fat Pants- ABSOLUTELY DEFINITELY WITHOUT A DOUBT you will run faster as you loose more fat (note i said FAT and not WEIGHT). Fat is dead weight to a runner..... ive dreopped about 9% BF in the past 2.5 months and my running times have gone from between 9 and 10 minute miles (usually, depending on the distance of course) down to 7-8 minute miles (even on REALLY long runs im able to maintain close to an 8 for the entire run!!) And im still getting faster!! Todays run included 2 1600 meter intervals strewn into my regular 10K course, and i was able to run one of them at 6:46!!!!! WAHOOS!!! Short legs dont mean anything--MOST of the great woman marathoners today are much tinier than us-- 5'0" or 5'1"--deena kastor and constantina dita (olympic gold in bejiing)! of course, if you want to RUN fast, you have to TRAIN to run fast as well...intervals, tempo runs, pace runs, fartleks, etc...... There is an actual equation to determine your speed increases based on percentages of BF lost. I dont know how accurate it is overall, but for me it was pretty close to the truth. I did not however,have a lot of weight to lose to begin with, and i was already a consistent runner with many races, including several half marathons, under my belt! I was not fast, but i was FIT & FAT!!! Here is an exerpt from an article i found with this equation.... In a nut shell, you gain 1% in running speed for every 1% reduction in body fat!
6
Losing Fat and Gaining Speed
Want to run faster? Lose some fat. Excess fat mass is dead weight to runners. From your
high school physics class, you may recall Newton’s second law of motion which stated that
acceleration is directly proportional to force and inversely proportional to mass. In other words,
if your muscles can develop a certain amount of force, the acceleration of your body will be
greater if your body mass is lower.
If you lose excess fat mass, but maintain your oxygen uptake, you have more oxygen per
unit body mass. Based on oxygen consumption dynamics, sport scientists have calculated the
energy savings associated with fat loss. Basically, you gain 1% in running speed for every 1%
reduction in body fat. To put this in perspective, if you currently run a 10 K at a pace of eight
minutes (8:00) per mile, losing 5% of your excess body fat will improve your time to 7:36 per
mile (8:00 x 0.05 = 24 seconds faster; 8:00 - 0:24 = 7:36). Consequently, you will run the 10K
about 2.5 minutes faster, and your marathon about 11 minutes faster.
Not every runner has excess fat to lose, but if you do, it is a proven way to get faster. On
the other hand, excess body weight loss in someone who is already very lean may be
counterproductive, and running performance may actually get worse, not better. If you have
trouble losing excess fat, see a sports-oriented health professional, such as a dietitian.
Antoher thing to consider about running faster--now this is only my opinion, from my own recent experiences......I found that the ability to run fast was there physically for me, but mentally i was not ready, or able, to prove to myself that i could do it! I had to allow myself to run fast, right out of the gate during a race, and not worry about pacing, and whether or not i could sustain it, and if i went out too hard, adn if i was going to die before i was halfway done, etc... I went out hard (too hard!!) i went out fast and i said to **** with what happens and how i feel at the halfway point, and it WORKED!! I broke through my own mental barrier that said i wasnt good enough and i found that even I could comfortably sustain theses paces, wonce i adjusted my body to the pace...and it was hard, and it was FANTASTIC...... as my tag line says "get comfortable being uncomfortable"..... i am now not afraid to push myself, i dont say to myself "well, that pace is a little fast for a 10 mile run, dont ya think?" (within reason of course......you will find your stride, i promise....as soon as you break that 10 minute mile, or that 9 minute mile, it will be a huge boost, and the best part is, while you are loosing all that weight, and getting faster by virtue of dumping fat, you will also be getting into better cardiovascular shape at the same time....you will be UNSTOPPABLE with that level of fitness, when your body doent have the excess weight to pull around too!!!!
Good luck at your 5k AND 10K...... sounds like you are more than ready for the 5K, and practically already there for the 10k too!! DOnt worry about your finishing time for this first 10K....try and relax and enjoy it...Ive always found (and im sure others will agree) that when you have a "goal" finishing time, it is much more stressful, and the race is not at ALL as enjoyable....
cakebatter- Hi right back at ya!!
So you decided to go for the 10 miler, eh?? try and slow your pace a tiny bit, to account for the extra 2 miles you are tacking on to it from last weeks mileage...Youre gonna do great, but promis you will listen to your body, if it starts to feel like too much after you pass the 9 mile mark....DId i read that right, that you are doing the 10 miles on the TREADMILLL??????? if that is the case than i APPLAUD your determination, willpower, and ability to amuse yourself in your own head for over an hour and a half!!!!! I would rather shoot myself in the foot than run that far on the treamill... !!!
