When did your PRs turn into Lifetime Bests?

Started at age 45

Still making progress at age 55.

At about 35 I realized the times I set between ages 25 to 27 were going to be my lifetime bests. Now, I just try to run faster than I did the year before.

this was recent for me. I'm 35, now have a house, wife, and a dog. My priorities are shifting towards kids. That's ok.

Got back into running at 27 and ran PRs 29-34. I may never run a marathon for a PR attempt again. It's likely we won't have road races for a year and I'll be 36 by the time we do. I've been more focused on why I run, having a good run, enjoying a well run workout (even if it's slower), etc. Ironically I still ran a 15:25 5K time trial and my 5K PR is 15:24. Point is, not being focused too much on PRs, times, age, etc and just running to run changes the mindset. Lifetime PRs just aren't that important to me anymore.

I had a strange progression in PR’s in that instead of moving up in distance, I moved down. I set my lifetime marathon best at age 18, 10,000 best at 19, 5000 best at 20, mile & 1500 best at 24. However, my half-marathon best came at age 28. Weird.

My PR's all came when I was 22 & 23 and running in college. Everything from the 800 to the 10,000. My main events were the 5000, 3000, and 1500. I had no desire to run the half or full marathon after college.

Alter Klocker wrote:

"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.

Yeah I felt this. I only started running seriously two years ago at start of college, only ever running 5k’s and right as I throw down a monster 400 that would translate into a monster 800, I get a permanent disability. Idk what to even do now, it’s been my biggest hobby for a few years now and now I literally cannot ever run again. And yet here I am reading let’s run, idk wtf I’m doing.

I think it's pretty common to assume (with a few outliers) that most will be done improving at 5k & under once you hit 30 or low-30s. 8k/10k to the marathon by your mid to late 30s. It's not unheard of for people hitting half or full PRs in their 30s. It makes sense since you have more lifetime miles and don't usually attempt the distance until then or maybe your late 20s.

crisscrosscountry wrote:

Wondering at what stage your PRs started looking untouchable

When I had a kid. I started running in my early 20s, got more serious in my late 20s, and most of my PRs are from my early 30s.

When my daughter came along it became very clear that I wasn’t going to able to put in serious training for a while, and by that point I’ll be late 30s, and I doubt I’ll be able to return to my previous fitness peaks.

But, I should say, I now actually enjoy running a lot more now than I did before. It’s something I do to relax, not killing myself and stressing about speed/times.

Started running at 52 and I'm 54 now, so I get the pleasure of PRs on a regular basis still. Of course, I'm still slow. I figure I've got 5 more years before the curves meet and my best is past.. Hope springs eternal and all that, you know.

ienjoyracing wrote:

Alter Klocker wrote:

"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.

Yeah I felt this. I only started running seriously two years ago at start of college, only ever running 5k’s and right as I throw down a monster 400 that would translate into a monster 800, I get a permanent disability. Idk what to even do now, it’s been my biggest hobby for a few years now and now I literally cannot ever run again. And yet here I am reading let’s run, idk wtf I’m doing.

Sorry to hear this... I guess you can still be a fan of the sport

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.

after college / when I started working an 8-5. Sure some people can run well while working a full time job, but I am not one of them.

15_50 wrote:

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

I’ve never understood this. Why do people think you can’t run and have a “real job”?

If you work 40 hours a week there’s still plenty of time to run twice a day every day. 50 hours a week, and doubling every day still isn’t unrealistic

26 now

800- PRd in 2019, not sure I’ll ever beat it. Got within 0.2 twice this season, but I’m moving up in distance

1500- PRd in August this year. Been running since I was 13 and proud to say I’ve run a PR for 1500 every year. I think/hope I have another 3-4 years of bettering this

3000- 2018. This was one of those races where everyone set massive PBs and I ran way above my fitness level. 2 years later I now feel like I could maybe get close to it again, but it’s a rarely run distance and I’m happy with my time

All distances above that, I haven’t really had a proper attempt. I plan on switching to the roads in my early 30s, and also like to think I’ll still be passionate enough about the sport to chase marathon PRs into my late 30s

I didn’t start running until my mid 30s so even at 40 I still PR, because I continue to train better. I figure I have maybe 2-3 more years of maximizing training before I plateau and then don’t PR anymore

I'm 7-8 years removed from my collegiate distance PRs and about 30 pounds heavier than I was when I ran them. I'm never going to be able to get back into the same kind of aerobic shape. However, my 800 PR is from high school and isn't particularly good (1:58). I think I could beat that with 6-9 months of dedicated training, but my window is closing. Maybe this is the push I need to give it a shot.

My 5k PR was 16:53 and stood for over 7 years, but I beat it in February. So, its possible to beat an old PR after a long time.

22-25. They didn’t feel out of reach for a long time after that, but they were.

Marathon PR age 22 (2:38). Last lifetime PR was 400m age 44 (55.92). All my PRs 200m-3000m were after age 40; all PRs above 3K were before age 23.

Didn't compete age 22-40 thanks to health issues caused by a plant-heavy diet.

Oh? ...working 50+ hours a week and running the mileage and intensity I was running made it pretty unrealistic to compete at the level I wanted to compete at... I didn't quit running just competing... I'm fine with it ....though I could have waited a few years for my 'real job'