same treadmill? Their idea of speed varies from one to the next.
Losing a pound a week doesn't sound like something that should hold you back from your running goals. More than that could possibly be keeping you from fully recovering. You're doing well with the weight loss so perhaps take a week and just maintain to see if nutrition is the actual issue.
Lastly, you're not failing by running 10 minute miles instead of 9. You're going to get the same calorie burn either way. It's good to casually run the miles anyway. Perhaps just take a week and not worry about your pace. Enjoy it.0 -
There can be. If you aren't eating enough your energy levels can suffer which in turn slows your pace.
However I would look to other issues as well. Has it suddenly gotten warmer? Are you sleeping enough? Hydrated? Sick?0 -
Yes it's absolutely possible that the amount of food you consume can affect your running performance. With less energy in your body, you'll have a more difficult time keeping up to your usual speed you run at when you are consuming your usual amount of calories.
I find that on the days when I cut back, I do end up running slower on average and always try to remind myself to consume extra carbs on the days before, after, and on the days of my run (so basically every day haha!)0 -
Are you on a treadmill? If so is it the same treadmill? Their idea of speed varies from one to the next.
Losing a pound a week doesn't sound like something that should hold you back from your running goals. More than that could possibly be keeping you from fully recovering. You're doing well with the weight loss so perhaps take a week and just maintain to see if nutrition is the actual issue.
Lastly, you're not failing by running 10 minute miles instead of 9. You're going to get the same calorie burn either way. It's good to casually run the miles anyway. Perhaps just take a week and not worry about your pace. Enjoy it.
I am on a treadmill and I tend to have to use a different treadmill every day so hopefully it's that simple. If I don't feel better in 2 weeks I'll try a maintenance week and see if that makes a difference.
Thanks for the encouragement also. I run with my friends at those stupid 5k's and I use to be the slowest one so it's hard watching my time slow back down.
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Asher_Ethan wrote: »
Are you on a treadmill? If so is it the same treadmill? Their idea of speed varies from one to the next.
Losing a pound a week doesn't sound like something that should hold you back from your running goals. More than that could possibly be keeping you from fully recovering. You're doing well with the weight loss so perhaps take a week and just maintain to see if nutrition is the actual issue.
Lastly, you're not failing by running 10 minute miles instead of 9. You're going to get the same calorie burn either way. It's good to casually run the miles anyway. Perhaps just take a week and not worry about your pace. Enjoy it.
I am on a treadmill and I tend to have to use a different treadmill every day so hopefully it's that simple. If I don't feel better in 2 weeks I'll try a maintenance week and see if that makes a difference.
Thanks for the encouragement also. I run with my friends at those stupid 5k's and I use to be the slowest one so it's hard watching my time slow back down.
I rarely use a treadmill but I've had to the last couple weeks due to freezing rain. I'm wearing a watch that estimates my pace based on my stride rate. It's based on lots and lots of GPS plotted runs. One treadmill said I was running a 11 minute pace when I was doing around a 10 and another said I was running a 12.5 minute mile at around a 10 min/mile pace. Another had so much belt slippage that I quit after a mile and picked a different treadmill. They're all so whacked it's laughable.
If you're happy with your speed at these 5ks then keep what you're doing but to get faster the best thing to do is actually more miles instead of faster miles. Not necessarily longer runs for you yet but just adding in another day each week would make a big difference. Casually of course. Save the speed for races or just pick one day a week to run at a 9 min pace and keep the other two more casual.0 -
There can be. If you aren't eating enough your energy levels can suffer which in turn slows your pace.
However I would look to other issues as well. Has it suddenly gotten warmer? Are you sleeping enough? Hydrated? Sick?
Oh it definitely has been warmer... If I'm on a treadmill inside would that still hurt my time? Sleep... I have a 1-year-old that will not sleep through the night but it's been that way for the past year...
You bring up hydration and I have definitely been lacking in that department especially in the last week. Oh I did not even think of that. I hope that's it! Excuse me while I go guzzle some water...0 -
graciiekim wrote: »Yes it's absolutely possible that the amount of food you consume can affect your running performance. With less energy in your body, you'll have a more difficult time keeping up to your usual speed you run at when you are consuming your usual amount of calories.
I find that on the days when I cut back, I do end up running slower on average and always try to remind myself to consume extra carbs on the days before, after, and on the days of my run (so basically every day haha!)
