slow runners pity party (Page 8)

I always say, no matter how slow you think you are, you are lapping all the people on the couch back at the house!

These days I consider myself a slow runner.  In my 20's I ran a 17:50 5k, but that was on 80 miles a week.  These days my pr is 22:30, and my training runs are around the 9-10 min/mile mark.   I think someday I could be fast, but I can't go more than 3 months without an injury.  Typically reinjuring my achilles tendon, which tore 2 years ago.

While training for my first marathon(October 2010) I had low-iron and thyroid issues but didn't know at the time.  Resulting in my last long run before the marathon being only 8 miles.  My 1/2 mary in March prior was 2:39 with knee injury...I did it anyway...never again!  Couldn't run for over 3 weeks.  My 20K in June was 2:12:25  I think that extrapolated out to my being able to do a 4:40 marathon.

Mine was in 6:36.  There was a group of walkers who arrived before me!(They were very encouraging, by the way).  I probably would have been better off walking the first 10 miles and then running.  I was doing the Jeff Galloway program after my injury.  Two months later I got my iron up and fixed the thyroid and I ran a 5:43.  This was last December.

I was supposed to run another marathon on Saturday, but broke my toe...my training wasn't the best, but I think I might have improved some...still...I am slow and once had the safety vehicle escort me to the finish line...and I was running a 10 min. mile  which is a lot faster than what I have been able to do in awhile!   All the slower people stayed in bed that day, I guess because it snowed.

My 16 yr old son can run a mile in just about 6 minutes(this he has accomplished in 4 weeks of weekly running 1 mile with the boyscouts)  He can walk much faster than I run! I am 5' 4" and he is 5'11" . 

 The nice thing is my daughter who is 7 did 5 5K's with me this summer and we did it together...very slowly and walked much of the way, AND she got a medal at one of them!  It's not about speed but determination and passion for the sport of running.  I LOVE IT!

so what kind of base will I be at?  I hate having to start over again, when I was almost to the marathon length.

Thanks for any input!

ON the plus side, I am building my upper body strength

Nichi

I'm a member as well.  I have slowly been improving, but it's pretty clear I'll always be on the slow side.  When I'm trying to podium (small races), I definitely have the "I'm being chased" mentality on the run.  I personally would prefer the "stalking prey" scenario but that just isn't in the cards.