Thank you to ALL of you runners out there!! You say such encouraging and wonderful things, and im so so glad to be able to help out in any way i can (pretty soon you guys will be so seasoned you will be dishing out the advice to everyone else!!!!)
Thanks girls for the input... It's kinda hard to estimate how much I've been running since it's been different every week (because of the training plan written by someone else).
On average I'd say 2-3 runs of 40-50mins and then sometimes an extra 10 minute "Brick" run or two (A Brick is when you run right away off the bike to practice the odd way your legs feel)
I guess once my race is over I'll lengthen the short brick run and try for 4x per week. The 15k beginner plan I'm following after Aug 30th is only 3x per week but I really think I could do with at least an extra run in there.
I am sad to say I had to make it a short run yesterday of 5 miles. Boo. I didn't have enough time so I am going back to my original day of Sunday for my attempt at 10 miles. I do ALOT of my long runs on TM due not exactly knowing a path. But I found this cool thing called mapyourrun.com so I will be using that. I have a GPS but I didn't really want to experiement you know. On another note I ran a 5k yesterday (the first part of the 5 miles) in 33 minutes. I was stupid happy about becuase that included my 10 minute warm up (at 11:45 pace) which mean I kicked a** the last 23 minutes.
MK - Thanks for the how to increase speed info. I was always looking to increase mileage and never really focused on speed. But now I really want work to a 10 min mile comfortably.
Ideal - seems like you have a great plan worked out. Let us know how you're doing!
Cake - way to go on the awesome 5K time! I LOVE maymyrun.com! I've mapped out a lot of fun routes around my neighborhood that way and I know exactly how far I'm running. It's a great tool.
So I went on a 4.25mile run this morning with my good friend/training partner and she's a pretty fast runner so we finished in 40:20, which averages out to about a 9:30min/mile! I was soooo exhausted by the end, even though it's not THAT much faster than my usual 10min/mile, but I could totally feel the difference. It feels great to have finished though and I will most definitely be working on increasing my speed these days.
Hope your weekends are going well and everyone's getting in some good runs!
Holy cow you guys are a good source of inspiration! I was a runner back when I was in the military, but never really kept it up like I should have when I got out. I did a 5K in August 2007, but have done not a thing since. Well, I've had a day here and a day there of running, but nothing consistent. Now a coworker and I are pushing each other to complete the C25K, with her running a 5K on Thanksgiving and me running one the week prior. By my next birthday (next August!) I want to complete a half-marathon at least, if not a full.
I'm in Texas, so it's bloody hot during the day, but I've arranged to go running early to beat the brunt of the heat. Looking forward to further inspiration!
Welcome back to running Smee. From my experience getting back to running after an extended break isn't as bad as learning for the first time. Great goal with the Half Mary next year.
Boy you guys are all a lot faster then I am. I'm hoping my speed will really pick up with the weight loss. I was about 20lbs lighter when I could do about 5.0-5.5mph but right now I seem to be trucking along so slowly at 4.5
Anyway I did a run yesterday for an hour and it felt pretty good. I have a feeling I'll be okay for my 10k at the end of my Olympic Triathlon in less then 2 weeks. There is a chance I might have to walk a wee bit at the very end but i'm not too concerned with it.
Smee _ I love your "avi". Welcome. i am scheduled to run my Half Mary in Sept (Labor Day weekend)
Ideal - I started out at 4.5MPH. I was just a scootin'. But I just kept scootin' until my normal pace got to 5.0MPH. When i got to 5.0 I thought I was a hardcore runner (well not really but I pretty darn proud). I am currently working towards a comfortable 10 min pace but stuck around 5.5-5.6 right now. Just keep on chugging you will get there.
Taking Charge- WTG on that pace!!!! I hope to get that fast.
Okay now Ladies I need you all. I went out for a run on non-shaded trail (1.5M loop) after work. IT was 88 degrees and guess a bit humid. I was keeping a really good pace 10:38 (hehe well for me). I only made it around twice before I was hyperventilating almost uncontrolably. I had a hard time breathing from the very beginning but when I was able to get a patch of shade I was able to control it. My legs weren't tired at all just my chest and lungs. I wanted to cry, I couldn't get around 4-5 times I made it a measly two. When i usually run on the weekdays outside I go to a shaded trail (3M loop) and make it around there, tired yes, but I can push myself like I always do. My question is do you think the conditions made a difference or am I fluke. I guess it is hard to believe I am fluke I can 9 miles and still want to run......And to do that inside or out is a achievement to me.....so what happened to me yesterday?