How many carbs do you eat the day before and after? I do feel extremely hungry pretty much constantly but I thought that went hand and hand with MFP.
I rarely use a treadmill but I've had to the last couple weeks due to freezing rain. I'm wearing a watch that estimates my pace based on my stride rate. It's based on lots and lots of GPS plotted runs. One treadmill said I was running a 11 minute pace when I was doing around a 10 and another said I was running a 12.5 minute mile at around a 10 min/mile pace. Another had so much belt slippage that I quit after a mile and picked a different treadmill. They're all so whacked it's laughable.
If you're happy with your speed at these 5ks then keep what you're doing but to get faster the best thing to do is actually more miles instead of faster miles. Not necessarily longer runs for you yet but just adding in another day each week would make a big difference. Casually of course. Save the speed for races or just pick one day a week to run at a 9 min pace and keep the other two more casual.
Which watch is that? I may need to invest in one of those. Now that I'm thinking about it, on my worst days ever before this week, I was always on a treadmill I had never used before... That makes A LOT more sense.
I've been toying with the idea of adding a weekly 2 hour constant run/jog to my routine but I'm scared to hurt myself running constantly like that.
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I have the Garmin Forerunner 220. $250 for the watch. They're pricey but totally worth it if you're going to be doing much running at all outside. I don't know that they price is worth what you get out of it for being on a treadmill. I don't feel like the inside distance was 100% accurate but it seemed to be close enough for me to discount what the treadmill was saying. I know about how long it takes me to run a certain distance casually so I can say for sure that the watch was much closer.Asher_Ethan wrote: »graciiekim wrote: »Yes it's absolutely possible that the amount of food you consume can affect your running performance. With less energy in your body, you'll have a more difficult time keeping up to your usual speed you run at when you are consuming your usual amount of calories.
I find that on the days when I cut back, I do end up running slower on average and always try to remind myself to consume extra carbs on the days before, after, and on the days of my run (so basically every day haha!)
How many carbs do you eat the day before and after? I do feel extremely hungry pretty much constantly but I thought that went hand and hand with MFP.
I rarely use a treadmill but I've had to the last couple weeks due to freezing rain. I'm wearing a watch that estimates my pace based on my stride rate. It's based on lots and lots of GPS plotted runs. One treadmill said I was running a 11 minute pace when I was doing around a 10 and another said I was running a 12.5 minute mile at around a 10 min/mile pace. Another had so much belt slippage that I quit after a mile and picked a different treadmill. They're all so whacked it's laughable.
If you're happy with your speed at these 5ks then keep what you're doing but to get faster the best thing to do is actually more miles instead of faster miles. Not necessarily longer runs for you yet but just adding in another day each week would make a big difference. Casually of course. Save the speed for races or just pick one day a week to run at a 9 min pace and keep the other two more casual.
Which watch is that? I may need to invest in one of those. Now that I'm thinking about it, on my worst days ever before this week, I was always on a treadmill I had never used before... That makes A LOT more sense.
I've been toying with the idea of adding a weekly 2 hour constant run/jog to my routine but I'm scared to hurt myself running constantly like that.
Doing a weekly longer run is one of the best things you can do for your running goals. Just build up to the time/distance gradually. Your body can do more than you think if you give it the time and training necessary.
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That will help you a lot. Keep the effort and pace easy and you will be ok. To get the maximum aerobic training benefit from the long run you really don't need to run very hard. Running harder than you need to only makes you more tired, it doesn't really improve your base conditioning.Asher_Ethan wrote: »I've been toying with the idea of adding a weekly 2 hour constant run/jog to my routine but I'm scared to hurt myself running constantly like that.
If you have a HRM on then keep the effort below 75% max heart rate and walk if you need to to keep the heart rate down.
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Asher_Ethan wrote: »
I've been toying with the idea of adding a weekly 2 hour constant run/jog to my routine but I'm scared to hurt myself running constantly like that.
A long slow run will definitely help your overall pace. But, uh, don't just jump in with two additional hours (12-13 miles!) per week of running. That's a fantastic bypass right to injury. Since you're already running a pretty good distance, you might consider increasing your weekly mileage by 1 mile each week (so, build up to that two hours one mile at a time). You might even be able to get away starting out with 2 or 3 miles as as your base.
Don't get me wrong, you can *absolutely* get there without injury, especially if you hold back your pace instead of pushing the max you can for that distance. But take the scenic route to get there.
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