Running and weight gain

image source:http://www.runnersworld.com/article/0,7120,s6-242-304--11903-0,00.html

So I woke up this morning at 6:30 am to meet one of my assistant coaches- C.Rob for a lovely run. We took it slowly and chatted the entire time. One of the topics we discussed was running and weight. A lot of people talk about an "ideal competition weight." For some this ideal weight is less than they weigh and for others it's more. He told me about a runner that went to my school a few years ago. Since then, she's moved on to bigger and better things yet running still remains a huge aspect of her life. In a conversation with C.Rob, she told him that since college she's probably gained about five pounds but is currently running better than ever.

I have yet to finish my story, and will continue with it later on today, but one of my goals for the summer is to gain some weight. I know that I need it to be healthy, but I also think having the extra muscle will help me. It's been difficult running and trying to gain weight. It is also difficult, as some of you may know, to deal with the changes your body goes through as it is gaining weight. I have found from past experiences that I have to just allow myself to feel uncomfortable with the extra "padding" and in time I will get used to and learn to love it. I think that this is something I just need to keep reminding myself of. In addition, I need to focus on the benefits of gaining weight as well as the dangers of running while underweight. I need to remind myself that with weight gain and good nutrition comes better bone mass (less risk of stress fractures), better iron levels (no iron deficiancy/ lead legs), and more muscle mass. All of these things will serve to improve my running performance. I will keep you updated on how I plan to gain weight as well as my progress. One thing that has helped with the mental aspect is to look at strong runners. So many elite women runners look emaciated or underweight, I think that it's important to have healthy looking role models. I hope that this was a semi informative post! See you later!

Molly Huddle- American 5k record holder- 14:44.76- you bet she has muscles to power her through that!

I'm pretty sure most people know who Kara Goucher is- but look at her leg muscles!

Emma Willard is an amazing and muscular steeplechase runner

Have any of you struggled with gaining weight while running?
How do you deal with the mental aspect of gaining weight?
Who are some healthy role models you look up to (athletes, celebrities, real people)?