Back in the day ... (Read 470 times)

( Before I go any further .... I have been lurking on this forum for the past few months or so and I would like to thank you all for the very helpful training advice .) ...when I was in OCS and later as a Marine 2nd lieutenant, I always ran the PFTs ( 3 miles ) in sub 18, with the best being a 15:45. I never raced before heading to OCS but I ran a fair amount and I played a couple of sports in college. 20 years later and 10 lbs heavier, I have started running a race about every other week, lately most of such races have been 5ks. Over my last 4 5ks (a 6 week period ), my pace has dropped from 7:05 to 6:30. My question is, if my best 5k pace was 5:15 at age 23, what should I expect my best pace to be 20 years later?

As a late starter, I peaked at 43 when I ran 16:39 for 5k and 33:48 for 10k. After that I gradually trained less and less until I was doing almost nothing by age 51. Then, a little more than 3 years ago, just before turning 59, I started picking it up again. Within a short time, I realize that something had changed. There was just no way I could do what I had 15 years before. Enter age grading Not only has the age grading been a great motivational tool but it helped me to set realistic goals and then go after them. Using your 5k at 5:15 pace, which would be a 16:19, the age 43 equivalent would be 17:39 (5:41 pace). If you were able to train the same amount and take off the 10 lbs you probably can run a time in that range. However, if you really didn't come close to maxing out your training when you were 23, you very well might be able to go faster than 17:39. If you are willing (and able) to train more, and possibly smarter, than you did back then it's even possible that you could set an actual PR. In my case the grading scale has been very close to on the money. In order for me to now run at age 62 the equivalent of that 33:48 I ran at 43, I set an all-time mieage record last year by a single mile (2746 vs 2745) , which was my 3rd year after beginning the push. I also got down to my lowest weight ever, went injury free for more than a year, and got a coach. Anyone who thinks that the age grading scale makes it easier for us when we get older could not prove it by me. I had to work every bit as hard and possibly harder to run the 39:22 I ran a couple weeks ago as I did that 33:48 more than 18 years ago. You should think about starting a log and making it public along with your profile if you'd like to get more feedback. Good luck in your quest and keep posting. Here's a link to the calculator I used to come up with your equivalent time. It is probably the most widlely use one: http://www.howardgrubb.co.uk/athletics/wmalookup06.html