Friday, 2 October 2009
10K Times
In this week's 'Athletics Weekly' Ian MacMillan who used to run for Invicta AAC in Kent has a letter about slow standards. Addressing the issue of falling standards in UK distance running he targets a recent article in the magazine. In the September 10th issue there was an item about training for the 10K targetting a 40 minutes time. He was quite exercised by this - how can we hope to progress when a journal like AW encourages athletes to target such a slow time for senior men as 40 minutes for the distance? I am inclined to agree with him to the extent that any male runner under the age of 40 should be able to get well under this time simply by doing four or five runs of moderate intensity a week. The editor in his reply said that there were only 20 men under 30 last year so it made sense to set a lower target! Seems like nonsense to me! If 30 is too fast for budding endurance runners, Heaven help us; but why do they have to go in 10 minute steps? 35 minutes?
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1 comment:
Yes
I agree that standards are set very low. At the moment the British M65 age group is competing at 38.30 in 10k and the M60 well below this. But then the training suggested is also rather "kind". Weekly mileage and intensity of speed sessions and long Sunday run all seem to have reduced.
What you put in is what you get out.
Bobby Young
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