On Wednesday, I did my weekly speed work. This week the workout was 3 x 1 mile at 5K pace, with a short break in between each mile. The first two were moderately hard, and the last one left me gasping for breath. I really had to dig deep to hold my pace, but I did it!
And what exactly was that pace? 9:00 per mile.
I know pace is personal. There are people who can’t even dream of running a 5K at 9:00 pace, and others who run 8 minute miles for their easy pace. So I’m not comparing myself to anyone else… I’m going to briefly compare my current self to my past self.
For my race on July 4th, I’m hoping to run the 5K at a 9:00/mile pace. Three years ago, I ran a half marathon at that same pace. And in 1998, I ran a full marathon at that pace. Okay, I was 32 years old. Still…
How is it possible I’m running that much slower? Granted, I haven’t been doing speed work, and I’ve had a bunch of injuries. Is that all it is, or is part of this decline due to the “A” word?
Here’s my philosophy about getting older: take age into consideration but don’t use it as an excuse. For example, I’ve read that doing plyometrics can cause plantar fasciitis in older runners. Well, I’m “older” and I’ve also had issue with PF, so I approach plyometrics cautiously. I also know that strength training is necessary as we age to prevent muscle loss, so I now embrace it wholeheartedly.
But… call me an optimist, or call me completely delusional, I don’t believe that my age is preventing me from running fast. This article talks about the effect of aging on running, and what we can do about it. The author points out that he, like most of us, is coming nowhere near to his personal potential. “And if I’m willing to do the work, then I can get closer and closer to that potential, which will give me the results as if I was younger and not coming close to my potential.”
When I ran that sub- 4 hour marathon in 1998 I don’t believe I was anywhere near my potential. I had no idea how to train properly. I had never heard of drills, or mobility work, and I did no strength training. Who’s to say that by doing everything correctly now, I might not still have a PR in me?
I’m not saying that it will happen- I’m just saying that it could. I’m not ready to give up on it yet. And if it doesn’t happen… hey, that’s what age groups are for. I can still train hard and improve from where I am now, and be competitive in my age group. When I finished that third mile of my workout, pushing through to stay at a 9:00/mile pace, I felt the same exhilaration that any runner feels when they push themselves hard. Who cares what pace I was running?
Well…. I do, apparently. But that’s part of what makes running fun for me- the desire and ability to push myself and get better at it. At the age of 56, I can still hope.
I’m linking up with My First 5K and More, Running With Attitude, Run Laugh Eat Pie, Runs with Pugs, and Zenaida for Fit Five Friday! Thanks ladies!
If you run, are you still shooting for PRs? If not, when did you stop?
Do you think your age is holding you back?
25 Responses
Unfortunately I have to realistic. I doubt I will PR. But I don’t eliminate the possibility.
If that makes sense. I love age groups because you are not compared to a 40 year old if you are 60.
But pace is individual. My slow pace is most likely someone’s fast pace. And vice versa.
I think racing keeps us going for the gold. I get lazy when I am running solo.
I still think you might be able to PR if you did some speed work. But that’s not your focus right now and you’re happy doing what you’re doing, so why change it up?
I don’t know yet if age is holding me back. I do know the last 6 years or so have had a boat load of stress for me — with no finish line in sight — and that has worn me down.
So no, I’m not training for a PR nor expecting one. So why do I still train? Because I think it’s good for the body!
Good luck in your 5k! We’re rooting for you!
Thank you Judy! Hopefully that will keep me accountable on race day when I want to quit! And yes… there are other things besides age that can wear you down. Good point.
The best and worst thing about running==>I only compare myself to myself. I’d say that I’m “realistically optimistic” about PRs. I’ve only been running since I was 35 so I don’t have much history to look back on. All that I know is that I got noticeably faster in 2020 and then noticeably slower in 2021. The longer my “slump” has gone on, the more I’m coming to terms that I may not ever get back to where I was but I’m not giving up yet.
That’s a great question about when age becomes a factor. I don’t feel any “worse” in my 40s then I did in my 30s and I’m expecting the same from my 50s subject to whatever menopause throws at me.
Oh yeah, menopause… I forgot about that factor. Sigh! Hmmm… I would love to analyze your “slump.” I’m sure there’s a solution somewhere. Definitely don’t give up!
This year I have made some serious progress with my pace and hit a few new PR’s. I am not ready to say that I cannot improve even more with the right training and nutrition. I have also seen many women in my MRTT group hit new PR’s into their 50s. Let’s do it!
