33 years old
5’11, 180 lbs.
Hi letsrun. Most years I average around 15-20 mpw w/ the occasional quicker-paced run. No workouts for the most part.
I ran a 4:45 in an all-comers meet yesterday. Only race this year. 5 km is around 17:40 from an august time trial.
Thinking about creating a lydiard style plan with an end goal of 45-50mpw and a race in December.
Can I run 4:20’s or faster by then or do you believe that progression not possible in such a time frame (or at my age)?
It doesn’t matter what we believe BUT I would say NO that you will not run 4:15 within one year. Prove me wrong…
I know some tricks.
Mo Katir wrote:
I know some tricks.
Hi more kat, I am listening.
Depends on your mile PR. If you've never run 4:15 or under 60s for 400m, then I think you're looking at very, very long odds.
I think its possible, just think of all of the crazy goals that have been reached that didn't seem possible. Its not going to be easy but upping your mileage like you're doing will be a big help. Its going to be difficult because you're already pretty quick and the faster you get the harder it is to improve.
You are trained and past your prime. Optimal training will get you to 4:39.
I would say yes possibly. 180 is pretty big for a 5'11" miler. How much of that can you lose and still keep your strength?
I don’t know much about your body composition, but if you have 10 lbs of fat to lose, that could hypothetically get you into the 4:20s without gaining any more fitness.
The jump from 15-20 mpw to 40-45 mpw usually helps a lot in the mile if you do it correctly. I’d get a gauge on your current 200m speed, you’ll want to be able to run about 26.x now to develop that into a sub 4:20 mile in 9 months.
I’m sure you know this, but in the short term, 400m repeats seem to give the most bang for your buck when working on middle distance fitness. Start with a session like 3x(4x400m) just shooting to dip under 75, and attempt to work those steadily to 65s or faster by the time you are going to race.
Who are we to say what is possible. 4:45 is a lot better than 17:40. 15-20mpw with no workouts also doesn't add up. Lydiard probably isn't the right fit for your goals & probably doesn't make sense at 45-50mpw.
My guess is 4:30ish is possible if you add on more miles/workouts. 4:15 is a really solid time. Think that's out a reach unless you're a former college runner type.
greg stanhopp wrote:
33 years old
5’11, 180 lbs.
Hi letsrun. Most years I average around 15-20 mpw w/ the occasional quicker-paced run. No workouts for the most part.
I ran a 4:45 in an all-comers meet yesterday. Only race this year. 5 km is around 17:40 from an august time trial.
Thinking about creating a lydiard style plan with an end goal of 45-50mpw and a race in December.
Can I run 4:20’s or faster by then or do you believe that progression not possible in such a time frame (or at my age)?
you sound a lot like a guy i knew in high school who insisted they could run sub-4 but never got below 430. it's been over 20 years and guy is now claiming he can still run sub-5 but hasn't turned in that kind of time since high school.
Thank you all for the advice. One question: 400 meter repeats seem like a poor choice given my aerobic system is quite undeveloped, no? I was under the impression repeats were more ideal for a well-trained athlete.
Also, speed shouldn’t be an issue- i think I’ve some decent wheels. Never timed myself in a 200 though.
Anyway, sounds like my goal might have been a tad optimistic. We will see though.
Per the weight question, it is mostly muscle. I could drop 10-15 lbs but would rather not.
Maybe the mileage will naturally melt it off, we’ll see.
greg stanhopp wrote:
Per the weight question, it is mostly muscle. I could drop 10-15 lbs but would rather not.
Maybe the mileage will naturally melt it off, we’ll see.
Well in that case, it ain't gonna happen.
If you are serious about this, you have to show it, be it, do it. Otherwise it's all talk and wasted potential.
greg stanhopp wrote:
Per the weight question, it is mostly muscle. I could drop 10-15 lbs but would rather not.
Maybe the mileage will naturally melt it off, we’ll see.
Well if your racing weight is 165 and you ran 4:45 at 180 with little mileage, then there is little doubt you can get very close to 4:15. You probably won’t but you could.
greg stanhopp wrote:
Thank you all for the advice. One question: 400 meter repeats seem like a poor choice given my aerobic system is quite undeveloped, no? I was under the impression repeats were more ideal for a well-trained athlete.
Also, speed shouldn’t be an issue- i think I’ve some decent wheels. Never timed myself in a 200 though.
Anyway, sounds like my goal might have been a tad optimistic. We will see though.
Again, no clue how you're running 4:45 off of little mileage & no workouts. It's a 2-way street. Build mileage & add in some workouts. Classic mile stuff like 8-10 x 400m is going to be your bread & butter in season (last 3 months before you're peaking). You should spend some time getting strong now -- build mileage & hit some threshold workouts. Get into some 5k/10k running over the spring/summer. Start your miler block at the end of the summer since you want to race the mile in December.
You guys are clueless. About 1 in 10,000 people have the ability to run 4:15. 95% is talent and 5% is training. My son ran 4:52 in 7th grade gym class never having run before. He ran 4:38 in 8th grade on 30MPW. He graduated high school with a PR of 4:21 running 50 MPW. 99% of his improvement was due to maturation. He has dropped his PR to 4:15 at 21 years old.
just the ticket wrote:
You guys are clueless. About 1 in 10,000 people have the ability to run 4:15. 95% is talent and 5% is training. My son ran 4:52 in 7th grade gym class never having run before. He ran 4:38 in 8th grade on 30MPW. He graduated high school with a PR of 4:21 running 50 MPW. 99% of his improvement was due to maturation. He has dropped his PR to 4:15 at 21 years old.
You appear to be clueless. IF this guy can run 4:45 off 20 miles per week and 15 lbs over his racing weight, of course he can come close to 4:15 if he really wanted it and stayed healthy. Where do you get your 1 in 10,000 people stat? That would be a meaningless stat anyway because we are dealing with a man here. Very few women can run 4:15 but for a man it ain’t all that.
"...just think of all of the crazy goals that have been reached that didn't seem possible."
I'm thinking and so far I've got nothing.
SDSU Aztec wrote:
"...just think of all of the crazy goals that have been reached that didn't seem possible."
I'm thinking and so far I've got nothing.
Trump wanted to become President of the US…and he did.