Running amock

stick_figure

I'll keep it brief for my first entry.

Me
27yo, 9st 4lb, 5'4"

Goals
Run the half-marathon in Connemara in April (Sun 6th, I think)
Lose weight/ drop body fat

I know I'm already a perfectly healthy weight for my height, and I look good in my clothes. But why look good when I could look great?


Thanks to a delightful flu which kicked in on New Years Day, my training will only be starting tomorrow. The plan I'm following has me doing three runs, one cross training session, and one weights session (increasing to two from week 3 of the plan onwards). I'm planning on doing a spin class for my cross training.

What I plan to do it eat 15% less than my daily calorie requirements, which gives me 1422 calories a day. Then on the days I exercise, I'll eat the 1422 and 85% of the calories I burn through exercise. I think this makes sense as my exercise varies weekly and I might either miss a session or do an extra one, so a weekly average wouldn't work for me.

Here goes nothing....

eclectichoney

yay for running logs! will be looking forward to reading your log

How Strange

I'm no expert by any means; I've started running myself recently and am up to 11k in 1hr5mins approx. I'm pretty much the same weight and height as the OP. My goal is to get really fit and tone up at the same time. I am aiming towards a half marathon in April.

However, I don't see how it is good for someone who is at a good healthy weight (9,4) to reduce their calories by 600 per day to lose weight at the same time as embarking on a plan to train for a tough half marathon.
Surely, you are leaving yourself prone to burnout and muscle damage?

I stress again that I'm not an expert but I would have thought that by concentrating on carbs the day before a long run and eating protein after the long run your body would regulate its metabolism to cope with a healthy 2000 calories and burn the fat that you are carrying?

Maybe I'm way off the mark!

I would have thought that replacing carbs for low GI ones, eating fish, eggs and chicken with lots of veg would be far more beneficial than cutting your calorie intake.

I know that after an 11k run I am ravenous and usually eat an omelette or something similar.

I'd be interested to hear other opinions as I am in a similar position to the OP; want to get really fit and tone up.

stick_figure

How Strange wrote: »

However, I don't see how it is good for someone who is at a good healthy weight (9,4) to reduce their calories by 600 per day to lose weight at the same time as embarking on a plan to train for a tough half marathon.
Surely, you are leaving yourself prone to burnout and muscle damage?

Well I'm actually not reducing my calories by 600. My RMR is 1394, which when multiplied by 1.2 to account for my sedentary lifestyle (outside of exercise) takes me up to a daily calorie requirement of 1673. Knocking 15% off that takes me back down to 1422.

Are you using 2000 as the calorie requirements for the "average" person? Unfortunately I weigh less and am shorter than this pesky "average" person

I would have thought that replacing carbs for low GI ones, eating fish, eggs and chicken with lots of veg would be far more beneficial than cutting your calorie intake.

I do eat healthily and within those guidelines anyway. I'm trying to up my protein, but Christ, it's hard. How a dinner is a dinner without carbs is beyond me. I personally need to follow a calorie allowance as I have in the past managed to gain weight while eating incredibly clean. This was because (a) I would have a problem with portion contro,l aka I don't know when you stop eating, and (b) I like eating far too much!

eclectichoney

I am a similar weight as you stick-figure, and about 3 inches taller and I am hoping to drop a few lbs myself to help with the running. I aim for a deficit of around 10% a day - partly because i know i probably underestimate calories to some extent by the odd ten or twenty here and there. i do eat a lot more on days when i run though (4-5 times a week at the moment). i would hope to lose maybe 5kg over the next six-eight months.

SUNGOD

im doing the connemara marathon(first marathon) in april as well so looking forward to seeing how your training proceeds,my own training is just running running and you've guessed it more running. i do between 25 to 50 miles a week depending on work or how im feeling on the day usually at least one long run 10+ and one fast one (5.2 miles/32 min winter league) longest ive run is 18 mile.
ive lost nearly three stone (now ten stone and 5.5) i dont get bogged down with food science just cut down on processed try eat fresh fruit ,ya cant get enough veg ,plenty of water and try cut down on alcohol (sounds easy when ya say it fast ). so good luck with your trainig and only advice i can give is keep it simple, run run run and all going to plan i might see ya in connemara

How Strange

hey stick_figure, I have to admit I'm hopeless at the science part of calorie intake, deficits etc.

Like SUNGOD, I try to monitor my diet and cut out all refined foods, sugars etc and eat lots of fruit, veg, chicken and fish.

My metabolism has ground to a halt at the moment so maybe I should be trying some of what you are doing but honestly I wouldn't know where to start.

stick_figure

The Run
Got out for my first run of the new year last night, but boards was down so I couldn't post. Dear God, what the HELL was I thinking going out in that weather?! It was unbelievably cold even though I was wrapped up in tights, 2 wicking layers and a jacket. My schedule called for a 30 minute run, but I was passing my apartment at the 25 minute mark and was nearly sick from how cold my head was, so I cut it short. I'm not concerned about knocking some time off as I'm already running 10k's comfortably (Aware in Dec - 56m).

I have tennis tonight so I'm counting that as my cross training session for the week.

The Food
Don't talk to me. Between cutting calories, upping protein, cutting carbs, upping the right kinds of vegetables and giving up junk I am up the goddamn walls. And just to make things more difficult, my local shop is selling off all the Christmas chocolate. Lindt Santa's for €2. I was so demented with sugar cravings last night that I had to go out and buy a yoghurt at 9.30pm. At least it was organic and low fat. Bah. A Lindt Santa would have hit the spot far better

The Aside
TV stations should be forced to air a warning before showing Victoria's Secret models in their underwear. "WARNING! Watching this may send you tumbling into a pit of despair and cause you to seek solace in a tub of Ben and Jerry's!". Grrrrrr. Not what I or any other girl needs after Christmas. :mad:

SUNGOD

i feel your pain ,i have to say whenever i really feel a craving like i need some sugar/chocolate i just give in ,go (run) to get a yorkie and a cup of tea and put an extra mile on the next run. probabily not the advice you were looking for so feel free to skip to next post. sorry