I was just wondering on another thread, anyone who used to be a fast light CC runner, can you still do a sub 15 5K? I could when I was in HS, but I was only 120 or so back then. Now I can’t even break 17 flat. Silly question, but this place is made for stuff like this.
Andrew
Like you, my lightning fast days are behind me, along with the wippet-like 140 I used to weigh… Now I’m bouncing around 170, but comfortable. I might get as low as 165, but I have no desire to get myself back down to even 150. I’d be afraid of stiff winds…
No way - when I was running 15’s for a 5K I was 145 lbs and 5-10 (20 years ago of course).
Now (age 37) 157 lbs (155-159) I just get into the 17’s 
But, I don’t really train specifically for a 5K with more of an emphasis on long stuff as I usually do at least 1 marathon, 1 IM, 1 or 2 1/2 IM, several OLY races, etc. per year. I know I could get into the 16’s with some more speed work, but that’s it for me.
As much as I’d LOVE to be that fast again, I wouldn’t sacrifice all the power I can generate at my current weight, plus it’s nice actually having an uperbody. I’m just curious if guys like us can still hit those kinds of speeds while at this weight. I’ve got about 5% BF right now so I have to trade muscle mostly if I want to drop weight and I don’t think I’m up for that. But if I could just train harder and hit 15 I’d be in hog heaven.
I weigh 165-70 and only wish I could run a sub 15 5K. I used to run fast in HS, but now the best I can do is a sub 18. Then again I don’t train as much for speed anymore doing the longer distances.
I mostly train longer now too, 10K, half marys and 70.3, but I still love a good 5K race to wake me up on a Saturday morning. It just about kills me to have the local CC team beat up on me in them though. Friends are all excited that I hit 17 and I’m fuming off to my car because those little bastards were 2 minutes up on me. 
in HS I ran a 14:54 3 mile (on a slightly downhill course…Dana Hills HS for any socal folks out there). never ran 5K’s in those days. I weighed about 155.
I’m now 35 and weigh 190, my current 5k pr is 18:35.
Getting old sucks.
18:35 at 190 is fast man. I couldn’t run an 18:35 holding a 15 lb weight, so you’re speedy bro.
I’m 6’2"…but I guess I carry the weight well. Much better than the 230(!) I weighed about 2 years ago. I’m still trying to get to 180, but the last 10 lbs are a sunnuvabitch to lose.
You could do a sub 15, 5k in high school?
I was 18 and technically out of high school at that point but yes. 14:56 I could do low 15s in HS.
In university I ran a 15:19 5k at 180 lbs (6’6") but the best I’ve done since then was a 16:05 5k a few years ago at 190 lbs. Body fat stayed the same but since I took up cycling and swimming I wasn’t as light as when I just ran and ran and ran.
1996 14:58.55 Brent Hauser
1995 14:45.33 Travis Landreth
1994 14:39.06 Greg Jimmerson
1993 14:47.16 Patrick Joyce
1992 15:09.42 Theo Molla
Just curious, I hope you went out to Junior nats cause you were one of the best.
Awesome, there is hope then. 15:19 at 180 seems screaming fast to me. I guess I have let myself get mentally weak and think because of the extra muscle I just couldn’t do that anymore. I can see all my tri training going down the drain already, a 15 min range 5K must be had this year!!!
When I was younger my fastest 10k was 32:20. I never ran a 5k until years later. I was 170 lbs then. Now…
6’2’’ 178-185. Ran a 16:34 twice last year. Hope to get under 16:15 this year with a bit more focus on the 5K. Just turned 40. I would love to see 15 but I don’t have the raw speed.
I am still about the same weight(160) that I was in high school when I was running 15:10 for 5K - perhaps 5 pounds heavier. But that was now a long time ago and their is no way that I could ever get close to that now - age and lack of running fitness being the biggest impediments these days. My most recent best running performance at 5K was about 5 years ago when I just broke 17 minutes shortly after I turned 40. I have not run much since then.
Well hell, maybe that was only 3 miles then. It was a race at Ft. Bragg and they listed it as a 5K, but I never measured it. I was one of the fastest guys there, but I certainly wasn’t Junior nats material. Well that stinks, all these years I thought I had 1 sub 15 in my past. Looking at those stats I doubt it. I’m running a 15 min 5K this year though, it’s my new mission.
I did in college at various times. I weighed anywhere from 162-173 during my college years. Haven’t trained for it since.
The last 3-4 yrs. my constant weight has been around 183-190 lbs. I’ve been anywhere from low 17’s to mid 18’s. I did the White Rock Half Marathon in December in 1:26. My PR’s are 16:21 and 35:53 for 10K, that being the old 10K run on the PowerMan Alabama course. But I’m getting older (35 in June)
There are VERY few HS XC races where a kid breaks 15 and doesn’t win. Alan Webb ran around 16 in his senior year to win a big meet on our local course (though it is very hilly). BTW, 5Ks didn’t become common until the 90s in many parts of the US.
Anyway, I went 15:46 at ~ 150lbs when I was 17. Three years ago at 30 years old I trained for 4 months after many years of very little running and managed a 16:00 on the track at ~ 160lbs.