Weight and 5k

Question
Greg:  I am running 40 - 45 minutes 3x a week.  I run at a 13 min. mile pace and am 30 lbs. overweight.  My questions are:

1)  If I continue to lose weight will my 5k speed increase automatically;

2)  I do leg weight workouts 3x a week and upper body 3x a week.  Are there specific exercises that are better to improve 5k speed?

3)  I allow myself to eat whatever I want one meal per week -- is this appropriate?

4)  Are there foods that would promote strenght?

Thanks!

Answer
Hi Marge,

Hope this helps...

1)  Next time you are at the gym, pick up 20lbs and walk with it for a few minutes?then put the weight down and keep walking ?that抣l give you a good sense of the extra effort required to carry the extra weight. As you lose the weight, you should see an improvement with the same level of effort.  However, to truly increase your speed (after you've lost the weight) you will have to increase your level of effort (very gradually) of your workouts.

2)  Exercises focused around the body抯 core: stomach, lower back and hips are great for runners. Strength in those areas will allow you to train harder, which in turn should help your speed.

3)  If you are melting a block of cheese over a bucket of KFC and washing that down with a milk shake, then I抎 have to say no :) With any diet, you have to be disciplined but realistic. Extreme dieting just doesn抰 work over a long period of time and you have to allow yourself to eat (in controlled portions) the things you enjoy. If you are exercising regularly and you are generally eating well, then it抯 definitely ok to have one meal a week where you let go a little.

4)  Generally speaking, a good diet should balance the right amount of protein, carbohydrates and fats. If you are feeling sluggish during your workouts, you may want to increase your carbohydrate intake (good sources of carbs are rice, pasta, whole grains, oats). If you feel like you are not recovering properly in between workouts, then you may want to try increasing your protein intake (good sources of protein are lean meats, fish, beans, nuts). As you increase consumption in one area, be sure to keep your calorie intake consistent (so that will mean reducing consumption in another area).

Keep up the training... try not to get too caught up with all of the little details. At the end of the day, consistency is best thing for results so just keep up with your routine.

Best of luck,
-Greg