This is what I’m talking about!!! : )
I don’t really run races or keep track of my time (very, very slow), but I run because it’s a nice chance to get outside and listen to music and feel strong. But I feel like I would make myself crazy if I tracked things and I could very well make what’s an enjoyable experience too stressful! It’s funny how different people are motivated by tracking.
Yes, I agree it’s funny how people are motivated differently. A while ago I talked about streaks- some people are motivated by streaks, and for some people it’s just stressful. I’ve definitely gone through periods where I didn’t care how fast I was going- I just ran.
I’m much slower than I was a few years ago. It is demoralizing but I think it would take a lot more work than I have energy to give to get back to that point, so I’m just accepting it is what it is for now.
My sister is an amateur athlete and does a lot of Ironman competitions. She’s almost 50 and there are a lot of older competitors and it tends to be an “older” field; she has gotten faster as she’s gotten older and just qualified for the Boston Marathon next year!
I think Ironman is definitely an “older” person’s sport- not entirely of course, but because it’s harder to get into (there are a lot of casual “joggers” but no one does Ironman triathlons in a casual manner) a lot of times people gravitate to it when they’re older. I like that you sister has gotten faster! There’s hope for you and me.
I don’t think my age is holding me back; I’m happy with my pace and I’m doing things like strength training and a lot of other cardio training that I think helps.
Yay! I like to hear this.
In a way I’m lucky that I was never super speedy, so the effects of age haven’t been too rough on me. I’m bummed that I was really starting to make headway in my training when I fell, but it is what it is. SIgh.
I’m excited to see what your next race brings!
Yes- I think it’s a lot harder for people who were super athletic when they were younger. They have nowhere to go but down! Luckily that wasn’t me.
I love this attitude – I also love seeing how far I can push myself – and yes maybe one day age will be a factor but I will keep striving to be a better runner. I’ve slowed down a lot in the last couple of years but I can directly link that to not putting in any speedwork. I’m back to speedwork now and on Sunday I did 5x 400m intervals. I ran the intervals hard but struggled to keep a 6:15 min/km pace. I couldn’t believe that just in 2020, I’d done a 10k with an average pace sub-6min/km, LOL! But I’m determined to get back there.
Yes, it is rather alarming how much we slow down if we don’t do speedwork. But the other side of that is, think how much we’ll speed up again when we start doing it. I’m determined to get back to some semblance of speed as well. Good luck with it!
Interesting perspective Jenny. I’m always of the mindset to never say never, so I would never rule out a PR, but I’d have to really change my approach to my running to make that happen (ie., be motivated to return to speedwork!) Right now I think I’m focused on enjoying my running and staying as injury-free as possible. Best of luck with your 5K goals!
Thank you Michelle! Yes, that’s the other side of it- not everyone cares about PR’s. Enjoying running and staying injury free is also very satisfying!
It is really hard to envision PR’ing again… but I am in a really intense stage of parenting. I know I will never do another marathon, so my PR will stand at 4:02. My 1/2 PR is 1:52. These days I am happy if my pace is around 10 min miles – I had some 9:30 runs last week and was amazing by that. But right now my running is what my younger self would call “garbage miles” meaning I’m logging miles but there is no focus to the runs. I got faster in my 30s when I joined a running club and had focused workouts like tempo runs, speed work, hill runs, etc. I am just not in my mind set right now, though! I live on a steep hill so could easily walk out my door and do hill work but it just doesn’t sound appealing to me at all! But my sister has a 15mo and I think she’s PRd in some races since having her daughter. But she is willing to put the work in and ‘hurt’ on her runs whereas for me, it’s all about being out there doing something for myself. But if you train right and are willing to experience discomfort/pain, I do think age doesn’t need to hold you back from PR’ing!
After my son was born, I was so overwhelmed by parenthood that I didn’t do any speedwork or races for SIX YEARS. I just ran at whatever pace I wanted (slowly) and used the time to clear my head. By the way- I also had NO injuries at all for those six years, which seems incredible now. So… maybe someday you’ll want to get back into it (seeking PRs) and maybe not. I don’t know how people do it with small kids.
I am definitely still shooting for PRs… I started running too late in life to stop caring about PRs already, haha 🙂 In the years that I’ve been running, I’ve constantly improved pace and I have yet to hit the peak and go backwards… so who knows what’s still possible?
I love what you said about taking age into consideration but don’t use it as an excuse.
I’m not sure how long you’ve been running, but that’s definitely a benefit to starting later- I feel kind of bad for the people who ran track (and excelled) in high school. There’s nowhere to go but down for them.