Is this normal or have I progressed relatively quickly?

That is great improvement. However, keep in mind that you you have gone from untrained to trained. This is the period when any runner will see the most improvement. The fact that you were disciplined about your training was probably helpful, but maybe it didn't even matter. I would guess that anyone running 30-50 mpw like you stated for a year and a half would be able to improve from an untrained state pretty similarly to you.

Don't let this discourage you. See what you can do in the next 6 months. This training cycle starting from a good base to some goal will answer your curiosity much better than the period of time when you went from untrained to now.

What do you mean "take more seriously"? You already run moderate mileage and have what sounds like a structured training plan. If you enjoy running and training just keep doing it. You will get faster.

WapLover wrote:

What do you mean "take more seriously"? You already run moderate mileage and have what sounds like a structured training plan. If you enjoy running and training just keep doing it. You will get faster.

By “seriously”, I mean is there potential for me to improve substantially (IMO sub 18/19 5k, sub 39/40 10k etc.), and potentially podium in local races once they start again, or is it possible that I’ve already hit my peak performance??

Yeah, that is some good times and you should be happy and keep working! Here is a pretty good calculator.

https://runsmartproject.com/calculator/

You still have a lot of room for improvement. It will easily take you four more years of consistent training to see just how far you can go.

If you can handle 50 mpw now, I'd think about going a little higher next year- maybe 60. Your workout times show you as running faster times than you are, but it could be race times are slower- if they were just TTs. Mileage tends to help a slow twitch runner, and any runner to a certain extent. 7-10 hrs. a week is a good place to be.

I improved from barely breaking 40 in the 10k @ 22, with about 6 months of training. And it took me until I was 34 to run 33:3x! I had a couple of down years in there, and I never went out of the 50s for mileage. Mostly working full time and injuries kept me out of getting into the higher mileage, so I could of gotten faster most likely if I could of handled more mileage.

It's usually a process of hitting a plateau, then sticking with the workouts until you make a break through into the next level, or increasing the volume of workouts and/or mileage. Be careful about doing too much too soon. Consistent and steady is the name of the game in long distance running. :)

runninggirl1996 wrote:

WapLover wrote:

What do you mean "take more seriously"? You already run moderate mileage and have what sounds like a structured training plan. If you enjoy running and training just keep doing it. You will get faster.

By “seriously”, I mean is there potential for me to improve substantially (IMO sub 18/19 5k, sub 39/40 10k etc.), and potentially podium in local races once they start again, or is it possible that I’ve already hit my peak performance??

You haven't hit your peak yet. Your improvement trajectory is fairly normal, going from "untrained" to "trained." It's normal to reach one's best performances in distance running after 8-10 years of consistent training. Bear in mind that the improvement curve usually flattens out over the years, with the most dramatic improvement in the early years.

runninggirl1996 wrote:

and potentially podium in local races once they start again, or is it possible that I’ve already hit my peak performance??

It could take roughly six years of good training to hit "peak performance", but under a logarithmic progression, with the improvements from year five to six being significantly less than those in the first 1.5 years.

But "podium"? In order to podium (age-grouper) at local races in a large metropolitan area, you should think about trying to become at least a decent "regional class" athlete, meaning your age-grade results peg out to '70-79% Age-performance'. For a 25 yr-old female, 75% Age-performance times are:

5k....19:39

10k...39:37

Half-M.....1:26:01

Mar.........2:58:45

Understand that even with those times, you will almost always finish behind the "national class" athlete (i.e., '80-89% Age-performance') when they show up to race.

Here is the age-grading calculator:

it's all about the AGE GRADE wrote:

But "podium"? In order to podium (age-grouper) at local races in a large metropolitan area, you should think about trying to become at least a decent "regional class" athlete, meaning your age-grade results peg out to '70-79% Age-performance'. For a 25 yr-old female, 75% Age-performance times are:

5k....19:39

10k...39:37

Half-M.....1:26:01

Mar.........2:58:45

Understand that even with those times, you will almost always finish behind the "national class" athlete (i.e., '80-89% Age-performance') when they show up to race.

