There are many goals you can set as a runner. You might set a distance goal, a speed goal or aim to improve your cardiovascular health. Many take up the sport hoping to lose weight. Running can be effective as part of a weight-loss program, but not all runners will lose weight from running. Consult your doctor before beginning any new exercise program, particularly if you have health concerns or have been sedentary.
Intervals
Train by running intervals if weight loss is your goal. Interval training involves alternating periods of faster running with periods of slower running during your workout. The slower intervals keep your body in an aerobic state, improving your body's effective use of oxygen. The faster intervals work your body anaerobically, dipping into your glycogen stores for energy and allowing your muscles to burn fat. Add intervals to your training slowly by adding two to four 30-second periods of fast running to your runs twice per week.
Distance
Running for long distances at a moderate effort level burns an average of 100 calories per mile if you weigh an average amount for your height. The basic equation for weight loss is burning more calories than you take in. Therefore, it is possible to lose weight as a distance runner if you eat fewer calories than you burn during your run and with normal daily activity. As your body becomes accustomed to distance and you start increasing your body's effective use of oxygen, your rate of weight loss might slow. This is a good time to try intervals to boost your weight loss if that is your goal.
Speed
Speed without interval training is not optimal for weight loss. Sprinters are almost exclusively lean and muscular, but getting to that weight from being overweight requires more moderate training. If speed is your goal as a runner, your body mass has an effect on your training. Muscle strength should be emphasized and body fat kept to a minimum for best performance, the Australian Institute of Sport notes.
Concerns
If you are at your optimal weight for your height and run for sport rather than weight loss, eat enough additional calories in a day to match what you burn during your run to maintain your healthy weight. If you are trying to lose weight, avoid the mentality of rewarding yourself for a run by indulging in a large meal. Eat a balanced meal that includes lean protein and complex carbohydrates within one hour of completing your run to aid in recovery and take advantage of your increased metabolism.
