How Fast Can Humans Run?

The average human walking speed is in the neighborhood of 3 mph (4.8 km/h). How fast do you think you could run at a full sprint? 10 mph? 15 mph? What speed could you average over 26.2 miles?

I've been wondering how various world records in running would translate to my colloquial speed unit of MPH, so to appease my own curiosity I've compiled the tables below.

Men's World Records Translated Into Average Speeds

Womens's World Records Translated Into Average Speeds

It's interesting that the 60-meter dashes (and in the men's case, 100-meter dash) don't produce the fastest average times. This must be because accelerating at the start of a race takes some time.

Are You an Average Man?

Does watching television make you feel like the Danny Devito of the male world? Here are the real stats of the average American man. This is either going to make you feel better or confirm you're going to have to overachieve:

• The average man is 34.4 years old.
• The average man is married with two children.
• The average man earns $36,100 per year and has $3,100 in the bank.
• The average man sleeps about 7 hours on a work night.
• Age when the average guy is in the best shape of his life: 23 years
• The average man is is about 5' 9" tall.
• He weighs 175 pounds.

  Age (yrs)	20-29	30-39	40-49	50-59	60-69
  Weight (lbs)	168	179	182	185	184
  Weight (kg)	76	81.1	82.6	84	83.5

• Percentage of men who consider themselves "physically fit": 69%
  • Percentage who actually are: 13%
• Time it takes the average guy to run a mile: 8 minutes, 34 seconds
• Time it takes the average American man to run 1.5 miles: 12 minutes, 45 seconds

  Age (yrs)	20-29	30-39	40-49	50-59	60-69
  Time (m:s)	12:18	12:51	13:53	14:55	16:07

• Pounds the average man can bench-press one time: 160

  Age (yrs)	20-29	30-39	40-49	50-59	60-69
  Max. Weight (lbs)	180	158	143	128	116

• Number of sit-ups he can do in 1 minute: 36

  Age (yrs)	20-29	30-39	40-49	50-59	60-69
  Sit-ups	40	36	31	26	20

• Number of push-ups he can do with good form in 1 minute: 27

  Age (yrs)	20-29	30-39	40-49	50-59	60-69
  Push-ups	33	27	21	15	15

• Number of pull-ups he can do: 1
• Resting heart rate of a fit man: 52 beats per minute
  • Time it takes a fit man to log 8,000,000 heartbeats: 30 years
• Resting heart rate of a man who's out of shape: 72 beats per minute
  • Time it takes an out-of-shape man to log 8,000,000 heartbeats: 19 years
• Size of the average guy's biceps: 13 inches (flexed)
• Size of his chest: 40 inches (inhaled)
• Size of his waist: 34 inches
• Amount of muscle the average sedentary guy loses each year: 1 pound
• Amount of fat he gains each year: 1.1 pounds
• The part of a man's body that is the biggest turn-on for the average woman: his butt
• The part the average guy spends the most time trying to develop: his chest
• Percentage of men who don't belong to a gym: 88%
• Average cost of a 1-year gym membership: $648
• Amount the average 40-year-old man would save each year in medical costs if he exercised regularly: $949
• Time period when the typical gym is least crowded: 10:00am to 11:30am
• Percentage of men who would never skip another workout if... they could build twice the muscle with half the effort: 40%
• Percentage of men who would never skip another workout if... women began wearing see-through spandex: 16%
• Exercise equipment the average guy is most likely to own: dumbbells
• Percentage of men who use their fitness equipment as... a place to hang their clothes: 45%
• Percentage of men who use their fitness equipment as... a doorstop: 13%
• Number of men who would rather work out than have sex: 1 in 7
• Percentage of men who think that gyms are pickup joints: 14%
• The life expectancy of the average man is:

  Year Born	1950	1960	1970	1980	1990	1997
  Life Expectancy (yrs)	65.6	66.6	67.1	70.0	71.8	73.6

Great. I Have to Stop Taking HGH

I got this bad news yesterday. From the Associated Press:

Huh?

Athletes who take human growth hormone may not be getting the boost they expected.

While growth hormone adds some muscle, it doesn't appear to improve strength or exercise capacity, according to a review of studies that tested the hormone in mostly athletic young men.

"It doesn't look like it helps and there's a hint of evidence it may worsen athletic performance," said Dr. Hau Liu, of Santa Clara Valley Medical Center in San Jose, Calif., who was lead author of the review.

Researchers found that those who got the hormone put on about 5 pounds more of muscle, and lost about 2 pounds more of fat, although the fat loss wasn’t statistically different. The researchers said some of the extra body mass could just be fluid buildup.

There was no difference found in strength or exercise stamina between the two groups, but there were only two strength studies and eight that measured exercise. Those who got the hormone had more side effects including swelling and fatigue.

So let me get this straight. I'm going to have to rely on diet and training to become a better runner? I can't afford EPO so it looks like I am actually going to have to put in the miles. Looks like my one bottle of HGH and 1 mile run routine is going to have to be replaced with the 70 mile week again. I am still not going to stop wearing my Speedo that came with the HGH.

Running Makes You Smarter

It seems like scientists figure out another reason why running is good for us every week. Spark, a new book by John J. Ratey sets out to prove that exercise makes us smarter. He explains how muscle activity produces proteins that play a role in our brain development and daily thought processes. Case studies prove that exercise can change our mental state and boost our creative capacity. As a runner, I already realize this. After a run, I rarely feel tired; only invigorated and refreshed.

Spark demonstrates that exercise is a key combatant against a variety of ailments such as ADD, aggression, menopause, Alzheimer's, and depression, the leading cause of disability of the U.S. With the ever-growing list of bonuses, I don't know why anyone wouldn't want to run. Spark has great reviews on Amazon and looks like a good read.

Are We Getting Slower?

Crowded marathon start

It's a discussion I had with my running partners a few days ago: Why has the national average finish time for marathons been moving up in recent years? I think I have the answer.

About 10 years ago running a marathon changed from a race to an accomplishment. Thirty years ago the people who ran marathons were pure runners. They raced against each other and themselves. Merely finishing was not the goal; their goal was to be faster. There's absolutely nothing wrong with just wanting to finish a marathon, but I think the masses of new runners who only have that goal are pushing up the averages. Regardless, below you can find a bunch of interesting data on marathon runners from 2006, separated by gender and age.

2006 Overall Demographics

Women's Age Group Breakdown

2006 Finishing Times