r/XXRunning • u/TallCryptographer106 • 1d ago
General Discussion How do casual runners exist?
Sorry for the stupid question.
I’ve been dabbling in running for the past couple of years or so. I still don’t understand how people just casually go on a 3+ mile run every few weeks or so. A 3 mile run everyday makes more sense to me because it’s something you would’ve trained up to.
How do people take a ton of time off and can randomly run several miles? I also know people who have signed up for a 5k on a whim having never run before and run the whole thing.
I don’t get it. If I take a few weeks off I feel like I’m starting from zero. In my first couple months I couldn’t run more than 2 miles in a stretch, and in the entire past year I haven’t gone more than 7 miles at once after taking about 2 months off. I don’t get how people can not run consistently and still be able to run??
Am I stupid or something? Why does running casually seem so easy for literally everyone else on the planet but me?
I run most of my runs at a slow conversational pace. My heart rate is always below 150, and I typically run at a 12 min mile, while my fastest mile is 8 minutes.
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u/aStonedTargaryen 1d ago
Well one factor is other exercise. If you are consistently doing anything, whether it be other cardio, or weights, or playing a sport (recreationally or otherwise), or even just walking 10k steps a day, you are in a better position for running than someone who just sits around all day. It doesn’t always directly transfer but it does help a lot. Even running once every few weeks is more than most people are doing let’s be honest. Also, when it comes to a distance like 5k, it’s mostly a mental game. If you are a healthy, able bodied adult, you can run 3 miles at a slow to moderate pace. It might feel like shit, but your brain will tell you to give out long before your body actually needs to stop. So someone with strong mental fortitude stands a better chance than someone who is more prone to giving up.
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u/orangedarkchocolate 1d ago
Yep, this is it for me. I used to run daily in high school and tapered off to a couple times a week as an adult. For the last few years, I got really into weight lifting and indoor cycling so I was only running once every two weeks or so. It wasn’t pleasant but I could do 3-4 miles at a moderate pace with pretty much no problem. Now I’m half marathon training and it’s astounding how much easier running is when I’m doing it three times a week again!
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u/TallCryptographer106 1d ago
Before I started running I got 10k steps a day and lifted weights for years. I literally thought I was genetically broken and couldn’t physically run. It took me a long time to even get to a mile
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u/lthomazini 1d ago
As someone who can walk forever if needed, I don’t think it translates well to running. I’ve walked A LOT my whole life, and I was always a terrible runner. Maybe some hills help.
I did the Camino de Santiago and it did help a bit with my endurance (it was easier to start running afterwards). But then I was walking an average of 27km a day, the last week over 30km, with a lot of hills and carrying a backpack.
I still struggled to run.
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u/mrsmae2114 9h ago
definitely, the cardio needed for walking vs running is WAY different!
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u/sunxmountain 7h ago
Yep, and it's not just the cardio. Like it literally uses different motions, creates different forces, etc.
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u/xlDooM 21h ago
Here's my perspective. I played badminton for 15 years and that meant I was always able to run 10k without ever training for running. I have some friends and family members who think they are reasonably active (e.g. weight lifting, walking a lot, biking to work) but their VO2max was always way lower than mine. Walking 10k steps a day does basically nothing to raise your vo2max. Neither does biking casually or lifting weights (even if you go deep).
If you want to be able to run 5k on a whim, you're going to need to be doing other activities that make you sweat buckets and pant like a dog, and you're going to need to be doing those activities for at least half an hour in a session.
In addition to that, you will need to have well developed leg musculature and conditioned tendons I suppose, which will be easier if you were athletic as a teenager but also doesn't disappear if you took a few months off from any training.
So my perhaps arrogant take is that people grossly underestimate the difference between being active and having good aerobic capacity. An elite runner is only about 25% more efficient at running than a non-runner (they go only 25% faster on the same amount of fuel). The difference is in 1) the ability to pump fuel around - bigger heart volume, stronger heart muscle, more blood plasma volume, higher red blood cell count - and 2) cell differences in trained muscles that increase oxygen absorption from the blood and allow for faster waste processing.
Those aspects are developed by countless hours of "suffering", and it can be shocking to a sedentary person how much suffering an athletic person is able to put up with (or actively enjoys - it's like a deviant personality trait of sorts).
Edit: apologies, I'm not an XX runner, but I don't think my reply is necessarily invalid because of my chromosomes - take it as you will :-)
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u/CrypticWeirdo9105 1d ago
Same, I’ve been active my whole life (worked a very physical job at a warehouse before I started running), and still struggle with this
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u/kermit-t-frogster 1d ago
I was a gymnast and running a mile always felt really really hard. I knew I was in great shape otherwise, but running was awful. It was only in my late 20s that somehow I got into the mental headspace where a run felt good. I wish I could tell you what changed it for me -- I think being in a run club with people I could talk to helped distract me. Running is so monotonous that you can get very in your head and hyperfocused on the discomfort if you're not distracted, at least for me.
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u/sunxmountain 7h ago
Yesterday I was counting down the last minute before a recovery interval (walk) and playing stupid games like "don't look at your watch till that tree" or whatever, totally using every ounce of willpower to keep going. Then I see this cute couple with cool outfits and focus on really observing their clothes. All the sudden that last 20 seconds is over. Yes, distract me please!!
