A few years ago, I broke up with my girlfriend and promptly gained 15 pounds. The spare tire and chubby cheeks were new to me.
During this low point in my life, I stopped running. I ate whatever I wanted. I drank more than I should have.
I was a train wreck:
Before I hit rock bottom, I actually felt great. I had a blast going out with my friends (3 times per week) and eating opulent meals like bacon bowls and enough snacks to give Cookie Monster diabetes.
But soon the sedentary lifestyle, excessive binge drinking and 5,000 calorie days took their toll. I was overweight, moody and I desperately wanted to feel like my old self again.
So after almost two months of leading a horrendous lifestyle, I finally got my shit together. I started running again.
I lost weight. I begged that girl to get back together with me – and now we’re married! – and I put some races on my calendar.
What surprised me was how slow I ran with that extra weight. It made running hard!
Carrying a few extra pounds was not something I was used to. Being a naturally thin guy, it’s foreign territory for me. Beer pong competitors in college nicknamed my running buddy and I “Team Ethiopia” because we were so skinny.
But now, every run felt like I was dragging a weighted sled behind me.
Was running supposed to be this hard?
Is this how overweight people feel all the time?
It was obviously a challenging time for me.
And even though I gained that weight in a mere 6 weeks (that’s 2.5 pounds per week!), it took nearly six months to lose it all.
But once I did, running because SO much easier. I could finally go for an easy run and finish strong with no sluggishness and without my heart racing.
Maybe you’re struggling with some extra weight (be sure to check out this article on weight loss) or you have problems maintaining your goal weight.
I get it. It’s tough.
BUT, there is hope! The rewards of losing weight are enormous: more energy, higher confidence, running becomes easier and of course, you’ll end up racing faster.
And who doesn’t want to get faster?
That’s what we’re going to cover today: how much time you could potentially save by dropping some weight.
Q&A with Coach: Episode 7!
Today’s new episode answers three great questions:
- How much faster could I run if I lost weight?
- Do walk breaks defeat the purpose of long runs?
- What is “sustainable” training – and what’s “too much?”
Watch the episode here:
Remember, you can get your questions answered by tweeting them to me on Twitter and using the hashtag #RunQuestion.
Not on Twitter? No problem, just email them to me or leave a comment on this post below.
A quick request: if this show has been helpful to you, email this post to a runner friend of yours. It will probably be helpful for them, too!
