One of the commonest queries on this forum, after “Do I have to take rest days?” YES!! and “Am I too old to do this?” NO, NO, NO!!, is “Am I running too slowly?” The answer we always give is another resounding no, saying that speed will follow later on. With this in mind here is the summary of my last three years running, relating in particular to pace.
Starting to run at 57 was my way of trying to stave off the seemingly inevitable physical decline associated with ageing. I was tough on myself and rather than heed the call to run slowly, I ran as fast as I could, once I had learned what was a sustainable breathing technique. If I am gasping it is unsustainable, so reduce pace a bit until the gasping ceases and there is my maximum pace. The same regime in Week 9 as it is now. My logic was that if I pushed hard, my body would get used to that level of effort and slowly my pace would improve further. It seemed to work.
In Week 9 I ran my first triumphant sub 30 minute 5k. W9R1, run with my 32 year old son came up twice on my activity list on Endomondo, so I deleted one, only to find the other had gone too, before it was transmitted to the website and fixed in my brain.....my first sub 30min 5k, gone for ever. So for W9R2, I was determined to repeat the feat and according to Endomondo I did, recording 28:09 for 5k, but it also gave some erratic variation in kilometre splits, varying from 6:28 to an unlikely 4:07, meaning that I didn't really trust the results. My graduation run was, due to my impatience, on a Friday evening after a hard week at work and an evening meal, the same route returned a hard slog at 33:44 for the 5k. A run remembered for all the wrong reasons and a warning to all to set up their graduation run sensibly.
Because of Endomondo's seeming inaccuracy (my phone is probably to blame) I started my longstanding relationship with Annabel Runkeeper-Smythe, the ups and downs of which I have related in the past. For some reason I reinstalled the same app six months later and I now have a gap in my running record because I lost six months of data. Doh!!
That period does include my first parkrun at Killerton at the end of August 2013, which delighted me with an official timing of 27:24. Parkrun timings are what I use as my “official” 5k timings and that is where all my 5k PBs have come over the years. Two more PBs were set at Killerton parkrun....26:18 in December 2013, followed by the ridiculously big jump to 25:41in June 2014. I knew at the time that record would stand for quite a period. I have managed to get within a few seconds of it on a couple of occasions in 2015 and then at the end of the year the course was altered, meaning I am unlikely to beat it again. The old course measured very slightly under 5k on my GPS, while the new one is spot on.
To try to beat this 5k PB I ran Exeter Riverside parkrun course...as flat as a pancake and mainly on tarmac, unlike Killerton which is cross country. So in August 2015, almost two years since C25k, I got my all time best 5k timing of 25:32.
Having tried one local 10k organised run, I decided that I prefer to run for the most part on my own, with just 15 parkruns over three years, thrown in to keep me on my toes. My first solo 10k in 2013 was about 1:05:00 and while I now frequently run sub 1hr 10ks, in November 2015 I managed to get my 10k PB down to 55:49.
So it is clear to see that I have got faster since graduation........well, that is until my sixtieth birthday, just before Christmas 2015, when I headed out on a 10k feeling fine, returned feeling horrible. I was gripped by a virus right through Christmas and then just as I was recovering in January, I got a non running related back injury, which kept me from running at all for a month and then necessitated very careful build up over the next few months. Last month I ran my fastest 5k and10k of 2016, with a 27:55 and 58:03, both on the same run, but most of the time my pace is much slower and not near the heights I managed in 2015.
Maybe the post 60 decline has set in, despite my best efforts. Maybe I will never set any new PBs and does it really matter at all? No, is the answer if you look at this report which my wife showed me womensrunning.competitor.co...
This clearly suggests that not pushing too hard is the best possible way to run, as far as life expectancy is concerned. Mind you, they don't say what the runners died of. Maybe all they all got knocked down by buses. Take from it what you will. Try to speed up over time, or maybe try to slow down.....that is my problem.
Whatever, running is so ingrained in my life now that I am happy just to run and the PBs......well, who needs those? (who do I think I am kidding?).
Keep running, keep smiling.
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IannodaTruffe
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There is so much contradictory info out there about running, which we all filter through our own personality traits, and pick out what we want, but that report has made me think twice about chasing speed at all costs.
Good luck with graduation and remember to set up your run carefully.
Happy runniversary Ian! 😊you and Emma (turbo tortoise) must have graduated at a similar time as she's just put a 3yr post up too??!!