Last edited by CakeBatter; 08-18-2009 at 09:16 AM.
I know for me personally running in the heat isn't quite as much of a problem. I've often went out in mid 80's after dinner and did 4-5 miles. The humidity on the other hand kills me. I usually run late afternoon after some of the humidity burns off. The days I went out in the mornings, even though it was considerably cooler, there was more humidity and I really struggled. My breathing was crap and I had to work super hard to try and control it. Even then I usually constantly felt like I was struggling for air. I'm sure if I ran more often in the morning my body would adapt. Now I just need to get off my arse and get back out there.
I've only been out once since the 8th. No darn good reason other than laziness.
MK - thank you SO MUCH for the advice! I had no idea that most Olympic marathoner females were so short...it gives me a lot of hope. I've decided to add in some weight training to work on the fat loss and build some more muscle in my legs.
Also - I went ahead and signed up for a 10k in November... I'm so excited and think this will keep me motivated after my 5k. It's exciting to have something new to train for!
Cakebatter- I LOVE mapmyrun.com, too! It's such a great tool for mapping out distances around my neighborhood, like TC does. Plus I find it gives me a lot of motivation to know that at, say, this intersection is the first mile, second mile, etc. so I can have a pretty good idea of what my pace is.
Re: your hyperventilating while running. It could have been the weather, or you could have just had a bad run. I hate it when that happens... usually I can tell within the first few minutes if this is going to be a good or bad run. It could also be allergies - do you usually have issues with them? Mine are terrible this time of year and while it doesn't affect my breathing, it does affect the rest of my body (generally feeling more lethargic and I tire out quickly when running). All that to say - I live in CO and 88 is HOT to me! Maybe you could try running later in the evening when it's cooler and see if that makes a difference? Good luck!
Ideal - my pace starting out was something like 4.3mph and now I run about 5mph - it has DEFINITELY gotten faster since I've dropped weight. I'm hoping eventually to be able to run at 6mph once I'm finished losing weight.
Well as for me, I started my 10k training this week. I have 12 weeks before my 10k, so plenty of time. This is going to be a little difficult for me to cut back on running 3-4x a week but with an increase in mileage I think I'm going to need longer rest periods. I'm also battling an IT Band issue that comes and goes, but almost always shows up on my long run days!
I am sorry I was whining guys......I was just stupid dissappointed. Forgive me...
Zinkemom - I am going back out today but somewhere it is not as ope ....i need more trees. I have try it again, because I know I am capable of it. IDK it just really discouraged me for whatever reason.......I guess because my HM is almost here
Fatpants - WTG for signing up for the 10K. You have plenty of time and you are going to do awesome. Thanks for the advice
Last edited by CakeBatter; 08-18-2009 at 09:20 AM.
I am sorry I was whining guys......I was just stupid dissappointed. Forgive me...
Zinkemom - I am going back out today but somewhere it is not as ope ....i need more trees. I have try it again, because I know I am capable of it. IDK it just really discouraged me for whatever reason.......I guess because my HM is almost here
Fatpants - WTG for signing up for the 10K. You have plenty of time and you are going to do awesome. Thanks for the advice
I feel that way sometimes, too. ESPECIALLY when I first began running. I think people thought I was weird for needing 7 months to train for my first 5k, but I had so many days where I felt like I wasn't making any progress at all and really feeling discouraged. But the important thing is to just keep getting out there and doing it. Bad runs are frustrating for sure. But I think the real growth happens when we don't let it get the best of us. Hang in there, you will do fantastic on your HM!!! And just think of how far you've come already!
No darn good reason other than laziness.
I've decided to add in some weight training to work on the fat loss and build some more muscle in my legs. 
I'm so excited and think this will keep me motivated after my 5k. It's exciting to have something new to train for!
I feel that way sometimes, too. ESPECIALLY when I first began running. I think people thought I was weird for needing 7 months to train for my first 5k, but I had so many days where I felt like I wasn't making any progress at all and really feeling discouraged. But the important thing is to just keep getting out there and doing it. Bad runs are frustrating for sure. But I think the real growth happens when we don't let it get the best of us. Hang in there, you will do fantastic on your HM!!! And just think of how far you've come already!
