pr's and weight

[dave rockness]

Just curious to hear from other runners.  I'm shooting to run a sub-3 in the Fall.  I ran a 3:10 last Fall at a weight of just over 180lbs.  Personally, I'd like to get closer to 170 for my goal and would be interested in finding out the heaviest anyone has ever weighed in breaking 3 hours. 

[Paul (RivertonPaul)]

No sub 3:00, but 3:01:00, 5'11.5", at 175lbs. 

[bencrozier]

I'd be curious to know if anybody has every done a study on what effect each pound of muscle vs. fat on your body has on running times.  It must be quite significant.  I weigh 50 lbs. more than when I was a teenager, but I'm the same height.  A lot of that is muscle gain.  I sure can't run as fast as when I was a lot lighter!

[Bonnie]

I find I race better when I am about 10-15 bls below the "normal" weight for my height that is listed in books and online ( or you can use: weight(lbs)/height(in) < 2 -- I like to be in the 1.8-1.9 range) . 

http://www.runningforfitness.org/calc/weighteffect.php

http://www.serpentine.org.uk/pages/advice_frank.html (#1 and 2)

[Sasha Pachev]

Hobbie Call ran a 5 K in 16:56 wearing a 30lb weight jacket. I figure he lost about 2 minutes. He weighed 142 lb (without the jacket).

[dave rockness]

Paul, your marathon last Fall gives me hope...nice job!  Bonnie, the chart has me at 2:59:28 if I get down to 170lbs...pretty close to what I thought...thanks!

[Steve P]

Hi Dave,

I started at about 187 at the beginning of this year and am now around 173. So I'm in the same ball park. But I don't know what I can really do in the marathon yet. I'm definitely aiming for sub 3:00 and am confident I can get there (either this year or next).

I have complete confidence that you can run a sub-3:00, especially since you've already run 3:10, as long as you put in the required preparation and stay healthy.

Good luck!

[bencrozier]

Thanks for that great info, Bonnie!  Very helpful.  Depressing, though.  If I want to run good times, I'm going to have to cut a lot of weight.

[Bonnie]

Ben, what works for some doesn't work for all -- most importantly you need to feel comfortable with yourself.  I have known LOTS of people who obsessively lost weight and ended up running worse, not better.  Concentrate on being healthy and the right weight will come ... oh no, I sound like Sasha    -- sorry Sasha I didn't mean to steal your line!

[Bob]

I feel that you can break 3 in the marathon and set PRs in shorter distances while on the heavier side of the scale (heavy as relative to your starting point).  However, significantly faster than that in the marathon will require more attention to bodyweight.  History shows that long distances favors those runners with a much lighter chassis.  Particularly in hotter weather.  However, there are some exceptions.  Clayton broke 2:10 and set the new world mark in the marathon at 6 feet and around 165-170 lbs I believe.  That's definitely not typical.

[dave rockness]

Bob, thanks...I agree with your assessment.  To reach the next level I may need to adjust my weightlifting program.  I'm hanging on to some muscle mass that may only serve as vanity at this point (still bench pressing 225lbs x 5).  My diet could improve a bit as well. 

[Bob]

Being able to hang on to that type of bench and run like you do is a major accomplishment.  Maybe moving to push ups or more bodyweight exercises will lighten up the bulk without losing functional strength, which is important as we age.  Like you, I don't want to be so weak that I can't move stuff around the house.  It's a balance and I think we lose sight, I know I do, of how blessed we are with the health we have and the reason why we exercise, which is for continued health and caring for the body.  You'll break 3 this fall.

[Sasha Pachev]

Dave:

I would not worry about the charts and weight too much at this point other than fixing the diet and reducing the weight training (unless of course you plan to compete in a once proposed marathon/bench press duathlon) . The weight will get to what is healthy for your body.

[Craig Green]

Dave- I'm 'slightly' bulky by fast running blog standards and hit 2:47-2:53 consistently at St George. I am 5'11" and weigh in at 170 right now. I'm trying to get down to 160, so we're in the same boat. I've found that 10 lbs makes a pretty big difference.

[Neil Price]

Dave- I'm 'slightly' bulky by fast running blog standards and hit 2:47-2:53 consistently at St George. I am 5'11" and weigh in at 170 right now. I'm trying to get down to 160, so we're in the same boat. I've found that 10 lbs makes a pretty big difference.

I just want to say that I'm 5'10'' and 175 and your story gives me hope.  Not that I'll ever be as fast as you but that I can still improve despite my comparative bulk.  I have the same goal of getting down to 160 lbs but I find that my biggest obstacle has been that as my mileage increases so does my appetite.