Realistic Run Improvement

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Edited by bachorb 2009-08-04 9:08 AM

By training consistently  and following a realistic plan, you will see significant improvements in your times.  How much?  I don't know if anyone can say.

I'm pretty sure that the correct answer here is 'everybody is different'.  I'm 41, so close to you in age.  I started running in May 2008 and could just about scratch out a 9 minute mile before lying down to die.  In my sprint tri's last spring (so, 10 months later), I was going well under 7min/mile for the 5k.  I went ~6:45/mile for the 10K in my Oly in April.  (On the other hand, I blew up in my HIM and went >2hrs.)

Just focus on running smart and running a lot, and I'd bet improvement will come fairly quickly at first.  But if not, keep trying!

FWIW- I was a pure cyclist (5+k mi/yr) until last Fall when I got this silly idea to 'tri a tri' to get in better all-around shape.  Vitals- middle age male 6'/174#.  Had not run regularly in >10 yrs.   Started running in Dec & could barely finish 5k in 31-32min.  Now down to 164# & my PB 5k is 24min.  That improvement has just been with doing 2-10k runs consistently 2-4x/wk  (no speed work) as part of overall tri training. 

That's kind of where I am - have put on about 2000 mi/yr on my bike for the last four years.  I have plenty of gas in the aerobic tank, but I have not run since I started biking six years ago.  Are you running primarily for a set number of minutes per week or miles per week?

Anecdotallly, I ran my first 10K on my 44th birthday at an 8:50 pace(54:46), having started running eleven months earlier. Seven years later I hit my PR of a 7:30 pace (46:29) in the same race, probably my best race effort ever.

I am 46 and started running outside just over a year ago (I had been running indoors on a dreadmill for a year prior but only for weight loss not trying to improve my speed or endurance).  I ran my first 5k in July last year at just over a 10:00 pace and finished in 30:20.  Last month I ran the same race in 24:20 (7:51 pace).  So is it realistic?  I'm living proof that it is. 

I'd say you'll see a big improvement at the start which will taper off after a few years of training.  Anecodatally, I saw my 5K and 10K run times drop by 18-19% from my first year to second year of racing (after a 20-year hiatus).  Times are still getting better, but not by that much.

If you are interested, here's an interesting review of the HERITAGE family study that attempted to understand the range of response to a standardized exercise program.

http://www.mcmillanrunning.com/training1.htm

I found the information at this website very helpful in my run training.  It explains all the different types of run workouts and what they accomplish.