Counterpoint: I hang out with a fair number of former ACC track runners who skew my thinking on what "fast" is, so I should probably just be happy that I'm faster at 28 than I was at 13 or 18.
That's very good. I'm still running at least twice a week. I'm not getting much faster, but I feel much better.
... that I'd never in middle school or high school ever gotten under ten minutes. ...
That is slow. I think in my high school practically everybody (among the boys at least) was under 10 minutes.
1:
Did they tell you that shorter was better?
I've been injured for the last two weeks and it is starting to piss me off. I've only got a month and a half until my race.
I should probably just be happy that I'm faster at 28
FTFY, sonny.
I'm running again, and recently shocked myself by running five miles on a treadmill in 50 minutes - a personal lifetime best for distance, and I'm an old guy, and overweight. Ten-minute miles have always been my standard time, but the most I'd ever run before was three - and that only once, nearly 20 years ago.
James is the id of unfogged, or at least my id. I was going to make a similarly dismissive comment to James's 3, but rejected it as rude. Now, though, I feel like I have permission.
I ran a 7:15 mile in high school, and I wasn't even really a middlin' runner. (I also thought I was going to die afterward. My hands were purple.) I'd like to try to do that again, but it might be unwise.
I can proudly say that I never managed to run one mile. I may have gotten close to running half of it - & it could well be that I once could keep in motion for all of it (but mostly walking then).
Did they tell you that shorter was better?
No, just that girth was more important. But if it makes you feel better...
I used to run, but I was slow as a motherfucker. I had a long ponytail metronome behind me. I once had a real-life chance to make an unfogged-like comment. the guys at the internet start-up on my route used to play hack-sack outside, and one of them got distracted by my appearance running by and just sent the thing flying who-knows-where, and since I run slow I was able to say "clever hack" as I ran past. a small moment of personal triumph.
10: we probably all know this by now, but my step-father's favorite ever thing to say was, "it's only about as big around as a beer can, but it's real long." you'd be surprised how often he was able to work that into a conversation. probably second was "down, down, like glistering Phaëton", which he would say every time someone came down the fucking stairs. and to be perfectly fair to the man, he was hung like a horse.
fuck, now I killed this thread. keep talking about high-school running times. everything's normal. we'll all just pretend comment 10 never happened.
I managed 5:30 in the 1500 in 8th grade. Did 2 miles in just under 12:00 in high school. I'll never be that fast again... or that skinny. Thing is that I hated running, but I liked winning.
I hate winning. If it weren't for that I'd run more.
I've jogged off and on since college, but I've never gotten fast at all -- ten minute miles are about my speed. I did an 8:30 mile once a couple of years ago, after I'd been running intervals for a while, just to see if I could, but I never managed to translate that into being able to sustain a faster pace over any longer distance.
I could probably run a mile faster than 10 minutes, but I've never tried. When I did a five mile race this summer I was pretty close to 10 minute miles on the dot.
On the other hand, I don't remember running a mile in high school, and I do remember not being able to do it in elementary school. So while I may not actually be faster than I was in high school (I used play a lot of ultimate, so I can't have been that slow) I'm actually willing to (1) run more than a mile and (2) be timed doing it, so I'm going to believe I'm faster than I was.
I'm very irritated by two of the winners of the MacArthur foundation grants. Fuckers. Sure, Dabiri's research is pretty, but c'mon!
16: what the heck does David Simon need with a MacArthur grant? Weird.
I thought I was a slow runner until late in high school when I realized I was just loping along and I could push myself much harder, becoming a middling runner, if chasing a five dollar bill.
18: Is the stone carver from Newport the most perfect example?
I do not like running and hadn't run more than a mile in 20 years, but I let myself get roped into the NYC version of the Chase Corporate Challenge in service of office camaraderie or whatever. I also hadn't exercised in any way whatsoever in three months when I signed up, but figured it would motivate me to do something in the interim. As I should have expected, by the day of the race that was up to six months, so I felt pretty good about running 10:30 miles for the 3.5 miles. I had some trouble with stairs for a couple of days afterward, though. And it turns out I still don't like running, so I won't be trying to break 10:00.
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Paul Begala says that Rahm Emmanuel leaving means that Obama is "losing his right arm." Not clear what that means for a left-handed president.
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The phrase "quantum astrophysicist" in the MacArthur descriptions is cracking me up. As far as I can tell they invented it.
Plus it's a right arm with only four fingers.
The letter-shaper is also a mind-numbing choice.
In keeping with the local norms, I'm adopting a memorable pseudonym.
Formerly,
A Guest
I've no idea how fast I was when I used to jog regularly. Not very fast. 10 minute miles, probably, and I never did more than 3 - 4 miles in a go. But in my early teens I was a lot faster than that. I don't know the actual time, but I'd guess somewhere in the 6-7'ish range. When we had our big school cross country race, with about 1000 people running I was in the top 5-6% or so. Not good enough to compete seriously with the kids in school who ran serious amateur athletics, but not an awful long way behind them. These days I walk instead of run, and my fast walking pace is about 12.5+ min miles, I think.
