Any average runners get in really good shape in late 20's or early 30's?

I'm 35 and in way better shape than my early 20's....I know how to eat and rest now. :)

And I have money to purchase 5-6 different pairs of shoes for my rotation.

Are you involved with a running group or do you train on your own? Do you race as well? I'm curious how to get back that motivation to go out and run after a 10 hour day at work.

^ this.

I never really gave up some sort of intense aerobic activity so not sure how much you've been out of it. I got injured a lot after trying to train very seriously post college and after cycles of injuries I'm now almost 29 and am in better shape than I ever was in college and am looking to run a 5 mile PR this weekend. I cycled a lot when dealing with injuries. I wasn't that fast, relatively speaking - mid 15 5K guy, so it's not as if I'm just relying on talent.

It takes sacrifice but if you have the fire you'll make it work. It's important to set goals, join a team and let the motivation of beating the guys you train with get you out of bed to run. Think about why you ran as hard as you could in races to begin with, what fueled that fire? That's what helps me these days. If you need help, reference the "running an 800 on pure hate" thread.

With half to a full year of training and dedication you can probably get close to where you were at your peak. Just remember how good it felt to be fit and fast and to experience that floating feeling on runs, that's a beautiful sensation but will take some time to get back, don't get discouraged and be smart about rest and eating like the above poster said.

I train with a group twice a week. Track workouts on Tuesday and hilly or tempo run on Thursday. I'm a local race director/timing guy so attending all races keeps me motivated and engaged. My 10 year old little girl (6:15 miler) loves running and racing so that also keeps me motivated to stay in shape.

In HS I did soccer (casually), and rode MTB.

In college I hit the gym and added some muscle (because, babes), and then met my wife and got skinny again. And then started racing cars and got skinny-fat.

By 26 I was 165lb, and probably 20%+ body fat, with zero aerobic capacity. I could still do a pull-up and did an ocassional bike ride, so I wasn't completely lost, but it wasn't good. It was very easy to sit around with the new baby, work extra hours to get ahead in my career, and have a couple beers and a huge dish of pasta after work every day.

My sister married an outdoorsy dude, who rekindled my love for the mountains. I quickly discovered that real mountains, especially in winter, are not friendly to the un-fit. I started riding my bike again, hiking, and climbing as much as possible.

2010 - Ran a 10k to see if my 6 months of climbing and cycling had done anything for me. It had not - I was rewarded with a 53:xx and a case of PF that almost cancelled a big climbing trip to the Cascades.

2011 - Started cycling a lot more, and built up a little bit of a base. Tried running a bit, and 4 miles at 9min pace felt very easy aerobically - but bad form, bad shoes, and weak legs meant I got injured after literally one run.

2012 - Signed up for a sprint Tri and very slowly worked my way into running. My average pace was 8:39 for the first half of the year, and I was racing my workouts. I picked up my mileage a bit later in the year, and finished the year with a 19:38 5k and 466 miles on the year. I started cycling competitively as well.

2013 - Did a whole bunch of cyling races, ran 400+ miles again, and didn't get too much faster on the run.

2014 - Ran seriously for the first time. Worked my way up to 45 mile weeks, got 1000 miles in for the year, and dropped my 5k time into the 17s.

2015 - Building on last year, on pace for over 2,000 miles running. I jumped back on the bike and went and did a local cycling crit - all the running has made me a significantly faster cyclist! I'm running a half marathon in a couple weeks and should be close to 1:20, if not under. I podium at most local races and finish respectably in bigger races.

Right now, I plan on stacking up a few 2,000 mile years and see where it gets me. My progress seems to be accelerating as I add miles, although I'm going to be running out of room to do that soon. It's not like I'm going pro or anything... but it's really fun to be mixing it up with the local fast guys that I was so in awe of a couple years ago. And to show up to smaller races and win, or at least be in the mix.

