Only on Letsrun is a 20:44 5k criticized

That is slow 🤡🤡🤡🤡🤡

On 30 miles of jogging I did 19:2x and then 18:40s after a few parkruns. That was the low hanging fruit. Getting down to low 18s always required specific work, and going sub 18 was always a huge challenge. I never understood how going just a little bit faster was so difficult.

I guess Kelvin Kiptum could have said the same to everybody.

I have not run more than 15km a week in the past two years, and most weeks are 5km only i.e one parkrun.

I've still run 17:34 in the past month and under 18min more often than not. Age 42.

20:44 is objectively slow AF for an able bodied male under 55.

For the man who ran the 20:44 without training seriously, it's objectively excellent.

Either everyone replying to this got trolled by OP or I'm getting trolled by the replies and it's all one big circlejerk

I am currently 70 lbs over my ideal race weight (though even when I was "fast", (barely) sub-15:00, I was still probably 5-10 lbs over that...back then the excess was muscle, nowadays mostly not... though I can bench my weight, do 10 pullups etc - which when you're as fat as me as less pathetic than it sounds)

Anyway, despite being in my early 40s and 70 lbs overweight, I can still break 20 (though not 19:00 sadly - though I'm sure it's possible at my weight, I just don't train enough).

My point is that even, say, sub-16:00 in no way requires you to be a 'twig'. Sure, sub-14:00 maybe.

Sure, but people who can break 18 (or even 15) can do more pullups than average, probably way more. Compared to the general population, they are, as a group (1) less overweight, (2) more likely to just actually exercise period, including their arms, and (3) more likely to be physically competent, non-disabled people, and meanwhile, (4), muscle mass isn't imposing significant tradeoffs at these margins.

Just as n=1, when I could break 15 I could do over 20 pullups and bench 200 lbs. I was probably one of the stronger ones, but I think most/all of our varsity XC team could have done at least double-digit pullups.

It's a good time in terms of having good physical condition in terms of endurance. Of course it is all about the journey and what kind of times you have ran before it what makes you feel personally impressed.

I would say that there are little to no health benefits for having a condition to run 5k much faster than 20min.

You were cross training or something else.

Only people criticizing are the 15:00 bouncy-shoes crowd that love to bore their coworkers with their running endeavors.

Yeah, lots of gym work/swimming and a bit of cycling. I also won two triathlons.

No doping though, which I think you may be insuinating. L-arginine, and co-enzyme Q10 is as exotic as I get with my supplements.

If I was doping I'd go for one of those new recovery peptides and run more than 5km a week!

You seem like a reasonable person. My 15yo daughter asked me if she can run a sub 22 min 5k running 20-30 miles per week for 6 months. Is this likely please?

You seem like a reasonable person. my 15 yo daughter asked me if this is possible running 20-30 miles per week for 6 months. Currently at 25:40 or so. Thx

Strongly disagree with this - I felt f&*ing amazing when I was in sub-15 shape. Just overflowing with strength and energy in a way that I haven't been since I've declined. Now obviously youth is a huge confounder, but I really feel that excellent fitness does make a difference.