consider the following wrote:
Sledge_Hammer wrote:
Why is it so hard to believe. I'm pretty much talentless, but I still went from 28-ish 5k to 19 ish (in the heat) after 6 months of training, and 18 months later sub-35 in the 10k.
TLDR: Read it anyway. Although my post is in reply to Sledge_Hammer, this is a general challenge to all who want to explain that the dude's progress is reasonable. My point is, anyone can explain one thing, but no one can explain everything. There are too many individual, unrelated anomalies to explain away. So don't bother explaining just one thing...anyone can do that. Explain this all! I will no longer accept excuses for nsuns that do not consider all the information below.
Your progression is very, very good. Something that others might dream of.
I decided to compare your trajectories, just to show you how absurd the redditor's claims are. I plugged your race times into Jack Daniels' VDOT tables, to compare the efforts at different distances. This is my magnum opus.
Your progress: Very admirable, and achievable
* Your original 5k 28 flat: 33 VDOT
* Then you train for 6 months, avg ___ mpw (I didn't wanna guess)
* Your improved 5k, 19 flat: 53 VDOT
THIS is the timeframe the redditor is working in. You trained for 18 more months and achieved a 10k performance that is STILL not as impressive as this guy's claimed 5k (that effort's VDOT is 62, this race is 61).
Redditor's progress: Just unrealistic no matter how you look at the data he has shared
* Started running late March 2019, can barely run a mile. 11 minutes. Corresponds to a Daniels 33-34 VDOT at easy pace.
* April-October: claims to run 5mpw until deciding to train seriously.
* These numbers are from a screenshot of the redditor's runkeeper log:
- Avg pace of runs has increased to ~8:00/mile, in line with the redditor's other claims.
- November 2019: ~7 mpw
- December 2019-January 2020: 15-20 mpw
- February-April 2020: 30-40 mpw
...
Everything up until this point, I don't think he's fabricated a thing. Why wouldn't he get a little better at running with consistency, at least to the point he isn't shuffling on his easy runs? I buy it, at least on principle.
And then this is where I think the redditor starts faking data. After this point, the PRs start rolling in and claims start to be made. But now, instead of RunKeeper, all his runs are logged in Garmin Connect. That's the source of his mile splits, his PRs, everything that he shows as his "after" picture. Check it out.
...
* April 19: 5k PR, a 62 VDOT performance
Not to mention he must have run it sub-maximally because he continued to run another 6:21 mile, completing a 39:37 10k with his 5k PR within it.
* 1 week later: 10k PR of 38:07, a 55 VDOT performance.
That's within a run where he sets his half-marathon PR of 1:26:24, a 53/54 VDOT performance. Pretty cool to be so versatile, and so soon. He loves setting PRs on submaximal efforts. Who knows what he is REALLY capable of...
* A couple weeks later, sets a mile PR of 4:55, a 60/61 performance.
For someone with such a background in lifting, and such a limited background in aerobic training, I sure would have expected the mile to be a better event for the strong guy! But his 5k was better, and just to flex, he ran negative splits and paced it very evenly, according to his Garmin Connect screenshot. It's amazing that he not only has a natural aerobic base with no training, but also a natural ability to pace a 5k run perfectly!
You went from a VDOT of 33 VDOT performance to a 53 VDOT performance, over 6 months with consistent training.
This redditor claims to have reached a 62 VDOT performance, without clearing ~15 mpw until 2 months before his PR. That, along with everything else I've written, is impossible to ignore.
That's all I have for now!