My couch potato friend actually gifted?

Not really.

Was this mile all out for him? Did he look relaxed?

it was full out for him. I was impressed with the effort he put in.

I ran a 5:20 mile off training for 2 months and I have track and field pedigree and tons of speed. at the start of that 2 months I ran 6:03 or something. This dude was close to that with 0 fitness, training etc.

I figured an average couch potato that doesn't play sport would run 8-9minute mile so I figure this guy has some potential with training/diet etc. to place up there in some fun runs which would be great for his self esteem

a real question wrote:

He says he runs occasionally but like super slow 20-40min runs around the block very seldom.

Anyway we ran a mile and he ripped off 6:17. I figured this was outstanding for an average dude (not even a weekend warrior, he hasn't played sports since HS and is 32) He also drinks beer regularly and eats like crap.

He likes running and I was saying I would train / help him out but I know little about distance. Does he actually have potential or could any joe shmo head to the track and run 6:17? I know that is incredibly slow for you guys.

The answer to your question is almost entirely dependent on what he means by "occasionally". However, even if he never ran at all, a 6:17 mile wouldn't qualify as gifted.

6:17 is not gifted. He does not do zero training. You are probably overtrained and under recovering.

occasionally means: He said when he lived in europe (like 3 months ago) he would run a slow run (like 30min 5k pace) once or twice a week. He did that for a month or 2.

By "gifted" I mean if you took a sample selection of people that hadn't played sports in 15 years, lived a sedentary lifestyle, ate like crap, and ran on occasion very slow I bet he would be in the 99th percentile.

Yeah dude. He pretty much does 0 training. And on top of that eats like crap and has beer all the time.

oats man wrote:

6:17 is not gifted. He does not do zero training. You are probably overtrained and under recovering.

I am 31, crippled with rheumatoid arthritis, probably less active than your friend, and can still run sub-6.

any real answers?

I know based on his history he would definitely be in the upper echelon of "couch potatoes" but just wondering how talented he actually is.

Eating a crap diet and drinking beer has nothing to do with your fitness level.

If he ate the purest diet and never trained he wouldn't run any faster in an untrained mile.

Hmm. I agree that fitness is way more important but this isn't true. If he ate a great diet and was untrained he would be lighter and healthier and run faster. this was kind of a dumb post

With the right coaching he could probably qualify for the Couch Potato Olympics. Should look into getting a sponsor.

Oh, ffs, yes, it's pretty good time for an untrained 32yo. Can't say much else beyond that, he might have 16 min 5k potential or he might never break 19.

How even was the effort? 3, 3:17 or 2:20, 3:57? The later would be more impressive.

Do some running and see what happens.

Anyone who is not overweight can join a 7:00 or slightly faster run for a few miles. It's not even prospective talent until they do it for 6+ miles.

a real question wrote:

Hmm. I agree that fitness is way more important but this isn't true. If he ate a great diet and was untrained he would be lighter and healthier and run faster. this was kind of a dumb post

No, drinking beer has nothing to do with your fitness level. Beer is not bad for running.

No they cannot.

Maybe he could be a competitive beer miler???

a real question wrote:

Yeah dude. He pretty much does 0 training. And on top of that eats like crap and has beer all the time.

oats man wrote:

6:17 is not gifted. He does not do zero training. You are probably overtrained and under recovering.

Yes he is certainly way above average for his class (32 year olds that do little to no sport and didn't do any in HS/collgeg that are not overweight).

He ran right with me for the first 2 laps so about 2:40/3:40

Wang wrote:

Oh, ffs, yes, it's pretty good time for an untrained 32yo. Can't say much else beyond that, he might have 16 min 5k potential or he might never break 19.

How even was the effort? 3, 3:17 or 2:20, 3:57? The later would be more impressive.

Do some running and see what happens.