Funnily , going back to your post I was just thinking tonight that I'm not getting anywhere near my pbs lately, but I ran a route I haven't done for a while tonight and my pace was almost exactly the same as the time I did it last year but it definitely felt better,especially the steep hill! 😊steady running suits me better!
Thanks aliboo. At the moment I am glad to be back to the sort of pace I am managing, but actually feel as if my leg action is restricted and am considering some cycling as a way to free things up......then again I may just be being nostalgic for my days of glory.
I'm thinking of dragging my bike out too!not used it for ages! Your pace is great anyway but you have to be happy with it so the bike may well help, and keep smiling😊
Congratulations on three years of running and smiling IdT. Coincidentally it's my three-year "runniversary" today and it's wonderful that we are all still here.
I too have no idea whether I'll ever beat my own PBs again, post-injury and being the wrong end of my 40s and all that. Though I still have hope, and I think it can be done (when we are fully fit) through a combination of long, slow runs and a few short and sharp HIIT intervals.
Talking of slow running, for several months after graduation I only seemed to have one running 'gear' - it was all or nothing. One of the very best things was gradually discovering that I could indeed go slowly enough to run and talk at the same time. But it takes time.
For other reasons I guess my own warning would be "don't do stupid things with heavy building materials"... *hollow laughter*
But seriously, I will be happy to keep running just for the sheer joy of it.
Happy runnerversary. I remember reading your posts as I was coming through. Like you its been a journey of discovery after graduation. I will probably never be a 30 min/5km runner but I will always be a happy runner. I'm glad your backs better and your out again opening your gates. Happy running.
I am having to come to terms with the advice that I have often given that my pace at present is my pace and have to accept that. So long as I can run, I will be happy.
I think the reason why I am enjoying my HR training so much is that it is a bit similar to doing C25K - that is, I have to complete each day's task as it is writ - to run certain runs at certain heart rate numbers - there is no reference to pace at all. So todays task might be - run 45 minutes within Zone 2 - tomorrows task might be run for 30 minutes at 85% of heart rate reserve. Two different people will complete these tasks using the same effort - but one may be faster/slower than the other. But as we say to new people starting out with C25K - the object is to finish the day's task - pace is irrelevant. It is somewhat refreshing!!
The HR route makes total sense. I just have to work out what my max HR actually is, so I can set my zones. Based on my age my watch tells me I am running 10ks at the top end, even though it is relatively easy going. It would be a liberating approach.
do you do parkrun?? I have determined my MaxHr to as close as I "need" when finishing VERY hard at the end. I find it very difficult to exert myself to the extreme when I am by myself - so a parkrun is ideal for me. When I go on a treadmill, I have to tell it that I am only 53YO (instead of 70) - else the machine eventually has a heart attack!!
Reading that post has left me with a big smile on my face - happy runniversary! Running has definitely been a boost for me, both mentally and physically - I'd even say that the former is more important to me than the latter. I'm not a big PB addict, although I do admit that I'd like to get below an hour for my next 10K... which kind of proves that I'm a PB addict after all.
There's a difference between being pleased, giving yourself a little challenge, just adding spice really... and that being the big focus of your running.
I haven't chased PBs as such, but they are the measure of progress and even now, coming back from injury my times indicate how far I have come, so difficult to totally ignore.
Happy runniversary! Your year sounds much like mine, except I never ran as fast as you to start with. I got that virus too, it really knocked the stuffing out of me, and like you was just getting my stamina back when I got injured. Achilles tendonitis struck....another 6 weeks off, and when I returned to running I found that my whole attitude had changed....I was never really all that bothered by PBs ( my best 5K remains at just under 35 mins), but I do enjoy my running more these days - gosh we're lucky to just be out there aren't we?
The discovery of running is such a wonderful thing for all of us and whether we take it slow and live long or run hard and die fit, it is a huge boost to self esteem and general vitality.
Lovely post Ian and congratulations on your 3 year runniversary! Some very impressive PB's there and of course, many wise words! Here's to the road ahead!🏃🏻🏃🏻🏃🏻
Thanks Sandra. Three years has seen running become a fixture in my life and I still sell C25k at every opportunity but am personally more relaxed about my own progress. If I miss a run it is annoying rather than a big deal, but overall running has changed my life more than anything else since my kids were born.