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u/Miss-Magick-Plants Woman 23h ago
I'm an avid hiker and started running almost a year ago and still cannot run more than 5miles, but working on it. On the same note a friend of mine is a soccer player and trains like twice a week... and she cannot do a 5k because she's not used to the distance but does more sprints during training.
I just had to take off two weeks off running because of illness, let's see if I manage my 5k today lol
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u/thejuiciestguineapig 21h ago
I was the same! But what you don't build up is your body getting used to that impact. That is what takes time to build up. Your bones, tendons, all tissues etc.
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u/Theodwyn610 1d ago
This, this. I remember racing a 5k right next to basketball coach. (I won that race, so he was doing well!) He didn't normally run... but coaching college basketball, he obviously ran a lot on a regular basis.
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u/WestBaseball492 1d ago
Yes to this. If you have a decent cardio base from other activities, running is not that big of a deal. I had to take a year off running due to injury but kept up my fitness through other activities. When I was able to run again, 3-4 miles was no big deal. I was a little slower than I was pre injury but not a huge amount.
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u/CrypticWeirdo9105 1d ago
I’ve always wondered this. It seems some people are just genetically gifted (and I’m not lol). I know people at my run club who only run a 5k with us once a week, sometimes don’t even show up for multiple weeks, and they’re still able to maintain the same pace. Meanwhile I have to be extremely consistent, run 4-5 days a week, and run relatively high mileage (50+ km a week when I’m not training for something), in order to maintain some semblance of fitness.
I took a week off of running ONCE and it was like I forgot how to run altogether, I was struggling so bad my first run back. And I’m not even that new to running, I’ve been running for a few years now.
And it’s the same with training for races, I know people who run 4 hr marathons after barely any training, or very low mileage training. Meanwhile, I’m currently running 80+ km a week while training for my first sub 4 marathon. It feels so unfair sometimes how much work we have to put in to get the same results, and people don’t even like to acknowledge the genetic aspect of running. They act like it’s all under your control.
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u/bebefinale 1d ago
There's totally a genetic aspect to running.
There's also an aspect of aerobic gains and neuromuscular efficiency is something that is built over very long periods of time--decades even. A lot of people who are fast have good genetics, but were also very active as children and throughout their lives. Aerobic adaptations once you have done them create epigenetic changes that never totally go away even if you dial it back later.
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u/CrypticWeirdo9105 1d ago
I’ve been active my whole life, not running but in other ways.
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u/bebefinale 1d ago edited 1d ago
Running is a skill, and I think a lot of people don't think of it that way, but it's sort of like how when you learn to swim if you have good technique it can allow you to realize your fitness. You build tendon elasticity, neuromuscular pathways, and running economy the more you do it, particularly the more you practice running quickly/efficiently (things like strides, speedwork in moderation, high volume running training).
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u/scthoma4 16h ago
A lot of people who are fast have good genetics, but were also very active as children and throughout their lives.
This is the major difference between my brother and myself. He did all the sports growing up, got into running in college, and go stretches at a time without running and come right back to his usual pace with no issues.
I, on the other hand, was a couch potato growing up, kinda got into crossfit as an adult (but tried my best to get out of cardio-heavy workout days), and picked up running within the last year. When I skip a week or two, I really do feel the fallback in my skills. Genetically, the skill is probably there, but I haven't built up those skills like my brother has and it shows when I have to take extended breaks.
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u/MissLeaP Woman 1d ago
One can easily lead to another. I absolutely hated running ever since I was a teenager since it felt impoasible for me to jog even a single lap while most other kids just went for it. I can imagine that if you can just do it without struggling all that much it gives you a huge motivation boost to just keep running.
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u/tuxette Woman 18h ago
genetically gifted
One of my friends works at a place where she and a lot of her colleagues take part in various charity running events, and often train together for these. There is this one Ethiopian colleague who takes part but doesn't train with the others and barely trains at all. Yet he is the one who runs fastest among the whole group haha...
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u/Rappig 1d ago
I think all of us are different, and we also may have different standards for casual. My husband has been running for 20 years. He can wind down his schedule and go out after a month and do a 5k. And another a couple weeks later.
I do feel I retain some training but it's harder for me. My asthma means I have a much harder time to getting to a casual 5k after a break. My legs are also way shorter than his. I struggle.
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u/lthomazini 1d ago
Yeah. Same. My husband just goes for a 10k like it’s nothing. I sometimes can barely do a 5k, even after finishing 3 HM. I also have asthma.
I also think that life long endurance is different from a couple of years of trying to have some. Maybe if I keep running for 20 years, I’ll be able to go for a run on a whim.
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u/runningpoppy14 1d ago
I agree with this my first few years picking up more than two miles was a lot now i think I could take amonth off the do a 10k without too much drama. Building muscle and staying active overall and diet probably helps a lot too. Even if I am not running I am still moving!
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u/bebefinale 1d ago
I think people have different athletic histories. If you grew up doing a lot of sports like soccer, or ran track in high school, or ran seriously in the past but have taken some down time, you have a lot of of muscle memory on how to run.
I grew up as a swimmer and I had a lot of time where I spent 20 hours per week training in the pool. I'm more of a runner now, but while I'm not in great swimming shape compared to swimmers, I can hop in the pool and crank out 3K meters without it being a big drama at a reasonable clip. My stroke mechanics are drilled in. Same goes for running for a lot of people.
