Age Group 45-50 What is your're best 5k and 10k for 2006?

I am very familiar with the top runners that are over 50, and almost none of them were running (or at least competing) at age 30 (Rick Becker may be an exception, but he raced VERY sparingly, and still does).

At 40, and even 45, the top guys can squeeze a few more fast miles out of the legs. After about 47-48, the hard miles take their toll. Bill Rodgers managed to get another ten years, which is downright phenomenal, considering his lifetime racing/training volume.

Bekele's PR is 26:17. I was five minutes off that in my prime.

So if I hit 45 I would like to be within 5-6 minutes of SoCal Pete's PR, I think that would be a worthy comparison.

A 45-minute 45 year-old 10K runner is 14 minutes off of So Cal Pete's time. That would make him comparable to a 40-minute 10K runner in his prime (14 minutes of of Bekele's time of 26s). That is a rather mediocre time for an open runner, perhaps an OK run for a hobby jogger. Sorry if that rubs you wrong.

Age 46 (all master's PRs)

5K: 17:39

10K: 36:37

Half: 1:20:44

Marathon: 2:49:10 (lifetime PR)

In Albuquerque: 5k= 17:49 10k = 36:50, 46 years old.

I understand your point and I think it's a good one. I just didn't like the discouraging sound of "you suck if you can't break 45". I like what a master said on this thread about just being happy to still be running. Sure I believe I have a Sub 34minute 10K in me with the proper training and hope to run that by the time I am a true master, but I am happy every day I can go out for a 10 mile trail run feeling healthy ripping up mountain bikers on the hills.

I'm 38 ran 39 minutes for a 10k last weekend(nothing great) but could only run 46 minutes in June this year. I was a sub 2 minute half miler in high school and still have my leg speed which I feel very fortunate. Breaking 45 than 40 than 35 and so on put you at differn't levels of fitness each which are rewarding and should get some self acknowledgement.

5k: 16:58

10k:35:19 (still 44)

1/2 marathon: 1:16:20

Been running all along, but higher mileage now. Health is the most important thing. Sometimes its better at 45 than 30.

Based on percentiles for ages 40-49, a 5k in 21:48 and a 10k in 46:03 puts men in the 95th percentile. For the 99th percentile (that's at or above the top 1% of the general population of men that age), a 40-49 year old man would have to run a 5k in 17:29 and a 10k in 36:46. So, yes, running your age in the 10k is a good rule of thumb for a high level of fitness for 40-50 year olds. As for being competitive on the national level, one is going to have to run a lot faster.

I did not run in my 30s (finishing doctorate, starting family and new job, and until recently struggling with a bad IT band), even though I was active.

My dad's death from a heart attack when I was 39 got me exercising again (he was a smoker), although I've only been able to run over 20 mpw for 3 months (my IT band problem is resolved, woo hoo!).

Currently, I'm 16% slower than my HS PR, but I expect to be in the 10-12% range within the next year. I will never be as fast as almost all of you because I wasn't close to you when I was younger either! :)

At this point, I race against my last PR, enjoy being able to run again, love following the sport, like being healthy, and admire the times you're able to put up. Oh, I also like beating younger runners in races. :)

I appreciate the gracious response of Tony.

Arete

P.S. Yes, I can under my age for a 10k.

Just got home from work, saw this thread had expanded, even producing some good debate! For the record, I definitely find it inspiring when I see anybody out there our age still pounding the pavement, still looking to bust out at a race. Time isn't that important from my perspective; effort is. That, to me, is the beauty of masters. It's kind of like when you go back to your 20th High School reunion (unlike your 10th), and you discover that everyone's just happy to see you - that they're no longer competing against you ... Everyone's been through their own version of crap, everyone has had the snot kicked out of them one way or another, everyone's just glad to have made it through - and glad that you made it through too.

That's how I feel about all my masters peers.

As for what I ran in my 20's and 30's ... Well, as has already been pointed out, I took off all but 4 months of my 30's to drink exorbitant amounts of liquor and smoke cigarettes. For the 4 months before I turned 35, I ran, recording a 3:52 1500 and a 14:49 5000.

