Great ‘Stack Dan! As an “old guy” I have found my fastest mile of a 5K is now the third mile, a reverse of my first forty years of running. Since I rarely run the same 5K event twice the first mile is now for warming up (~9 mins), the second mile is for finding the rhythm to my breathing and stride (~8 mins), and the third mile is for enjoying the course and slipping into performance mode (~7mins). I’m good with a 25-26 minute 5K on a new course as long as I can consistently do 7:30 minute miles on a treadmill and the local high school track. I’ve had meniscus repairs on both knees so learning to listen to my body signal to me how it wants to run keeps recovery time manageable and injuries at a minimum (🤞🏻).
Thanks Dan for this insight, I’d be grateful if you could take a look at my latest - about an older runner - posted today. https://youonlyageonce.substack.com/p/running-with-karen?r=8fr373&utm_medium=ios
Great ‘Stack Dan! As an “old guy” I have found my fastest mile of a 5K is now the third mile, a reverse of my first forty years of running. Since I rarely run the same 5K event twice the first mile is now for warming up (~9 mins), the second mile is for finding the rhythm to my breathing and stride (~8 mins), and the third mile is for enjoying the course and slipping into performance mode (~7mins). I’m good with a 25-26 minute 5K on a new course as long as I can consistently do 7:30 minute miles on a treadmill and the local high school track. I’ve had meniscus repairs on both knees so learning to listen to my body signal to me how it wants to run keeps recovery time manageable and injuries at a minimum (🤞🏻).
Yeah, being able (and willing) to listen to your body is super important as we get older.