Can I run a sub 2 min 800 at 47 yo when pr is 1:54 at age 20?

That is a legit mile for a 46 y/o? With that detail, I give you much better than a puncher's chance. The key question though: how fast can you turn a 400 right now? That will tell you all you need to know.

1:56 for the win and 1:59 for podium in M45 800m at todays WMA-worlds in Tampere, Finland. So it is possible, but for sure doable. I am 41 and aimibg for sub2 as well, but so far 10s shy. Good luck in training and racing!

Absolutely no sarcasm. Achievement doesn't come by osmosis, even as proven, by the greatest.

So yes- in this recent state of fitness- absolutely - I would be disappointed now if you couldn't- you didn't mention this earlier

4:3x isn't very helpful even if we were to assume that a single data point of yours would predict the OP's time. If you ran 4:39, that would suggest that you could have run close to 2:00 had you been in the OP's 4:27-4:31 shape. If you ran 4:31, very different story.

All that said, we know that 4:30 and 2:00 are reasonably comparable, at least for a lot of people. So the OP obviously has a chance.

Good luck OP. Let us know if you do it!

So I'm in my 40s and would also love to do it. About 3 years ago I did a 1km race and went through 600m in 1:33 without much training and months of injuries. My problem is that I can't handle running in spikes. My Achilles can't tolerate it and my hamstrings don't like the extra grip. What do you guys wear for footwear?

Good thread.

Am 43 and back to training as well. PB 2:03 at 15 on 3 workouts a week. Kept fit but not sharp. 10k focus this year so far, 5k/mile next and 800 attack then.

It’s all about trying.

No. Good luck on you attempt though. BTW, let us know when either hamstring say: "no mas, no mas"

The problem is that the 5th avenue mile times are generally 5 seconds faster than a track mile. When Peter Brady was in 1:58-1:59 shape at age 43, he run 4:22 on the 5th avenue mile.

I agree that the OP has a chance, but it is a very small one. Having said that, I commend him for trying and wish him the best of luck.

I think that when you get close and make an honest attempt, you have to post a video or do it in a legitimate meet with posted results. A post that says, "Well, I did it," won't be worth anything.

I think that it would be a massive achievement and would love to see you do it.

Hard to believe Ryun ran close to 5 minutes in his early seventies, especially after a year off.

It feels like quibbling, but I don't get this sense at all. How often does the winner run a PR, or even a season's best? I'd be surprised if it's more than 20% of the time if you include 1500 conversions. So assuming that a 4:30 is really indicative of being in 4:35 shape sounds crazy to me.

In the 1970s when he was in his twenties.

New calculator has 1:59.99 at age 47= 1:49.49 92.16%

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I agree. I will video and post the attempt no matter the time.

Definite maybe.

Keys:

Don’t get hurt. If you feel a twinge, a slight pull, even a niggle then BACK OFF. 90 % of the battle is getting to the starting line healthy.

Keep up with the bike work. This is making you an aerobic monster. Your body can’t handle the stress of high running mileage but responds beautifully to the clean burn from bike training. The bike is your magic.

Stop focusing on weight. Eat healthfully and enjoy eating. If you are consciously trying to lose weight you will lose strength.

Find a race. You will need a good adrenaline surge to give you a chance. You can’t fake that with a solo/paced time trial attempt.

Good luck!

So, that looks great. Good luck, stay healthy!

Two questions are still open for me:
1. If you justify your "current fitness" with a strong mile result from 2021, does that mean your fitness is now unchanged in July 2022?
2. 15 years of bike racing is fantastic for your endurance, but maybe less fantastic for your speed (400, 800). That's why I'd be interested to know how fast you can run a series of 200s now. The mile doesn't tell you everything about the 800m.

Morning,

Today I have good bike fitness, which has kept me competitive with the young guns. I am confident this cardio fitness is plenty for a quality mile and will help me with my 800 training block. The plan is to train for the next 11 weeks for my 800 attempt. I am going to take the first two weeks easy as I have had some modest hammy issues over the last 6 months and have not run in 4.5 months. I will have a better idea of my 200 fitness in a few weeks. I would guess that today 27’ish would not be too hard without any work. I did run a 56 quarter last year alone on the track. So I hope this speed is still there. If my weight remains around 159/ 160 this dream will fail hard. It only stands a chance around 154lbs or below. Diet is the hardest part for me. I enjoy the speed work, lifting and intervals needed to ramp for this 800 attempt.

Funny you say this. if the hammy holds and the weight comes off I think I can do this. the hammy has been suspect the last 6 months. I am going to give it a good go