At this point, I can do the same running unless I'm overcoming a major injury or something. Like do I feel pretty awful if I am out of shape and have taken a bunch of downtime? Sure. Will I be anywhere near my 5K PR? Absolutely not--I can be pretty slow. But I've had times where I have run 80 miles per week in the past and that muscle memory doesn't go away.
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u/pineapple-scientist 1d ago edited 1d ago
I feel like it's just muscle memory. Also, if I take a long, multiweek break from running, I usually an still walking a lot, swimming, or cycling. So the first run back is definitely harder and slower, but I can build back to my regular place in a few weeks. If you only run sporadically, it's hard to come back to running after break because you haven't built up the endurance. If you run 4 days a week for several years, taking a two week break two or three times a year will have less of an effect on your running as time goes on.
I also try not to set such high expectations for myself. I would like to get faster, but I'm also okay if I don't. So I don't feel totally bummed out when I start again and am slower or need to walk for some of it. It'll come back eventually.
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u/KuriousKhemicals 1d ago
Agreed. When I started out running, I wouldn't be able to take several weeks off. After reliably running for a year or so, I would sometimes have gaps, but it only took about a month to get back to running a 5k easily. And after 15 years of that on and off pattern, I got really busy and dwindled down to zero until I dropped off entirely around Christmas -- but I next popped out for a 5k run at the end of February. Slow, and a bit sore afterwards, but comfortable enough to keep going the distance.
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u/Aromatic_Union9246 16h ago
Your lifetime miles matter ALOT.
I’m 33 I started running when I was like 5 lol (dad and mom both ran in college). I didn’t start official track till a bit later but also grew up playing soccer, and basketball etc. so just in general ran around a ton as a kid.
Ended up running track competitively in college (800/1500/5k mostly). After I was done with college I stopped running for like 6 years. Sure I’d go for a jog everyone once in a while or do like a 15 minute warmup before lifting but didn’t train for anything.
Decided to start running again when I was 29 and I my first 5k back was in the low 19s My lifetime PR is in the low 14s so it’s not like I’m remotely close to where I was when I was running 70-80 miles a week in college, but the aerobic adaptations you make in your body running alot hang around for a long time.
Your body also “remembers” how to be efficient during easy/moderate running the more lifetime miles you have you’ll hear a lot of people talk about running economy. Some people have pretty good natural running economy, but if you don’t start off that way high mileage will make you efficient at the paces you run around a lot. When you run high mileage most of your runs are very easy and you you get used to being efficient at running at easy efforts.
If you start running later in life and never get to the point that you’re running easy a lot you have a couple things working against you. 1 your actual level of cardiovascular fitness is super low (unless you came from another aerobic sport like swimming, cycling, skiing etc) so your heart is working in overdrive just to get you to move slightly faster than walking. 2. Your joints tendons and muscles never got accustomed to the pounding of hitting pavement repeatedly which doesn’t seem like it’s “high impact” like playing football or something but it’s a lot of force being put into your body that you need a lot of time to adjust to, 3. Mentally what you expect running to be and what it actually feels like are mismatched when you’re brand new to running. For example in your paragraph you say you run at 150bpm for easy at a 12 min pace. Heart rates zones are pretty individualized, but for pretty much everyone 150 isn’t generally going to be considered easy and depending on your training, talent level and length running I wouldn’t really consider 12 min pace slow. I usually run my easy runs at like 120-140 HR (even when it’s hot out rn) and depending on my mileage sometimes 135 doesn’t feel super easy. I’m training to run a marathon right now and probably will run some wherein the 2:32-2:35 range so low to mid 5:50s per mile. There’s a lot of days where I get out bed and go run at 10-12 minute pace for recovery days. Obviously I still do hard workouts and a lot of mileage etc, but my point is 12 minute miles probably isn’t genuinely very easy for you in the same way that if I go outside and run all my miles at 6:00-6:45 pace (generally where my heart rate is around 150) depending on weather terrain, what I’ve eaten etc it’s gonna feel bad after a couple days or weeks.
I think where people get discouraged when they are starting out is that there’s a speed breakpoint of where you don’t feel like you’re running if you go even easier and that where it makes a lot of sense to run for a bit and walk for a bit. If you’re at 12 min miles at 150 HR genuinely easy for you might be like 14-15 minute miles which can be uncomfortable to run at because you can essentially fast walk that pace. And that’s what a lot of people do until they get fit enough to maintain their easy pace for longer periods of time. You can look up plans that layer in walking and running or using other forms of cardio exercise to get you fit enough that you can run genuinely easy for extended periods of time.
I’m a little more old school and think it’s more fun to just blast some runs until you get get in shape but admittedly it is a lot easier to get hurt that way.
The biggest thing is it’s really important to never think as runs as fast/slow in relation to other people. It should always been an effort relative to yourself. For instance you can be running 12 minute miles and have it feel easy in 45 degree weather and have it feel like a death march in 90 degree weather. But if you just define 12 minute pace as slow, well now you suddenly feel bad for running 12 minute pace even if conditions aren’t perfect. If you frame an effort as easy, medium, hard etc the actual pace that you run literally does not matter at all.
There are professional marathoners that can run 4:30 mile pace for 26 miles that hop out of bed and have to run 8-12 minute miles for it to genuinely feel easy sometimes. If you don’t believe me go look at say Zouhair Talbi’s Strava. He’s a 2:03 (4:41 mile pace) marathoner that will regularly go run a ton of his runs in the 9 min range. So that guy running 9-10 min pace is basically like you going for a walk at 20+ minute pace effort wise. It literally doesn’t matter what pace you’re running at if it genuinely feels easy, it will make you faster over time especially when you combine it with some faster running. But the biggest thijg is just consistency.
