The post-marathon mystery 5lbs. are gone, yet at 125 I'm at what feels like a "heavy" training weight. I suppose it's time to start whittling the weight down now so I can arrive at 115 racing weight in April.
Ever wonder how much those few extra pounds slows you down? There's a simple formula you can use to calculate a projected V02 Max based on a projected weight loss. Simply multiply your current weight by your current V02 Max, then divide the result by your projected weight.
For example, I currently weigh in at 125 lbs., and based on my most recent 5K and 10K race times at that weight my current V02 Max is around 40.8. If I wanted to see what my projected V02 Max would be if I were to lose 10 lbs, here's the formula...
125*40.8/115 = 44.3
As you can see, if I drop 10 lbs my V02 Max would go up over three points! A 5k time at V02 Max 40.8 is 23:42,while at V02 Max 44.3 it's 22:05. That's a pretty significant improvement for simply losing 10 lbs.
Now that's motivation!
P.S. The link below will calculate your V02 Max based on a race time.
http://www.brianmac.co.uk/vo2race.htm
[ORN:Obligatory Running Note] One hour dynamic strength training session this morning at the Y. 6 miles at base pace is on the schedule for this afternoon.
I find it nearly impossible to really lose weight during marathon training. If I watch what I eat, my energy isn't there for my workouts. How do you do it!?!? I guess I can not eat an entire batch of cookies on my own...
ReplyDeleteI agree! In the past, I've only shed a few pounds in the early base period. But I gain about 5 lbs. in the few days before a race, and then another mysterious 5 lbs. shows up post race. Evil, evil universe! We'll see if the modifications I'm making according to Matt's RACE WEIGHT book make a difference. Stay tuned...cookie monster!
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