Runner trying to get stronger - can I still work on losing some more?

hjeppley wrote: »

Can I try to lose and do the strengthening at the same time in off season or should I somehow try to stagger them (not sure I have time to do both)? I feel like the strengthening has priority right now over weight loss but my body fat is MUCH higher than the "bulk" folks in the weightlifting crowd. I don't care about definition/appearance at this point, just interested in performance as it translates into my running. I am not sure which one (dieting or strengthening) would be "worse" to be still working on as the racing season begins or whether trying to do both at once would be most efficient.

I pursued a somewhat similar goal last spring during my recovery from leg issues that cropped up during winter marathon training. My plan was to balance weight loss with increased training volume leading up to a half iron distance triathlon in June. This included strength work as a necessary training component, since triathlon training places a significant load on the posterior chain muscle groups.

Like you, my goal was performance improvement. Specifically, I was looking to drop 10-12lbs as a way to improve my climbing ability on the bike and also my run speed for the half marathon run split. Working with a registered dietician (who is also a professional bodybuilder) we put together an eating plan that provided enough calories to fuel my heavy training load (9 workouts/week) while also driving weight loss over the 3 month time period. The RD also spoke with my tri coach to agree on my calorie needs DURING extended cardio work (2-4 hr bike and run sessions) to be sure I didn't bonk during long runs, etc.

Finally, during this time, my personal trainer modified my strength work to focus almost solely on the strength movements needed by endurance athletes (swim/bike/run strength and balance work).

The result of this plan was that between March 10 and June 6th of last year, I lost 16lbs and realized a significant increase in run speed and overall stamina, while putting in an average of 10-13hrs of training per week.

So my experience suggests that it is certainly possible to lose the weight while doing a significant amount of either strength and/or cardio work. The key is to match your food intake to mimic your exercise expenditure. That way, you'll have enough fuel to support your training load, while also driving fat loss. Its a balancing act, but it is doable.

I think your focus on logging will be key. When I followed the plan 100% and consumed the exact amounts I was to eat, I dropped weight consistently. Any deviations(extra calories) would cause my weight to stall, since I was consuming plenty of calories to fuel my training sessions. The other thing that helped was to separate my leg strength workouts from any heavy run days, whether on the track or long distance efforts. So I usually did strength work on my "easy" bike or swim days.

Sounds like you have a plan. Good luck.

After several years of always working toward a race, I decided to spend this winter to fuel & workout for weight loss rather than performance & endurance. And then, I signed up for another race. Thus, I am now in the position of trying to do what I thought was impossible.

This fall, I took two seven-week sessions of core training at my club. It helped me establish a routine of doing strength training - something I've never managed to do. I've reduced my baseline calorie budget by five hundred calories a day, and I've strictly limited highly refined carbohydrates. (Except during long runs - I love Annie's Cheddar Bunnies and I think they're the perfect workout fuel.)

It's working pretty well so far. I re-tweaked my knee that has some damaged cartilage in it, so I think I'm going to have to walk the race I'm training for. (Thankfully, it's flat.) I really want to get to a decent race weight, and that's only going to happen if I pay as much attention to the fuel end of it as I do to the training part.

Which 50K are you doing in March? There's one in my area that I attempted this past March (my first DNF!); I'll be volunteering there in 2018.