Mid 30's hobby jogger here (19:30 5k)...question for the college fast guys..

There, fixed. wrote:

If we are at the same race, you are in the stands cheering for us. We aren't both running.

To put it simply: what do we think of you? We don't.

Kind of the way actual elites think of YOU?

Just to be clear.

A world elite sees a 16:xx or even 15:00 college guy as more similar to a 19:xx guy than to himself. Both are irrelevant to him, trivial performers.

Slingerz wrote:

Nice trolling. I agree, as long as you run once every 10 days and put in some intervals during that one run every week and a half, you can run sub 6-minute mile pace. Totally agree.

I meant once every 10 days at least for MV02 work, but aerobic distance the rest of the time of course.

One thing is that there is really very little difference that different training couldn't fix between the people running 19:30 and the ones running 16:30 or even faster in their mid 30s. Just by joining a track club and running hard workouts with faster people for a year or two you will be running 16:30-17:30 before you know it. For this reason, I don't make distinctions between those levels of runners, those between 18 and 20 minutes in the 5k could quite easily change enough to get down to the 16-17 minute range unless they're in their fifties. Getting significantly below 16 is another level and hard to reach for the first time after your mid-thirties unless you happen to be near one of the top track clubs in the country and can train with the best masters' athletes around (So Cal, Seattle, Atlanta, Boulder).

I have a lot of respect for y'all considering you train on top of having careers and families.

rat face wrote:

Been on both sides of this fence...was a college runner, now a hobby jogger. When I was a college guy, I didn't think about "old" joggers much at all. If I did, I was dismissive. I never thought I'd be one of them...because I couldn't imagine ever getting old and slow. Mid 30s may as well have been a hundred years in the future.

Now that I'm old and slow, I really enjoy hobby jogging. It's very different from college running, but it's a lot of fun. Imagine lining up to run a race and actually looking forward to it, instead of being so tense you're about to throw up!

Mostly my experience too, except I was a little less dismissive since my high school coach also coached a bunch of old hobby joggers, so I got to know some of them a bit. I never cared about their 19 minute 5ks, but most of them were cool enough people and we would chat after road races in the off season.

And let's be honest, we may not care about somebody else's 19 minute 5k, but I didn't care about any body's times except those around me and elite runners. That didn't mean I couldn't respect people outside of those categories, I just didn't care about their times.

JasonBidal wrote:

What do you really think of people like me at races?

Do you guys respect me cause I'm a decade older and still running and staying in somewhat good shape??

Do you think that you will still be running when your my age?

What are your honest thoughts. When you see me. 35, running in tank and short shorts, about 175 pounds and 6 ft tall. And I run a 19:30 5k.

What are your thoughts?

back in the day when todd williams was one of the best runners in america he took the lead at a championship 10k and built a sizable lead off a slow pace. During the post race interview with eventual winner Haile Geb a reporter asked if Geb was worried about todd williams move. His response was "Who is this Todd Williams." ...... In short that is what most will think. they do not see, think, wonder, respect or condescend you. It seems to be you who are spending your whole time wondering what everyone thinks of you.

I'm trying to break 28-min right now as 6'1" 205-lb guy who in the last 1 1/2 years has lost 51-lbs (was 256). I really don't care what anyone else thinks of me. I'm improving and that is all I care about. If I get down to 180-lbs and train another year, maybe I can break 24. Not expecting too much more than that. Still much better than not being able to run at all at 256.

asdfdsfd wrote:

I'm trying to break 28-min right now as 6'1" 205-lb guy who in the last 1 1/2 years has lost 51-lbs (was 256). I really don't care what anyone else thinks of me. I'm improving and that is all I care about. If I get down to 180-lbs and train another year, maybe I can break 24. Not expecting too much more than that. Still much better than not being able to run at all at 256.

Congratulations on losing that much weight. I was at 230 lbs and 6'0" before I finally starting exercising and cutting calories to to get to 175 lbs. I walked 2 to 4 miles a day and added cycling a few days a week. I eventually started running and stopped walking/cycling and am down to 170 now and have been done as low as 160. It is still hard for me to keep my weight down. If you get down to 180 and continue to run I think you could get well below 24.

I am impressed by anyone who exercises, takes in a healthy amount of calories, and is at a healthy weight or working to get to a healthier weight.

