How dry I am
I ran 10 miles yesterday. No doggies to daze, they all stayed inside because of the rain I think. I did see three deer though. Immune to the dazer. Tripod’s owner was outside again. He was putting his lawnmower out by the road with a “free” sign. I guess lawnmower man got a new one.
I took Thursday off to get some rest. And then I donated blood because that helps healing alot, right? I hadn’t given in a year so I was happy to do it. Friday was the usual rest day. So yesterday’s 10-miler was actually not so bad. I did feel like I had to work harder to do the hills though. And the ice water felt good later on.
Dianna had talked about losing 2 pounds of water while running and to be honest it just seemed a little high to me. So, I did some measuring before and after my runs to see how I was doing. Pretty amazing results. I lost 1.5 pounds on my hot 7 mile run Wednesday, and 2.5 pounds on my 10 mile run.
I was careful to do the measurements while “empty” so I wasn’t weighing anything that isn’t in the tissues where it can be used. I also drank about 24 oz of gatorade while running each day, so how do I put another liter or two in me on these runs? Or do I just run a little dehydrated? Maybe I’m like a camel and all the fat is storing water for me to use on the long runs.
And this brings up another question: is all the weight loss water? How much does 1000 calories (roughly) of glycogen weigh? I think we are talking less than a pound. All that CO2 you generate when you oxidize the glycogen, goes back out through your lungs. So you eat the carbon (part of those carbohydrates), then you burn it, then you breath it out your lungs. Its kinda wierd when you think about it.
August 22nd, 2005 07:36
Dr. Jon, you flabbergast me with all your knowledge there. All I want to know is what you ate for breakfast.
I lose a good 2.0-2.5 pounds on a long run day, easily.
August 22nd, 2005 10:57
I can see your mouth moving but I have no idea what you are saying about the CO2 and glycogen and lungs..so it’s all weird to me.
August 22nd, 2005 10:59
that number seemed high to me too. Amazing.
August 22nd, 2005 14:25
owww. running math. owwww.
August 22nd, 2005 14:32
I have lost a couple of pounds on a long race as well but saddly it returns. :-(
August 22nd, 2005 15:17
this is interesting…and depressing. whenever i weight myself it’s at the gym after i workout. so that’s the new true weight, huh? BUMMER!!! :) and i would also be interested in the answers to the questions you post…interesting..
August 22nd, 2005 15:18
i meant to write: so that’s “not” the true weight, huh?
August 22nd, 2005 17:30
I like you testing what other runners are saying … you are like quality control. I don’t think I would lose that much, cause I spend all my free time carb loading. I run so I can laugh at all those Atkins people.
August 22nd, 2005 21:46
hmmm a camel huh, I dont lose that much,, but then I am not running that far. I know Loping Loubob always would say she lost 2lbs after a run. Guess I better run further.
Heather
August 22nd, 2005 22:45
I did it! I ordered my very own Dog Zapper! In 2-3 days the neighborhood dogs will be running from ME for a change. Watch out Nashville!!
August 22nd, 2005 22:54
Horary for donating blood! It?s still on my list of things to do this year.
August 22nd, 2005 22:56
I lose about that much on long runs, too. Lost 1.5 lbs on today’s 5.5 mile run, and I was drinking water the whole time. I find that I’ll put it most of it back on, but after a good week of running some of it stays off. I’m down 17 lbs since I started working out in April, without much portion control on my part.
August 22nd, 2005 23:03
I agree with Tracy on the running math being just painful. Although, I will admit to loving stepping on the scale after a run. And thanks for the donating blood reminder.
August 23rd, 2005 02:14
I lost 2kg (4.4lbs) on my run on Saturday, despite drinking about 1 1/2 liters from my CamelBak on the way. It was extremely humid that morning. I normally lose 1-2 lbs per run when I wear my CamelBak, and 2-3 lbs when I don’t. I always weight myself right before I get dressed to run and right after I cool down (but before taking in more liquids).
p.s. I desperately need to borrow your dog zapper!
August 23rd, 2005 03:20
wow - I am going to weigh in before and after once I get into some better distances.
Did you end up reading about the snickers and mars extortion over here? They have just been bought back on the shelf, turns out some gambler was annoyed with a casino so he tried to make it look like they did it - LOL crazy nutter!
August 23rd, 2005 03:38
That’s a really intresting question, whether it’s water or or glycogen you lose during hard workout. Hmm. Could pose the question to my nutritionist. He says that after a run the carbs you eat are “free” because they go straight to muscle to replace the emptied glucogen stores.
Yay for the day off! I could use one myself too :)
August 23rd, 2005 10:22
I read someplace, so I am not taking responsibility, that you should weigh yourself before you run (esp. on a hot day) and then weigh yourself when you are done. The lost weight is an indication how much fluid you need to consume after a long run. I prefer the pee test.
August 23rd, 2005 21:20
hmmm, hmmm, hmmmm. ok, you’ve got me thinking. I don’t think I drink enough.
August 24th, 2005 01:03
I think the amount of weight one loses during a run is different for every runner and even each run. I had long runs on a hot humid day where I drank the entire 2-liter CamelBak dry and still lost 3-4 lbs and I have done the identical run on a cool day and have stayed about the same weight. I think the humidity level has a lot to do with it, especially in my case, as I usually do my long runs early in the morning before it is too hot.
As you run more long runs you will gain more insight on your bodies needs. I would also advise you to take a look at what is being offered at the marathon (and how often) and try to simulate this as much as possible. For example use the same sports drink and drink it at the same interval (e.g. every mile or every 5 miles or whatever).
August 24th, 2005 22:04
Since a carbohydrate is 4 calories per gram, if you burned 1000 calories of glycogen, you would burn 250 grams, which would be about .55 pounds. You burn fat to, but at 9 calories per gram, 1000 calories of fat is 111 grams, which would be about .24 pounds. I’m not sure how much of one you burn as opposed to the other, but the longer the run, the more fat you burn.