Running Speed & Weight Loss

There is a direct correlation between running speed and weight loss because most people exert more effort when they run faster, and exerting more effort causes your heart rate to increase. A higher heart rate causes you to burn more oxygen, and "oxygen is a critical component of the calorie-burning process," according to "The Complete Guide to Walking." Burning 3,500 calories is equal to losing 1 lb.

Slow Running

Running causes more weight loss than any other running activity, according to a study of the weight-loss impact of 175 exercises conducted by the Wisconsin Department of Health and Family Services. Running 5 mph, which is only 1 mph faster than the fastest walking exercise, will burn 690, 563 and 472 calories in people who weigh 190, 155 and 130 lbs., respectively. Running 6 mph, or 10 minutes per mile, increases a 155-lb. person's weight loss by 141 calories per hour. Consequently, 155-lb. people will lose 1 lb. for each additional 25 hours of running if they improve their speed by 1 mph.

Faster Running

Faster running burns more calories than slower running. People who weigh 155 lbs. and run for one hour burn 704 calories when they run 6 mph, 809 calories when they run 7 mph and 950 calories when they run 8 mph. They burn 1,056 calories when they run 9 mph for an hour, 1,126 calories when they run 10 mph and 1,267 calories when they run 10.9 mph, which is the same as running a mile in 5.5 minutes. Thus, 155-lb. people who run 6 mph will lose 1 lb. for each additional 6.2 hours of running if they improve their speed to 10.9 mph.

Comparisons

Running 10 mph burns the same amount of calories as bicycling more than 20 mph, according to a Harvard Heart Letter study of about 150 activities. In fact, those two activities burn more calories than any other activity. Running a mile in seven minutes, or 8.6 mph, and running a mile in eight minutes, or 7.5 mph, are the third- and fourth-best weight-loss activities, the study reports. Even running 5 mph, the slowest running activity, burns the same amount of calories per hour, 596 if you weigh 155 lbs., as playing basketball, bicycling 12 to 13.9 mph, flag and touch football, field and ice hockey, rock climbing, cross-country skiing, swimming the backstroke and beach volleyball.

Steep Runs

Exercising uphill significantly increases your weight loss whether you're running, walking or bicycling because it requires more effort, according to "The Complete Guide to Walking." This is true even though steep inclines generally cause you to lose speed. Running up a hill with a 10 percent incline increases how many calories you burn by 52 percent. Running up a hill with a 20 percent incline, which is considered steep, increases burned calories by 70 percent. A 155-lb. person, who burns 704 calories running 6 mph, will burn about 1,050 calories running up a 10 percent incline and about 1,200 calories running up a 20 percent incline.