Its all about percentages!

At some point in your running career you realise that you are never going to run the same times as when you were at your best..especially over the shorter distances.  I reached my peak as a "youngster" when I was 24.  Most of my pbs were set in the 95/96 season so using WAVA http://www.howardgrubb.co.uk/athletics/wmalookup06.html

I thought it would make an interesting comparison.  My peak at 24 compared to now at 43 years old.  It was also prompted by a question someone asked if I was running as quicker than ever before.   The answer to that on first thought is a resounding no but maybe the age grading might tell me otherwise.

As a younger running I never raced upwards of the half marathon.  

My 5km pb set as a 24 year old (15.11) is an 84.96% WAVA age grade.  My best as a Vet 40 is 83.98% set at last years Middlesbrough 5km.  My WAVA target therefore is 16 mins 26.

My 5m pb set as a 24 year old (25:17) is an 84.38% WAVA age grade.  My best as a Vet 40 is 83.50 set at Locke Park 5 (27:39) giving me a target of 27 mins 22.  

My 10km pb set as a 24 year old (32:26) is an 82.79% WAVA age grade.  My best as a Vet 40 is an 84.74 set at last years Leeds Abbey Dash (33:58).   Thats one to the new me!  

My 10m pb set as a 24 year old (52:26) is an 84.65% WAVA age grade.  My recent best as a Vet 40 is an 83.54 set at the Thirsk 10 this year (56:31) giving me a target of 56 mins 15 secs.

My half marathon pb set as a 24 year old (72:22) is 81.83 WAVA age grade - I never did get that distance right!  My recent best is an 82.49% set at the Chester Half Marathon in 2011(74:38) so that's one back to me.  

So am I quicker now than I was then?  The jury is probably out on that one but the targets for 5km, 5 mile and 10 mile do all seem within reach.     At the moment its 3-2 to the old me so I need to hit one of those targets as a 43 year old to snatch it!

Three races since my last blog post Manchester Marathon. 

New Marske Harriers Mermaid 10km finishing 5th overall and 2nd Vet 40 in a time of 34:48.
New Marske Harriers Coast Road 5km finishing 19th in a fully loaded field in a time of 17:02.
Locke Park 5 mile pie and peas race (and they were delicious!) finishing 1st in a time of 27:39.

Its always nice to get a win and what made this one special was that it was first over the line and first in the age graded list.  Another race in the race calender that Im sure will become a regular fixture thanks to New Marske Harriers.  http://www.new-marske-harriers.co.uk/

I'm enjoying a few shorter runs over this early summer period before knuckling down to Chester Marathon preparations which will begin in earnest mid June.

Start of the Locke Park 5 mile race