Wondering at what stage your PRs started looking untouchable and what that final moment of acceptance was like for some who have been running longer than I have. I'm now 4 years removed from my college PRs and am starting to wondering if those times are going to be out of reach soon. I've never been the most competitive runner but it is a bit of a sobering thought that I may never be able to run faster again. It's one that also seems increasingly likely with a lack of races in the future and growing external responsibilities.
When did your PRs turn into Lifetime Bests?
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I didn't run in college (college track/xs barely existed for women back then) and didn't get serious about running until I was almost 30. I ran my PRs at every common distance at age 32/33 in 1991. I suppose it was a few years later until I finally accepted the fact that I would never be any faster and, in fact, would never again match those times. That hasn't stopped me from continuing to run happily against my age-group peers up to and past age 60.
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crisscrosscountry wrote:
Wondering at what stage your PRs started looking untouchable and what that final moment of acceptance was like for some who have been running longer than I have. I'm now 4 years removed from my college PRs and am starting to wondering if those times are going to be out of reach soon. I've never been the most competitive runner but it is a bit of a sobering thought that I may never be able to run faster again. It's one that also seems increasingly likely with a lack of races in the future and growing external responsibilities.
Man I hope my Marathon PR hasn't already turned into my lifetime best but it may have. Although maybe the pogo stick shoes can save me.
Track PR's are from age 21. I probably would have bested my 10K PR my senior year but wasn't healthy.
Hald Marathon was age 24. Full Marathon was age 26 (that year I could have definitely beat my half PR if I had peaked for that rather than a full). I came pretty close at 29. We'll see what the 30s have in store. -
My personal bests became my lifetime bests the moment I ran them.
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Miasma wrote:
My personal bests became my lifetime bests the moment I ran them.
You must have been so disappointed when you finished those races. -
Fart Simpson wrote:
Miasma wrote:
My personal bests became my lifetime bests the moment I ran them.
You must have been so disappointed when you finished those races.
Well I guess you are correct in a sense but it is only because I was not truly satisfied at the time. However I did reach a level they most can only dream about. -
Age 23. I certainly didn't know they'd be lifetime bests at the time -- I was still improving and setting new goals. And for another 10 years, I didn't accept that those PRs would be forever.
During that entire decade, I always assumed I'd get back to sustained and serious training "soon." I'm still kinda disappointed and sad that I didn't.
I finally made time in my mid-40s, then again in my late 50s. Too late, unless you count "Age-graded" stats. -
I'm 27 and the most painful thing to admit is that my 100m and 200m PRs are probably untouchable when I got them while training as a distance runner in HS.
I ran 400/800 from the sprint side in college, yet never got the opportunity to run a FAT 100m or 200m, so even though I was obviously a better sprinter, I never set a new PR.
I've lost enough speed since age 23 that even training like a sprinter now, I would probably lose to 17 year old me who didn't lift and ran 50-70 MPW. Feels bad. -
1988
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I actually didn't think about that until it was way too late but when quit I was ready to , so no regrets. I am sure had I stayed with it a year or three more I would have set faster PRs especially in the marathon... given I only gave that one try. For some odd reason I thought I needed to get a real job (vs waiting tables) so I quit.
I ran my PRs in every distance from the mile to the marathon when I was 24 & 25. I ran pretty fast too but was never satisfied until years later when I realized I'd never run that fast again... it was at that point that I became satisfied with my running career. So odd how that happened... I also didn't realize until I stopped competing how much I really enjoy running. Also odd how that happened -
My lifetime bests were mostly between ages 22 to 26.
My best PR in the 1500 happened on the second to last time I ran the event seriously.
It was took 3 years to drop that PR and I knew I was done.
It hurt to put my feet on the floor when I got out of bed. -
"When did your PRs turn into Lifetime Bests?" The day before Thanksgiving, 1972, when I was permanently injured and couldn't run again.
I was only "serious" for two years, so every PR was from ages 19 and 20. -
At 33 I'm not sure, but I know time is not on my side. Having focused most consistently on the 1500 since college, I have PR'd at the age of 24, 27, and 30. I think the capacity to PR again is still there, but opportunities may become harder to come by, and training gets harder when more things come up in life. The funny thing is, the final week before my current 1500 PR could have been WAY better, which is a big part of the reason I think I could still surpass that mark.
My 5000 and half marathon PRs are weaker than my 1500 (both from age 27), so they could be attainable with some focus, and the right races.
I have never raced a 10000 on the track, or a marathon, so I guess those could be easy targets! -
Between the ages of 30 and 34. I thought I could improve up until the age of 38 but minor injuries, inconsistent training put paid to that.
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800/1500/5000 at 27 or 28
8K - 10 mile - 32 or 33
Actually ran fastest half and full marathon at 24 (debut) and 25 (2nd attempt), but didn't follow through with any more serious efforts at those distances until I was a masters runner. -
It is hard to PR in the 10k and down if you races those distances competitively in college on the track. A road 5k/10k time is not comparable to a track. I moved up to the half and full. When I compare my half/full times to my college track PR, my track PR still ranks as a slightly better effort.
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I did not do much running till I was 56 years old, so most of my PRs came at 60 and 62 years old. I think I knew at 64 that I couldn't hit those times again. I look for new goals now and still enjoy running.
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I ran my track bests in college for the most part. I did however find a way to schedule training around my two jobs (full time desk and coaching HS track/XC) for roughly a decade. I kept chasing those PR's and always thought I was pretty close until probably 34-35 years old.
800 - Never really tried to beat, but got ~2 seconds off
15/mile - came within half a second at 29
3k - half a second at 29
5k - PR at 29
8k road - PR at 30
10k road - never tried
The 5 years after 29-30 I was always super fit and ready for a good race, just needed to have the venue to do it, I just kept getting hurt the instant I got into peak form (recurring injury). At 31 I had one of my best 1500s and was close to qualifying for the trials. At 34 I had the best season opening race I've ever run (4:04 mile) but was hurt a week and a half later and it put an end to everything I'd built for that season. It's riding a razor thin line at that age (when you're doing it as a hobby) between maximizing training and keeping healthy. I leaned a teeny bit too far toward performance over health and was my own demise.
After 35 I realized the PR's I wanted were not going to come. But I was damn close and loved chasing them. And I loved being in my mid 30s (kids, 60 hours a week at a desk, tetris'ing my training in between) taking down 20 year olds with nothing but testosterone and time to train. I really miss all that now but I'm glad I had the career I did. -
34 for me after starting to run @22. It seems mid to late 30s for most people, so if you are not there, everything is on the table IMO.
Being smart in training, staying away from workouts that tend to injure you will be crucial. For me it was paces below mile that were risky for the amount of gain I got. Endurance can be improved into the 30s, but your top end speed will be set, so work the endurance side of speed. Just my 2 cents. -
When I could barely walk after a 1 mile run due to Haglund's issue, and then needed to get surgery. I came back sort of to running respectably (under 18 minutes) all things considered, but I knew I wasn't touching sub 15 again.
