When you ran your fastest 5K, did you suspect it might be the fastest 5K that you would ever run?

Ran 15:48 my JR year of college, which was a 30sec PR at the time. Came back my SR year and ran 15:48. Things never clicked that year but still figured I'd run a little faster that year. The next year I still trained with the college team and was in shape to go 15:10-15:15 and got a stress fracture. Never could get in that kind of shape again as I moved to the marathon and beyond. Still wish I could have popped that one last race the year after college and brought my PR down to low 15's if not under.

My 5k pr is the first one I ever ran -- this was 1975, so I ran 3 miles/6 miles in college competition. Ran 15:55 in a low key meet during spring break during my final build up to Boston. Ran a pr 2:33 (eventually my 8th fastest) and then twelve days later my 880y pr. Should have been able to run 5k quicker after college, but was never focused.

Well other the obvious answer, age, I think its more muscular than cardio but really the biggest difference is in the ability to train and recover.You just can't train with the same intensity without risking injury.

general question wrote:

Just curious but if you could pinpoint what the main culprit is for not able to match your old PR's, is it like more cardio or muscular?

My 5k PR is 4 years old now. I expected to take a fair amount of time off almost immediately considering that I ran it on a moderately hilly course in the rain and have also split the first half of a 10k literally 1 second slower, but I have yet to break it. Earlier this year, I got back to 10 seconds off of it in what wasn't a particularly great race (was sore from workouts, didn't go out hard enough, and couldn't get myself to pick it up until about halfway), so I think I can break it eventually. That said, I'm not willing to interrupt training for a fast 5k, so I'll have to hop in a race a few weeks after a marathon or something. I care much more about significantly improving my marathon PR than anything else right now, so if it doesn't happen, that's OK.

Thanks, I know my question was a bit simplistic. I am a 30-40 range running for a few years starting late so I'm still seeing constant improvement. It seems holding hard breathing as I did in youth is degraded and was wondering if the same going into later years. I never trained when younger for comparison so ignorance is bliss.

Conundrum wrote:

Well other the obvious answer, age, I think its more muscular than cardio but really the biggest difference is in the ability to train and recover.

You just can't train with the same intensity without risking injury.

Not at all. Most people think they have a better one in them. In my 10k PB I split 15:07 so when I ran 14:56 the next year I thought I had a 14:30 in me. Bunch of low 15s but only broke 15 that one time.

The cool thing about starting late is being in the best shape of your life at a time when others are complaining how skills have diminished with age.

In fairness to your original question, really not sure, but my training logs clearly showed a drop in capacity for training as the first indicator. More slower runs and more recovery time needed.

My fastest 5k was only 2 weeks ago so I don't know if it will be my fastest and I certainly hope not. But everytime I've run a big PR I've thought it was the fastest I'd get.

Having never broke 20 in the 5k in HS or College, when I finally broke it 2 yrs ago (at 27) I thought that would be my best. Last fall I broke 19 (18:45) and thought for sure that was the best I'd do. 3 weeks after that I ran 18:11. I set a goal this fall to go Sub 18 but I didn't think I'd do it, 2 weeks ago I ran 17:52. Once again I'm doubting if I can improve on that but I'm certainly going to try. I'm 29 so still have some years to improve on it, would love to see Sub 17 someday. Ran a 10k PR of 37:15 a week ago (actually it was my first 10k aside from a trail race so pretty much a guaranteed PR but I was pleased with the time) and would like to improve on that as well.

FWIW, I'm a girl.

Very cool, nothing like reaching times that surprise yourself. Makes you wonder how fast you'll actually be able to run.

Curious how Haile Geb and Kenny Bekele would answer this question. Wonder if they always thought "I could run a little faster" after running a 5K WR.

Conundrum wrote:

The cool thing about starting late is being in the best shape of your life at a time when others are complaining how skills have diminished with age.

In fairness to your original question, really not sure, but my training logs clearly showed a drop in capacity for training as the first indicator. More slower runs and more recovery time needed.

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The ability to recover is a big factor when you're in the M55 ag. I never run three days in a row anymore. I've even gone a year without doing a road race. It's difficult to maintain good mileage and not get injured.

I've focused more on track races, 800/mile. I enjoy these more now in part because at least I feel like I'm running fast. Injuries are still a big theat though.

Trying to get age-graded PRs helps keep it interesting. This summer I had an age-graded PR at 800m. It felt almost as satisfying as a absolute PR.

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The late 20s was my most exciting period. PRs were frequent. And there's nothing like breaking those formidable barriers. By the early 30s I ran out of PRs.

In your case, a F25, you're probably a threat to win in the open...often?

A sub 17 is possible, keep at it.

Good question.

That was 19 years ago.

I wasn't a 5K runner. It was a fall road race that was part of base training for the 1500.

I ran the same race a year later, but the competition wasn't as good and I had stomach issues during the race.

Never lined up in another 5K again with that level of training.

So, no, I didnt expect my PR 5K to be my lifetime PR.

After running my 1500m best, I did suspect that may be my lifetime PR.

I had the Trials to run after that and then I knew I was done with full time training.

27. I had been trying to break 15 for several years. Finally managed it in a late autumn road race and said "Boom, that's it!"

I was 18 a frosh in college, running a turkey trot and cracked 15. Never imagined I would not run faster than that. Mainly laziness and mental factors kept me from running faster.

A note to ambitious runners:

Note that the responses in this thread of runners who were motivated and trained to get a new PR, and not on the wrong side of the aging curve, most cite INJURY as cause of not getting the new PR.

Follow sound advice for injury prevention in your training is my solution message.

When you are fit and on top of your game, overtraining is a very easy temptation most ambitious athletes do pursue.

Over50 wrote:

A note to ambitious runners:

Note that the responses in this thread of runners who were motivated and trained to get a new PR, and not on the wrong side of the aging curve, most cite INJURY as cause of not getting the new PR.

Follow sound advice for injury prevention in your training is my solution message.

When you are fit and on top of your game, overtraining is a very easy temptation most ambitious athletes do pursue.

My PR for the 5 km age 27 was 15:45 it was a really poorly paced race as well. A PR for the first 2 miles (or almost). Went for broke that day!! Easily room for improvement there I thought - age 31, 32:44 for 10 km

Got caught up with marathoning & had a 2:37 PR age 33. Then a myraid of injuries, after injuries followed.

Decided after scope surgery for knee problem no more marathons.

Er, yes I would sadly have to say injury factor was more than likely, as well as years of running since HS why I could not inmprove upon PRs then.

Probably.

Ran 19:47 three years ago at age 45. Shifted my focus to longer distances after that, broke my PB in 10K, half and marathon multiple times. Haven't run a certified 5K since then. (Have run a few sub-20, but I don't think they "count.")

I think I still have faster 10K (PB in 2011), half (PB in 2012) and marathon. In fact, I will try to improve on my marathon PB next week. If I focus on 5K again, I might improve my PB a little bit, but I don't think that's worth the effort. If it comes, it comes. But if 19:47 remains my PB in 5K, I can live with that.

Can't say about a 5K pr, but when I dropped 20 in an 8th grade basketball playoff game I knew that was my peak