And just for your info, >'89% Age-performance' is "international class".

Search for “the easy interval method” by Klaas Lok.

Great improvement.

I suggest 8 x 200m with 200m jog.

Run at perceived 1000m pace.

If you do this, perhaps you will post your times.

Other than that, please stay off of sidewalks or roads as much as possible. Hard surfaces cause jarring to the hips and other joints, noticeably reducing the benefits of the runs.

Maybe there is a measured CC course used by the HS near you. If so, this could give you excellent conditions to train.

I don't know what your workouts are, but you should be able to get to 39 minutes or faster based on what you listed. Just don't fall in love with mileage, if you already have, staying off the roads would be super important. I briefly spoke with Pat Porter many years ago, and he said that he worked up to a 20 mile run once per week, but on trails. I don't recommend that, he was an exceptional distance runner, but the key for him was that it was on trails and not roads. Most very good runners know this.

Wow...it never occurred to me that running on roads/sidewalks/cement of any kind would be bad for my joints!! Now that you mention this it makes a lot of sense. Should I try doing more running on grass, and softer surfaces? This may be a challenge since I live in the downtown area of a very large city, but I’ll see what I can do.

runninggirl1996 wrote:

Wow...it never occurred to me that running on roads/sidewalks/cement of any kind would be bad for my joints!! Now that you mention this it makes a lot of sense. Should I try doing more running on grass, and softer surfaces? This may be a challenge since I live in the downtown area of a very large city, but I’ll see what I can do.

Can make a big difference.

If difficult to find a good place to run, maybe join a big gym with a pool.

Water running is fabulous for sprints, middle distance and distance training.

No need to get your hair wet, just wade in until can't touch your toes to the bottom of the pool.

I don't use a water vest (used one a long time ago), instead I cup my hands in a kind of running motion. The sweeping motion of the legs helps keep you afloat as well, and it kind of feels like running.

Can get great workouts with water running. I used it when injured and was able to run fast 800m on the track. A guy I knew used water running when he injured his achilles tendon, and came back with 30 min 10k (he had run 29 10k before).

I never did them more than 3 times a week, and I did 15 min. Some people do more.

Weights are great, too.

You definitely have talent. That is a very fast improvement over 1.5 years and does indicate that you will continue to improve. My guess would be that you could potentially have lifetime PRs somewhere in the range of sub 18 5k, @36 min 10k, sub 1:20 1/2 and 2:50 full. That is what I have seen from other talented female runners in my area, although it is pretty rare to have someone run that well without having much of a background in distance running from HS or college. But it is possible.

To get there, you definitely need a good coach and a training group with rabbits you can chase during workouts. Few things will help you run faster than having someone to chase during workouts. A good coach will help you safely up your mileage. But there is no need to push beyond 50 mpw for a while.

I would also recommend getting in the gym and doing consistent strength training. Too few female runners invest in strength training.

Lastly, it takes about seven years of consistent training to reach your full potential. Along the way there will be many plateaus where it may seem like you have gone as far as you can go. Just keep going and make sure that you keep trying to find a new training stimulus to keep things from getting stale.

You can get way faster. No question. Just keep being consistent. Nobody knows how fast you'll get. It's a combination of pure genetic luck and how much you are willing to put into it.

runninggirl1996 wrote:

WapLover wrote:

What do you mean "take more seriously"? You already run moderate mileage and have what sounds like a structured training plan. If you enjoy running and training just keep doing it. You will get faster.

By “seriously”, I mean is there potential for me to improve substantially (IMO sub 18/19 5k, sub 39/40 10k etc.), and potentially podium in local races once they start again, or is it possible that I’ve already hit my peak performance??

Yes, because based on your posts you are hooked. Just be careful your strive for constant improvement doesn't lead to injury.

Your gains can continue but it will be not as steep and you will level off periodically.