Over 50 running

Everyone is different. Sounds like you simply need more recovery days in your training.

The traveler response is about right. I am 55 years old and have been training and competing for 45 years already. I have gone through all the categories until this one "senior" and it is true after you pass 40 to 45 things began to really go down hill after that. But you have to be very consistent in your training and understand that as you get older it takes longer to recuperate both psychologically and physically. I deal with this issue (tiredness and poor performance) everyday, with work, family, responsabilities, time etc etc and you just do the best you can but as you grow old mature in your running and adjust your goals and training. Don't give up!!

I took two months off last summer because of all the nagging little injuries that come with "experience." When I started up, I felt great and raced well within a month. Because of this I'm building in 3 -4 weeks off twice a year for recovery.

The other thing I notice is that I feel like hammered shit at the start of every run. After 15 minutes it usually gets better and after 30 minutes I start to feel like a shadow of my former self. So now I spend the first mile just jogging really slowly and stopping to stretch before the workout begins.

Of course, anything you do is a stop gap measure on the road to slower times, depcrepitude, and eventual death.

C O A C H wrote:

The other thing I notice is that I feel like hammered shit at the start of every run. After 15 minutes it usually gets better and after 30 minutes I start to feel like a shadow of my former self. So now I spend the first mile just jogging really slowly and stopping to stretch before the workout begins.

HA! I can relate to this. It's like starting my car in the dead of winter. It takes a little while before everything is warm and working right.

HAve you done anythig different with diet/cross training/strengthening/stretching/supplements etc

Has your traing changed in terms of volume or intensity?

I heard of 1 over 50 coach who advocated a high intensity low volume approach with frequent rest days.

The problem here is that the rules of adaptation to workload still apply regardless of age. Its just that the individual has a much more fragile organism with which to adapt. So the question becomes how do you limit breakdown so that you can optimize adaptability

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Not there yet, but friends who have ran well into their fifties credited more recovery time, massage, consistent weight training (more so than they had ever done before), and sleep (naps on hard days). Also, think about your peers. In my office, the guys who are over 50 are all at least 80 lbs overweight and popping all kinds of pills (and they were very athletic in their younger days). You may not be able to crank out a 15 min 5k, but compared to most men over 50, you are in exceptionally good shape.

Each of us is unique and require different things, especially rest, to keep going, even though we're all slowing down. My first miles are slower than they were not long ago. But I'm still able to train with the same intensity, if not the same speed, as I did before. I take at least one day off a week.

As to injuries, I follow the twinge rule, i.e., if I feel an unusual ache (I have plenty of the usual sort), I stop. I made a few stride adjustments with a PT a few years back because of some chronic break-down issues, and I've been relatively clean since so I suggest seeing a runining-oriented PT if you keep breaking-down just when you're getting into racing shape. And attention should be paid to drills and strengthening exercises.

I'm 49 and feeling it.

I am currently going through a stress fracture induced lay off due to the fact I thought I could still hammer out 400's with the younger guys. I have already gone to two rest days into my program and that seems to help me on recovery without yeilding a dramatic downturn in race times. A week for me has been a Sunday LR, rest, Tuesday track, a dbl on Wed, hill repeats Thursday pm, rest, race or fartlek or tempo on Saturday (35-75 miles total depending on marathon training). To take away some of the pounding after returning from this lay off I may dump the track, do all of my mile repeats on the road, and change up the Thursday hill session cycle. I know speed is fading but maybe I can compensate with more strength.

like GOBNU, i'm 49 (although female) and have been in stress fracture mode, but i hope to resume running in a week (it will have been 10 weeks since the injury -- this is my fourth running-related SF). a couple of tips to you.

first, be very very cautious as you start back. the first week: on smooth grass: 3 min run, 1 min walk; repeat for a total of three of these, all the time monitoring how the site of the injury feels. if it's okay, do this every other day for the week. if it's still good after that -- as in not only no pain, but no awareness of the SF area -- then you're ready to start wisely increasing mileage. (i tried this at 8 weeks, and the second rep of the first day made it clear that i needed to wait a while longer.)

second, hills are good because there's less pounding (going up), but if you can do your mile repeats (by either distance or time -- a GPS is useful here) on grass instead either road or track, that's best. soft, natural surfaces are good. in fact, the more you can do on dirt or smooth grass the better.

i agree with JoeGarland regarding respecting new discomforts -- and managing all the familiar ones.

finally, to counteract all the doom and gloom of getting older, i should mention that after each of my couple-of-months-long layoffs, i've come back with PRs: three years ago after a SF, i PR'd in the HM, then after last summer's hamstring-induced layoff i PR'd in the 5K and 10K; in between i broke 8 hrs for 50 miles (trails). while not running, i've spent lots of time rolling around the countryside on my bike.

