Havent broke 16 mins in 5k whats the point?

Not if it pisses you off. Regardless of how hard or fast it's meant for overall enjoyment like any other activity.

Stop racing like a vaginaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaa

This is a personal decision. If you want to quit, then quit. What really is the point for us racers anyway? Vanity? I think if you could learn to enjoy training and look forward to each race as an exciting event in which you will learn something new, then you might have a valid reason for continuing.

What are your goals long term? If you are a young man and want to someday run sub-14:00, then the fact that you are at a D3 school and not on scholarship somewhere says that that is unlikely. If you are a young man and all you want to do is see if you can break 16, then why not do it while you are in your prime. You'll never know unless you try. I can tell you from experience, trying to get a PR in your late 30s seems nearly impossible. Now is the time to do it for you.

If you are a female, then, wow, you're super fast! If you are a male, you're still very fast, just not super fast.

Drop down to the 1500...might be more fun

often injured wrote:

Drop down to the 1500...might be more fun

This. I thought i hated running when i started but in reality i just hated the 5k, now i do xc just to get in shape for doing the mile every meet in indoor+outdoor

Keep at it. 16mins is still fast for a guy - it's enough to win some local races. breaking 16 almost guarantees you win a lot of local races in some areas. Running's also great for you mentally and physically. if you just train consistently the PRs will come

its the same for me. hate xc, if i was you, i'd give it up. and i'm not just talking about the running.

Not bad, 8/10

Even if you can't break 16:00, you're getting out, you probably like having teammates, it's a lot better than being inactive and slovenly. If you slipped back, let's say, to not being able to run under 19:00, you'd feel awful, physically.

pissed off West coast runner wrote:

still 16's low in 5k D3 in college should i keep going at it 65-70 mpw or just give it up

Ask yourself why you run? Is it for you, or because you've been told to. Competing isn't the end goal of everything. Finish school, find what you love. The nice thing about running is that, if you're not hung up on racing, it will follow you along like a little dog, go where you want to go and take you on adventures you didn't expect.

Racing is crap unless you make money at it.

If you like it and are having fun, keep it up. 16 will smoke most runners at local events. I broke 16 after 2 years of running at about 50 to 60 miles a week (18 yo at the time). Mileage does not matter as much as intensity, I mean you are trying to get faster, so do more work at a faster tempo and HAVE fun.

I am old [47] and can no longer run and I quit running at 19 and have regretted it for many years.

odelltrclan wrote:

I am old [47] and can no longer run and I quit running at 19 and have regretted it for many years.

Wow, you are not that old.

It's amazing how the time keeps moving along.

Why have you not run since 19?

J.R. wrote:

odelltrclan wrote:

I am old [47] and can no longer run and I quit running at 19 and have regretted it for many years.

Wow, you are not that old.

It's amazing how the time keeps moving along.

Why have you not run since 19?

I gave it up "temporarily" I thought to be a missionary and never gave it much effort when I returned back to normal life. Then in my late 20's I hurt an ankle pretty badly playing softball and it never healed properly and trying to run with a limp just never worked well. I did try and start up again in my late 30's and did run a little, did a half marathon a couple of years ago, but it is not the same. Too much difficulty because of the ankle issues which caused hip pain.

I had some talent. At 16 I tried running a 10k at a turkey trot for fun and ended up running 40:30 at 15 and had never really run before that. A year later I started running regularly and got to a 15:45 5k and 32:30 10k at 18 but then quit. Never really did any tempo or speed work the way athletes do today. That is my regret. You never know where you may have ended up so don't give up if you have the desire. If you have plateaued then change of the routine a little bit and I bet you will find success.

Keep at it, what else you got to do? Running is a great hobby that will keep you healthy and fit the rest of your life. Keep in mind everyone has a max speed but no one has any idea what that speed is until they hang up there spikes.

Just post as an "average" LetsRun poster and we'll all just assume you're 14:30 like the rest of us. And if anyone on here asks, you are cutting back your mpw to 110's because of having to work 80+ hours/week.

pissed off West coast runner wrote:

still 16's low in 5k D3 in college should i keep going at it 65-70 mpw or just give it up

Don’t give up. If what you are doing is not working then do something differently. Maybe the 5K is not your best distance? There are a million ways to train: find yours.

pissed off West coast runner wrote:

still 16's low in 5k D3 in college should i keep going at it 65-70 mpw or just give it up

Well, what's your goal? If your goal is to be the best 5,000 meter runner in the world, then yeah, it's time to see that that isn't happening. If your goal is to continue to improve and see where that takes you, then no, don't give up.

Are you a sophomore or a senior?

I used to run in the low's 16's....and my pr is 15'19, I ran for 15 years and I was always unhappy and wants to quit..I never had fun. BIG MISTAKE. Now, years went by...I weight 270 pounds,( i was 145 ) and totally regret in not having fun, and not enjoyed more my running days. THEY WERE THE BEST TIME OF MY LIFE!!!!! KEEP RUNNING, ENJOY, HAVE FUN! LIFE GOES BY FAST!!