"Racing Weight"

Rawhead

I have just started reading "Racing Weight" by Matt Fitzgerald. It has made me realise that I'm at a bit of a crossroads with regards racing. I was initially depressed when I calculated that I need to lose another 10kgs if I want to get to my race weight (I have already lost 30kgs).

I then had a bit of an epiphany when I realised that I am doing fairly ok at this game (2:25 in Athy Olympic) and that if I committed fully and lost the extra weight I could be even better.
What kind of performance increases could I reasonably expect if I was 10kgs leaner in say an Olympic distance race or a 10k(39:40 PB).

Thanks folks.....

Donelson

I've seen 2sec per kg per km being bandied about on the internet. So that's 3:20 off your 10k time.

gmurran

Pop your data in here
http://www.electricblues.com/html/runpro.html

Remember the lower you get the less calories you burn unless you up your intensity or miles.

Rawhead

gmurran wrote: »

Pop your data in here
http://www.electricblues.com/html/runpro.html

Remember the lower you get the less calories you burn unless you up your intensity or miles.

Some great reading there. Thanks for that. I am really beginning to realise how much weight affects times.

gottarun

Its an interesting read in that it promotes the opposite of what a lot of people are advocating in fasted state training.

Fitzgerald advocates that you maintain a carb rich diet during intense training and that you become a leaner athelete as a result by reducing the stress reaction in the body. Seems to be if you stay on carbs even using gels and carb drinks through training sessions you encourage the body to be more efficient at burning carbs and the fat will look after itself.

As someone who needs to lose extra kg's it opened my eyes a bit.

tunney

There are two things here

• Fat as a fuel to loose weight
• Fat as a fuel for events when the bodys glycogen stores and replenishment rate are insufficient to meet the demands of the event.

Best not to confuse the two

Zuppy

I remember reading that looking at elite performances that goin up to 11% under your ideal weight enabled you to run faster. Can't remember where though sorry. If I have it right the 2sec per mile became less as you went under your ideal weight (deminishing returns). After the 11% I presume it becomes an issue. Done with Olympic athletes I think. Some very notable exceptions. Emil Zatopek the year he won the double.

Rawhead

I entered my details into the links one of the lads posted. It equates a 5kg weight drop with bringing my 10k time from 39:xx to 37:xx. That's a two minute drop. If that is even close to accurate then its savage.
I wonder if the cycling performance is comparable.

I have also started to look closer at the cyclists in the TDF and am noticing that they all have arms like needles, no upper body mass at all. I suppose it has always been this way, it's just that I never paid that much attention till I started doing some cycling myself.

littlemsfickle

Does this book address the other side of the "racing weight" issue - the effect of too much weight loss on power?

zico10

I'm looking to buy this book, but I'm undecided if I should buy a Kindle version or not.
Is it a book you'd go back to consult again and again? Do people think it is a book you should have hard copy of?

catweazle

zico10 wrote: »

I'm looking to buy this book, but I'm undecided if I should buy a Kindle version or not.
Is it a book you'd go back to consult again and again? Do people think it is a book you should have hard copy of?

I have it on the ipad, I would struggle to go back to reading any book the traditional way again. I don't know what the kindle is like but the ipad you can highlight, takes note etc and they are easy to find.

I don't know if you would need to return constantly to the book anyways, I was surprised about how much of it I already knew - its putting it into practice is the problem with me

RacoonQueen

zico10 wrote: »

I'm looking to buy this book, but I'm undecided if I should buy a Kindle version or not.
Is it a book you'd go back to consult again and again? Do people think it is a book you should have hard copy of?

I have it and have barely looked at it. It's yours if you want it.

zico10

RacoonQueen wrote: »

I have it and have barely looked at it. It's yours if you want it.

Thanks, I'm also looking to buy a car, you don't happen to have one of those you're not using either.:pac:

They say never look a gift horse in the mouth, so I'll PM you about getting it off you.

sconhome

zico10 wrote: »

Thanks, I'm also looking to buy a car, you don't happen to have one of those you're not using either.:pac:

Substitute 'car' with 'bike' and you could be lucky

RacoonQueen

AKW wrote: »

Substitute 'car' with 'bike' and you could be lucky

one bike makes a great coathanger, the other makes a lovely ornament.

I love cycling, I do...