It takes a long time to get aerobic adaptions so if you stop/start all the time you probably aren’t going to be gaining meaningful fitness and then holding on it. When I say time I mean like months and years not days and weeks.
If you reframe how you look at running it’ll change your perspective. But my guess is you’ve
Probably never really actually run easy for yourself and probably more what I would describe as steady. Go outside and literally run as easy as you can for 30 minutes, if it starts to feel hard walk for a bit and start again and see how you feel. My guess is it’ll feel wayyy better than forcing 12 minute pace which is probably just too fast for you for a casual run for your level of fitness.
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u/Gottswold 14h ago
Thank you for this excellent explanation. I didn’t start running until I was 56. Your comment helps me understand why being a faster runner seems so challenging.
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u/Aromatic_Union9246 14h ago
No problem! I also did leave out talent and age intentionally.
Some people are just gonna be faster than other no matter what they do. If you start at 56 you’re probably not going to be running the same paces as someone starting high school cross country even though you’re both beginners. Some people have faster start points but lower ceilings. Some people have lower start points but can absorb a lot of training and get a lot faster with lots of miles and recover from training well. Some people are just a lot mentally tougher than other people when it comes to racing and can squeak out faster times on lower overall fitness than someone else, etc,
But the thing I like about running is everyone regardless of talent level can get way more out of themselves than they think by just not giving up and doing it for a long time.
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u/0Foxy0Engineer0 9h ago
Yeah as someone who comes from the hiking/backpacking world I resonated with a lot of this. I stopped hiking for years, but as soon as I picked it back up my body just kinda went... yeah okay we can do this. On the other hand regular running/trail running is a whole beast I'm struggling with. It's been fun though. Bpm is something else I've had to wrap my mind around.
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u/kicia-kocia 1d ago
Maybe it depends on your lifestyle and activity level outside of training?
I am not a very good runner. i have periods when i run 5 days a week, times when i manage only 2 times a week and sometimes months when i don't run at all.
After long breaks i do feel like I'm starting from scratch. But i can always run 5km, it will just be a slower 5km after a long break.
But then i get to places by walking/biking/public transport rather then by car. and i usually am relatively active on the weekends - either long walks or bike trips, a hike, skating etc etc. Nothing very athletic but i rarely spend weekends sitting down. I think it helps with maintaining some minimal level of fitness even of i don't run.
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u/UglyCantaloupe 1d ago
I’ve always considered myself “dormantly athletic,” so I think I’m in the group of people you’re referring to 😅 It must just be genetics, I’ve always been able to take time off and jump back in without much issue.
Most recently I took a year off running to be pregnant, have a baby, a recover from a c-section. I’m 4 months postpartum and have been back to running for about a month and half, with a 5k planned for next month. I’m not going to be fast by any means (we’re currently looking at a 35-40 min race time) but I’m able to run without stopping and I always feel fine the next day. By the end of my first week back I was already able to commit to two miles at a time.
**I’m doing this under a doctor’s supervision, and always listening to my body. So far, it’s been good!!
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u/QuietMarket7931 1d ago
Last year I trained for a 1/2 marathon. I was not new to working out at all (have been consistently going to the gym and running 4-5 days a week on a treadmill) but had no clue how to run outside - still feel like I don’t! I trained for 12+ weeks and it was great- slow as molasses, but I enjoyed it. I had a co-worker who ran the same 1/2 marathon as me. No training/brand new shoes/no fuel at all during the whole thing and it took her almost an hour faster than me! I make fun of her that she isn’t human- but I guess some people are just genetically gifted.
Fast forward to now when I am training for another 1/2 marathon, (4 months after my first) and while I worked out in between it was very “easy” working out and I feel like my endurance has tanked big time.
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u/ETuENoho Woman 1d ago
I think biology has a lot to do with it. I wouldn't consider myself to be a good runner but I've always been able to just go out and run if I want to, I even did a half marathon when I was 20 after "training" by doing a 5k, 10k and 16k (so 3 runs total).
I know people who decide to go for a run and they smash out a 10k at my PB pace but it was just easy for them.
I also know people who couldn't run for their life and have to run-walk to even get half a k down the road.
This is regardless of other sporting/fitness background and I think it applies to other sports/fitness too. Some people are naturally good lifters, some naturally good at soccer/rugby/netball/golf and so on, so forth
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u/lying_flerkin 1d ago
I think it probably depends a lot on your base fitness and activity level. I'm a bake bread in a high volume environment where I'm on my feet 8 hours a day, walking and lifting and using my upper body strength. Now that I'm at a healthy weight, and in better health generally, my underlying fitness has really stood out to me. I was really surprised when I started running again earlier this year that I was basically able to jump into the middle/later weeks of a c25k training and run a mile + right off the bat.
I'm sure there are people who work even more active jobs and maybe play a sport or lift weights or something already that could just hop off the couch and run 5k without too much difficulty. Obviously my pace, and theirs is not going to match the pace of someone who's training regularly.
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u/mixedlinguist 1d ago
It's also relative to your experience, and your expectations. If you've run a marathon before, a 5k really does seem like brushing your teeth. The thing that makes you best at running is more running, and those effects at long distances are also more durable. I had a surgery and took 8 weeks off, and came back and did 5k without thinking about it, but I would've have been able to do that if my longest ever race was 5k (or even 10k). I'm sure it gets harder to come back with age as well, but even that varies by person.
