Why Runners In 1974 Were Better

Maybe it was the bucket hats or maybe it was the moustaches but I am convinced runners in 1974 were faster than they are today.
I'm not talking about those incredible athletes who keep pushing the boundaries of what is humanly possible by breaking world record after world record.
I'm talking about recreational runners, with jobs and families. In my mind the average runner today seems to be a lot slower than the average runner in 1974.
In this video, Lindsey and Brad are going to dig into why that is and what you can do to make sure you don't fall into the same average traps.
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#running #mastersrunner #marathontraining

[@M3WDD]

1984... My local club had several marathon runners sub ca. 2:20-2:30. One finished ahead of the first female finisher at New York marathon. Now? No one close to that pace.

[@mad8298]

So true! I started running in the '70's (wore the Tiger shoes that looked like leather running flats😂) and, as you said, middle and back of packers were much faster than they are now. Add to that the fact that we didn't have the high tech shoes or nutrition/hydration aids, it makes it even more compelling. I will say that a couple of other factors played into this. Children of the '50's and ''60's were super physically active, at school and at home. No tech, or even much TV, to sit in front for hours. Even though girls, at least in the U.S. weren't included in school team level sports during that time, we were still active on our own or through community activities. Also, adults today, like you alluded to, are spending so much time sitting in front of some sort of media/computer, etc., that they streamline every day activities. Makes me a little sad, but good advice on some things, other than to completely change your lifestyle (which would be even better) of things to help undo the damage.

[@mikew6840]

I am running further and faster than I did in 1974. Ok, I was only 11 then... 😏

[@theresalillis5401]

I believe that as a result of the qualifying times of the races being increased , the average runner has adjusted his thinking to the pace required. We had to run faster to qualify, even in the 80's and 90's, so our minds were set to push ourselves more, be better, be faster. We ran much more mileage and ate anything! More than any other reason, mindset has changed and standards have dropped.

[@bchurch3616]

Back in the 70’s there was this new exercise fad called ‘jogging’ which was done naturally in zone 2 (a concept not yet invented). Today, everyone goes for a ‘run’

[@Shevock]

Jobs were securer in 1074 too. Folk today are forced to change jobs multiple times during their lives. This works for economic gain for some, but most people don't do well.

[@dghost3473]

Yeah, if you didn’t work you’d die of starvation…

[@wvu05]

I think a lot of it is that more casual runners (especially at community or charity races) tend to be much slower and move the average way back. In my last marathon 25 years ago, I severely undertrained because of stomach issues leading up to it, and I was about 40-45 minutes over the six-hour cut off, making me one of the last to finish. Today, that is probably faster than about a third of the pack in most races. It was said that Frank Shorter inspired the runnjng boom of the 1970s, and Oprah inspired the one at the millennium.

[@ian4iPad2]

In 1974, I was press ganged into my school’s athletics team. The PE teacher said I was too fast on the track to waste my games time at volleyball. While I was flattered to be picked out for special praise, in the event I hated training (I don’t think it was very good coaching either). Eventually I was dropped from the team for lack of enthusiasm and took up judo instead. Still, the remark that I was fast impressed me, stayed with me and with age comes wisdom. Now I love to run. Not as fast as I was but, hey, I try.

[@clementwestley857]

I recently looked at some of my clubs comrades times in the 80s and 90s . There were some fast runners back then . Springs Striders

[@patrickfrost007]

1974 was a good year 😀

[@ifgfqageneration6939]

yep that would be true of most sports

[@jonb9194]

Mid 1970s factory "vegetable" (seed) oil consumption was about 45g per day, up from about 35g per day 10 years earlier. Today, it's about 85g per day, up from about 75g per day about 10 years ago. Overconsumption of factory fats (above 5g per day) over many years has been shown to cause damage to the mitochondria. See Chris Knobbe.

[@kevinwoodin9939]

The duck :)

[@CruzMonrreal]

"you've been running in slippers" Way to minimalist and oversimplify a really important health topic. it's not like humanity hasn't been "running in slippers" for centuries before the invention of a "modern" shoe 🙄

[@kin.9133]

Lighten up

[@silvermandavid]

This video is BS. Even the very premise i.e. runners were faster in the 70s than they are today is false. Runners are faster today which is why records have fallen since the 70s. The only thing true in the story you tell is that runners in the 70s were a self-selected cult who overtrained. Today there are slower runners who run simply because there are many many more people who run including the slower ones. The idea that people are less active today because there was no internet or Whatsap is ridiculous. People did not need to get up from their desks in the 70s because there was something called a telephone.

[@matthewsanders6499]

Somewhere in the middle is probably the truth. People *are* way less active than they were in pretty much any time span you compare against, for lots of reasons that have nothing to do with the internet. But there are way, way more runners and most of us just like to get the miles in and avoid injury and get the benefits while minimizing the risks. The number of "regular" i.e. undertrained, slightly overweight or certainly not highly fit people out there, running 5-6 hour marathons as a matter of effort and accomplishment, is higher than ever before. And that's a good thing.

[@run_deng]

I agree. There are way more runners today than before. A lot of casual runners so the average will be slower. I'm happy that a lot of people are getting in to running than in 1974 even if majority are slow.