Let's be frank here: you're not "racing" at 8:00 pace.

Your definition must be considered invalid due to it's limited application. Racing as a description implies a maximum discreet effort regardless of the time. 8 min pace is sleeping for an elite runner, but for a senior runner it's difficulty can be onerous. at 69 I am ashamed to have recently not be able to break 8 min pace for a 5k for the 1st time in my life. (Chronic high hamstring tendinopathy) But the effort to try was equivalent to when I could run 16 min in younger years..

Ultra runners go home devastated

Bob Kennedy (the former 5000m American Record holder, who you might be too young to know about) ran 50K in 7:35:37. That's 14:40 mile pace. He also did a marathon in 3:26, which is barely faster than 8:00 pace.

Well now we know why he's a "former" record holder. 🙄

Sham 69 wrote:

This is what we call a jog. Unless you are very old or handicapped, don't bother racing at this pace. Instead, do 200 and 400 repeats until your race pace is in the lower 7s. You need to learn to SPRINT first, because 8:00 pace is jogging.

The op must be a sub 2:20 marathoner 🤣

The tiny echochamber people on these boards live in is impressive.

I'll use my wife as an example. 30 years old. 5 foot 110 lbs. She works out 5 days a week. She mixes it up with elliptical, running and "high fitness" classes. Far fitter and active than the average American. And not fat.

I had her run an all out mile one time. She made it in 8:20 and collapsed when she was done. It was definitely all out. Somehow I got her to run a 10K once. She was elated that she barely made it under an hour: 59:55.

Definitely gave me perspective on how skewed these boards are.

runnER/DR wrote:

The tiny echochamber people on these boards live in is impressive.

I'll use my wife as an example. 30 years old. 5 foot 110 lbs. She works out 5 days a week. She mixes it up with elliptical, running and "high fitness" classes. Far fitter and active than the average American. And not fat.

I had her run an all out mile one time. She made it in 8:20 and collapsed when she was done. It was definitely all out. Somehow I got her to run a 10K once. She was elated that she barely made it under an hour: 59:55.

Definitely gave me perspective on how skewed these boards are.

A lot has to go into being able to run decent times for most people.

But some are skinny twigs that run 5:xx for a mile their first time ever trying it, then are snobs about it. They're worse than gymbros, at least gymbros seem more understanding of weak people and more willing to help them improve than elitist hobby joggers,

The fact is some start out benching 300+ lb., some only the 45 lb. bar. Just like some start of running 5 minute miles while others 12+ minutes. Most people are good at some things, terrible at others, some suck at everything...while others are decent at almost everything.

It's dumb for a 300+ lb. bencher to look down on a 185 lb. bench who may have had to work way harder than the stronger guy to lift that. The same way that 8 minutes mile pace 5k runner may have had to work really hard and have been extremely dedicated to get to that point. Then gets sh!tted on by some doofus 4 minute miler who's benefitted from instant gratification. Like it's easy to be a 500 lb. bencher when you started as a 300+ lb. bench guy and your bench shot up every time you looked at a barbell.

Yeah well go JOG to the podium of western states hundred or set a new 72 hours WR or live to 90 and set age group WR in marathon if you think you're so cool and fast.

All of these might not be as huge as Olympic gold but I'm quite certain it's a couple of orders of magnitude more than you (or me) have achieved – and likely will ever achieve

This is an interesting thought though. At what age/pace are you not considered 'running', all times for 3 miles?

30- sub 7 per mile considered running?

40- sub 8

50- sub 8:15

60- sub 8:30

70- sub 11

80 - sub 15

90 - any movement

flyingfrog wrote:

This is an interesting thought though. At what age/pace are you not considered 'running', all times for 3 miles?

30- sub 7 per mile considered running?

40- sub 8

50- sub 8:15

60- sub 8:30

70- sub 11

80 - sub 15

90 - any movement

I guess wejo didn't do much running then.

8:00 minute pace is world class for a 100 miler. Would like to see the OP jog 100 miles at 8:00 pace and report back as to how much faster he could have gone if he was racing.

Sham 69 wrote:

This is what we call a jog. Unless you are very old or handicapped, don't bother racing at this pace. Instead, do 200 and 400 repeats until your race pace is in the lower 7s. You need to learn to SPRINT first, because 8:00 pace is jogging.

I know a guy who was a D1 all-american sprinter 10 years ago, so he was running low 10's int he 100. He has stayed in shape, and for some reason now wants to try the challenge of running a marathon. His 10k race pace right now is only about 7:30 pace. So tell me again how someone whose race is 7:30-8 needs to sprint?? He is an incredibly fast sprinter, it doesn't help him run fast for a long time.

Most people whose race pace is 8:00 need to just run more in general. Obviously 8:00 isn't as fast as they can go in a sprint, it's just that they can't maintain a pace because they aren't used to running long. So if they run more it'll get easier and they can start going faster, even without any speed work. So to a new person running I wouldn't even have them doing any workouts at all for a long time, I'd just have them build up their mileage and do some strides. Just doing that they'll get a lot faster, way faster than if you didn't have them doing much mileage (which is what they've been doing, not running mileage) and make them do sprints. That's just a stupid idea.

Sham 69 wrote:

This is what we call a jog. Unless you are very old or handicapped, don't bother racing at this pace. Instead, do 200 and 400 repeats until your race pace is in the lower 7s. You need to learn to SPRINT first, because 8:00 pace is jogging.

I have never in my life met a group of people more obsessed with people who aren't as good as them.

Do you know how much time chess players spend discussing beginning players and if they are really "playing" the game if they have a rating under 1800? None at all.

Do professional soccer players get all butt hurt about pickup games? Do pro golfers spend even half a second thinking about those who can't break 100?

It's unreal.

MelRnr wrote:

Anyone participating in a race and running as hard as they can is racing.

THIS right here.

End thread.

"You're not racing at 6 minute pace." - Eliud Kipchoge

How long could the average US youngster maintain an 8 mile pace?

Probably less than 10K?

mr jim wrote:

Sham 69 wrote:

Maybe, but I can definitely race 2 miles at 4:50 pace right now. That is 9:40 for two miles.

If your answer is maybe, I highly doubt you are breaking 10:00 for 2 miles

^hard second on this. 10 miles at 8 minute pace is an easy run for someone who is running 9:40 in the 2 mile.

The only reason people here pretend to be Frank is because they hate who they are in real life

CopperRunner wrote:

Sham could you run 10 miles at sub 8:00 pace?

I'm pretty sure sham is faster than me and I could do that in my sleep