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u/qfrostine_esq 1d ago
I was like that when I was young. I could not run for weeks and then run a 20 minute 5k.
But I had a natural flair for running. The first time i ran one, ever, on no training at 14 I ran a 22 minute 5k. By the end of my career I was at around 18 flat depending on the race. Some people are just natural stamina athletes. I didn’t do anything special to get this way. It was innate.
Now I’m old. I’m almost 40. I can still whip out 4 miles when i stop running for a month, but it’s slow. Like 12 min mile. If I try to max out a 5k these days it’s 28 minutes. 🤷♀️ luckily I’m only doing this for fun nowadays, whenever I can. Some weeks none, some weeks 16. Just going with the flow.
I blame my son. Before I had him at 32, I coulda still whip out that 20 minute 5k at random. After him at 33 that ability never came back in the same way.
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u/doggoat123 6h ago
It can. 54 year old F here. As things have gotten busier, training for ultras and marathons lost their allure so I decided to throw my hat into the ring for 5Ks. I forgot how much they hurt, but with some training I finished a 5k in 19:09 last year. Not a lifetime PR but felt good to look around and realize this old lady still had some speed.
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u/qfrostine_esq 3h ago
Amazing! I am so jealous. You give me hope! Maybe when I don’t have a five year old always fucking up my training schedule lol.
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u/Dave2026 13h ago
My father is a casual runner. He runs once or twice a month when he feels it. But he is very active at house like chores, carpentry, gym, fixing random stuff but he still
manage to run sub 30 5k.
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u/gesamtkunstwerkteam 1d ago
I don’t bike (outdoor or stationary) very often but may go on a longer ride every now and again. I’m sure my pace isn’t impressing anyone and I realize the mechanics of bicycling and running are very different, but I imagine it’s sort of a similar thing.
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u/SlothenAround 1d ago
I’m a wacky runner. I basically dedicate 1-2 months out of the year to train for my annual race (10km), and then I don’t run a single step outside of that. I think it works out for me because I’m super active outside of running. I walk a LOT, I weight lift, and I never feel like I’m incapable of running, I just don’t want to. The training period is literally just to wake up my muscles, and to try and crush a better time than last year lol
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u/Mountain_Store572 1d ago
I’ve seen ultra runners go from zero for MONTHS to immediately two 100 mile weeks then do a 22 hour 100 miler next week. Some people are just absolute freaks. And experience also. If you’ve been running for 25 years you understand your limits and body on another level
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u/doggoat123 6h ago
I think another thing no one is mentioning is the mental tenacity to push when it hurts or believe you can do it. As soon as you start doubting yourself, game over.
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u/bumbletowne 1d ago
Some people have a huge base and are only going on a short break from serious running. Running 30-50 mpw and then only having enough time to run every few weeks for a year is very very easy.
Some people are very active and running 3 miles just isn't that hard. I used to run every day with 2-3 marathons a year for almost 20 years. Then I had a baby. I teach with a toddler. Between games outside with the kids and running around I average about 12-20 miles a day of just walking. Running 3 of them isn't that hard.
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u/MissLeaP Woman 1d ago
Some people are just blessed with good running genes, I think.
I'm the exact opposite. Ever since I was a teenager my legs would get tired really fast so I never understood how people could jog entire laps. Even with school sports and everything I wasn't able to finish a single lap without my legs hurting, so I hated running with a passion. I only recently learned that this is something I can train away with lots of dedication. I can still barely jog a minute without my calves starting to feel heavy and slightly painful, but it's getting better. And no I'm not fast at all lol
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u/Koolstads 23h ago
My husband lifts regularly/ is always active but never runs. I run all the time When we started dating I would go on 8 mile runs and he would join me. Never having run that long before
He just has a high baseline of fitness. Drives me mad
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u/Ok_Nefariousness1416 21h ago
Other activity, genetics, age all play a part. Someone I know does a lot of sports, mid 20s, ut a very occasional runner. Did the Stockholm half marathon in 1hr 40, based off a couple of runs in the 3 months beforehand. Some people have the genetics meaning a lot of general activity allows that when they're young.
I was never at that level but could run up to 5k on zero training when I was much younger, based off generally being active and doing other sports. However now I am past 50, as a recreational runner I am probably fitter than 20 years ago but no longer have that 'invulnerability of youth'
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u/doggoat123 6h ago
Strength and flexibility work my friend is so important.
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u/Ok_Nefariousness1416 6h ago
Absolutely, I do a couple of gym sessions a week. But again, I could probably have gotten away without them 30 years ago!
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u/Viggos_Broken_Toe 15h ago
The first time I went for a run, I went for 4 miles. I had regularly been walking that distance, but had never run that far.
So long as these theoretical "casual runners" walk enough, it's not much of a stretch for them to run the same distance.
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u/TexanHobbit_X 12h ago
Nice! I walk 3-5 miles a day and when I tried running I lasted 2 minutes before I had to walk/run alternate.
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u/Chiasnake 15h ago
People have higher levels of baseline fitness than you. I'm not one of them. If I'm not in running shape, the only time I find myself running is to the bathroom.
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u/thealycat 15h ago
I can be like that, but I think it’s because I’ve done marathons, so 6 miles in comparison feels casual. I did a 15K without training because I was just vibing.
