Each Day Is a Gift

Killer workout! 3 5k's pushing the pace? Yikes! Way to go--and congrats on being so close to race weight!

way to go smooth. tough, tough workout! way to push the pace and negative split for each one.

wow - simply amazing! Congrats on the weight (not that you of all people need to lose any!) and I'll eat some chocolate in your honor today :)

Had a friend (who is new to running) comment that her shoulder was bothering her when she ran. I tried to explain how to relax your shoulders and that we do it subconsciously. She simply looked at me like I was full of it! So, it makes me chuckle that even a seasoned runner like yourself still has to remind yourself to let your shoulders relax - maybe she will just have to learn the hard way :)

also, a question on race weight. i am currently trying to figure it out for myself. how did you determine your race weight? based on a goal? based on a previous race? does it change based on different races or time goals, or has it always been the same? in your opinion, do you think it is actually something you can "figure out" as a concrete number, or is it more abstract based on feel and current fitness? sorry, lots of questions, but any insights would be wonderful. thanks smooth.

Yeah, I'm curious too. What is race weight? And how do you figure it out. Please don't tell me I have to give up chocolate!

Great run again. I have never been even close to my goal race weight but I hope to be within 5 pounds by Boston.

3 5ks well run VP!! I think you can now take over as PREZ!!! You are amazing smooth!! Do I dare ask what Dynamic Flexibility Exercises entail? My my you get some stuff done in a day!!

I am feeling the same, BUT I know that I can not be a good girl and I do not plan on it. I will pay for it next week (and maybe the week after) but you only live once! I AM SO BAD!

You were smokin' today Smooth! Way to go!

April ~ The last 5K always gets me in a marathon...I cramp up bad or bonk big time. I'd love to be able to do the "Kenyan drop" at the finish...pushing the pace. :)

Rachel ~ My shoulders get higher and higher when I tried to quicken the strides, very bad form! :)

Yes, eat extra chocolate for me, will ya?

allie & auntieem ~ I'm not sure if there's such thing as *ideal* race weight. I asked Rhett that same question last year and have done some research to see if there's any scientific formula to figure one's race weight.

Dr. Sheehan and Stillman give this height/weight ratio for an inactive man and woman as follow: Man - 110 lbs for first 5 ft in height and 5.5 lbs for every inch thereafter. Woman - 100 lbs for first 5 ft in height and 5 lbs for every inch above this. Stillman proposes a 10% lighter than the inactive man/woman for long distance competitive athletes.

For example: Gret Waitz at 5'6.5" weighing 110 lbs is 17% below norm. Ingrid Kristiansen (2:21:06 marathoner) at 5'6.5" weighing 128 lbs is only 4% below.

Some coaches (e.g.Jack Daniel) has a race predictor where you can plug in your age and weights. Here's another example:

www.sportscoach.netmx.co.uk/index.php?module=htklpages&func=display&pid=28

I just think there's no hard science when it comes to figuring one's race weight. I cannot drop much below 98 lbs or I'd feel a drop in energy and my performance suffers. The body somehow knows when it starts to loose muscle or bone mass. So to answer your question, I base my race weight on previous races. I took a body conditioning class in college and had my body fat ratio measured. I was at my leanest then but my weight was 5 lbs more than my current weight.

Kathie ~ There's no question that 5 lbs lighter will result in faster running. There's also the law of diminished return.

Julie ~ The dynamic flexibility exercise is just a fancy term from Matt Fitzgerald's book, Brain Training. 8 exercises: tilt walk, zombies, trunk rotation, lunge walk, lateral lunge, forward leg swing, lateral leg swing, heel lifts.

Kelli ~ You're NOT bad! You're so right about we only live once. And for you, my dear, your birthday only comes around once a year. We all need to indulge on our birthdays. However, weekends are always a toughie for me b/c of all the social dinners hubby has us going to and I have no self control when it comes to GOOD food.

Toby ~ THANKS!

So, basically I am FINALLY at the perfect weight for being inactive. GREAT!!! Now all I need to do is become a couch potato!

Killer workout Smooth! I need to try this sometime.

Smooth-

What an AMAZING workout! 3 5k's? Wowsers. I think 5k's are tougher than marathons! Great job and amazing pace.

Thanks for the info on racing weight. I am also interested in that subject lately. . . . and you are almost to your race weight, wahoo!!!! I have some work to do, but it's so nice to be within range!

Monday, monday, monday, a day of some well deserved chocolate for our lovely Smooth!!! :) I hope you enjoy!

thanks so much for the information, smooth. very helpful!

I don't get this. I am 5 ft 4 inches so I should be 120 lbs (I am 122) right? What I don't get is how many of you weigh in the low 100s!! If I weighed that I would look anorexic. I am not even big boned. I can wrap my hand around my wrist with excess. So technically I should be on the low end. Thank heavens I lost 20 over 20 months ago. It really has helped me to now get injured and to be faster. So I wonder if I were even less would I run even faster. For example, Lindsey Dunkley is well over 5 ft 6 inches and is STICK thin and off the charts speedy. Its just so odd how someone at 140 could look skinny and another person could look chubby. All this talk about weight is making me hungry : D.

Kelli ~ I think when Stillman said "inactive", he meant those who aren't "actively" pursuing a PB. Most runners or middle of the packers fit in that category.

Amber ~ I do NOT like to race 5Ks. They hurt worse than marathons.

allie ~ I'm not sure if any of that helps at all. I think you know more on the subject or race weight than me. It makes an interesting discussion anyway.

Julie ~ I totally agree with you about how two persons weighing the same w/ same height can look very different. Bone structure and muscle mass has alot to do with it. I think we should think of race weight much like we look at training pace. There is a range within which one can work with. Numbers are just there for ballpark figure so to speak. We can expect to be faster by loosing some fat weight. But the law of diminished return applies when we start to loose muscle weight. I am barely 4'11" so I should weigh less than 100 lbs. I also have small bones. When I was the leanest in college I weighed 105 lbs. I weighed 99 when I ran my PB at Boston almost 2 years ago. I weighed 102 when I ran my second fastest marathon in SG'09. Plus, I think we need to put in the age factor. Anyhow, there really is no set way or hard science to determine race weight across the board.

Well, Julie, if it is any consolation, i am not in the low 100's!!! AND NEVER WILL BE! I have seen you before and you are tiny!

Weight is relative, i happen to have a certain part of my body that i know makes my weight a little higher than most (darn things!!!) And I like to think that I have good muscles which also accounts for some of it, and then the rest is just JELLY!!! But, you are right, I hear people say they weigh the same as me or more, and they are way skinnier. Sometimes that scale is just not nice and we should ignore it!