What is the most you've ever improved in one year?

In my first year running, i went from 50 minute 10k to 38.50 and ran a 3.14 marathon. I was not in school and was 23. I am now running 3 years and have a 10k pb of 33.25.

I know a kid who ran a 6:40 mile freshman year, and a 5:10 mile sophomore year. Pretty good. As a junior he ran 4:30s and sub-10.

asdfghjklqwerty wrote:

but that might be because he was getting into shape.

Really, genius? Ya think so?

I was similar to you. It was my freshman year, my first year running, and I went from 5:42 to 4:46.97. The following year, my first full XC season, I went from 19:30-17:18. It's one of those things where it makes me wonder how dominant the US could be if athletic kids spent just one year consistently training to see whether or not running is something they should pursue.

I ran 15 minutes for my first high school 2 mile race and improved to 17:25 for 3 miles my sophomore year.

Went out for XC as a soph in HS. Ran over 19 minutes for 5k first race of the season and 17:30s by the end. Seldom ran that winter. In track that spring got down to 2:04/4:30.

Summer before Junior year I consistently ran 50-60 miles/week including a weekly long run of 12 miles. Many of my runs had the same 1-mile uphill which I always pushed hard on. Once per week I would push myself hard on a 6 mile run, or run a mile/800 double at a summer all-comers meet (probably ran 2:10/4:40... not in track shape but this effort helped maintain some sharpness). During this time also worked 40 hours/week factory job doing physical labor.

Junior year in XC I regularly ran in the 15:30s. Finished 2nd at state. I beat runners that were light years ahead of me just months earlier during track season. Not all of us are stars right out of the gate.

HS: 16:59 -->15:31 the following season

Frosh yr HS. pre XC 2mi in 13:39, 1mi 6:03

By outdoor track 3200 in 10:27, 1mi 4:48. 1st year ever trying running.

Clearly I had no clue what I was doing initially.

As a sophomore I ran 20:35 for 5k and 13:13 for 2 miles in cross country. In track I ran 5:17 and 11:07 (started the season at 5:21 and 11:40). This was while running 35-40 miles per week. Over the summer I ran 50 mpw and ran a marathon in 3:21, and all of a sudden became a lot faster. I ran and swam 6 days a week and during junior year I biked 60 miles per week (to and from school every day). First cross country race I ran 11:03 for 2 miles and ran a PR of 16:43 in a 5k. Track season I ran 4:38 and 10:10.

Sophomore -> Junior

5000: 20:35 -> 16:43

3200: 11:07 -> 10:10

1600: 5:17 -> 4:38

17:03 to 15:55.

20point to 17:47 5k. Zone diet and joined a running group to get challenged each week.

For me:

Freshmen year- 2026 5k and a 4256 10k road race after track season

Sophomore year- 1744 5k and a 3824 10k road race after xc season

My friend:

Freshmen year- 232 800m

Senior Year- 159/416/909/1509 800/1600/3200/5000

Sophomore Year College- 153/346 800/1500

my first year of hs I didn't break 21. The next year I broke 18.

I went from 22:3X to 17:38 in about 3 months, but in 3 years since then I have only improved by a minute

39:59 -> 34:22 for 10km.

1:29:59 -> 1:17:50 for the Half-Marathon.

How did you do that... Did you even try on the 22:30 5K?

5:13 ---> 4:50

20:37 --> 18:10

I ran my 9th 4 miler of 2010 7:35 faster than my first, running both flat out (the last race was 2 minutes faster than my pre-2010 PR). The only reason I can think of is that I ran more races.

I knocked 2:52 off my 5K PR in the space of 7 months in 2012/13, while focused on a mile training (only race I've ever finished in the top 2).

In both cases my mileage was about 50% of what it would have been training for a marathon and both achievements followed a non-marathon year.

Boy on my daughter's cross country team had a PR of 18:17 as a freshman. Move down to 16:07 as a sophomore and then 15:56 as a junior.

His 3200 improvement went from 11:26 in indoor as a freshman to 9:42 as a junior.

He's the biggest improvement boy I can think of.

Actually my daughter had a big improvement from freshman year to sophomore year. 6:16 in the 1600 as a freshman. 5:23 when she was a sophomore.