It is having an equally massive impact on mine too Ian, and has helped me get through some really tough times recently. Most importantly it has shown me (at 51) that I am far tougher mentally than I ever realised! Have a good day🙂
The report does raise a lot of questions, which are not addressed in the abstracts, such as what did those runners die of and at what age. You have to pick your way carefully through running stories and reports.
Happy Runniversary IT! Those are impressive times 👏 but you've worked hard and put a lot of mileage in to achieve them.
You graduated just before me but yet I always thought you had been around for yonks as your advice was very sensible and I considered you "the godfather" of the forum 🙂
I just think it's amazing we're still running and loving it after three years.
If I had started when much younger then I am not sure that I would have appreciated all the benefits as much as I now do. The report makes it sound like too much running is not good for you, so maybe we need to reappraise how we run. Bazza's HR plan certainly makes sense.
Oh a truly great post there m'dear- entertaining and food for thought. It's been a joy and a privilege to read your (all too infrequent) posts and the good common sense advice you dispense . Can't believe you've only been a runner for 3 years, your knowledge would suggest you've been at it for much longer.
Happy happy runniversary IdT, keep on doing what you do, and keep on sharing how you do it
My posts are less frequent, AM, simply because I am not breaking any new ground and I do like to have something to offer when I post, rather than just my random ramblings. I am sure my knowledge is no greater than yours. It is incredible how much stuff you assimilate just to try to understand the process of running and sharing it on this forum is one of the pleasures of being part of this community.
Happy runniversary, IdT, and thank you for a great post, as usual. You give a lot of wise advice, although as with any other article on running, I can take it or leave it because I'm sure we could find three other articles with four contradictory theories
I'll never be a fast runner, although I do like to challenge myself and my previous times. I hope you can sneak another PB or two in there, and also enjoy many, many more very happy runniversaries.
Picking your way through running related reports could be a full time job. If you analysed the amount of fact in the average running magazine, as opposed to conjecture and theory, then you are left with very little substance, in my opinion.
Fabulous achievements.. and hugely inspiring for me.. Thanks now I can look forward to some speed/ distance improvements.. turning 50 this month ..graduated a couple of months ago and love seeing my progress in speed and distance..
I was inspired by others on here, particularly malcy, who set some cracking parkrun times and was a few years older than me. He has since run a marathon and runs a new runner's group. I am still inspired by many of those who tackle C25k despite huge obstacles and it is such a pleasure to be able to advise and encourage newcomers.
You have already changed your life and it just keeps coming.
It is so satisfying to read you and TurboTortoise reflecting on your running anniversaries.
I wonder if it isn't about doing the best in that moment, in that run, whatever that might happen to be, and sometimes that will be pushing your edge and other times it will be being out there and feeling at one with the world.
It can be heady times for a while in the early days can't it? When almost all you have to do is to get out there and its a PB...but there has to be a little bit more to it.
Great post happy runniversary ☺
As I slowly approach my 60th I read with great interest 😊
Like you IT, I got faster in the first year after graduation but this has settled back to a slightly slower and more comfortable pace on my regular runs ( although I have never managed a sub 30 mins 5k).
I find I am quite happy to pootle along and just revel in the fact that, that despite never being a sporty type I am out there running regularly in my sixties.
Thanks Ully, I am maybe not quite as zealous as I used to be, but still love the fact that I can do this thing and I feel that so grateful for the discovery.
Glad to see you are back running, you were one of the first people yo offer helpful support at the beginning of my journey, 18 months ago. I am no longer sure what 'improvement' really is, and whether it really matters. I try to work on my speed, nothing much happens. I try to work on distance, end up back in the same comfortable range. Today was my first Parkrun after a bit of an injury, so perhaps it's unfair to note it was my slowest Parkrun on my home course in 2016 and an almost identical finish the to the same weekend last year (when I still had to run/walk some of it). But I keep on shuffling on!
All of us still here obviously enjoy passing on our wisdom and encouraging the newbies, just as happened to us when we started out. All those stories are inspirational, simply by their sheer number and we are all part of a movement changing the social norms towards a place where running is considered to be as normal as sitting on the sofa.
I am sure you feel many benefits, so it doesn't matter if you are not "progressing", especially if you believe that study.
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Couch to 5k - one year on...
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2 years after C25K Graduation 
5th Parkrun and progress
One year since graduation 
