Thursday, August 03, 2006

Trimming the fat

I found a "Predicted effect of weight loss" calculator:

http://www.runningforfitness.org/calc/weighteffect.php

Basically you tell it your weight and the time for a recent race, and it calculates your new finish time based upon weight changes. There are lots of caveats saying how un-reliable and unrealistic the calculations are, to which I say BAH! If you can't trust the internet, who can you trust?

I'm doing my 2nd marathon in November, and I want to cut 30 minutes off my L.A. time. That sounds like a lot, but I wasn't having a good day. According to this site, for every pound I lose I will lose 90 seconds off my marathon time. So I figure, all I need to do is shed 20 pounds and I'll be good to go.

5 Comments:

Blogger Iron Pol said...

I use weight loss as a major factor in improving my time. While elite athletes spend thousands of dollars to shave a few seconds off their times, I save the money and then some.

I buy less expensive items, which are admittedly a few grams heavier than the more expensive components. Then, I save more money by skipping the fast food, and eat healthier. I've lost 20 pounds in the past three months, and my times reflect that.

I think it's far more cost effective to lose weight than to buy lighter components.

11:33 AM  
Anonymous Anonymous said...

Uhoh, I hope this isn't for weight that you're loosing _during_ the race!!

11:41 PM  
Anonymous Anonymous said...

There's help for you, you know:
http://www.anred.com/

10:26 AM  
Blogger Nancy Toby said...

Thanks for the link! Interesting! I see it uses 3 seconds per pound per mile, but I've always heard 2 sec/lb/mile. YMMV, as always.

3:48 AM  
Blogger Nancy Toby said...

Aha! I had forgotten where I saw this link posted, but Iron Pol directed me back here. Thanks! and FUN to play with! :-) I re-posted on my blog and got some interesting comments, too.

7:11 AM  

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