28 years old and feeling washed up/past my peak...racing is harder/getting in shape is harder

it's mental. unless you torched your body in training during ages 21-28 (which it doesn't sound like), you still have plenty of time to get in PR shape and run PRs for 3, 4, 5+ years. you just have to be more consistent & take better care of yourself than when you were 20. getting into killer shape will solve your problems & erase the doubts you are having. go get it.

Thanks man. Doesn't seem like much, but that really helps.

wow, this really made my day. Thank you!

Sounds like maybe some burn-out ??? Take some time off, you will know when your ready again.

I think it's just you. I wasn't nearly as fast as you, however I was decent. I stopped running for 6 years after college and picked it up just 3 months ago. Getting back into shape isn't really that hard.

Wait until you are 38...48....58.

Not having anyone to train with can be very difficult. Nothing gets you moving better than having rabbits to chase. Otherwise, training is probably stale. You need a coach who will take you in a new direction. You need a new training stimulus. I would bet that your training logs look pretty close to the same for the past few years in terms of the workouts you do. If you have never done high mileage, try doing a big Lydiard base phase. If you have always done high mileage, drop the mileage and do more quality.

The only other issue is that if you are on a very high level, you may very well have seen the best you've got and won't get any better without doing things like training at altitude, 120 mpw etc.

It is very hard to match HS/College track times. Not because you're physically past your peak, but because you likely don't have the same training environment. It's difficult to train solo in track. You need teammates to compete with during practices. Now matching your long-distance/road PRs later in life is more possible, but below 5K I found my school track times to be untouchable even in my late 20s. Also, how many opportunities are there to race for adults at distances less then 5K? Instead of weekly track meets with good competition, you have at most 5 or 6 all comer meets per year. Not much to work with.

it's been done wrote:

http://www.letsrun.com/forum/flat_read.php?thread=5574236

it's mental. unless you torched your body in training during ages 21-28 (which it doesn't sound like), you still have plenty of time to get in PR shape and run PRs for 3, 4, 5+ years. you just have to be more consistent & take better care of yourself than when you were 20. getting into killer shape will solve your problems & erase the doubts you are having. go get it.

most runners have crises like this at some point in their 20s or 30s - what helped me through it was to find new goals each year.

Be a miler one year, a marathoner the next, a 10k guy the one after that. Put together a bucket list of races - Falmouth, Boston, Bay to Breakers, Peachtree, ESBR, etc...that will bring you into the sport and make you feel like part of the community.

And go easy on the quality and long on the miles - the quality stuff can be hard on the mind unless you are in the right place mentally. Which it sounds like you aren't.

Do tempos, but only hammer out 400s once in a while.

Running alone is tough. My best breakthroughs post college came from when I'd just moved to a new area or found new trails to run. Explore. Every now and then I'll drive up to an hour away on the weekend to get a run in somewhere I haven't been running day in and day out. Other than that, maybe try to find a coach or something. Some people have had success with online coaches; if you go that route pick one who has coached runners at your level.

that's a cop-out. you can train as hard on the track solo as you want to. most rec runners runners in their late 20s don't like running fast & chasing track PRs because: 1) it hurts 2) time constraints (easier to just hit the roads or trails instead of finding a track to workout on)3) will likely require more supplemental work (weights, etc.) and thus more timetraining solo on he track HELPED me get better at the 800/1500 in my late 20s. total focus on form, being in control, and relaxation. also not worrying about keeping up with a pack or some dumb*ss who wants to always race during workouts (kept me from overdoing it). plus once solo training starts to get boring after fall/winter base work and you are fit, you are just ITCHING for competition. training solo makes racing all the more fun, becomes a thrill to have comp. and guys to chase/be chased by.and if you live in the right area (bay area, socal, etc.) there are TONS of opportunities to race outdoors from Jan.-May between all-comers and open collegiate meets.

whatsmyname wrote:

It is very hard to match HS/College track times. Not because you're physically past your peak, but because you likely don't have the same training environment. It's difficult to train solo in track. You need teammates to compete with during practices. Now matching your long-distance/road PRs later in life is more possible, but below 5K I found my school track times to be untouchable even in my late 20s. Also, how many opportunities are there to race for adults at distances less then 5K? Instead of weekly track meets with good competition, you have at most 5 or 6 all comer meets per year. Not much to work with.

"... for a few months..." ? Find a group to train with. It sounds like you can't sustain training by yourself for very long and probably the training you do also suffers. Very few runners do their best training solo.

Agree with this, I crushed my college track times as a post collegiate runner. Working out solo is just different. I don't do as much hard interval work; I do a lot more shorter faster repeats with long recovery, and long reps with short recovery. The killer stuff like endless 1000s at 5k pace or 400s at mile pace, I just don't do much anymore.

Dude - 28 is nothin'.

I feel you. I am 27 and have recently been having more success post college running. I am in PR shape again after 6 plus yrs of on and off running. Things that have worked for me: Moving to road racing and once in a while throwing in a track race, (depending how your training has been) gradual long base building, trying new things in training (surprisingly more tempo runs in my training has gotten be in shape quicker than harder interval work), (this one might be hard) but do not make your whole life about running--have fun in other ways, eat healthy, sleep, do not focus on time but 'getting' in shape. I train alone most of the time and these things have gotten me to a better place in running; after 3yrs of training for road racing has gotten me ready (mentally and physically to break some PRs on the track this coming spring). Balance your life and running career. Do not focus on what you did before, for right now, focus and be greatful for your body and what you can do right now. Trust this last part will relax your mind and relief stress. You are still able to run fast, you just have to find new ways of going about it. RUN IN NATURE!

I would add one more thing - I have absolutely loved coaching myself - I have learned more about the sport, about myself, and even enjoyed my mistakes. usually.

I'm always asking myself what would be the best workout for me this week. I have a big amount invested in my own success, which makes running interesting.

if you have a bent toward self coaching, it can be very rewarding.

He wasn't saying that it's impossible, just that it's harder. There's a reason few track athletes train alone-- I mean personally, I can crank out a solo tempo easily enough, but can't do killer track workouts in the dark after a day of work. Also, we don't all live in California.

Am also 28 but am feeling pretty good with my training, goals and races. Find a running club or running partners, do some races, mix up your training locations, etc. It's just a slump that you'll get through. Don't be afraid to work for it though.

I felt like 28 was my peak year of running, didn't really "get" how to train until my junior and senior years of college, so I keep training very steady each year after. I ran at least one PR every year until I turned 28. When I was 29 I didn't PR but won a local marathon which was good enough in my mind. I had two very rough years after that dealing with just going through the motions of running/training, and feeling like maybe I should get on with other things in life. Glad that phase passed, as I trained my ass off this past summer and PR'd in the marathon, besting a time I set when I was 25. I'm in my early 30's now and feel like there is still much room for improvement. You should be an aerobic beast by your age, and have the racing smarts to beat a lot of more talented younger runners by just running smarter. Find someone to run with at least once or twice a week.