Hey LR'ers -
I'm a 30 y/o male that is 6' 0" about 193 lbs. I've been a runner my entire life, but took a break after college and focused on other athletics, such as weightlifting, interval classes, cross-fit type workouts etc.
Throughout that time, I also grew into my body a bit more ... never once feeling overweight ... and certainly put on a lot of muscle. Simply, I no longer have a Peter Pan physique.
10 months ago I was 205 plus, and it's taken about a year to get where I'm at now; working my way up from about 30 mpw through the past year and now averaging mid-60s to low-80s. In that time, I've certainly started to eat a lot better and have run a couple decent marathons (2:59 & 2:56 w/ 3 poop stops ... woof) and a decent half (1:27 in incredibly high humidity). That was all a few months ago, and I've continued to train throughout the winter months, with focus on a few races this spring; the earliest in early-Feb.
Based on recent workouts, I feel like I'm in about 2:50 shape. I ran 2:45 a few years ago, but that was before I started lifting and working out more; so I was about 10 lbs lighter then.
My body fat is low, but I'm a dense human being; big quads, well defined chest and arms, etc. Along the lines of Patrick Cutter that you see in IG, but less tan and naked and more hair.
I really don't eat that much and am the smallest male in my family in years on both sides; my dad and grandfathers were basketball players. There are still some healthier choices I could make, but I'm not going to cut out the weekly Friday donut at work or 2-3 beers on a Saturday night.
All things considered, will more time in the mileage range I'm continue to help shed pounds and lower my time? At what point will I hit diminishing returns? And ... realistically what is my max potential in these two distances? Couldn't care less about 5k / 10k.