Today’s TIART over at the Runner’s Lounge is “Running and Weight” and that’s a topic that is near and dear to my heart, so I figured I should join in.
I’m gonna come clean here. One of the BIG reasons I originally decided to train for a marathon was to lose “the last five pounds” without having to watch what I eat. Runner friends warned me that it wouldn’t work and it turns out they were right. Running is awesome exercise and I love what it does for my endurance, my energy levels, my peace of mind. But it doesn’t keep me skinny.
As I progressed in my training, I did find that what I ate affected my running. Too much “junk” and I just didn’t have the energy to go the distance. Not enough water and my runs became just not fun. This was a valuable lesson for me. I’m far from perfect in the eating arena, but my perspective has changed. I’ve spent years running so that I can overindulge. I ran for good beer and cheap donuts. Now I eat to run. I try to fuel myself with healthy proteins, good whole grains, and lots of fruit and vegetables.
And I’ve discovered that eating healthy, plus my running does result in the weight loss I wanted. And if I pay attention to my eating and my running, I can still have a couple of those good beers on the weekend.
Those couple of good beers are worth the running. Good luck at the MCM, mama. Hope you find the right speed. P.S., thanks for the link in the previous post.
Eventually, I’m sure my metabolism is gonna catch up with my poor eating habits, but for now, with running, I eat and drink what I want.
I’ve got to figure the eating thing out. I have suffered through many energyless runs I attribute to nutrition. I’m so excited to hear about your marathon experience!!
My husband eats for fuel. I eat for taste. Guess that’s why I’m squishier than he is.
Too funny. I was thinking exactly the same thing this week. I have found over the past several months, with higher intensity triathlon training, and more running that while I toned up more and did lose some of the excess fat cells, without eating properly, the extra pounds hang on. Now I am finding that eating more actually results in no extra weight gain but added fuel for better workouts. Sometimes it takes a while for things to catch on with me. Good luck Sunday!
Yeah if someone had told me earlier that you’d gain weight while training I don’t know if I would’ve done it LOL JK! But seriously it stinks.
What a thoughtful post. You’re getting all reflective in your tapering days! :)One of the reasons I want to lose a little more weight, and a big reason I am keeping the 60 pounds I lost off, is because I want to run faster. Less weight = faster runs. My half marathon times are a testament to that. 8 pounds lighter in October, I ran 13.1 miles 14 minutes faster than I did in May. Now that’s motivational. Enjoy your weekend and some tasty beer!