I've discovered that besides aching knees, getting sleepy at 8pm each night, and the cost of running shoes, running has ONE other wonderful benefit.
YOU GAIN WEIGHT!!!
Yes that is right! I am currently running at least 18 miles a week and I weigh more than I ever have in my entire life. Because of this blog, my friends keep calling me to ask how skinny I've become while training for this marathon. I wish to let them all down by saying, since the start of my training program, I have gained 15 pounds.
Now I know what you are all going to say!!! It is all muscle weight or "Muscle is heavier than fat!" Okay, so please explain why all my clothes are now to small and why I'm now 30 pounds over a healthy weight for my height, instead of the 15 pounds when I started.
I have to admit I have been VERY hungry while training for this marathon. So while I've noticed some strengthening of my leg muscles, I've also noticed bigger love handles as well.
But I've been told NOT to diet while training for a marathon because you will make yourself sick. I've been told to simply eat like a pregnant woman. Still, I think I need to cut back a bit, NOT DIET, but just NOT GAIN! Kapeech?
So while I'm strong and just ran 16 miles for the first time in my life, acquaintences have no clue. Instead, they look at me and think, "Wow, Sarah really is gaining weight. She is really letting herself go." Ah, the irony.
4 comments:
girl i hear ya.
i've not lost a single pound. not. one. pound. my pants? HA! my quads have gotten so huge that though my pants are now super tight thru the thigh.... ????? never had to deal with that before. NOT enjoying it.
however, i have noticed the fat to muscle ratio is getting better, and after talking to some actual runners about it, they convinced me that my body is still shaping. RE-shaping. our bodies (at least mine) is just sooo not used to all this running, so its having to mold itself into the kind of body it needs to be so that i can be this super crazy (ha) endurance athlete.
i have been assured that if i stick to the running, after the marathon, eventually, when my BODY is ready, and everything evens out, the fat will start to melt away.
unfortuanately, my body and i are not on the same time-frame. so i definitely do understand the frustration. but i'm sure that you're in a similar situation... clothes (pants) not fitting because of the bulk of the muscle, more weight on scale, also because of the muscle, etc.... ugh. you can just never win!
anyway, did you go to the group run yesterday? it was POURING down rain... i was wondering how many people showed?!
(anyway. longest comment ever....)
And ditto, from this corner of the world too. WTF???
is all I have to say.
Luckily, i haven't yet gained any weight, but that needle WILL NOT MOVE off that number, which makes NO sense, because I'm not eating more (well, not THAT much more) but i'm running my brains out.
This is not what I learned in math class.
Glad to hear I'm not the only one, but I do wish better for my friends, so I'm sorry. On closer examination I guess my arms and legs do look a bit buffer (but the added stomach flab, not sure how that came from running).
You tell the truth!! Since I started running four marathons ago and many, many, many miles ago, I have not lost a single pound and have no idea why. I have noticed more stomach flab too, I thought I was just getting one of those old ladies potbellies! Yuck!
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