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Jul 2019
9:33pm, 8 Jul 2019
40,387 posts
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McGoohan
There was an article (I think) in Runners World that alleged it was 14 years. So there's hope for me yet... except this is my fifteenth year of running 
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Jul 2019
10:01pm, 8 Jul 2019
34,828 posts
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Lip Gloss
I'm happy if I get over 60% these days.
11th, 12th & 18th May saw 3 x 60% in a row - 2xparkrun and a 5k race on the Sunday. I'm not fast
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Jul 2019
7:06am, 9 Jul 2019
29,065 posts
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DocMoye
I'm in about my 12/13th year of running. My WAVAs are higher than ever at the moment. Guess I'll have to wait and see if I've got to the top or not.
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Jul 2019
7:41am, 9 Jul 2019
42,211 posts
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Velociraptor
My WAVAs are at their highest (or were until a month ago, I'm off that peak now) after almost 18 years of running.
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Jul 2019
7:53am, 9 Jul 2019
32,012 posts
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HappyG(rrr)
I think it's got to be a consistent period. I always said 5 consistent years would get you to a peak. If you have a year off to illness, injury or other interruption, then you have to start again, to a certain extent. I peaked in 2013 off back of biggest volume of training that year, but also a good 2012 and even (bar some max 3 month interruptions) decent 2009, 10 and 11.
I think if I committed to another 5 year cycle, I could get to a similar or even better WAVA level (and possibly even PBs). But I'm honest enough to say that I'm not going to - 70-85 miles per week, plus all the cross training to make that manageable, and carefully planned races and cycles of training and recovery around it? Nah, I'll just run a bit and enjoy the hills and banter, and will reap only that which I have not very diligently sown! G
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Jul 2019
8:45am, 9 Jul 2019
6,308 posts
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Jovi Runner
Happy Grrr - I agree with you re consistent years. My best year (speed wise) was 2015 whch came off the back of 4 years of no injuries. HAd inuries/niggles off and on since 2016. There is a small ray of hope in that although I am not back at the same absolute speed (don't think I will ever achieve that again) my WAVAs are creeping back up again and I ran a hilly half on Sunday 3 minutes quicker this year than last so not all bad!
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Jul 2019
8:58am, 9 Jul 2019
42,215 posts
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Velociraptor
I've run many of my best WAVAs and some of my best times off a few months' build-up from a cold start after a long break from running - a complete break, with little of any sort of exercise and with significant weight gain, enforced either by injury or by other life factors. In some of those 18 years of running, my running mileage was very low and I didn't race.
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Jul 2019
9:01am, 9 Jul 2019
6,309 posts
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Jovi Runner
Veociraptor - my recent 3 minute improvement on the hilly half came off the back of no long runs and most runs slow of 10km or less - with some dancing at 4 Bon Jovi shows! I think as we age maybe a rest is as good as training and as you say, doing a short build up can show big improvements.
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Jul 2019
9:08am, 9 Jul 2019
42,216 posts
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Velociraptor
I agree, Jovi. Once we have a running history, we can probably continue to gain from training less or training differently. My last marathon was off a consistent high mileage build-up though without any individual runs over 20 miles, and I ran almost a minute per mile slower than my next-to-last marathon for which I also didn't do any long individual training runs and a lot of my training was on a bicycle. I can't blame the wind at Boston or a knee that started clunking about six miles out for a full minute per mile.
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Jul 2019
9:27am, 9 Jul 2019
10,697 posts
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Garfield
Yes, we need to realise we need a bit more recovery time for things we used to take in our stride and recover very quickly from.
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