23: I thought it was like in Animal House when Donald Sutherland gets really high with Boone and Karen Allen and he tells them all about the galaxies in their finger nails?
25: You have no idea how happy that makes me.
While we're all taking shots at the undeserving, I'm going to go ahead and endorse the choice of David Cromer.
I am teaching Crevecoeur today, and was just going over Wikipedia to see if there are any Fun Fakts to think about; turns out his wife's name was "Mehitable Tippet." I've kept this pseud for almost five years now, but Mehitable Tippet is VERY TEMPTING.
To be clear, I wouldn't say the "quantum astrophysicist" is undeserving -- if she developed some of the most important technology used in LIGO, that sounds like a big deal -- just that the phrase is comical. 27 sounds about right.
The webpage of the marine biology recipient features a remarkably phallic squid.
essear, if that looks very similar you need to go to the doctor, pronto.
10 to...to...wait, can you refer a comment to a comment in another thread weeks ago? Because I'm referring this to Heebie's comment about dear old dad by the pond under the willow tree from the (ugh) circumcision vs. life-of-unending-sexual-fulfillment thread.
Also, I have really short legs and run a mile in about a thousand minutes and hate this thread accordingly. But, hey, I type SUPER FAST.
29: Underwhelmed by Our Town?
I've always hated running. We have a little 4.5 mile mountain bike route we like to do before dinner. Takes about 50 minutes (appx. 32 out/up, 18 back/down) and I'm thinking 10 minute miles on foot would be awfully fast.
But then when I was in 9th grade, we ran half a mile every day to start PE, and I always came in under 3:30 (because otherwise, you had to run it again).
But, hey, I type SUPER FAST.
Oh really? How fast, stumpy?*
* I also have really short legs relative to height.
35: Hardly. Perhaps you were reading SUPER FAST as well, as I am endorsing his selection. I loved his Our Town, both the production and his performance as the Stage Manager.
Oh, I managed to read it as you endorsing his status as undeserving.
By the time I saw it, the role of the stage manager was being played by this guy that went to my junior high for a year, and he sorta perched by my seat for part of the play and all I could think was "oh hey I sort of remember this one time you cut your finger in Ms. Isaacs' art class." This is also partly because that play makes me clutch my head in aesthetic loathing, though, so I have to think about other things.
37: Ok not that fast. [Sad trombone noise.]
If we're talking times, I can run 3.4 miles with 11 minute miles. The first half of that, is a bit faster, but still not at a ten minute mile. In my defense, I live in a really hilly area.
40: the real question is, "how are you pronouncing it in your mind?"
I'm a pretty slow runner, but you all are making me feel good about myself. I'm a fast sprinter though.
it was supposed to be responding to apo's point. I fucked it up. I have some ancestors with some badass puritan names, including a woman whose first name was pain. seriously, they named her pain. humility, chastity; I can work with that. pain? that is straight fucked up. possible best among the names: experience mayhew. definite best if we had had a boy: sparhawk! why not just name him awesome mcstrong dude. he could toss it of lightly; "of course it's a contraction of sparrow hawk." a contraction that makes it twenty times more badass.
props to annelid gustator! excellent choice, though IIRC wry cooter is still available.
My family tree has Everardus Bogardus in it. I just love that name.
It's pretty common in Africa to name kids after nice things. My BFF when I was about 8-9 years old was called Happy. I also know a Prosper, Precious, Justice, Hallelujah, and others I've forgotten.
Nobody likes him! Everybody hates him!
Further to the OT: Lifehacker on BPM playlists for running.
Even further: I totally gave up on Couch to 5k -- maybe I'll try again when it cools down -- but in high school I think I ran a mile in 6:30. Is that even remotely possible? I haven't done anything similar since.
but in high school I think I ran a mile in 6:30
Were you in training, constantly active or being chased by an angry badger?
This morning I ran into work. 3.6 miles in 29 minutes.
44: I had several ancestors called Scipio. Tragically, if I resurrected this name, they would go through hell at school being known universally as Skippy.
"Tiercel" is a nice one, alameida. It means a male hawk.
in high school I think I ran a mile in 6:30. Is that even remotely possible?
Definitely. The army fitness standards include a mile and a half run in a maximum of 10:30, which works out at 7 minutes per mile. (As you age, you get a bit more time to do it.)
Were you in training, constantly active or being chased by an angry badger English teacher with a prescriptivist approach to the serial comma?
46: My (Italian) grandfather's middle name was Prosper. I am assuming it was Prospero initially.
34, 44, 46, 49: I think I posted this on FB, but what the hell:
Bonus: A tiercel is so called because the male tends to be one-third smaller than the female. Hat tip to T.H. White's The Goshawk and The Godstone and the Blackymor.
pain? that is straight fucked up.
