LOSE WEIGHT RUN FASTER AND LOOK BETTER!

Yes guys it's as simple as that, I know my best chance to break 2.45 in the London Marathon next year is to trim the weight down.
i got down to 11st 6pounds before this years race but at 5ft 10 in tall I'm still over a stone heavier than elite runner Ryan Hall.
If you think weight does not make a difference then do a test run on a 2 mile loop with 8 pounds strapped to yourself and run at say 80% of max heart rate, note your time.
Remove the weights and after a 10 min rest repeat the 2 mile loop without the added weight but still at 80% MHR.
Do you feel smoother, faster? and what is your finish time, faster right!
So if you are carrying a few excess pounds the good news is you can run faster just by getting lighter!
Other big advantages of carrying less weight are; less pounding to the legs and faster recovery!
For more advice check out the really good links below.
I'll start my healthy eating from the 2nd of Jan :]

Competitor.com’s Matt Fitzgerald sat down for an hour with LetsRun.com to answer questions and discuss his book Racing Weight. Matt hits on the major points of his new book and answers some controversial questions sent in by runners.

PODCAST "you just got to listen to this CLICK HERE"
CLICK HERE FOR VIDEO
Four ways to reach ideal racing weight CLICK HERE
Read extracts from RACING WEIGHT CLICK HERE

MARIUS BAKKEN ON DIET

Marathon eating

QUESTION by Katie
(Colorado)

Marathon eating - what to eat while training for the marathon.

"Hello-
I was wondering what a typical day of eating would look like for a runner trying to run 3 hours and below. I really want to make sure I am eating enough and eating the proper foods at the proper times. Is there any help or guidance on this that you can offer?

Thank you!

Katie"

Answer : Hi Katie, and thanks for your question.

There are a few articles you want to read about this - starting with this one : marathon diet - and look at the other articles connected to that one.

In addition to that, in the 100 day plan, there is a whole chapter on what to eat properly plus calculators to determine the race day intake.

Basically, for the marathon training period itself (not the days leading up to the marathon + marathon race day) you want to balance your meals so that you get enough energy BUT at the same time you want to aim for the lightest possible body you can have without losing energy.

A few tips :
* Add 600-800 grams of vegetables in addition to what you already eat during the day. This helps self regulate your diet.
* In the evening, snack on frozen berries
* cut out cereals, youghurt (except natural), sugary drinks (except during marathon practice on drinking) and candy. Those are the main sources of sugar for most of us, many are not aware of the cereals and yoghurt sugar content.
* Try and have many meals during the day and load up a bit the evening before your hardest runs (not the same day)
*Aim for about 40-55 % carbs, 20-25 proteins and the rest 20-25 % fat - very approximately.

And above all, never starve yourself. That is counter-productive ; you do not want to put yourself there. Enjoy your training and food intake, but do consider the above :)

I wish you all the best with your training,

kind regards,
Marius

Predicted effect of weight change

• weight v performance chart

AND here's a BLOG to help you shread the pounds
Would you eat a stack of 16 sugar cubes? READ MORE

The Evolution of Human Diet

CLICK HERE

The following was sent to me by Sarah

This woman is 51.

She is a TV "health guru" advocating a holistic approach to nutrition and ill health, promoting exercise, a pescetarian diet high in organic fruits and vegetables. She recommends detox diets colonic irrigation and supplements, also making statements that yeast is harmful, that the colour of food is nutritionally significant, and about the utility of lingual and faecal examination.
This woman is 50.

She is a TV cook, who eats nothing but meat, butter and deserts.

So forget "join a gym and eat more celery". This Christmas, it's food and booze all the way. And the only exercise you need is dancing.
Merry Christmas Girls!