Beginners and Beyond

Amateur marathon runners are slowing down.......(Wall Street Journal).... (Read 197 times)

happylily


    That is just too awesome.

     

     

    +100!

    PRs: Boston Marathon, 3:27, April 15th 2013

            Cornwall Half-Marathon, 1:35, April 27th 2013

    18 marathons, 18 BQs since 2010

       

       But when you follow your heart what some might consider hard is more like the joy of movement.

       

       

      I love this.

       

      And it's not just the movement, but the satisfaction of having worked your way up to being able to cruise along at a pace your non-running self would never be able to hold.  That is something every runner should be proud of, regardless of how "fast" they are.

      wcrunner2


      Are we there, yet?

        That is just too awesome.

         

        Even better, it was my PR race and highest finish at Boston, 185th.

         2024 Races:

              03/09 - Livingston Oval Ultra 6-Hour, 22.88 miles

              05/11 - D3 50K, 9:11:09
              05/25 - What the Duck 12-Hour

              06/17 - 6 Days in the Dome 12-Hour.

         

         

             

        MothAudio


          Even better, it was my PR race and highest finish at Boston, 185th.

           

          That's pretty cool.

           Youth Has No Age. ~ Picasso / 1st road race: Charleston Distance Run 15 Miler - 1974 / profile

           

          JerryInIL


          Return To Racing

            It's all the fat and sassy Babyboomers having their mid-life crisis...Whaaat !!!

                

            MothAudio


              And to add a non-scientific study of one to the mix:

              In 1981 at the age of 30 I weighed 155 pounds and ran a 3:01:31 marathon - not nearly good enough to BQ

              32 years later (older) and weighing 175 pounds (fatter) I ran a 3:47:30 marathon.

              So, older and fatter = slower.  Yep - some real rocket science there.

              Oh, BTW - that 3:47:30 is a BQ -7:30  Big grin

               

              Good stuff.

               

              1983 @ 26 YO I weighed 139 lbs and ran 3:05:01 - also, not nearly good enough to BQ. 28 years later, weighing 142 lbs I ran 3:28:13. BQ - 7:46.

               Youth Has No Age. ~ Picasso / 1st road race: Charleston Distance Run 15 Miler - 1974 / profile

               

              happylily


                 

                Good stuff.

                 

                1983 @ 26 YO I weighed 139 lbs and ran 3:05:01 - also, not nearly good enough to BQ. 28 years later, weighing 142 lbs I ran 3:28:13. BQ - 7:46.

                 

                I beat you both: 1985, 20 years old, 110 lbs, couldn't run a mile. 2013, 48 years old, 103 lbs, 3:27:45. BQ-27 Big grin

                PRs: Boston Marathon, 3:27, April 15th 2013

                        Cornwall Half-Marathon, 1:35, April 27th 2013

                18 marathons, 18 BQs since 2010

                wcrunner2


                Are we there, yet?

                   

                  I beat you both: 1985, 20 years old, 110 lbs, couldn't run a mile. 2013, 48 years old, 103 lbs, 3:27:45. BQ-27 Big grin

                  I'm headed the opposite direction. 1971, 24 years old, 125 lbs, BQ-35:04. 2013, 66 years old, 145 lbs, BQ + 1:20:00 Cry

                   2024 Races:

                        03/09 - Livingston Oval Ultra 6-Hour, 22.88 miles

                        05/11 - D3 50K, 9:11:09
                        05/25 - What the Duck 12-Hour

                        06/17 - 6 Days in the Dome 12-Hour.

                   

                   

                       

                  happylily


                    I'm headed the opposite direction. 1971, 24 years old, 125 lbs, BQ-35:04. 2013, 66 years old, 145 lbs, BQ + 1:20:00 Cry

                     

                    Your career was long and stellar. Mine will be short and rather ordinary. I would gladly trade with you, but I know that you would never want to exchange your memories for mine. Smile

                    PRs: Boston Marathon, 3:27, April 15th 2013

                            Cornwall Half-Marathon, 1:35, April 27th 2013

                    18 marathons, 18 BQs since 2010

                    wcrunner2


                    Are we there, yet?

                       

                      Your career was long and stellar. Mine will be short and rather ordinary. I would gladly trade with you, but I know that you would never want to exchange your memories for mine. Smile

                      You're right about that. For all the ups and downs, disappointments and triumphs, I wouldn't trade my memories, though I would not characterize yours as ordinary. Very few runners, much less women, can say they've accomplished what you have and overcome some of the obstacles you've had to surmount. More importantly I'm still adding to my memories as are you.

