Hi there my running friend this is Coach Claire Bartholic, the Planted Runner, and this is the

Run to the Top Podcast, one of the first and only running podcast dedicated to making

you a better runner with each and every episode. We are created and produced by the

expert team of running coaches at runnersconnect.net where you can find the

best running information on the internet as well as running coaching plans to

fit every runner and every budget.

The relationship to your body weight and your running is complicated.

Running can be very helpful if you have a lot of weight to lose and you combine it with

smarter nutrition choices and losing extra fat will make running easier since unlike muscle

extra fat does nothing but slow you down but where's the line? As runners we

love goals and data and science.

So figuring out exactly what your body composition should look like to perform your very best is a

tempting goal. There are charts and calculators out there that supposedly will tell you exactly what you should weigh to race your best.

This is the concept of race weight.

In theory, you will race your best when you are at your leanest, but not so lean that you don't have

enough muscle strength to power your legs. Not surprisingly, the so-called ideal race weight for runners is often very, very thin.

What is often not talked about is what your life is like when you live to be lean.

On today's episode of the Run to the Devahab podcast, I'll explore this controversial subject.

I will talk about the science of race weight, how losing weight while training can

backfire on physical and mental health as well as performance. And then I'll

reveal the metrics and strategies that matter far more than getting ultra-lean.

This is a topic that is very personal to me because I fell hard for the race weight myth when I was

...