I’m 17 and have been a long distance runner (looking to do a marathon this fall!) for the past two years. Two years ago, I weighed 115lbs and now I weigh 105lbs. My doctor and parents are concerned that I don’t weight “enough” (I’m 5ft 5in). I counter that distance runners are naturally lean (and I’ve been tiny all my life) and that the more “dead” weight I carry, that makes running harder and it will lead to decreased performance. All the charts I’ve seen at dr.s offices say I’m underweight, but I know that those are not athlete-specific. Can anyone offer advice about the “ideal” weight for my height and activity level? I’m female (I know that can make a difference)… and I run 13.5mi a day, 7 days a week (just totally love to run!)
that a heck of alot of miles that you run!! I wish I had that kinda time and energy!
if you access to a digital camera then post a picture here and we’ll tell you if you are too thin.
there are also some blood tests that will tell you if you are using protein (muscle) for energy rather than fat and thus you’d be deemed too skinny.
don’t always listen to your doctor unless he is a tri-geek or a runner he won’t have any idea about the reality of running as much as you do. and especially if he/she is a smoker then you should switch doctors!!
As an “on the lean side” female athlete, I know where you are coming from. However, it is impossible to say if you are crossing over a very dangerous line that can get you into real trouble.
I do know that teenage female runners are at very high risk for eating disorders and the resultant extremely low bodyfat/weight that can cause all types of physical & emotional problems now and in the future. Is it possible that you are posting here hoping for support against your parents/doctors (you don’t say what your coach says) when they could be legitimately concerned about your long term health & wellbeing?
I say, get Dad to cough up for a good bodyfat test (no calipers or electrical impedence here) and maybe some metabolic tests as well… Those plus a consult with a good sports nutritionist should show you where you stand and maybe put some minds at ease.
I always love to hear about teenage girls who love running…just hate to see them risk their long term health looking for a few seconds improvement.
Well, that certainly is pretty light but I think there are couple of things to consider about the drop of those 10 pound and in determining if the end weight is healthy. First off is how quickly did you dropped those 10lbs and aside from running, what else did you change about your lifestyle (ie diet). Was your motivation to drop 10 lbs because you saw yourself as too heavy (which 115 is far from heavy!) or was it simply a result of added training? If you feel comfortable with the means at which you came to your weight and feel wholeheartedly that it is a lifestyle that you can and want to maintain, then more power to you. I am obviously more concerned for the reasons behind the weight and the need to be so light (if this was intentional)then the actual weight of 105. I work with adolescents and know far too many women who are obsessed with their weight and will do just about anything to lose weight to try and look more as they believe a long distance runner, model, triathlete etc. should look (I would add that directing slowtwitch viewers to shari russel’s website and the reaction of the slowtwtichers does not help discourage this obsession. She certainly is a VERY fit woman but makes for a high standard for the average athletic woman to achieve).
I commend you on your long regular runs, although I would also ask yourself if this is something that you want to do for a long time to come? It is high mileage for a young person and is likely to lead to burn out or injury early on. I know a very talented high school cross country runner who was putting in high mileage and very driven as freshman and by her senior year she completely dropped out of the racing scene, not due to lack of ability but total burn-out. She was very fast and very good and could probably have gotten a full ride to any school with her talent if she was able to maintain the running as more of a balanced lifestyle.
One last thing to keep in mind if that many athletic women have their race weight and their training weight. Just how low do you intend to go? Training at a slightly higher weight may be better for you and make you even faster in the end.
I say there is no problem, you run 13.5 miles everyday? Then soon you will get injured, and the weight will come back. I doubt your doctor is basing his diagnosis completely on a chart, but also a physical examination. Women should have more bodyfat than men. Also, for your training, you might wanna look into periodization.
My wife is a little under 5’4" and very lean. She was also quite lean as a collegiate runner. I think that the lowest weight she attained was approximately 100-102lbs. She was an elite Division II runner (nationals 2-3 times in CC and track). However, her best collegiate years were missed as she developed a series of injuries which she attributes to being too light (4-5 stress fractures within a 2-3 year timeframe). I know that she would tell you that she was too light and was probably not in a real healthy state at that time.
Her judgement has a solid foundation as she is an M.D. now. I think that she feels a great running weight for her is about 108-110. She is a top local runner that has run a 35:30 10k and 2:55 marathon. Both of those races were completed at a weight over 110lbs. She has not had a serious injury since her college days.
I hope you can learn something from her experiences. Are you running the same mileage every day? If so, there are much more effective ways to train.
It is great to see a young person so excited about running.