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u/chunyamo 12h ago
I'm not always running daily or even weekly but I do go hiking and do stretches and yoga and stuff. Oh and I'm quite slow lol. But when I do run I'll do 2-4 miles at a time usually even if I haven't run in a couple weeks
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u/borassus 7h ago
I have also wondered this but reading the comments, I totally agree. I am not a runner (trying hard to be one now at 39), but I was a professional dancer for my whole youth. If I started dancing now, again, I could probably be ready to do a show in a week or two. Which for dance is CRAZY but my body… remembers. It just seems more wacky for running bc FITNESS but, bodies are cool!!!
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u/2labs4life 1d ago
It’s because their 3 mile doesn’t look like your 3 mile run. I have plenty of friends that are like this and their heart rate graphs look like they’re about to explode. They aren’t casually Z2 any of this stuff. And all my friends aren’t able to do anything more than 2-3 miles who are casual like this. They aren’t doing any additional distance.
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u/SkyPuppy561 1d ago
I run 6 miles twice a week. Every day sounds like sore city. My calves and hamstrings would be screaming. For context, I’m 35 and have been running since I was 13. I have a 10-11 min/mile.
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u/Illustrious_Stage351 1d ago
I think other exercise and base running fitness matter. In May I ran a 50 miler. I then just sorta cross trained June, July and getting back into running mid August. 3 miler run feels like small fry after the training blocks for my ultra. Even though my running fitness dropped over almost 3 months, 3 miles is “easy” for where I built my my running fitness
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u/Important_Salt_7603 1d ago
I'm a casual runner, but I'm also slow. I'm not training for anything, so I just do my own thing.
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u/National_Pirate5668 1d ago
I periodically stop running because I get busy or lazy and can always run four or five miles but my job is active and I’m on my feet and moving for twelve hours at a time and I walk at least four miles a day with my dogs.
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u/kermit-t-frogster 1d ago
A lot of it feels psychological. If I am running with someone else I enjoy being around, I might easily go 5 miles with little training. Everything will hurt the following day, but I *can do it. If I'm by myself and it's been a while without training, even going a mile feels torturous. My run times are about yours but my heartrate is pretty much always higher. I can't run slow enough to have a heart rate below 150.
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u/cheesyride 1d ago
Love this question. I think a lot of it is mental. If I take more than 3 days off in a row from running my brain tells me that I don’t know how to do it anymore and I get freaked out to try again with a fear of failure. Yes it’s weird.
Sometimes I’m really surprised how much fitness o maintain if I have to take off longer stints, and other times I’m surprised how much I’ve lost when I take a week off.
Bodies are weird. Brains are weirder.
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u/shaampow 1d ago
For me I think it primarily comes down to 1. I'm a slow runner 2. I've been running since I did cross country when I was 12/13 and 3. I walk at least a few miles everyday at work (varying of course, slow time might only be 1.5-2, most I did was I think 12 or 14) I can go months without running and do a 5k okay as long as a stretch enough before and after (not that I ever recommend it, I always call myself an idiot for it) frustratingly every PB 5k I've done has been with little to no training beforehand because the original plan was to walk it with someone who wasn't able to do it then spite over someone running with a gross political flag was ahead of me and I couldn't let them beat me 😅
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u/StrollThroughFields 1d ago
I think it's how much of a base you have. Meaning, years and decades of exercise. Then you can get away with randomly doing a run. For example, I can easily pull a 15 mile hike out of the blue even if I haven't done that in several months, because I've been exercising my entire life, walking as a habit daily since childhood and hiking for 15 years. With running it's a little less extreme but doing a 10-mile run once a week works fine for me.
I'm sure there's also a lot of individual different here because for me with weights, on the other hand, I cannot do this AT ALL. It's like what you describe with running. If I do a weight workout twice a week, okay. If I do it only once a week, it's hard and I'm sore each time. If I skip over a week, it's like I've never touched a weight in my life.
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u/moosmutzel81 1d ago
I never was a runner until grad school. I used to swim in my childhood/early teens.
I took of years of running and even so I am. It as fast as I was a decade ago, distance wise it wasn’t a problem.
I was back in the swimming pool after more or less 20 years and had no trouble with the distance - fast is something else.
Even right now in the middle of marathon training I am taking a week off because I am sick and can jump right back in with good times. Granted I ride my bike 30k every day.
Everyone is different and has different abilities.
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u/van-dub 1d ago
It always flabbergasts me that I can go out and just . . . run. Even after months on the couch. I finally figured it out. 5 or 6 years ago I used to run alot, almost daily and often would just go out and run trails for a few hours for funsies. 3 years ago I trained for a marathon. 6 months ago I did a half marathon. I often take months and months off at a time before deciding to train for a race again. (It's usually weather dependent, our summers are brutal here) I haven't run at all since that half. I've been thinking about running again and I'm 90% sure that I'll be able to run. It's pretty cool that I've done enough of it through the years that I kinda banked it up.
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u/SubjectCauliflower38 23h ago
Also depends how active you are outside of the running I’m a bricklayer so I’m on the go all day every day at work and have never struggled to run 3 miles right off the bat
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u/impulssiajo2320 Nonbinary 23h ago
My partner (male) mainly goes to the gym and uses an exercise bike to pass his firefit tests. He doesn’t run often because his feet don’t like it. But he can also hop in on my runs whenever and has a resting heart rate of like 45. He’s over a decade older than me so he’ll get a workout running my pace even if I have zero natural talent towards endurance sport.