As a first name, sure. Fairly common as a middle name, though.
Also, Jack Aubrey's servant, Preserved Killick.
I have some ancestors with some badass puritan names, including a woman whose first name was pain. seriously, they named her pain. humility, chastity; I can work with that. pain? that is straight fucked up. possible best among the names: experience mayhew. definite best if we had had a boy: sparhawk! why not just name him awesome mcstrong dude. he could toss it of lightly; "of course it's a contraction of sparrow hawk." a contraction that makes it twenty times more badass.
I remember Ogged saying that a lot of his ancestors had names that meant things like "The really, really venerable and strong guy, from Tabriz", but can't find the thread about it. This thread is a good substitute.
I have some Preserveds and some Humilitys. I rather like Content, though.
My grandmother was named Hope, and it's my daughter's middle name. She sometimes uses it as a pseud, but only in Icelandic, having met an Icelandic musician who liked calling her that.
I rather like Content, though.
When she turned 18, you could refer to her as Adult Content.
In one of Borges' stories, the title of which I cannot recall, he refers to a legendary Japanese hero named something like "Noble-Fearless-Defending-Swordwielder" and a corresponding princess named something like "Spring-Mist-Drifting-Over-Wheat-Fields."
60 -- My ancestor named Content was a man.
62: If he worked hard to support his family, he was a Content provider.
And when the stress all got too much for him he hung a notice on his office door saying "Content's under pressure".
a corresponding princess named something like "Spring-Mist-Drifting-Over-Wheat-Fields."
The Japanese invented TV commercials for lady-stuff products.
I have no idea why I had 62 so completely wrong in my head. Damn.
Among my ancestry, I prefer the more classical names anyway. A Cassandra (about whom Whittier wrote a poem), a couple of Philanders, etc.
I love the name Philander. "Hi, I'm Philander...laydeez."
Spring-Mist-Drifting-Over-Wheat-Fields
Why do you ask, Two-Dogs-Fucking?
Getting back to the original topic, what role does weight play in this. If I lost say 5% of my body weigh would I be able to run 5% faster?
67: ...fellaz seems more appropriate.
I don't really know, but I have the impression it's significant. In college, I knew people who ran cross-country, and they were all starving themselves, men and women alike, on the theory that skinnier was faster.
69: you could experiment by carrying 9.5% of your body weight and see if you run 5% slower.
I'm thinking more about dropping from "heavy for 2010" down to "heavy for 1980" or so.
73: That's what got me thinking. I'm fairly certain that I couldn't run very far at all if I carried much weight. I know for a fact that I can walk at a good clip carrying 40 pounds* for a least half a mile, but I could never run.
*If the 40 pounds is being cooperative and not kicking.
(Note: 9.5% of my body weight is much less than 40 pounds. I'm going with the available example.)
the theory that skinnier was faster.
Those tricky Africans are cheating by living where there's chronic food shortages.
in high school I think I ran a mile in 6:30. Is that even remotely possible?
Heh, probably was common and your memory has faded. I did the mile in about 7 or a bit under in jr. high without killing myself. We had a Spanish foreign exchange student who was seriously hellbent on being an Olympic runner and did his at around 5.
Where did I come up with 9.5%? Good luck teaching me calculus.
69: depends which 5% of your body-weight, but probably more than 5% faster.
which 5%
Yeah, localizing the weightloss in, say, a particular foot might slow you down.
Good thing this giant cookie I just got has only 460 calories.
Yeah, localizing the weightloss in, say, a particular foot might slow you down.
Depends. Is he like almeida's step-pa, with length to spare, laydeez?
Annelid Gustator
Wiktionary tells me that gustator is the "second-person singular future passive imperative of gustō." I know jack about Latin, so the best I can come up with is: "Leech (or Worm) You Shall Be Tasted."
in high school I think I ran a mile in 6:30. Is that even remotely possible?
When this topic came up in an IRL conversation, one friend recalled having run a mile in 6:30 for the express purpose of impressing a girl who ran track. He promptly threw up afterward, so it didn't quite work out.
my city has a number of great training programs for people interested in running various races. (10k, half marathon, full marathon)
I have been impressed with how many people are willing to sign up for these programs despite not being runners.
The programs market the events by making them run, run-walk, or just plain walk. The marathon program has about 1000 people in it on Saturdays, and about 450 on Sundays.
In the novice group, 10 min miles are going to put you in the top 15 percent of the group.
Aging stinks. Attitude adjustment is the key.
I wasnt a runner, but due to my cardio fitness, as a high schooler/college guy, I could run 6 min miles without killing myself.
Now, I have been happy to average around 910-9:30 per mile on my training runs. I feel like a gazelle when I pop out an under 9:00 min mile. Ok, so maybe a large, lumbering 200 pound gazelle.