I believe you should be concerned about body fat % not weight. Just my own opinion. I here the same thing all the time. I am 5’10", 56 years old, 145#, 5% body fat.
Aloha,
Larry
PS. I better add my wife is 5’3", 52 years old, 101#, 11% body fat. We are one skinny couple. :~))
Listen to your doctor, that why he went to school.
Most of the people that I know who went to medical school did it because they wanted to make money.
In any case, a standard American medical education does not cover nutrition or exercise in any depth. It really does make sense to try to get into contact with someone in the medical profession who has experience with young endurance athletes.
Well tiger, I am 40 and have been running a lot and very consistently since I was 15. I have been racing triathlons since I was 20 (short ones when I was younger). I can’t really specifically address your weight issue–others have done pretty well there. However, given the other info you have listed, I would bet a very large amount of money that, IF you continue on your current path, you won’t be running a step by the time your are 20 to 25 years old.
Why do I say this? Because you are putting in WAY TOO much mileage at your age, and that would still apply EVEN you are on the road to becoming a world-class runner. (Are you?) What you are is on the path to some serious physical and psychological burn-out–crash and burn. Even elite, world-class marathoners rarely race marathons before 24-27 years of age. Under no circumstances should you race a marathon at 17 years of age (unless someone chases you the whole way with a gun!)–it just ain’t gonna be good for your body. Your body’s skeletal system, cartilage, and connective tissue is not fully formed–on most people, it doesn’t fully mature until 24-25 years of age (plus or minus). The earlier posts about injuries are right on. And an injury will take you out of the running for a long, long time.
If, as you say, you “just totally love to run!”, good for you. Run a lot! But I would say anything over 55-60 miles per week is way too much at your age. If you like to race, race in 5k’s and 10k’s all you want, not marathons. If you want to be even more active, try a little swimming or maybe some biking (both are much more gentle on younger bodies). Heck, try backpacking, rollerblading, soccer, frisbee, volleyball, skateboarding, martial arts, etc.
I had several friends when I was in high school who ran as much of are doing now–EVERY single one of them have quit running and physical activity in general. Think of the big picture, if you totally love to run, you will want to have a LIFELONG running love affair. Take it easy now, and you will be in it for the long haul. Patience always pays off, and often it pays off big. Good luck.
Using the Horwill-Stillman guide for** distance runners**, the ideal weight for a women your height is between 112.5 and 118.75, but I am not terribly concerned about that as you are still in your teens and will naturally gain weight some weight as you age(hopefully).
I agree with Greg. I am more worried about your weekly mileage than your weight. 94.5 miles a week at 17!
I don’t want to sound like a doomsayer but you are headed for disaster with that kind of mileage at your age. If nothing else, please make sure you are eating a good balanced diet and that you are consuming enough calcium, protein and iron or you will do some permanent damage to your body.
the wrestler in me says that you can never be too thin. the father in me says you can be too thin. the runner in me says that you run too much.
seriously, from someone who has ran HS, DI, and coached both, I’ve seen SO many kids your age that never improve through college. I know all of us know the kids in HS that run college times because they are training at college mileage before they are mature. I’ve also followed many of these kids and can give you countless person stories regarding their inability to improve over the long haul. So many things (physically or psychologically) can happen before you actually get to the point where your body is “ready” for that kind of mileage that most in your situation never get to the point of being able to 1) train with that volume, 2) when the body is ready for it. We all know the rare cases of the kids who run tons of miles in HS and manage to improve significantly for 5 or 6 after that, but they are few and far between. For female distance runners, this peak often hits around the sophmore year in HS, then it is often downhill or no improvement after that. I remember reading a story about Bob Kennedy in HS and how his coaches tried keeping his mileage down to 50 or so because they knew he had the ability to go far in the sport and they didn’t want to ruin his in HS.
So, you are probably a senior in HS right now, that means you have no races left in your HS career over 2 miles. Next fall (I assume you are college bound) you have nothing longer than 8K except 1 or 2 10K’s during CC, so I would be focusing on quality over quantity at this point. At your mileage level, you can’t have it both ways. If you are in fact a triathlete instead of a runner, I suggest even your extra time saved from not running so much on the bike or in the pool.
P.S. If you are looking to run 8:30 in the two mile this spring in the 2M, I’ll get off your case as long as this is a short duration base building phase.
