Any Runners On Here??

[pubrunner]

It's still an ambition of mine to run under 1 hour for 10 miles.

Ha ! Me too !

My best was 60:14 at the Altrincham 10. One part of me believes that if I really focussed on it - lost weight and did some quality training, I could get close to sub-60. But it would be very hard to do - I'd need to be very disciplined in doing the right training. At the moment, I tend to just 'plod' up to about 12 miles; what I really need, is some tough speed work sessions - but they hurt !

You are certainly right that times have dropped off; I remember doing 29:30 at the Altrincham 5 . . . I just managed to finish in the first 100 runners.

My biggest running regret, is that when I was fit/fast, I should have 'chased' more times. When I was younger, I put things off 'cos I assumed that I could do a PB next month or next year - but in putting things off, I missed opportunities.

I shouldn't be making excuses and I should be getting out much more - in fact, I feel quite guilty cos I don't do more. Another running mate, did 69 minutes for 10 miles as a veteran in the 70-75 category; whilst I'm much younger than that, I think that I'd have to put in some hard graft to do the same.

Ta for your reply - just talking about running, provides me with motivation, particularly since you must be of a similar ability, so you'll know how I feel.

 

[pubrunner]

It's still an ambition of mine to run under 1 hour for 10 miles.

Are you seeking to realise this ambition ?

If so, how close at the moment are you ? At current fatness/fitness, I'd struggle to break 80 minutes for 10 miles, but if I worked at it, I could probably break 70 minutes by the end of the year - assuming, that is, unbroken training.

Are you a 'Vet' yet ?

I found that my times stayed pretty good into my 40s, but when I hit 50, times went downhill . . . Mind you, so did my training.

IMO, speed is as important as distance. Virtually anyone can build endurance by clocking up the miles, but core speed is harder to acquire. I should be doing sets of 200s & 400s - but doing them properly is hard work !

 

[GrumpyGregry]

What is it they say in the States about vets? Something like....

60% of age grade means you're a good local runner
70% means you're a good regional runner
80% means you are a decent state runner
90% means you are elite and in the running to run for your country
100% means you hold the world record and are the elite of the elite.

I content that without a background in serious running as a younger person, and without huge genetic advantage over your peers any vet is going to struggle to hit more than 80% of age-grade no matter how well they train, or how much weight they lose.

I'd be interested what others think...

(my medium term goal for 5k, and this as a non-runner in my youth, apart from staying injury free is 66% of age grade by this autumn, and 70% by next Easter - I have a plan. Currently 64.something%)

 

[GrumpyGregry]

IMO, speed is as important as distance. Virtually anyone can build endurance by clocking up the miles, but core speed is harder to acquire. I should be doing sets of 200s & 400s - but doing them properly is hard work !

Dreadmill?

 

[User169]

Are you seeking to realise this ambition ?

If so, how close at the moment are you ? At current fatness/fitness, I'd struggle to break 80 minutes for 10 miles, but if I worked at it, I could probably break 70 minutes by the end of the year - assuming, that is, unbroken training.

Are you a 'Vet' yet ?

I found that my times stayed pretty good into my 40s, but when I hit 50, times went downhill . . . Mind you, so did my training.

IMO, speed is as important as distance. Virtually anyone can build endurance by clocking up the miles, but core speed is harder to acquire. I should be doing sets of 200s & 400s - but doing them properly is hard work !

Not really, as I've been working more towards marathon running. I've been aiming for the Rotterdam Marathon which is one months' time, but I've had a couple of niggling injuries over the past two months so haven't got enough training in. I don't want to run a marathon unless I have a good change of getting my target time (under 3:15), so will probably skip it and work on my half marathon running. I really want to get under 1:25 this year and that's my main priority.

On current half marathon pace, I should probably do 10 miles in about 1:08. I'm at the top end of the healthy weight for my height, so if I could lose 4/5 kilos, I reckon I could get quite a bit closer to 1 hour. One of my other major interests slightly mitigates against weight loss though!

Your right about the speedwork though. That's something I need to do much more of.

 

[pubrunner]

. . . . . . . I'd be interested what others think...

(my medium term goal for 5k, and this as a non-runner in my youth, apart from staying injury free is 66% of age grade by this autumn, and 70% by next Easter - I have a plan. Currently 64.something%)

I'm not sure how accurate it is, to use '% of age grade'. I'm not sure how a 'decent state runner' in the US, might equate with a County runner in the UK.

In a sense, it's irrelevant - it depends on your starting point.

Years ago, I used to go to events with running friends and I was usually the slowest. At the time, I was doing in the low 60s for 10 miles, but at the time, I was (at best) seen as being in the lower echelons of running. If I did the same times today, they'd be seen as more 'respectable'.

20 + years ago, a decent club runner (but nothing special) would do under 17 minutes for 5K, under 29 minutes for 5 miles, under the hour for 10 and under 80 minutes for a half marathon. Today, I'd suggest that a decent club runner would do under 20 minutes for 5k, under 35 mins for 5M, under 70 mins for 10 miles and under 90 - 95 mins for a half.