Point being - yeah, totally! Focus on getting out there every day - it's much easier mentally and phsycially to start with small, regular doses. A VERY short time ago, 3 miles a day for 7 days was a good week. Now I average 8-9 per day, and do 12-20 mile workouts some days. Daily workouts were a HUGE turning point for me.

I never had much talent to begin with, but -- that non-negotiable fact aside -- I was a much better runner from about age 24-35 than I ever was before. Part of it was accumulated years of training. Part of it was, even though I was older, I was also a little less stupid, year by year. I also had much more supportive and fun groups to train with, post-collegiately (at least in those years, not now). Post-collegiate groups I was part of were almost all much more dedicated and much smarter about their training. Almost all were what the studs here call hobby joggers -- i.e., amateurs, like almost everyone -- but they were serious about the sport and about doing what they needed to do to reach their potential. I suppose there are endless varieties of school team experiences, but my experience of athletes in the typical college age range and environment was mostly of individuals squandering opportunities -- I was one of them, by the way. Much better environments for training post-collegiately, in my experience, even if pretty much everyone in the group was working full-time, in serious relationships, etc. They/we all showed up for workouts because we wanted to be there -- no other reason to be doing it -- no school, no scholarship, no $$ (and even those few who earned a bit of money were operating at a net loss).

I'm a female. Used to run around a 20:30 5K in my early/late 20s, and averaged about 25 miles/week. Went through a divorce about 2 years ago and needed a distraction. So I randomly signed up for a triathlon even though I didn't own a bike at the time. I got hooked. 2 years later I'm running low 18s (5k). Swimming, biking, and running has transformed my body. I look and feel way better at 31 then I did when I was 21.

I don't think you can force yourself to be motivated. If you have goals, work towards that and the rest will follow. For me, I wanted to fill that sense of loneliness. It's been wonderful meeting people at races or chatting during long runs with new friends. I'm also now in a wonderful relationship with a fellow runner.

I ran 1:57 for 800 in high school. Ran one year at a community college and ran a couple 1:55s. Then I quit, joined the Marines, fought in the middle east for a few years, got out, and slowly started getting chubby. At age 29, I decided to start running to get fit for age 30.

On my 30th birthday I ran a 2:23 800.

31 I ran 2:02

32 I ran 1:54, a PR.

Then I started having visions of a couple more years training, and maybe hitting the 1:47 USATF standard. A month later I started developing a series of injuries that have kept me from doing any speedwork. Now I hobby jog 18 minute 5ks, which is faster than I ever ran cross country as a high schooler.

Thanks for this. I have a similar back ground with the biking, etc.

yeah going from 1:54 to 1:47 at age 34 seems plausible. Just hit up Salazar.

Just turned 30 this year. In college my prs were 1:56 3:56 14:30 and 24:40 for cross 8k. I then went off and on with work and running and ended up developing a serious alcohol problem. Went to a rehab when I was 26-27 for 6 months. They had a treadmill there. I woke up at 5am and ran on that thing, and I worked from 6:30 till 4 or so and then went to a bunch of classes. Started off doing just 3 miles at 9 to 8 min. Pace. I then was able to run outside once in a while. I worked my way up to 60 to 70 miles a week before I left and then I started training with a friend and 2 months later I had some of my best workouts ever. Did a 19:24 4 mile time trial. 35 min. 7 mile temp. And a consistent long run. I was in the best aerobic shape I was ever in after just 8 months of really good training. Then I relapsed and everything went to crap. But now I'm 30 and I have been sober for a year and a half and I'm giving it one more go. My goal is that 1 hour 5 min. Half by the time I am 34. I just started up again 6 weeks ago. Went from 0 to last two weeks of 45 and 48 miles. Finished a long run in some harsh heat conditions in 7:15 pace so I'm right on schedule. If I can do it you can do it. The motivation comes from passion. The passion to push yourself to be the best you can be at whatever you do. Best of luck to you. Enjoy your journey.

Some great responses. I appreciate the stories and motivation.

Alki - Good luck man. Thanks for the inspiration.