Is a 5 Mile Run Minimum Fitness?

There is no true definition of fitness.

It may be in your own judgment or that of your friends. If you are in an athletic contest, fitness would mean you can finish in top form just the same as you started. Fitness would mean that your lack of conditioning doesn’t prevent you from displaying your maximum skills.

It seems to come to bear most noticeably in men’s professional tennis. As the hours wear on into a 5 set match, any let down in conditioning is the open door to a better fit opponent to polish off his rival.

In everyday life, you can set your own level. I have always enjoyed fitness and running. At one time I was running 5 miles, five days a week at a seven minute per mile pace. This led to joining a community track club where I was soon running 60 miles a week.

I was fit by most anyone’s standards until it came to running marathons. I trained and ran one and recovered quickly. If I wanted to compare my time to truly proficient marathon runners, I was not in the race.

Now I surf most days and spend extra time trying to support the necessary muscles and stamina needed to paddle. I do upper body work as well as core exercises  and yoga. I often run the 40 stairs near my house and have recently started a little running.

One and a half miles seems like a lot to me now. I am running it each day this week since there is a lull in the waves. Last Friday I ran three just to see if I could do it. It seems that a mile and a half run is no sign of fitness.

I think I need to run 5 to reach a standard of fitness that any athlete that is not a runner would consider a minimum level. Of course, this is just in my mind.