My 20's included about 5 hard years of training/racing alternating with another 5 hard years of smoking, drinking, and doing non-performance enhancing drugs. In my middle 20's, I owned a club in the Virgin Islands and just about killed myself with substance abuse almost every single day of the week. When I was sober, I never trained long enough to score any great times, though I did hit a 5:09 2K (probably the best indicator of what I was able to do when I set my mind to it), a 3:48.00 1500, a 30:05 10K on the roads, and set a number of records on various cross-country courses (many in WA) - for some reason, I always had an easier time not-partying in the summer, leading to good x-country seasons. I also ran a 1:19 600 in a workout after smoking and drinking all night - I remember, because I did the workout with Tony Young, who ran a 1:17!

My favorite memory of running (from my youth) is the summer I spent in Santa Barbara, running 100 miles a week through the SB hills with high school teammate, lifelong friend, and current Club teammate Andy Diconti (who won the CA state title in the 3200 as a HS senior!).

Okay, that's more than enough from me. Besides, I have to get out the door for a run!

SoCal Pete wrote:

My favorite memory of running (from my youth) is the summer I spent in Santa Barbara, running 100 miles a week through the SB hills with high school teammate, lifelong friend, and current Club teammate Andy Diconti (who won the CA state title in the 3200 as a HS senior!).

Okay, that's more than enough from me. Besides, I have to get out the door for a run!

I think I ran some races against Andy Diconti back in the early 80s. Was he the good high school runner from La Canada, here in the LA area?

PS. Pete: if you ran a 3:48 1500m back in your 20's; that's equal to a 4:06 mile! So you did accomplish something 'big' in your youth.

Pete, I knew the outline of your career, but those details just about reduced me to a blubbering mass.

If gene therapy becomes a reality soon, can I by some of your toenail clippings?

(edit)

Pete, I knew the outline of your career, but those details just about reduced me to a blubbering mass.

If gene therapy becomes a reality soon, can I buy some of your toenail clippings?

I don't like anything over 5000, as suggested by my times

mile - 4:56

3000 (track) 9:39

5000 road 17:01

5000 track 17:11

10000 road 37:14

SoCal Pete wrote:

...I took off all but 4 months of my 30's to drink exorbitant amounts of liquor and smoke cigarettes...

Damn, I didn't run in my 30's and drank a bit also, however, I failed to take up smoking which is is why I'm running mediocre times in my mid-40s.

Is it too late to take up cigarettes?

I hit 45 in about two weeks, (just after XC Champs), which is lucky for all you 45-49 year-olds as I should be able to beat all of you except for the top 95%.

Gotta go to the market now to get a carton or two.

Well I'm not sure if it is positive or not. It appears we “seemingly completely maturated runners” have dissolved this statistical question into a disgruntled discussion as do our juniors. In any event I was hoping to drop everyone's numbers into a spreadsheet and come up with an interpolated epiphany just short of the Wiz of Oz's visionary conclusion. Maybe we are not that far ~off-trend-thought from our junior’s disgruntled presentations in abundance this site for better or worse.

To add another tangent thought I had coming home from track tonight which I know can be answered within this dialouge here is; did Bill Rodgers ever win a marathon or place top 5 in a marathon, or even run a marathon with a time greater than 2:14:xx ?

Oh yea, my running sucks too, but I like it.

Cheers

CP

This is a great thread! For a number of years now I have been amazed at the training the top masters are managing and the results of that training. I congratulate you and envy you your fun. I wll love to to see how you stack up against the results from Turnbull, Fee and Whitlock when you mature.

Orville Atkins,

70 and a half and still at it

Ok, OA, your rule, I depricate my “seemingly completely maturated runners” to your tenure; we have a long way to go(provided legit). Actually this is impressive JFK50Mi finish: 67 DavidHorton 56 M5/194 LYNCHBURG VA7:57:25 9:31Ugh.... any acknowledgement here? DH daMan! yaTahHee...~~

Orville Atkins wrote:

This is a great thread! For a number of years now I have been amazed at the training the top masters are managing and the results of that training. I congratulate you and envy you your fun. I wll love to to see how you stack up against the results from Turnbull, Fee and Whitlock when you mature.

Orville Atkins,

70 and a half and still at it

great thread Pete! enjoyed reading it! Thanks!

I was going to but next year goals but I chicken out!

Good luck in 2007!

Pete strongly shows the role of genetics, how else to explain that he can run at all, much less so fast.Here's some perspective: my times stack up pretty well but his times this year are faster than my overall pr's.Proves my theory that it becomes a war of attrition as we get older, just by hanging in there you move up the ladder as others drop off for whatever reason.