Should I just give up?
Should I just give up?
Define training... how old are you? What exactly is your run training look like? I mean, if you're running 65-70mpw, lifting weights, banging out week in week out long runs, tempos, intervals, and properly periodize your training to work on your 5k to half-marathon times and Sprints/half-mile times throughout the year, then maybe. However, if your idea of trained is jogging 2-3miles one day and doing a timed mile the next, then you'll be happy to know you have much room for improvement.
If you're 50+years old then a 6:05 mile is amazing and you should be glad! Elaborate though, otherwise we can't give you specific information and no one will learn or prosper.
Do you like running? Do you get enjoyment/fun/satisfaction out of it?
That question is independent of how fast or slow you are and is the only thing that matters in deciding if you should keep running.
Speculator Sam wrote:
Define training... how old are you? What exactly is your run training look like? I mean, if you're running 65-70mpw, lifting weights, banging out week in week out long runs, tempos, intervals, and properly periodize your training to work on your 5k to half-marathon times and Sprints/half-mile times throughout the year, then maybe. However, if your idea of trained is jogging 2-3miles one day and doing a timed mile the next, then you'll be happy to know you have much room for improvement.
If you're 50+years old then a 6:05 mile is amazing and you should be glad! Elaborate though, otherwise we can't give you specific information and no one will learn or prosper.
I'm a 29 year old woman. I currently run 50 MPW and yes, I run at all kinds of paces. 4:xx min mile for short sprints all the way up to 10:xx min mile for long/recovery runs. I do speedwork twice a week plus strides and sprints after runs. I cross train on a bike, I jump rope and do bodyweight exercises. I occasionally lift (maybe 4-5 times a month).
mid socks wrote:
Do you like running? Do you get enjoyment/fun/satisfaction out of it?
That question is independent of how fast or slow you are and is the only thing that matters in deciding if you should keep running.
I LOVE running, it's pretty much saved my life but I also have a burning desire to kick ass at it aswell. I feel like, seeing as I put so much energy into it, I might aswell be good at it.
2007 wrote:
mid socks wrote:Do you like running? Do you get enjoyment/fun/satisfaction out of it?
That question is independent of how fast or slow you are and is the only thing that matters in deciding if you should keep running.
I LOVE running, it's pretty much saved my life but I also have a burning desire to kick ass at it aswell. I feel like, seeing as I put so much energy into it, I might aswell be good at it.
What if you were a minute faster? You'd still not make national teams, still be over half a minute slower than those who do, still need to make a living doing something other than running. If you were that minute faster you'd still be running largely because you love it and because it pretty much saved your life. Almost all of us who really train hard struggle with thinking that for all the work we do we should be faster than we are. Well over 90% of what you do in running is done outside of competition. If you love that part of it why give it up because a tiny bit of it isn't working out as you'd like?
When I say "give up" I don't mean give up running, I mean should I give up trying to run fast? I know I'll never have any real sucess or make any decent team but I have non-running friends who can run faster than me, I'd at the very least like to kick their ass.
HRE speaks truth, as usual.
2007 wrote:
Should I just give up?
Yes. Give up right now. four years is definitely too long of a time to pursue perfection.
I mean, let's be real. With your training, youve probably done everything right, made all the sacrifices, and have no more stones to overturn to get that final few seconds of improvement.
What else is there to do? It would be much better for you if you gave up on this self-improvement bullshit!t and focused on more meaningful challenges like the heart challenges of lawn care.
Being real real: if you have to ask, it's already gone
I will save everyone some time and ask this nicely: are you overweight?
somebloke wrote:
2007 wrote:I'm a 29 year old woman. I currently run 50 MPW and yes, I run at all kinds of paces. 4:xx min mile for short sprints all the way up to 10:xx min mile for long/recovery runs. I do speedwork twice a week plus strides and sprints after runs. I cross train on a bike, I jump rope and do bodyweight exercises. I occasionally lift (maybe 4-5 times a month).
I will save everyone some time and ask this nicely: are you overweight?
Duuude You just dont ask a woman that question! Ok maybe we are all thinkig this but you dont have to go and blurt it out! X.x
2007 wrote:
Should I just give up?
Can't determine w/o pics.
At age 29, there is no way you have run your fastest mile yet! Keep training and try something new. If your training stagnates, your times will too.
Take a good look at your training and fitness and try to determine where your weaknesses are. Maybe hire a coach?
6:05 is not a bad time for the mile. And four years of training is not really that long. Most big PRs come after 7 years of training.
For many runners, the first few years of training translates into consistent year over year improvement. But, around 3-4 years in, your body fully adjusts to your training stimulus and improvement plateaus. The question then is what sort of new training stimulus do you need to continue to improve? That is a very individual issue. For some people, bumping mileage can make a big difference. For others, changing from doing a lot of traditional track work to more VO2 max training can make a difference. More hills, sprints, weights, etc. are all things to consider. You just have to try something new and see what happens.
somebloke wrote:
2007 wrote:I'm a 29 year old woman. I currently run 50 MPW and yes, I run at all kinds of paces. 4:xx min mile for short sprints all the way up to 10:xx min mile for long/recovery runs. I do speedwork twice a week plus strides and sprints after runs. I cross train on a bike, I jump rope and do bodyweight exercises. I occasionally lift (maybe 4-5 times a month).
I will save everyone some time and ask this nicely: are you overweight?
I'm 5'2 and 112lbs so far from it.
It's okay guys, I'm not sensitive :)
2007 wrote:
I'm 5'2 and 112lbs so far from it.
It's okay guys, I'm not sensitive :)
Definitely going to need pics.
Get Bob Schul's Training Book. America's only 5K Olympic champion. Two days a week start doing many 100m/150m intervals. Over the course of the next year build up to 50-60 number of reps. Walk 50m between reps. Vary the paces of these. Don't run hills other than 1-3% if in course of a 45-60 minute run. Don't run over 60 minutes at a time. Don't do any lifting, cross fit or 'core' exercises. Just run. Everything else will take care of it self. About 5-6 times a month do 12-15 x 600m. Slightly SLOWER than race pace but still faster than of course if you were on an endurance 60 minute run. That is use a dynamic stride and footplant. Recovery between each about a minute.
Bottom line is you are stagnant and need to shake things up.
You could be training generally rather than specifically for the mile. I suspect that may be the issue.
What do you want your mile time to be?
What do you do for speed work, threshold runs?
Maybe you need to challenge yourself more on them.
That's a solid time and you should be proud of the work you did to get there.
I agree that I think you can still get faster and might need to mix it up. Maybe you're already doing this, but are there any running clubs near you? You could find a training partner or group, try some new routines.
Alternatively, try some new goals if the mile time is driving you mad. Has your 5k been improving? You're obviously fast enough to win age group awards at some races. You could keep pushing that, try for increasingly competitive events, etc.