If you are new to running, I'd advise starting with 5K as a target - try to develop core speed ! Too many runners start out with marathon distance as a target and end up as 'plodders'.

Like yourself, I was a non-runner in my youth - don't let that hold you back !

Take a look at this guy - he started running at 32 :

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Steve_Way

With regard to targets, I'd go by times. If you currently run 5K in over 25 minutes, make 25 mins your target; if under 25 mins, then aim for 20 mins. If you use time/pace, it is easy to measure any improvements.

What times are you doing at the moment ? And what age category are you in ?

 

[GrumpyGregry]

Started running as an end in itself in 2010. 50 - 54 age group (I'm 54) and PB for 5k parkrun is 23:24. Started taking it seriouser, by which I mean training, with a plan, rather than just exercising, after one too many close shaves out on the bike coincided with parkrun starting up 500m from my front door.

Don't ever go further than half-mara distance in training (and I uses races as training runs) and have no intention of ever going beyond that distance.* And that distance is only a Sunday Long Run, as a means to the end of improving the 5k times. The plan says, as a beginner, if you want to get better at running 5k one option is to learn to run 20k.

*I ran three slow marathons in my early 20's.

 

[pubrunner]

I don't want to run a marathon unless I have a good change of getting my target time (under 3:15), so will probably skip it and work on my half marathon running. I really want to get under 1:25 this year and that's my main priority.

In my experience, getting under 1:25 for a Half, was much easier than getting under 3:15 for a Marathon. There's so much to get wrong on a marathon; it's easy to get into a mode of self-deception, in which (for example) 7:30 a mile seems 'easy', all the way up to 20 + miles - after which, even 9 or 10 miles a minute seems like very hard work. I've screwed up more marathons than I've done good ones.

By comparison, doing a Half is easy - very slightly under normal race pace to 10 miles and then go all out on the last 3 miles.

I was almost going to write, that you are a 'jammy b@stard' for being able to do under 1:25 for a Half, but in my heart, I know that this wouldn't be true - being able to do such times, is due to consistent training - something I've avoided for too long !

I feel rather guilty now - I know that I could/should be doing more - currently, it's all too easy to find excuses not to go out.

 

[GrumpyGregry]

Age grade record for my home parkrun

VM50-54 00:18:16 83.39 %

 

[pubrunner]

Started running as an end in itself in 2010. 50 - 54 age group (I'm 54) and PB for 5k parkrun is 23:24. Started taking it seriouser, by which I mean training, with a plan, rather than just exercising, after one too many close shaves out on the bike coincided with parkrun starting up 500m from my front door.

Don't ever go further than half-mara distance in training (and I uses races as training runs) and have no intention of ever going beyond that distance.* And that distance is only a Sunday Long Run, as a means to the end of improving the 5k times. The plan says, as a beginner, if you want to get better at running 5k one option is to learn to run 20k.

If you've done 5K in 23 mins, 20 minutes is a perfectly realistic target.

Years ago, our coach would tell us that we should do in a week as 'core' training :

1 X Speed session (core speed - 200s & 400s)
1 X Distance run (10 + miles)
1 X Hill run
1 X 'Tempo run. (4-7 miles of fartlek)

Any other runs would just be recovery runs. If you are aiming for 5K, you need to have fast leg cadence and to attain this, you should be doing series of 'efforts' for between 30 seconds to 2 minutes. Speed sessions should not be more than 4 miles - to ensure quality.

 

[smutchin]

(my medium term goal for 5k, and this as a non-runner in my youth, apart from staying injury free is 66% of age grade by this autumn, and 70% by next Easter - I have a plan. Currently 64.something%)

My target remains sub-20mins. For my age group, 70% would be about 19:45, which I would be extremely happy with. I was getting close to it about a year ago but I've gone backwards since then and I'm currently struggling to go under 22mins. I still think it's achievable, I just need to lose a bit of weight and rediscover my form...

 

[GrumpyGregry]

My target remains sub-20mins. For my age group, 70% would be about 19:45, which I would be extremely happy with. I was getting close to it about a year ago but I've gone backwards since then and I'm currently struggling to go under 22mins. I still think it's achievable, I just need to lose a bit of weight and rediscover my form...

With you on the losing weight. And I might need to develop some form (and stop starting at the back)

 

[GrumpyGregry]

If you've done 5K in 23 mins, 20 minutes is a perfectly realistic target.

Years ago, our coach would tell us that we should do in a week as 'core' training :

1 X Speed session (core speed - 200s & 400s)
1 X Distance run (10 + miles)
1 X Hill run
1 X 'Tempo run. (4-7 miles of fartlek)

Any other runs would just be recovery runs. If you are aiming for 5K, you need to have fast leg cadence and to attain this, you should be doing series of 'efforts' for between 30 seconds to 2 minutes. Speed sessions should not be more than 4 miles - to ensure quality.

Still the current thinking...

 

[pubrunner]

Still the current thinking...

Sadly, I only seem to manage the long slow run . . . . Must do better/try harder.

 

[GrumpyGregry]

Sadly, I only seem to manage the long slow run . . . . Must do better/try harder.

Like I said before...

Dreadmill.