Like many others have mentioned, I would reiterate the importance of a healthy, balanced diet with adequate caloric intake. If your nutrition isn’t right, usually your menstrual cycle gets screwed up. If that’s the case, you are probably losing huge amounts of calcium from your bones due to hormonal imbalances. Personally, I’m 5’8" and 145 lbs at 11.5% body fat. Wish I weighed less, but I don’t exactly have any spare fat to lose…it’s all bone and muscle weight. I have very dense bones (as determined by DEXA scan), and I have to wonder if your bones are the opposite. I also agree with previous posts that you need to allow your joints and cartilage to fully mature before putting them through 90+ miles of running per week. You are asking for some joint problems (i.e. arthritis) long before you become advanced in age. A strategic 60 miles a week can get you a lot further than 90+ miles with less structure.
Good luck and hope this helps.
that doesn’t sound that skinny…however, if you are running that much, you have to have muscles, and therefore less body fat. You want to make sure that you don’t drop below a certain percentage (i think it’s 12-15…i can’t remember the exact point) otherwise you will go ammenoric (sp?) (lose your period)
also…you may be putting yourself @ risk for osteoporosis.
switch dr’s…go to a sports med dr, and talk to a nutritionist…
Ray wrote: Most of the people that I know who went to medical school did it because they wanted to make money.
Wow. Weren’t they disappointed! Most of the people I know that went into business school did THAT instead of medicine, because the money is in business, NOT medicine. Unless the “most” people you know are VERY old, medicine is not the place to go to get rich any more.
To the original poster…it’s very hard for you to be objective about your weight. You may be very objective about it…but, if you are, you are in the tiny minority. Hearing about a high school girl running half marathons daily sends warning signals and flares out in all directions. You really should get several EDUCATED opinions about your behavior…if they ALL say the same thing, you’d better listen, or you can actually step over a cliff that has no safety net to stop your descent. OR, you could be appropriately exercising and eating for your energy levels and goals. No way can anybody on this forum tell you if you are too light or not. That cannot be done from a keyboard.
Several trusted educated opinions are needed. Please get them. Then do what these people say for you to do. You are not experienced enough at this point in your life to do this on your own. I’m sure you’re brighter than most kids, but this kind of thing takes experts, not kids. Don’t wait to get these opinions. Do it right now.
I hope to hear about you breaking records in track in the future, but, you can only do that if you optimize everything about your training and body composition…again, this takes experts to achieve. Get their help immediately, you’ll be very glad you did.
“In any case, a standard American medical education does not cover nutrition or exercise in any depth.”
At the very least, the typical doctor is not at all focused on these topics. Most doctors are good at what they do, but what they do is treat lazy, overweight people with a variety of ailments, not ultra-fit endurance athletes who are trying to maintain their fitness. That’s where sports medicine specialists come in.
At my last physical, the LPN who took my vitals mentioned to the doctor that my pulse was under 60 and my blood pressure was “very low”. She told him because in her mind, that was bad. My doctor, who has been treating my family for heart disease for two generations, thinks I’m doing all the right things, but admits he knows nothing about sports physiology. He just knows that my cholesterol is still borderline and that my EKG is solid.
Thanks for everyone who took the time to respond. Just wanted to clarify things a little…
The 10lbs I lost over a period of 5 months. At that time I was swimming competitively (hs team) and running / Xcountry skiing on the weekends.
I am not a triathlete (yet!) but I swim hs team for the winter competitive season and sometimes do a summer team.
As far as menstration goes, I’m on birth control pills so I can’t tell if they come naturally or not.
I don’t have a coach and I don’t run HS cross country (I ran xcountry in middle school but then found the races too short). I just run for myself.
To whoever said 17yr olds shouldn’t run marathons… one of my friends ran one last fall in Canada; he was 16 and had a sub-4hr time. I would note that he is no worse for the wear.
Thanks for the suggestion about seeing a doctor who specializes in endurance athletes - – any suggestions of how to find one? I live in a pretty isolated area.
tiger wrote: To whoever said 17yr olds shouldn’t run marathons… one of my friends ran one last fall in Canada; he was 16 and had a sub-4hr time. I would note that he is no worse for the wear.
How do you define wear? This is what I mean when I say that it takes knowledgeable, experienced, and caring people to guide young athletes, such as you. I would be one of those people that would say a marathon is not the best thing for most boys 16 years old. But, running at just under 4 hours isn’t all that much stress…at least not compared to running a 3 hour marathon. It’s all a balance of damage and improvement combined with maturation. You don’t want to get any of those out of balance. Since females tend to mature faster, I would think some 17 year-old girls would be more ready to run a marathon than most 16 year-old boys.
Just PLEASE, don’t fool yourself, this kind of activity takes objective know-how. In fact, there are MANY top-level adult marathoners that consult a coach, and a healthcare sports-related practitioner regularly…if they think it’s necessary for them, you’ll be smart to follow their example.