my return to running

Instead of "fully dedicating yourself to running" look to progress. Try to run 40 miles a week in october and november.

If all goes well, 50 miles a week over the winter, 60 miles a week in the spring. Try to do a tempo run, a set of repeats, and a run of 10 miles easy each week. Do some supplemental core work at home. Every 4th week or so, cut mileage back by 25-30% for one week.

That's about it for right now. You want steady progress without getting injured.

The missing ingredient seems to be consistency. So follow the poster above advice and jusr get a consistent base of mileage in, then pick a training plan and stick to it.

If you don't crack 17, you can still say you gave it your best shot. It sounds like you have an otherwise fulfilling life, so count your blessings.

Forget about your PR's.
You are 27 with more life commitments.

Just start running consistently and sign up for a couple of race you want to do. Your PR's are set in stone, so you don't have to worry about them anymore.

I noticed that a lot of decent high school/ college runners fall into the same trap that they think they can pick it up where they left it off years ago. It doesn't work that way.

I'll leave training to those who know a lot more than me, but I do have some thoughts that might help.

For me, and maybe for you, training goes much better if I have specific goals. I break my goals down into A goals, B goals, interim goals, and workout goals.

For example, when coming back from an injury, as I'm doing now and with no races in the near future, I might set a "long" term goal and then set interim workout goals to keep me focused along the way.

For example, I first determined my lactate threshold. Then, I started doing tempo runs, gradually increasing the running time while not exceeding LT heart rate. Now, I've reached 30 minutes so my next goal is to cover more distance (i.e. run faster) in 30 minutes without exceeding my LTHR. I plan on doing this once a month. Now, if I were fit and young like you, I'd consider replacing this workout with a 5k race and use it as a benchmark to track my progress.

Bottom line: If you set goals, including short term (next month) interim goals, you'll probably be more motivated to train consistently.

Amen to that. If I were you, I wouldn't even think about time goals right now. Make consistent running your goal. Then pick a race that looks fun to you and go do it. Then do another one and another one. Let the times be what they are

Learn to love the actual process of running and racing. Then, regardless of your times, the experience will be rewarding. Only caring about results is why so many hobby runners quit.

Remember, the only person who cares about your race results is you. Literally no one else cares. Running is only one small part of life, so enjoy it and don't let it ruin other more meaningful parts.

I really hope you’re wrong, since those PRs were set with only about ten months of training and not very good training at that. But I understand what you mean I’m getting older, and there’s real potential that I may never hit those marks again.

That’s a good point you gotta love the process not the result if you want to do it for the long haul.

yes I’m doing it in incremental goals I’m running a 5k next week so that will be my bench mark performance for paces and everything else.

Saying I was dedicating myself fully was a bit dramatic I just meant that I’m fully committed to training at a higher level than I ever did before. But I appreciate the advice that’s exactly what I was aiming for as far as mileage progression. Being in this out of shape stage is the hardest part

wife, new child, and work should be your foci right now. it concerns me you're talking PRs and mileage with that on your plate. also, the last thing your kid needs is some self-obsessed nut who thinks 5'6" 145 is fat. both those kind of feel like someone stuck in the past. minute you had a kid that's your future and focus. that and keeping a house over your heads with a job. running is now a hobby around that. you can only focus on running if you are a pro. are you a pro? no. then it's a hobby. consider it an outlet when you have rare free time, enjoy that, and maybe do that odd 5k for health and to give the hobby meaning.

i wouldn't worry about a more full blown running approach until your marriage has some time banked and your kid is moving along in age. you owe them that. unless you want to be the divorced runner with custody every other weekend.

last, at a later point when you get more time back and can dedicate more time, my personal suggestion is not chase youth PRs but instead do something different than you did in HS/college. it is a losing game to compete with your youthful self. depressing reminder of your advancing age, even when you're fairly young in your 30s still. but it is fun to seek mastery of a new event or game from fresh.

you're newly married and a kid and your dedication is to running with full commitment? that is misplaced.

i'd be asking myself why am i worried about running and miles right now. do i feel unfulfilled in my life. where else can i use that ambition.

to the extent you should bother with this, stow the running ambitions and mileage. just enjoy doing it. carve out some agreed amount of time x number days a week. like you can go run at 7pm for 30-60 minutes. do that regularly. that will address your consistency and fitness concerns. you can pick how to spend that time, jogs, workouts, etc. but for your marriage and kid it's best if it's limited, done, and then back to your family.

i used to run later in the evening here. i wanted to push the runs harder lately. i started bailing on walking the dogs with my wife from being tired. she said they missed me on the walks. i bumped up the running where i could recover better to do the walk later. we will make both masters happy. don't upset your family trying to run some local race in a time half as good as you used to make.

you are no longer a school kid. act like it.

I wouldn't mind being wrong but that's just not realistic.

You are 27 and not 17 anymore much heavier with much more on your plate. No training in the world will reverse that.

I was a 19min 5k runner in high school and hit 15:4X at age 27 just by increasing mileage, doing tempos, reducing frequency of binge drinking, and working out with training partners instead of solo. You can do it.

straight out of school i could train a few weeks, go to the local all comers meet, and still only approach my sprinting PRs. you were faster than you think, training harder than you remember, as kid.

likewise, i could literally boom the ball over a poorly positioned goalkeeper from 50 yards out in men's league, and after the initial bliss wore off, i'd remember i'd done that about 5 times before in select or college. you can make a nice play and it's an echo of an echo of what you used to do.

do you know what was actually fun and rewarding? i hadn't done much road racing. or playing coed soccer, women involved, chit chat, get to line up as something like playmaker or striker (or keeper) instead of defense like college. or the 2 new sports i added later on.

I appreciate your sentiment and reply I really do. I think maybe the way I worded things in my post may have muddied the scope of my situation, I’m not freshly married while I’m not long term married either, my wife and I have been together for 9 years and married for 6. My son isn’t brand new anymore he’s 5 though I do have a daughter who is 7ish months old. I also have a new job that’s a lot more flexible which is the reason I decided to pick up running again. I hope that helps clear things up. I haven’t ran very much at all since 2022(even then it wasn’t a lot) the runs I am doing now are very early in the morning 4-5 am so I have my evenings free with my family I hope that clears things up.

Wow that’s a crazy improvement how long did it take you to get that time down?

Very gradually from age 18 to age 27. Something like 18:30 age 19, 18:00 age 20, 17:30 age 14, 17flat age 25. Not a constant improvement path, lots of peaks and valleys with injuries and other setbacks. Biggest thing is robotlike consistency, doing lifting, and staying healthy.

Thats awesome I would be lying if I didn’t saying the others in this thread didn’t make me a little discouraged about trying to improve. Stories like yours are very up lifting!

His PRs aren't set in stone. He's 27 with a 5k PR in the 17's. Seems very possible.