I'm older then you..... have been you ... and have been reasonably fast ...sub 16..... when in college I ignored you...... when your age I raced you.... now at age 44 I still race you but I think I respect you a bit more...... I did not look down on you when I was fast... I just ignored you... we all run/race against those our speed... the others are a mere curiosity .... but I have always had massive respect for those 50+ still kicking ass

actually for most humans 19:30 is FLYING...... I know you probably ran 12 flat but for most mortals sub 20 is beastly fast

Judge Dredd wrote:

I wonder what all of those former college runners who aren't fast enough to make a living off it professionally think of me when I walk into Whole Foods with my beautiful wife and kids while they are bagging my groceries. They probably wonder what someone like me, who makes 500k and is a millionaire at 40 with a beautiful family, thinks of them making close to minimum wage and living at home.

Are you referring to what they think of you before or after they bang your wife while you're at work?

Thanks, I have the same sentiments as you. I'm 55 so even if I get skinnier, I will never be that fast, but it sure is more fun than being fat!

If someone is trying to break 15 and they run 15:30 and someone that runs 20:00 asks "howd you do? " The guy that missed his goal will say something like "Really bad. I wanted under 15 and i ran 30 seconds slower. I feel like if there was better competition, i could have done it, but i had to run by myself." The 20:00 guy will think the faster guy is super arrogant. Even though he wasnt being arrogant, the slower guy just cant relate

I dont care wrote:

Now I comfortably run 10km tempos in about 41 - 42 minutes, sometimes on back-to-back days.

Why are you doing tempos back-to-back? Do you just enjoy being hurt and burnt out?

I'm 54 and 2 weeks ago ran 38:20 at a 10K and before that 17:52 at 5k...I'll be thinking... almost 20 years older than this chap and kicked his ass.

I've said it before and I'll say it again - no one on here makes a living from running and that goes for any college "stud" too (what a gay term).

I find it hilarious when I see people on here acting snooty because they can run a 15 or 16 minute 5k. You are not PRO and you never will be.

I think a lot depends on where you're running. People don't seem to really care about people who are not running in the same timeframe in many races/clubs. But at parkrun I find the sub 16:00 runners are encouraging the over 30:00 joggers, and vice versa. It's a different and nice feeling, that I don't see at most other places. I'm 46 and squeezing under 18:00 (somewhere between running and jogging?), and staying for coffee and cake with the winners and the backmarker (often 30 minutes later than the winner) with all cheering on the others. I respect all, and they seem to respect me. The leaders don't grumble about the people who slow them down before lapping, and the slower ones are usually good at letting through and cheering.

JasonBidal wrote:

What do you really think of people like me at races?

Do you guys respect me cause I'm a decade older and still running and staying in somewhat good shape??

Do you think that you will still be running when your my age?

What are your honest thoughts. When you see me. 35, running in tank and short shorts, about 175 pounds and 6 ft tall. And I run a 19:30 5k.

What are your thoughts?

I'm 42, and with a boost from lockdown training, have just dipped under 17 minutes for the first time in a while. No idea what the sub 15 crew think of me, we're in separate orbits these days. Back in the crazy days of being a consistent 15-15:30 runner (once broke the magic barrier of 15) I used to be full of contempt for anyone outside 17 minutes. With hindsight, I was a complete tool.

British Observer wrote:

JasonBidal wrote:

What do you really think of people like me at races?

Do you guys respect me cause I'm a decade older and still running and staying in somewhat good shape??

Do you think that you will still be running when your my age?

What are your honest thoughts. When you see me. 35, running in tank and short shorts, about 175 pounds and 6 ft tall. And I run a 19:30 5k.

What are your thoughts?

I'm 42, and with a boost from lockdown training, have just dipped under 17 minutes for the first time in a while. No idea what the sub 15 crew think of me, we're in separate orbits these days. Back in the crazy days of being a consistent 15-15:30 runner (once broke the magic barrier of 15) I used to be full of contempt for anyone outside 17 minutes. With hindsight, I was a complete tool.

I agree about Parkrun it’s great, I find those runners quicker than 15 stick around and speak with us l recreational runners, same for the 16 mins runners and above. However those in 15:00-15:59 range more often than not seem to have a chip on their shoulder about how good they are.

I know this is an old thread but the message is true that’s been posted rungs true. If you run 15 mins and think your great you are a fool, it’s just as far as the elite as a 17/18 min runners.