I am 32 years old and run 90mpw but get beaten by 18 year olds on 40mpw

If you're not genetically blessed, cool. Enjoy the ride and the vibes of running, or go find something else to do with your time.

Should a 70 yo man who shoots free throws really well play in the NBA?

Who gives 2 sh*ts how many miles you run. What is you 400m time and your 3K time? That will tell us what we need to know about your running ability outside the marathon, and maybe the half.

We all can chase the wrong goals in the wrong way. if your goal is run fast… do better and train smarter. If your goal is to run 100 mpw, great job! 100 mpw is a cool feat. Doesn’t mean you will beat me in a 5K or a street brawl… or free throw contest.

F.a.t. sub-25 200m & f.a.t. sub-55 400m by age 15 or not? Develop speed first!

Are you saying that there is much much less than one person on the entire planet who can, despite Kessler doing so?

Add the 5km in there too and you could tell his marathon ability too, but whether that person then has the mental, the strategy etc different issue. Time from 100m to 5km the faster person should be faster anywhere beyond that.

Not absolutely necessary...the 80VO2 max could have crap efficiency and vice versa. It is the amount of O2 per kg per km and the effieciency is that vs max, so % of VO2 max

I sucked at school athletics , got thrashed by the studs who were good at most sports. What I realised and was told when starting to run regularly post school was that I had good efficiency, good form. Even when I did my first marathon at 19, off just running 7km 3 times week I did it in 3:30 (first half sub 3 pace). I decided to not run as much as others but to improve my shortcoming, speed. Fast forward 8 yrs, I run sub 2:30 off 100km/wk. I had very little slow runs, none of that Maffetone nonsense. Speedwork right from 100m up, bread and butter were 400's and 1,000's and the long run was a decent pace. Could 160-200km/wk have made me faster? Doubt it. Comes with injuries, tiredness and lack of speed.

You have to do things differently. What speed also does is that it forces proper form and that carries into efficiency and 'stamina'.

Long story short, change up your training, won't make you a gun , but at least quicker

Comparison is the thief of joy.

Stop worrying about what other people are doing, and focus on the things you can do to get the best out of yourself.

If you do this, you'll find that running a personal best can be one of the most enjoyable experiences a person can have.

If you don't, no performance will ever be good enough - because someone will always have more talent.

Ummmmm ageist much?

Hang em up - you are embarrassing. I'm over 40, don't do high milage and can still run a 60 400m off of muscle memory. If you can't squeeze a drop of juice out of all that running you should find better things to do with your time.

The world of Ultras is calling you and you just aren't listening.

Aww, sorry about that

Did you ever discuss VO2 maxes with other runners? The coach at the college in town had a running performance, and when I was HS, a few of us went in to be tested. I was a significantly stronger runner than my teammates, and my VO2 was in the mid-70s, while everyone else was sub-70. In college, the mid-packers that that shared their VO2 scores, were also in 60s while the scholarship guys approached 80.

The ratio of fast-twitch to slow-twitch muscles, is also a big factor on how much someone benefits from increased mileage.

yo brah at least u don't get beat by middle school girls like me brah. I slog 20 milers in heat and humidity and freezing cold temps but can't beat a 13 yr old girl. brah.

Somewhat true

Its very typical for 32 or 42 or 52 year old ex High School T&F State Champions to be hounded by their slow old teammates or slow current coworkers about their current fitness or speed! Former slow HSers still trying to beat their former State Championship teammates 5k pr long after they've stopped running! It mattered in HS, it doesn't matter at 32! And actually it barely matters in college! Most studs from HS or college barely run or care by the time they're done.

...Except for the Olympics nothing compares to the excitement of HS t&f! Collegiate t&f athletes compete in front of dismal size crowds and no one really cares except for dedicated parents. Running Pros barely get paid peanuts and get no respect compared with other sports. The US Oly trials will have less fans than the typical HS State Championship crowd which are usually sold out or near capacity crowds. D1 championships have about a quarter of the stands filled. (Except HEPs...the Ivy's still draw crowds!)

As far as 32 y.o. trying to keep up with HS studs running 40 mpw??? Talent matters and those chasing running glory who never had HS success and were too slow for college in the first place typically have chips on their shoulders if they're comparing themselves to talented HS runners! You want glory or recognition?? If you couldn't do it in HS you're not going to be impressive later even if you run 100mpw!

Nobody cares. Work harder

In my 30's I made an effort to run a 5k under 16:00 one more time. It took over a year and was difficult, but I ended up running 15:49. The effort ended up getting me PB's in the 10-mile, half marathon, and marathon within 6 months after as well.

A friend got back into running about the same time I was hunting the sub-16. It took him about 3 months to run a 15:30 from only doing 1-2 runs a week previously. (He ran low 14's in college; he's run a 1:04 half and qualified for the marathon Oly trials too). I don't think I could physically ever run those times no matter the effort.

I could smoke him in a 400m or 800m, but within about 1.5 years he had run a 2:22 marathon.

Talent is everything.

If you don't like 32 you're gonna love 52...

Why do you still do it?