How long to reach your peak?

An_Reathai

I once heard someone (Tim Noakes, maybe) say that on average it takes most runners about 7-8 years to hit their peak. Whoever it was suggested that this holds true almost regardless of the age the person starts running i.e. someone starting at 22 will hit their peak in their late twenties, someone starting at age 38 will hit their peak in their mid 40s etc. Of course the younger a person starts, the higher their peak will be. The other bit I remember is that once you do hit your peak, there is no sudden decline and that 10 years later the drop in standard won't be that much.

Anyway I thought this was interesting and gives a lot of encouragement to those who start running later in life.

So I was wondering if people found this to be accurate? What age did you really get into running and for how long did you keep (or still continue to) setting pbs?

TFBubendorfer

I've been running for 10 years and I'm still improving.

I started running in 2004 at the age of 34. General wisdom dictates that I can't keep getting better for much longer, but since I originally thought I would decline after reaching 40 I'm pretty happy how this keeps going so far.

BeepBeep!

Great thread, been running almost 3 years and keep thinking I'm due to plateau anytime soon. Hopefully this theory rings true for myself.
By the way, I'm 33 now and have a 16.48 pb in 5k so I'm aware that any inprovement will be minimal enough but still, it's good to know that it's there if I work hard enough for it!

ECOLII

17 years running and most recent PB was 2 weeks ago so no sign of slowing down just yet.

Regarding the context of that statement however I would imagine very few will actually reach a level that they cannot improve on. If you look at the Kenyan's many spend nearly 10 years building an aerobic base through relatively unstructured training before it begins to be more formal and specialized.

It takes the body this amount of time to develop aerobic foundation and maximize mitochondrial uptake of oxygen and this is only as a result of those 8-10 years being relatively high mileage (much higher than majority of western society runners).

Training and times may plateau sure but in majority of cases this will be as a result of lifestyle, training approach or other external factors as opposed to physiological limitations

dna_leri

About 7 years running now - started (or restarted) after long break at 40.
Hit 2-3 PBs this year, down from 8 or so the previous year so maybe I am levelling off.

But I think that when the slow down happens (and it will happen to everyone) is often related to age at which you start but also many other factors. It also depends on the event, explosive events competitors will reach a peak more quickly than long distance events.

Probably the biggest factor is injury or the avoidance of injury. Particularly for older runners. a serious injury can often be the trigger for a slowdown. Your ability to recover does reduce as you get older and that very often is the cause of a slow down in times.

Bungy Girl

Running almost 10 years now. On the wrong side of 40 . 7 PBs this year for the shorter distances and think there is definitely more in the tank, especially for the longer distances. Agree that keeping injuries at bay is key and think that strength & conditioning as well as good nutrition are really important. You only have to look at the BHAA results to see men and women in their 50s, 60s and 70s who are beating others half their age. I suppose the majority aren't hitting the same times they were in their heyday but I don't think some of them are too far off either. It's great to see and very inspirational.

Itziger

Motivation is mighty important factor too. About 2 years ago I thought I'd stalled at the Half marathon. I did 3 in the space of 12 months and the times were the following: 1.28.06, 1.27.5x, 1.27.50. I was more or less accepting that I'd reached the old plateau.

Then I trained hard and kicked on. 2014 PB was 1.22.32 and I'm gunning for another minute or two off that if I can in 2015.

I started (back) at age 42 and am now 49.......

You have to have a little bit of reality going on the side too admittedly. I don't think I'll be doing 1.15 in 5 years time.


I might though!

P_Fitz

I'm delighted to read the previous posts because I had thought I would plateau soon. I'm 37, have been running for 3 years and I had a reasonable level of fitness previously. But... Would the plateau not depend on numerous other factors. First of all in the early years the chances are the amount of training and quality of training will be a lot less. Also if someone is coming from a high level of fitness they are likely to plateau a lot quicker. So if a runner comes from a high fitness level and do intensive training from day one would they not plateau within 2 or 3 years? I hope my logic is wrong!

Clearlier

P_Fitz wrote: »

I'm delighted to read the previous posts because I had thought I would plateau soon. I'm 37, have been running for 3 years and I had a reasonable level of fitness previously. But... Would the plateau not depend on numerous other factors. First of all in the early years the chances are the amount of training and quality of training will be a lot less. Also if someone is coming from a high level of fitness they are likely to plateau a lot quicker. So if a runner comes from a high fitness level and do intensive training from day one would they not plateau within 2 or 3 years? I hope my logic is wrong!

It depends on the individuals genetics as well. Some people progress slowly over a very long period of time, some progress very quickly and plateau. Some naturally start at a very high level, some naturally start at a very low level.

Add in sporting history and as you point out you're only starting to scratch the surface of what impacts how long it takes to reach your peak.

The good thing is that you're not likely to ever know when you've reached your peak so don't set any artificial limits on what you can achieve. Just get out there and do it.