Im 19, and Ive just really become serious in my running, and have done two weeks at 45 mpw- I wanna do in the 50's this week and hit 60 next week. Is it possible to drop a 30:00 8k to be able to compete with 25:00 8k guys in 2 years?
Im 19, and Ive just really become serious in my running, and have done two weeks at 45 mpw- I wanna do in the 50's this week and hit 60 next week. Is it possible to drop a 30:00 8k to be able to compete with 25:00 8k guys in 2 years?
It's definately not too late. A lot of really good runners don't get started until college.
Conversely, a lot of high-school runners train so hard and make running control their life during high school that by the time their bodies are really developed and ready to handle very intense training and fast times, they are either worn out or just tired of running and don't find it exciting anymore.
In terms of your training....it looks like you're getting really ambitious and building the mileage really fast. It might feel good now but if your body is not used to it then it will catch up to you and cause problems. Take your time and build slowly. If you have such a long term goal (2 years) then there is no need to rush and get injured.
you are young
olympic gold medalists have started in their 30's i am sure you are ok at 19
I'm always amazed that Carlos Lopes didn't start running until he was 17.
I started running seriously at age 32 (now 35) and have been improving steadily since. It's great being on the upside of the improvement curve and I dread the day I level out.
after midnight is too late to start running
its never too late to take up this crazy sport. just be motivated enough and set your goals high. as long as you keep putting in the miles week after week you will find bits and pieces of improvement. It will take a while to see some desirable results but that is part of the sport. set those goals high and who knows what you will be capable of doing in two years. -ronaldo
garfield is right. take your time building up your miles. right now there is no hurry. listen to your body and let it tell you how it feels and you will know when you are ready to increase those miles. -ronaldo
Geoff Smith who ran 27.43 for 10k, won the Boston marathon twice, second to the corner cutting Rod Dixon at New York only started serious training for running at the age of 21 when he saw a notice declaring the first 6 in the (British) National Firefighters Cross country Championships would represent the country at the European Firefighters Championships.
It all depends on how much natural talent you have - in Geoff’s case, it was obvious right away as within 6 months of hard training he won both the British and European (Fire) Championships.
MarathonMind wrote:
I'm always amazed that Carlos Lopes didn't start running until he was 17.
Wasn't he late 30s when he 'peaked'. That makes ~20years training.
Depends on your goals...
As I understand it, most masters recordholders did not start running until later in life. Their accomplishments may have been possible due to the relative *lack* of deterioration caused by a lifetime of running.
Wasn't it just last year that an over-70 guy broke 3 for the 'thon?
Lopes was injured a lot throughout his career, so he must have had a lot of mini-peaks and valleys before his big years of 84-85. He was definitely in top form in 1976, when he won the World Cross-Country Championship, and later at the Olympics where he came in 2nd to Lasse Viren in the 10,000 after running from the front for nearly the whole race.
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