age and speed
806
Member
1390 days
thehitman posted 3 years ago.
Check out The Effects of Aging on Running Performance
furman.edu/first/FIRST_RunningAgingandPerforman.pdf
I took off 25 years, and hope to be doing 7:00 miles in sprint triathlons by the end of the year. Reasonable? It never occurred to me.
thehitman
thehitman
“Always do right. This will gratify some people and astonish the rest.” Mark Twain
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287
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1443 days
Great Greyhound posted 3 years ago.
As a 30 something, I had a 5K PR of 21:29, a 10K PR of 49:47, and a Marathon PR of 4:39:22
As a 46+ year old, in the last 6 months, I have a recent 5K PR of 20:02, a 10K PR of 41:42, and a Marathon PR of 3:35:08.
See, you can get faster as you age gracefully.
Darrell "Legs 'n Lungs" Lenkner
in West Chester, Oh.
Check here for Images of us.
283
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1388 days
Amy Lee posted 3 years ago.
Great Greyhound wrote:
As a 30 something, I had a 5K PR of 21:29, a 10K PR of 49:47, and a Marathon PR of 4:39:22As a 46+ year old, in the last 6 months, I have a recent 5K PR of 20:02, a 10K PR of 41:42, and a Marathon PR of 3:35:08.
See, you can get faster as you age gracefully.
hey darrell,
that is awesome! it's so great to see someone actually defying the aging process. i'm gonna do like the hitman and shoot for the 7:00 min/mile instead of the 7:30- gonna chuck "reasonable" right out the door! :D i probably could have done that in my 20's but i was too damn proud to ask for help or advice. now i don't have any qualms-i'll take all the coaching i can get. there is so much i don't know and i really want to improve my form in running as well as the other two disciplines.
thanks for the inspiration!!!!!!!!
40
Member
1322 days
kddubb posted 3 years ago.
The guys I run with are mainly in their forties (I'm actually in my 20's). But I remember one of the guys saying that he read somewhere (sorry don't know the source) that for the non-elite athlete it is very possible if not probable to keep increasing PRs up to age 60ish if you continue to train well and stay injury free. Since I am definitely not an elite athlete, I made a mental note and that is my plan. I think the article above seemed to deal more with the elite athlete times (i.e. world records for age groups). Both my friend's info and the article seem to agree that age 60 seems to be a general physiological turning point (although I remember a guy in runner's world that was 69 and still running a sub three-hour marathon...and I'm pretty sure started running later in life). No time like the present to keep pushing yourself to the next level. btw, the guy I got the info above from is in his mid-forties (started running in his late-thirties) and still PRing many of his races (and kicks my butt most of the time).
I think the thing I would watch out for is trying to jump back into your former times too quickly. Listen to your body or you might end up injured...your interest in form/technique is definitely one of the best ways to get faster and stay injury free. I just revamped my technique quite a bit this winter and am much faster as a result (and hopefully will continue to grow faster).
127
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1576 days
Geo posted 3 years ago.
good thread. gives me hope for the long road ahead!!
keep it up old-timers!!
"As long as theres water...Chilly, Wet, Water!"
58
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1322 days
cg posted 3 years ago.
You are only as old as you feel! My local tris are nearly dominated by the 40-50 age groupers. I think experience and patience, which we learn with age, is essential for training and racing well.
183
Member
1303 days
KenMierke posted 3 years ago.
Hi Amy,
Athletes' VO2 max declines about 1/2 % per year after our mid-late 20s. BUT, we can continue to improve by working on techniqe, training a little smarter, fueling better, and learning tricks of the trade that come with experience. Every year your absolute potential goes down by 1/2 %, so do something 1% better every year to make up for it.
Ken
EvolutionRunning.com
Fitness-Concepts.com
Ken Mierke Ken@Fitness-Concepts.com
Fitness Concepts Fitness-Concepts.com
Author, The Triathlete's Guide to Run Training
www.EvolutionRunning.com
283
Member
1388 days
Amy Lee posted 3 years ago.
hey ken,
can i have a job? ( just kidding!) i've got my hands full with four kids now, but if i were able i'd be venturing down to virginia to check out your business for career opportunites. ( my background is similar to yours minus the coaching and tri experience.) your website is great!
i just wanted to say thanks for the stats and the tips and give you a great big welcome to site! i'm sure we all could benefit from your input - so i hope you continue to post alot. it's great to have such knowledgeable people like you and geochuck ( george parks) helping us out with our difficulties.
thanks,
amy
183
Member
1303 days
KenMierke posted 3 years ago.
Hi Amy,
Thanks for the welcome! We're always looking for ptential coaches, so write me off list. We look for passionate people with excellent communication and nurturing skills. We can teach technical skills. Write me at if interested. Ken
Ken Mierke Ken@Fitness-Concepts.com
Fitness Concepts Fitness-Concepts.com
Author, The Triathlete's Guide to Run Training
www.EvolutionRunning.com
i was just wondering if anyone out there had any figures/ statistics on how much speed we loose as we age. i used to run a very comfortable 7:30 min/mile in my 20's. i stopped running for most of my 30's. now back into it again. i have only been running for five months and have progressed from an ultra slow 12 min mile (post partum) to a 9 min/mile (now). is it reasonable to try to aspire for the 7:30 again after almost ten years of not running?