                       2024 Races:

                            03/09 - Livingston Oval Ultra 6-Hour, 22.88 miles

                            05/11 - D3 50K, 9:11:09
                            05/25 - What the Duck 12-Hour

                            06/17 - 6 Days in the Dome 12-Hour.

                       

                       

                           

                      onemile


                         

                         Yes, it is hard... but I like it :>

                         

                        The joy, a good portion of it, for me is not just in moving my body at my age but in the struggle to set challenging goals and to be the best *I* can be to achieve those goals. That really hasn't changed over the years, that's just how I'm built. I understand this isn't what motivates everyone, I can only account for myself.

                         

                        I was half joking but 4.5 weeks out from my marathon and I'm feeling a little burned out and exhausted.  I actually kind of envy the people who can just run for fun and not take it all so seriously.

                        happylily


                          You're right about that. For all the ups and downs, disappointments and triumphs, I wouldn't trade my memories, though I would not characterize yours as ordinary. Very few runners, much less women, can say they've accomplished what you have and overcome some of the obstacles you've had to surmount. More importantly I'm still adding to my memories as are you.

                           

                          Thank you, George. And you are right: you have many great memories still waiting for you to create, and hopefully, so do I. Smile Same for Moth, and Goo, and LTH, and Bluesky and all the other really old folks around here. Big grin

                          PRs: Boston Marathon, 3:27, April 15th 2013

                                  Cornwall Half-Marathon, 1:35, April 27th 2013

                          18 marathons, 18 BQs since 2010

                          kristin10185


                          Skirt Runner

                            Love the pic of George!!

                             

                            Honestly I think I will always be slow. I think no matter how hard I work and train I am JUST NOT built for speed. Will I improve? I am sure. Will I get faster? I am sure. I have already taken NINE minutes off my 5K time in less than a year. But I think I am meant to be a mid-to-back-of-the-packer. If I ever decide to run a marathon (I think I will.....not in 2014 but maybe 2015, 2016 or sometime down the line) I will probably finish in 5 hours or so and it won't mean I wouldn't have worked hard because I always try my best. Unfortunately, life, illness, injuries, ect get in the way of executing a perfect training plan, but even if I trained PERFECTLY, I am unsure if I could ever be fast-fast. Slow people aren't always fat (I am not a stick, but I am not fat!), old (I am only 28), or don't care to put in the training....sometimes they're just.....slow! lol

                            PRs:   5K- 28:16 (5/5/13)      10K- 1:00:13 (10/27/13)    4M- 41:43 (9/7/13)   15K- 1:34:25  (8/17/13)    10M- 1:56:30 (4/6/14)     HM- 2:20:16 (4/13/14)     Full- 5:55:33 (11/1/15)

                             

                            I started a blog about running :) Check it out if you care to

                            RSX


                              So cool to be in that video!! They brought back 6 of the 1972 women to Hopkinton last year and had a night for them. Nina was speaking, as was Katherine Switzer. It was a nice tribute to them and real interesting.

                              MothAudio


                                Love the pic of George!!

                                 

                                Honestly I think I will always be slow. I think no matter how hard I work and train I am JUST NOT built for speed. Will I improve? I am sure. Will I get faster? I am sure. I have already taken NINE minutes off my 5K time in less than a year. But I think I am meant to be a mid-to-back-of-the-packer. If I ever decide to run a marathon (I think I will.....not in 2014 but maybe 2015, 2016 or sometime down the line) I will probably finish in 5 hours or so and it won't mean I wouldn't have worked hard because I always try my best. Unfortunately, life, illness, injuries, ect get in the way of executing a perfect training plan, but even if I trained PERFECTLY, I am unsure if I could ever be fast-fast. Slow people aren't always fat (I am not a stick, but I am not fat!), old (I am only 28), or don't care to put in the training....sometimes they're just.....slow! lol

                                 

                                Not to focus on you Kristin, but when I hear these type of statement I ask myself, "Ok, but how much do you run?". What have you done to not be slow? I know everyone doesn't have the luxury to train as much as they want but it's impossible to reach your potential if you don't 1st put in the level of work to get there. I think there are a very small % of runners that [seriously] even want to really find out. And that's ok :>

                                 

                                Less than perfect execution of training schedules is much more the normal than the rule. Stuff happens, you adapt. I don't knwo wif this applies to you must many runners focus only on their immediate schedule and think that's the ticket to getting faster when they really should expand their window and think long term. What should I do now to improve my odds of being better 2-5 years down the road? Increasing mileage, which is holding more runners back then anything, is typically a 2-3 year project in itself. Lay the foundation, build the pathways and then you're ready to get more specific. It's not sexy [far from it] but it puts the tiger in the tank.

                                 Youth Has No Age. ~ Picasso / 1st road race: Charleston Distance Run 15 Miler - 1974 / profile