Want to make a comeback and get to the Olympic Trials

you're too old. let go. its over.

Are you serious? Plenty of runners have run PRs well into their 30s. Guys who actually trained right through their 20s, unlike you. I'd say go for it! The fact that you didn't care to run "a single step" during your hiatus doesn't exactly scream "passion for the sport" but maybe I'm wrong.

I'd shoot for the marathon

adADFSDAFSD wrote:

I'd shoot for the marathon

Unfortunately, I don't have any interest in that event. My favorite events have always been the mid-distance races, so if I want to get to the trials, it would have to be the 800 or 1500.

the smartest lestsrunner wrote:

Are you serious? Plenty of runners have run PRs well into their 30s.

That may be true for 5K and up, but I don't recall any world class 800/1500 meter runners who've set PRs past age 30. Maybe you can point out the names of some of them if I'm wrong?

too old? wrote:

adADFSDAFSD wrote:

I'd shoot for the marathon

Unfortunately, I don't have any interest in that event. My favorite events have always been the mid-distance races, so if I want to get to the trials, it would have to be the 800 or 1500.

Oh, then I'll have to tell you that you don't have a chance.

Age doesn't have much to do with it, it's just that making the Olympic trials is very, very difficult for anybody. But yeah, give it a shot buddy, what's the worst thing that could happen? 24 isn't old. Marathon is probably your best bet though.

the smartest lestsrunner wrote:

The fact that you didn't care to run "a single step" during your hiatus doesn't exactly scream "passion for the sport" but maybe I'm wrong.

I had enough passion for it to be willing to put in the miles and endure the pain for my 1:54 and 4:22 PRs. Toward the end of my last track season in high school, I got Achilles problems and decided to take the summer off to let them heal. By the time August came around, college started, I joined some clubs, and I got a part-time job to pay the bills. Running kind of slipped to the back of my mind in the midst of all that work, but I did have some healthy habits - no binge drinking, no smoking, and not too much junk food. I'm only 10 pounds above my high school racing weight, so I'm thinking a comeback shouldn't be too hard.

track history wrote:

That may be true for 5K and up, but I don't recall any world class 800/1500 meter runners who've set PRs past age 30. Maybe you can point out the names of some of them if I'm wrong?

In general i'd agree, but i can name at least one, Jen Toomey.

dean moriarty wrote:

24 isn't old.

Of course it's not. But 29 is a whole different story; recovery times for injuries and hard workouts increase significantly around age 28-29. Once you hit your mid-30s, you'll be lucky if you can run hard more than twice a week.

track history wrote:

the smartest lestsrunner wrote:

Are you serious? Plenty of runners have run PRs well into their 30s.

That may be true for 5K and up, but I don't recall any world class 800/1500 meter runners who've set PRs past age 30. Maybe you can point out the names of some of them if I'm wrong?

Not an 800/1500 guy, but Michael Johnson was a month shy of 32 when he ran his 400 PR.

Most of the recordholders peak in their mid 20s.

Roger Bannister - 3:59 mile, age 25

Peter Snell - 1:44 800, age 24. 3:54 mile, age 26

Michel Jazy - 3:53 mile, age 29

Steve Ovett - 1:44 800, age 23. 3:30 1500, age 28

Said Aouita - 3:29 1500, age 26

Alberto Juantorena - 1:43 800, age 26

John Walker - 1:44 800, age 22. 3:49 mile, age 30

Sebastian Coe - 1:41 800, age 26. 3:29 1500, age 30

Steve Cram - 1:42 800, age 25. 3:46 mile, age 25

Wilson Kipketer - 1:41 800, age 25

Noureddine Morceli - 3:27 1500, age 24

El G - 3:43 mile, age 25

Note that the ages may be off by a year; I've simply took the year the record was set and subtracted it by the year the athlete was born in. So someone born in December 1970 and set a record in May 2000 would have a listed age of 30.

obviously don't listen. if you want it start running twice a day, building mileage every week with maybe an easy third or fourth if you feel that you need it, running some easy faster stuff and closing runs hard when you feel good. Do that for six months then jump in some races and buy a canova book and start over

too old? wrote:

I had enough passion for it to be willing to put in the miles and endure the pain for my 1:54 and 4:22 PRs....so I'm thinking a comeback shouldn't be too hard.

So it took a lot of "passion" to "endure the pain" the ristl time, but this time it "shouldn't be too hard"?

You're in for a rude awakening.

ristl = first

The middle distance events are the hardest to do well in for older (30+) people. For sprints, you've got people like Carl Lewis (100 PR at age 30, long jump PR at age 32, part of the world record 4x200 team at age 33), Michael Johnson (400 PR close to age 32), and Gail Devers (100M hurdle PR at age 33).

On the distance side, you've got Tergat (2:04 marathon at age 34) and Geb (2:03 marathon at age 35).

But middle distance events? Those guys generally peak by age 25.

Mrr82 wrote:

In general i'd agree, but i can name at least one, Jen Toomey.

Male mid-distance runners peak at age 25, females peak at age 27:

curveball wrote:

Mrr82 wrote:

In general i'd agree, but i can name at least one, Jen Toomey.

Male mid-distance runners peak at age 25, females peak at age 27:

http://www.pponline.co.uk/encyc/0270.htm

Toomey set her AR in the 1k, and indoor 800 pr (her fastest in any condition taking 4th at worlds) at age 32, her outdoor 1500 pr at 33, and her outdoor mile pr at 34. Even if you subtract 2 years from those, each one would be 30 or later.

Good thing i can hit curveballs, nice try.

curveball wrote:On the distance side, you've got Tergat (2:04 marathon at age 34) and Geb (2:03 marathon at age 35).

Not sure that's a relevant point for distance running...the main reason they set their prs so late in life is because it was after they gave up the 5k/10k part of their life. If Geb had moved up to the thon way back when, he might have been a 2:02 guy. Geb was just that much better than everyone else even though he was past his peak, just took him awhile to get it down once he did move up perm. In comparison to them, they were breaking records of average runners. KK? I mean i loved the guy, but he doesn't even begin to compare to Geb. It wasn't like it was that hard for Tergat and then Geb to go faster once they got in a good race for them.

And no knowledgeable track fan would ever list Tergat's pr as 2:04 and Geb's as 2:03.