Am I really that out of shape?

It is better to have a few things left to improve on.  I have no excuses and am still slow.  I am at a good normal weight (153 @5'8", have exercised regularly for years and have absolutely no health problems, but I am still slow as Christmas.  My times have slowed measurably since last year too.  I guess it is just an age thing, I am getting pretty much over the hill.  

Keep coloring in those little pink squares.   It is still the best medicine.

TW

Hey Kim,

I have wondered why one would intentionally go slower than is comfortable.  I have a theory but it may just be my Alzheimer's kicking in.  You be the judge.

My idea is that running more slowly allows you to run farther and burn the glycogen stored in your muscles more completely.  This forces your body to replenish more of those energy reserves.  This stress on the recovery system builds up the density of capillaries and mitochondria in the muscle that are doing the chemical conversions.  Running slowly is also easy on the joints and ligaments.  At least for me, I pound the pavement a lot harder as I pick it up a minute or so per mile.  So the benefits are in just really working one particular aspect of your fitness, i.e. increasing the tanks for endurance events, while saving the rest of the body. 

For most people,  the real limiter for performance (and enjoyment) in distance events is not to bonk.  This requires building those reserves.  This part of exercise adaptation takes the most time.  I believe that it takes years of long slow "base training" to reach the maximum adaptation of the recovery system that your body can achieve.

Of course, the long slow distance doesn't do so much for speed so close to the race, most training programs work on higher speed tempo runs and intervals.  These create strength.  You can make big changes in strength in a few months.

Personally, I rarely ever run/swim/bike fast.  My heart rate averages 136-140 in the summer, a bit lower in winter.  I never do speed work.  The consequences for me anyway are that I am never injured (knock on wood), I am very healthy (BP, RHR, blood lipids, triglycerides, etc.), and I am very slow compared to other people my age and fitness level.

 This is not based on science, just my personal observation of my results.   I have read some books and asked some professional exercise physiologists if the body's ability to replenish glycogen can be improved through training or if it is like maximum heart rate and pretty much fixed by age and genetics.  I haven't gotten an answer so far.

TW