Sub-20 5k or bust!

I never thought about that. I always forget that I’m coming up on 53.

Shxt.

Still, given where I am, and considering that I have done only a few workouts, I’m going to stick with my program and see where it gets me.

Thanks Charlie.

Know what? It actually feels good, I’m glad I started this. I guess on some level the body knows what it needs, and I needed to up my aerobic capacity.

The "hold to 19 as long as you can.. to paraphrase Johnny Melencamp sounds like the safer option. Getting down to 17:59 at 65 is age graded 13:50, which would be flying. I think there's less injury danger in trying to hold on rather than crank it down to get another minute off.

I'm starting to wonder whether I've got to do something similar. It's very easy for me to get the engine where it needs to be, but very hard to avoid injury every time I get close to what I would call fit.

Part of the problem is that with the big engine, anything like a steady run at the kind of pace I should be doing relative to it from a cardio point it's having very little impact.

On the other hand doing something like I did today, 4 miles threshold style run, averaging about 7:15, I didn't get into threshold heart-rate (140+) until about last six minutes.

Similar thing with a three miler on the track with (1 1/2 miles warm-up and warm-down). Ran 6:50 per mile, and still barely got to 150 hr.

Where I'm stuck is that although I've got plenty of cardio reserve, the legs can't maintain the higher pace. I don't think its' a strength shortage, I've got reasonable strength - I ran 8 miles at 7:27 on Sunday, on an undulating course, but I don't know if I could even put a couple of miles together at 6:30.

Anyway, I'm thinking at least if I can't get any faster, if I can at least stay where I am until I'm 65, I'll be respectable again.

@SG Age graded tables gotta love em!

17 year old 10 minute 2 mile equates to 53 year old running 18:36/5000!

@Cavorty yeah Good Catch!

Cool thread sounds like you'll def make it no problem. ^

I didn't see anyone mention long runs. ? Sorry if I missed it.

You need the miles. An hour at easy pace everyday plus a long run once a week of 2-2.5hrs is good.

Make sure they're easy though or else they're junk miles and your speed will suffer.

For the long run you can explore hiking mountain trails and power hike up with beer. Then drink the beer at summit! Then jog back down. Lovely way to spend an afternoon. Just be careful though. Don't slip and hit ur head or else you'll find urself wearing toe socks, Salomons and a water vest on some socialist mountain range eating mashed potatoes out of a baby food pouch and running with hippie chicks. ?

Lol I could do worse! Actually, sounds good to me, but my wife would kill me. Literally!

Charlie wrote:

@SG Age graded tables gotta love em!

17 year old 10 minute 2 mile equates to 53 year old running 18:36/5000!

Yes but that was a scrawny 160-lb 17-yr old!

Increased speed at 45 seconds today, it was no problem. HR 146 upon finishing. Will increase speed at 42 seconds next workout.

At the end of my 40-mins at 6 mph HR was also 146.

Felt good, getting used to “long” run. Breathing felt easy on long run and on intervals, especially easy on intervals. Only drank about 400ml again, and the room was nice and warm.

I will keep decreasing by 3 seconds until it gets substantially hard. Will be interesting at very small rest intervals because of slow-down and speed-up of treadmill, I will figure it out.

20-min pace actually started to feel a bit comfortable today, which is encouraging. Did massive weights yesterday so was actually a bit depleted today. Had an old-man nap yeaterday to compensate!?

42 seconds today, HR 145

40 min @ 6mph, HR 144

All felt ok. Will start at 39 seconds next time. Run was tremendously boring from 0-20 mins, better from 20-30mins, and ok from 30-40mins. I never thought that I would get theough it when I started, this treadmill...

But it is sure easy to track progress and ensure consistency. 6mph is an interesting pace, I’m pretty sure that I could go all day at that pace. It gets very easy after 30 mins.

I have also found that exhaling deeply gets my breathing rate way down, as opposed to just breathing normally. Maybe I am just naturally tense. In any event, breathing was deep, pretty slow, and controlled.

HR’s seem to be coming down slowly, but consistently. I think I’m remembering how to run?

Yeah...you are doing really well.

I was serious by the way.

I think it’s going ok, but I will be traveling for a month late in the summer so I needed to up my schedule to try to get 20 before I leave, hence 3-second advances instead of 2.

Amazing the weekly mileage you guys do.

39 seconds today, HR 143, actually felt no harder than any longer rest interval. Fun to be in the 30’s, will do 36 or maybe 35 seconds next time.

HR 141 on 40-min run, felt very easy this time, the whole way through.

Drank only maybe250-300 ml of water the whole way.

Still interspersing hard weight workouts, had hard one yesterday. Starting to feel a sort of chronic tightness in my sternum that has coincided with this enterprise. I think it’s pec or intercostal overuse, maybe I will go easier on the bench. This reinforces my belief that you cannot do big weights and endurance stuff at the same time. Big weights require total rest and recovery.

Will have to sleep on my back not on my side, to open up the front overnight.

36 seconds today, HR 142

40-min HR 151.

Right calf hurt the whole way through, maybe should have cut long run short. Had to run a bit differently to keep it ok, was a bit harder...HR higher, and ended up drinking over a liter, and I’m still thirsty for more.

Intervals felt ok, no systemic problem, calf the only issue.

It’s been so long since I had a soleus strain that I have forgotten what it’s like. How long to recover? It started while swimming, with a push-off-the-wall-and-glide competition.?

Sweated like a pig today. Shorts and shirt are literally dripping sweat where I hung them, they are completely saturated. Never happened indoors before. Super humid here today.

4-6 weeks for a grade 2 strain?!

That would put the kaybosh on my project until October, because I need to be good for my upcoming trip in a month, so I will baby it until I leave. My wife would really be pissed if I had to limp onto the plane.

Lol sucks, was going well. Hopefully I can pick it up in October without too much deficit. Thanks to all who chimed in.