Running Felt Hard, This WAS Why (Part 1 of 5)

Running feels hard sometimes. Too hard. For me, this was because of my weight. This might not be YOUR reason, but it was mine! Allow me to share my felt and lived experiences. I recognise I'm saying something that might make you pause — but it comes from experience, not judgement. With this being a sensitive topic, here is a reference to an abstract of apaper I agree with. Abstract To experimentally investigate the effect of excess body weight or fat on maximal oxygen uptake (Vo2 max) and distance running performance, the metabolic response to maximal and submaximal treadmill running and the 12-min run performance were measured in six subjects under each of four added-weight (AW) conditions: normal body weight and 5, 10, and 15% additional external weight, added to the trunk. AW was found to systematically and significantly decrease Vo2 max expressed relative to the total weight carried (ml/min.dg TW), maximal treadmill (TM) run time and 12-min run distance, but not to systematically affect Vo2 max (1/min) or Vo2 max (ml/min.kg FFW). An increase of 5% AW was found, on the average, to decrease Vo2 max (ml/min.kg TW) 2.4 ml, the TM run time 35 sec and the 12-min run distance 89 m. These decreases were a direct consequence of the increased energy cost of running at submaximal speeds. It was concluded that changes in excess body weight can influence Vo2 max expressed relative to body weight and distance run performance independent of any change in cardiovascular capacity. Failure to distinguish the metabolic effects of body fatness from the influence of cardiorespiratory capacity may result in misleading interpretation of distance run test scores. In this video, I share my experience: running has been more enjoyable, more efficient, and kinder on my body now that I'm carrying less weight. Not because lighter runners are “better or faster” — but because biology and physics start working with you instead of against you. I’ve been there. I’ve run overweight. I know how heavy legs, sore joints, and constant fatigue feel. I’ve also run lighter — and experienced running becoming fun again. Not easier in a magical way… just more cooperative. This isn’t about body shaming. It’s not about body positivity either. Some runners are strong, fast, healthy, and happy exactly where they are — and that’s genuinely great. But if running feels unnecessarily hard… if every run feels like a battle rather than a release… this video is a kind, honest conversation about why weight can matter for running performance, enjoyment, and long-term health. I also understand that this video might trigger some people because of the related topics but I hope you will receive this how I intend it to be. This video does not talk about eating disorders, underfuelling, muscle gain or loss or the related nuances. 👉 This is Part 1 of a 5-part series In Part 2, we’ll talk about how I lost weight without hating running — with practical strategies, realism, and zero extremes.