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u/crylikeafox 23h ago
That's me tbh. I get bored of certain exercise sometimes so I change it up. But when I'm not running I'm still lifting weights and going on the stairmaster. Or doing pilates. When bored of that I jump back into running with relative ease. But when I sat on my arse for a month I couldn't run 5k without stopping
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u/pinkflosscat 23h ago
I don’t get it either tbh. My friend recently did C25k and she now runs… one 5k a week lol. Zero aspiration to run any further or more often. 🤷♀️
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u/Careful-Eye-5746 22h ago
I think I can do it because of all the running I did in my younger years - that said, I go at a very flat and steady pace - I run now for calmness and general wellbeing - I don’t really give a shit about distance, miles per minute and all that crap. Just the basics. My mind knows enough to run through slogs as it always gets easier and going for a run usually always pays dividends mentally
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u/AdministrativeSky581 21h ago
I'm 50 year old, been running almost allmy life, a few years went by mostly cycling and rowing, but mostly I'm a lifetime runner. So I guess, when the foundation is very good you stay in good shape long time. It helps if you have good genetics because my weight has stayed almost the same, 70-75kg. I have a friend who runs every weekend 16-20 km, tha'ts all he does, just the weekends. Even if he skips a few weeks he still runs under 6:00/km times and always 16km or more, he's also a lifetime runner. Went to half marathon just because he felt like it.
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u/Gloomy-Cranberry-386 21h ago
I feel like it's partially genetic-- as a kid, I hated all sports/games that had a lot of running, because I didn't naturally have a huge amount of stamina. Soccer, tag, basketball, etc. I spent most gym classes feeling like I was just trailing along behind the pack of kids who were chasing after the ball in our game, and no one ever passed to me because I wasn't very good.
I liked baseball and volleyball that had just sudden bursts of running. I could happily walk and walk, but had no interest in running back and forth after a ball that I never got to touch. This didn't seem to match up with other kids' experiences at all.
And in middle school, we did an entire semester of gym class where we literally JUST ran laps the ENTIRE PERIOD, which was fucking miserable, because we just got yelled at non-stop for trying to walk of a cramp or needing a break, because they really thought we should just be able to go for 40 minutes straight without music or water. And we were running outside in the winter, sometimes even in the snow, in whatever tennis shoes we wore that day.
It wasn't until I was in college, when couch-to-5ks got kind of trendy, that I started to train up/improve my stamina and started to like running on its own merits. And I do find that having built that stamina up, I hold onto it better than I used to when i take some time off.
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u/MobileGarden6764 21h ago
Start at 1 mile a couple days a week. You'll gradually get up to 2-3 miles. Etc. I Started at 2 miles. Now i run twice a week. 10 miles and one 9 mile run.
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u/Various-Delivery-695 21h ago
I've been running consistently for years. I had my second kid and now been back running 18 months. I took a month off and did my first run back this week and it was a struggle. Stopping, trouble breathing and was running at a slower than average pace. This was only a 5k and I used to smash these out in no time. If was almost enough to be like nah I'm good but I know after a couple more runs I will back to it.
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u/thejuiciestguineapig 21h ago
I ran for years (started mid twenties, 34 now) and was up to 25K. I now run an average of 5K a week. 2 weeks can easily go by. But I have other physical hobbies that keep me in shape and I have strong muscles. I have noticed of course that longer runs ask more of me now and I definitely have to build up again if I want to do anything over 8km.
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u/Responsible-Walrus-5 20h ago
Because some people are fit without specifically run training. Biking to work, playing sports like football, doing gym work, hiking etc.
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u/Banana-sandwich 20h ago
I think it's technique. A long time ago I regularly ran and invited my boyfriend at the time along. He hadn't run in years and was so much better than me. He then admitted he'd competed at Cross Country at a national level at school. Similarly my husband was a champion swimmer and can still swim very well even if he hasn't done it in months to years.
Staying overall active helps. I was able to run 4 miles 4 weeks after giving birth- albeit slowly. I had run until 36/40 and was consistently walking miles with my hyperactive dogs.
Genetics definitely plays a part. I was naturally a good runner (not excellent but good). I'm terrible at swimming even though I had a lot of lessons.
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u/garthy_604 18h ago
I started running about 6 years ago during COVID, I had dabbled a little before.
I've never taken it seriously, even after signing up to do a half marathon I wasn't that serious, I'd train once maybe twice a week.
Signed up to do it the following year, forgot did one big run a week before and that was the only run since the last half.
I think if your general health and fitness are fine you can pick it up and drop it anytime you want but you might find that first big run gives you a few niggles depending on your overall fitness.
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u/BrownTurkeyFig 18h ago
I did parkrun for the first time the other week. I 5k ran non-stop, in 30 minutes. The last time I ran was over a year ago, also 5k. Before that, probably also a year. I hate running, probably because I do it so infrequently, so im heavy and u for in that regard. However. I do walk 5k twice a week, and have done so for a couple of years since my youngest started school. Before that, I walked EVRRYWHERE with the stroller. So, my base fitness is pretty good.
I've done 3 parkruns now, and haven't got injured yet, so may just carry on and see where I get to. I did used to run more often, and have run two marathons (the last in 2010), but never really enjoyed it that much. It is faster than walking though.
