Forums >General Running>Encouragement for Older Runners - New PR at age 49
Great job.
all my PR were in the 80s
not bad for mile 25
Great job. all my PR were in the 80s
Hope I can set some PRs when I'm in my 80s!
1980s
Me, too. In my twenties. Not gonna beat THOSE anytime ever.
But I discovered a work-around; running distances I've never done before! Guaranteed PR!
60-64 age group - University of Oregon alumni - Irreverent and Annoying
Roads Scholar
Me, too. In my twenties. Not gonna beat THOSE anytime ever. But I discovered a work-around; running distances I've never done before! Guaranteed PR!
My work-around is to reset for every age group.
I know many people like to use age grading to compare performances at various ages/gender. I don't like the way age grading is done, comparing to exceptional runners. I would much prefer to use percentiles by age but those data are not easy to find. One source is https://runrepeat.com/how-do-you-masure-up-the-runners-percentile-calculator.
Like the OP, my 45-49 y.o. self could out run my 15-20 y.o. self at most distances. Back in the day I treated running XC and track as just staying in shape for other sports. I guess I was a slacker and didn't really appreciate running like I do now. I remember running 5 miles in training, like twice, and thinking our coach was a miserable bleeping sadist.
I strive towards laconic wit, my wife says I'm halfway there.
arunnerd.blogspot.com
M58
When I got bored and played around with an age-grading calculator I found my highest score was about 93; an 800m when I was 17. Even my trials-qualifying Steeple was a point or two lower. All my other various PRs range from 88-91. Current fitness level for things 3-10k is about 70-73 AG result. But I have a disclaimer/excuse; I haven't been able to train much, or consistently!
True! Did my 100 and 100k races in my 50s.
4/14/24 Napa Valley 50k, Calistoga, CA
7/20/24 Tahoe Rim Trail 56 miler, NV
9/21/24 Mountain Lakes 100, OR
M58 When I got bored and played around with an age-grading calculator I found my highest score was about 93; an 800m when I was 17. Even my trials-qualifying Steeple was a point or two lower. All my other various PRs range from 88-91. Current fitness level for things 3-10k is about 70-73 AG result. But I have a disclaimer/excuse; I haven't been able to train much, or consistently!
Wow.
Even your poorly trained AG 70s probably place you at the top ~1% on a percentile chart. Percentile isn't even the right way to think about talent like 88-93. That is world class, as "trials-qualifying" would attest.
I wondered about that "University of Oregon alumni" in your signature, "Did he run?". I guess now I know.
Wow. Even your poorly trained AG 70s probably place you at the top ~1% on a percentile chart. Percentile isn't even the right way to think about talent like 88-93. That is world class, as "trials-qualifying" would attest. I wondered about that "University of Oregon alumni" in your signature, "Did he run?". I guess now I know.
I wasn't fast enough to be entered in a meet! Too many All-Americans when I was there. There were maybe 30 mid/long distance runners on the roster, and I think only about 10 got to run in any meets.
From my perspective, a score of 80 or above would be "sub elite", and 90+ would be elite (at any age). 70 would be "good". I don't know how they calculate such things, but I ran a 21:00 5k road race a few years ago and at the end of the year OTC (I'm a member) sent me an All American Certificate. I'm guessing that means it was in the top 10% of all times run by people in my AG category in the country that year? Easy to do, since there are so many untrained, non-runner people doing 5k's as walks and fundraisers.
Thanks SurlyBill and Healthrunner!
My PR 10K time of 41:10 at age 49 certainly needs an asterisk after it for several reasons. When I ran the 41:15 at age18 it was after only a couple months of running. I had injury issues after that due to my ignorance at the time about proper training, and maintenance of the body. It was only ironically at age 47 when I finally was able to figure out how to stay relatively injury-free that I've been able to progress towards my potential. Had I been able to train consistently in my late teens and 20s, I'm sure I would have had a much better PR and it would have been very unlikely I could have beaten it now at age 49.
My 8 years of high level road cycling before I restarted running at age 47 I'm sure has had a big impact on how I'm able to run now because my aerobic system would have been well-trained from all that cycling. It was then a matter of training my musco-skeletal system to handle the running after only having low-impact cycling for years before the switch. That is still different from having run all those years. It's easy to stay injury-free while cycling, of course, but had I theoretically been able to run injury-free, I think I'd be running better times now.
I'll always have to wonder what I would have been capable of with running had I been able to train properly while young. I envy those of you who set PRs in your youth that are now unreachable because you were able to know what your potential was. It's still satisfying though to be a better runner now at age 49 than when I was 18.
Personal Records:
5K - 20:07 ran in September 2021 (The second half split during the 10K run listed below.)
10K - 41:10 ran in September 2021
8 miles - 56:15 ran in November 2021
Half Marathon - 1:39:06 ran in September 2020
Jason, def get what you saying about ‘what if in the younger years’ - I’m 57 and 11 months. Over the last 2years I have set pr’s in the 1/2, 3x 5k and the mile. Shooting for a 10k pr in a couple of weeks(shooting for a sub 7 ave pace).. I listen to my friends who were college athletes complain about what they used to be able to do but now can’t - they can’t get past it - it’s nearly depressing.
I was never a college athlete hence no history to reminisce about nor to keep me captive - every day is a new day to be my best!
Jason, keep it up!!
I think people who came to running later in life have an advantage. Like ladnierd mentioned, those of us who've been doing this since we were 12 have all those past times and hard workouts engrained as "standards" and find it defeating to not be even close to them anymore, but "new" runners see all-time improvements NOW, and that's very rewarding.
Jason's got that going for him, and it's great!