Fuck it! Do I just have to accept that I am too old and slow?

[IrianofWay]

I ran my 5th 10K today and 2.5 minutes slower than the same race last year. But the worst of it was that I ran my hardest - I gave it everything I had and I was nearly sick at the end. It was marginally faster than the 10k I did last month but even so.... I am 51 so maybe I just have to accept that I that is the best I can do?

All the other women who joined the running club at the same time as me are resolutely getting faster but I seem to going the other way.

I am trying to give myself little pep talks but it doesn't work. I am so disappointed.

Ah yes...the dreaded BMI! I am 5'11 and usually hover around BMI of 22/23. But the problem is that regardless of whether that is 'healthy' or not I am still carrying around a hell of a lot of poundage. More so than the petite women that I run with. Undeniable fact - even if 90% of that is muscle it's a lot of weight to carry.

I was trying to lose weight in the last month - by low-carbing as it's the only thing really seems to work for me. It sapped me totally for running but I had been back on a moderate level of carbs for 10 days before the race.

I like the battery analogy - I can manage 13 miles but currently only at around 10.1 to 11 minute miles. If I try to increase the pace I flag drastically at around 9 miles and the last 4 are a painful trudge. I guess I need to concentrate on shorter faster and longer slower rather than trying to mix them up.

Irian, you're right it's not just BMI the tall lean person has to work harder than the short lean person

then again I am short and light, run about 40 miles a week but my partner who is tall, heavily muscled and hardly does any running is way faster than me

when I run on my own I feel as if I'm doing well but if I run with him I feel like I'm a morris minor trying to keep up with a ferarri :(

So how does the tall lean vs. short lean theory work for Usain Bolt? Or is it just a long distance thing? Except the Brownlee brothers are 5'10"-6'1" and they seem to run far fast.

It's said that to run faster means you must run faster... as in efforts/intervals. But only once a week usually because intervals are horrible. If you finish an interval run thinking "That wasn't too bad" then you need to run faster for longer next time.

What time are you hoping for? I could only dream of doing a 5k under 30 mins! Usually takes me 1h15 to do a 10k. Is there any particular reason you want to run faster?

Ah but most of are not like Usain Bolt! I suspect comparing the average hobby runner to an elite athlete isn't going to be particularly helpful. There are limitations on my development of speed and stamina that I don't imagine the budding Bolts of this world suffer from - age, lack of time to train, to name just two.

I can't help but think that assuming two runners start, for example, C25K at the same time and train as much and as hard as each other, generally the 8 stone runner will find it easier to be nippy than the 12 stone runner.

turn - I did it in 62.09 minutes this time. Last year 59.17.

I know that if I did it 63 minutes last year I'd have been happy with 62 this year.

I would like to get consistently under an hour I guess. And edge that downwards

I'm not convinced on the theory of a 8 stone runner being faster than a 12 stone runner. I did C25K with a large group last year and some people were seriously speedy and others like myself were slower and remained slow. We have some people in my running group who you just need to look at to see they would be classed as overweight and they are really fast.

So how does the tall lean vs. short lean theory work for Usain Bolt

I refer you to my 'assuming that all other variables are held equal' caveat

obviously there are many variables which affect running economy and the weight of each variable will vary from person to person

and presumably in the case of elite athletes there is something different or 'extra' going on

I'm not convinced on the theory of a 8 stone runner being faster than a 12 stone runner
fgs it's not that hard is it??
do you understand what is meant by 'all other things being equal'??

I can't help but think that assuming two runners start, for example, C25K at the same time and train as much and as hard as each other, generally the 8 stone runner will find it easier to be nippy than the 12 stone runner
some people just have better engines, blood with higher oxygen carrying capacity, more efficient heart and lungs etc etc, some people have a large and fast response to training, some have a small and very slow response.
If all the other factors which affect running ability are held equal then the lighter person will be faster, because less fuel is required to transport a smaller mass over any given distance

suzanne it is highly unlikely that all other things are equal as we are all individuals. You can't look at people and decide skinny person =fast and fatter person = slower. it isn't that simple and you can't just caveat it with all other things being equal because it isn't that simple.

why do I even bother

I assumed tall people made better runners as they have longer legs, hence a longer stride?

DP walks much more quickly than me, and I walk much more quickly than little DS.

I also walk more quickly in higher heels as it lengthens my stride.

Is this wrong?

I wasn't suggesting that a heavier person will always be faster than a lighter person, I am saying that body weight is one of the variables which affects running speed.
In order to look at the effects of a variable you need to eliminate the effects of other variables, obviously this is abstract thinking, but it's how basic scientific experiments are conducted...doesn't anyone get this?

I assumed tall people made better runners as they have longer legs, hence a longer stride? DP walks much more quickly than me, and I walk much more quickly than little DS
we are talking about bio-mechanics here, afaik the influence of leg length on walking speed differs from it's effect on running speed.

I'm not sure what the optimal height/leg length is for running but (afaik) long legs are only an advantage up to a certain point.
The best runner is the one for whom all the variables are optimised

Perhaps if you hadn't been so rude in your post I may have been more interested in what you had to say.

I can take really long strides when I am walking and yes, that means I can walk very fast. But long strides aren't as easy when running - I don't know why - it just makes me feel unstable to run with long strides.

I think research has shown that losing weight will make a difference to your times, but of course there are many other factors for each individual and as none of us have the luxury of a coaching team dedicated to our needs we'll probably never work them all out! I am tall, 6ft 1 but my 5ft4 friend is faster than me! I think I would be faster if I pushed harder, and I think a coach or personal trainer would help there, or being in a good running club, which I don't have. And I guess great nutrition, plenty of rest, no stress...no likely with 3 kids, a dog and an OU degree! OP I can only say don't give up, tweak what you can and keep training, I hope you can make some progress still and can carry on enjoying your running.

I dont especially care
actually I think I prefer it if you're not interested and then I wont get drawn into wasting my time explaining what is really only basic physics/science to people who cant seem to grasp simple concepts

This is another good read: The Art of Running Faster.

I managed to get a lot out of it despite just being a casual runner. One of the best pieces of advice was to run for the way you feel. So if you planned to do a long slow run but feel up for a fast short one, change your plans. If you went out for a quick jog but feel awesome, keep going. Also it said that short effective runs are better at improving speed than trying to run for longer and longer distances.

I went out for a 5 mile easy run this week but ended up doing 3 miles at a much faster pace as I felt I could do it. Unplanned, I just changed it as the run began.

Good advice! I like the idea of letting your legs dictate how you run - as long as they don't dictate staying home eating cake!

But..... I do need to fit in some long runs in preparation for my half.

Think you will have to tell your legs that you're in charge then Irian! When is your half?

I'm going to weigh in with a couple of different ideas. Firstly I'd suggest having a look at Jeff Galloway's training plans. He advocates 30 second walk breaks during the run. Sounds crazy but many, many people have found this makes them faster. Especially the more er, mature runners. Might be just what you need to get a faster time.
My other thought was don't go faster, go further instead. I realised that a speedier time wasn't going to happen so I moved to ultra marathons and trail marathons. Instantly gave me a new challenge and now it's one I can achieve. Worth a thought? The ultra community are very welcoming too

November.

But there is also a local one in September. I did the associated 10k with that one though last year and it was so hot! Apparently it always is, so a bit dubious.

Thanks migrant - there are some ultra runners in our club and they are usually some of the most helpful and welcoming of the experienced runners.

I will look into jeff galloway - presmumably the walk breaks are just during training?