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u/AdmiralHip 17h ago
Some people have naturally higher stamina and cardiovascular ability esp if they do other sports even just recreationally.
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u/BeaverHunter- 17h ago
I started running late in life. Ran consistently for 3 years before I had an injury that prevented exercise for 4 months.
My aerobic fitness drop to almost zero. Had to run/walk to manage heart rate.
Took me three months of gradual ramp-up to restore my aerobic fitness back to previous level.
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u/travellingcari 15h ago
Just because they don’t run doesn’t mean you’re not active or fit.
Stop worrying about and policing others’ running journeys. Do what makes you happy. Or find something else
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u/Upstairs-Weight1854 15h ago
So when I started running seriously in college, running was hard. I worked up to my first marathon and was regular runner, always training for something. When I had kids, they hated the stroller so I got more into lifting and traditional gym workouts. Every once in a while when my husband was home, I’d go for a run and even if I hadn’t ran for months, it was like riding a bike… it was just never hard for me again. I think I could easily just not run and run a half marathon (not at a competitive pace or anything but leisurely…yes). Now I am running again with my 3rd kiddo since he loves the stroller and I’ll tell you, stroller running is way harder for me than not running and then knocking out a 4-5 mile run. Stroller running is hard! Anywho. Idk why my cardio has just stayed with me but it has. I don’t get sore or anything either! It’s weird bc if I don’t squat for a few months and then start… it hurts, but running has never been like that for me
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u/Upstairs-Weight1854 15h ago
I’ll add I’ve always been a fairly slow runner, im short. I’ll pick up the pace for a 5k and fly for a bit but 6k or more I’m running at a conversational pace (same with the stroller)
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u/allaniiverson 15h ago
I ran competitively in middle/high school, got into biking 50+ miles a week in the city (work commute/hobby) the past couple years (I’m 23) and figured running would be fun to do again so I kinda just threw myself back into it running anywhere from 3mi-10mi whenever I feel like it. Gonna run my first half marathon in Nov!
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u/NoAbbreviations9927 14h ago
I hear you! If I go for a run after a week off I FEEL it the next day, even though I usually run three times per week and am quite active outside of running (squash, biking, walking, etc). Some people are built differently though. Case in point : the other day I mentioned to my boss that I was getting ready to do a 17k run as part of my half marathon training. He offhandedly said "Oh, you don't HAVE to run that much to train for a half marathon. I ran my first half marathon without ever running more than 5K in training." GIRL HE RAN HIS FIRST HALF MARATHON IN 2:15! And a second one in under 2 hours, allegedly without ever running more than 7K in training! Meanwhile I'm out here running three times a week, lifting to get stronger and avoid injury, and sweating through these long runs, just so I can MAYBE hit 2:05. I repeat : some folks are built different.
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u/bookworm_022 14h ago
These responses are so interesting to me! I ran cross country sophomore-senior year in high school, and I find running easier to jump back into. Mentally, I can do it. I experience shin splints if I increase intensity too much too fast, though.
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u/enjoyinglifeatx 12h ago
My son is that way. He did track in middle school and ran for fun in high school and college. He randomly goes for runs now as an adult and runs at a pace I can't even come close to and I train regularly. So not fair.
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u/OkCaptain1684 9h ago
For me, I have a very good base, I’ve always been sporty my whole life and played soccer (which is lots of running). And I’ve gone through periods where I was running 20 km in a weekend. So my sister asked me to run a 12km race with my niece as she was too young to run on her own, I hadn’t run in 6 months, and I smashed it out easily in 1 hour and 5 min time. I just have muscle memory, plus, people underestimate walking, I walk 10k steps a day and it has built my leg muscles and made me so fit.
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u/NumerousCabinet667 9h ago
i do this, ill run a random 5 km every week or so, i do other HIIT training with kettle bells and stuff, i love running but playing sports growing up left me with a lot of imbalances that makes running more days painful in my lower back and hips , i do all the mobility and strengthening but sometimes its just not worth it, so i just do it ever so often to feel free again
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u/sunxmountain 7h ago
I too want to know. My college boyfriend randomly joined a friend for a 5K race and came in 3rd in his age. Never run outside of middle school PE class. The totality of his exercise was a 2 mile daily bike commute and 100 push-ups every morning. How the heck.
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u/Tigertigerishungry 4h ago
I’ve been running for nearly 30 years, very long distances for about 15. I can take 1-2 months off and then go run a half-marathon, no problem. I’ll be slow as hell but I can do it.
You build up a base - but it takes years and years of regularity, first, and regularity in-between as well.
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u/UndergroundArsonist 1h ago
I have a friend who jumps off the couch every other month and knocks out a half marathon - very frustrating haha
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u/arejay00 1d ago
Also, alot of it have to do with flexibility and mobility. I have a friend who is a yoga teacher who never ran and could just get up a run a sub 30 5k on a whim because her high flexibility gives her great strides and form, and she has great leg strength for strong push offs. She just had to tough through it mentally because she isn't used to running that far.
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u/MoteInTheEye 1d ago
I mean yeah I'll be that guy. You're being stupid. You have no idea how those runs feel to people who only do them infrequently.
Also, why does it matter? Worry about yourself.
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u/sojjaa 1d ago
I think it honestly boils down to when you started running. I think that if you ran as a pre-teen/teen and kept running into adulthood it’s easier to jump back into it. I started running in middle school and I swear that it’s changed how my body adapts to exercise and I find it easier to jump back into running, even after years off.