I'm 56 and had kids later in life so my life and running now is sandwiched around high school and middle school cross country, football, and baseball (and thats with only two sons 14 and 12). I run when I can and have cut the mileage down (especially during the summer) considerably in order to stay consistent with my running. Consistency is the key. You have to be able to run without injury or weariness. Adjust as you have to in order to do this. I'm still in the 75 percentile in my age and have to remind myself of that as I get slower. It took a long time though to realize that I couldn't train at the intensity that I used to. I can still run a 65 second 400 but it takes days to recover instead of minutes. That said, I can't even run a mile in the per mile time that I used to put 26 of them back to back.

A few years ago when I was 51, I over did my running and damaged my knee. Since I couldn’t run for about 6 months, I started swimming laps when I was at my gym after doing my weight workout. That soon evolved into alternating weights and swimming every other day. A year later when I’d been running again, I continued the cross-training and did a local sprint triathlon (with no real bike training). Got 4th in my age group. It was nice to find something to compete in that leveraged my swimming as well as my running, and since then I’ve added cycling a couple times a week.

Basically this change in my training routine has allowed me to continue working out almost everyday while keeping me from running too often for my old body to tolerate. I’m good for 3 to 4 days of running a week, with one of those a hard tempo or even an interval workout. More than that and I’m asking for an injury. On the days that I run, I pretty much leave it at that, but sometimes hit the gym for some weights after work. On days that I swim (I’m now in a Masters swim program Tues & Thurs nights) I either bike or do weights in the morning instead of my run. I do extensive stretching before every workout. I take a rest day about every 10 days and a couple extra-easy days each week. I’ve found that the amount of sleep I get each night has a noticeable effect on my ability to do the hard days.

I compete in 2 or 3 triathlons per year and an aquathlon (swim, then run, no bike) or 2. I also still do a couple 5K and 10K races. I find the weight training is very important as I get older, and the swimming has all kinds of benefits. One of the better ones is that it serves to loosen up tight or strained running muscles, and better prepare them for the next day’s run. In a good month I’ll run 100 miles, but sometimes it’s less than 80.

Frankly, I wish I could just run everyday like I used to. But those days are over. On the other hand, the open water ocean swimming is a lot like cross-country…

I'm 54 and everything really fell like a deck of cards for me at 52.

I ran 80,000 miles in 30 years and was never really injured all that badly, but when it hit, it hit.

Between January 6th this year and now, I have had 6 coritsone shots..5 in the spine and one in the knee.

I think had I have paid more attention to cross training and CORE when I began to enter my 50's..and MOST OF ALL..get off the pavement every once in awhile..all this could have been avoided.

So, starting now..do the CORE stuff,, cross train twice a wek (riding a bike really helped me)do it as a second workout if you don't want to waste a day of training..

But a couple of times a week, cross train, do CORE and get off the pavement every once in awhile.

I wish I would have before it was too late.

I am 50 and I've experienced the same things as most of you. More rest days needed, etc My problem is- I REALLY miss hammering workout after workout and running hard all the time.

My mind longs for the good old days but my body rebels.

Is it a sign of semi-senility when one old guy double-posts a thread starter, then the other geezers start stacking replies on BOTH (identical) posts? Or is this a form of "cross-posting" to lessen the impact?

I followed exactly the same path as you (I'm in my mid 50's) and switched heavily into cross training and tri's and running races. What is really fun is to see your swim times and bike times improve. Improving times in the 50's that is very motivating. Weightlifting particularly the musculature/tendons above and around the knee is critical.My running has been much better. I can run hard when I want to with having a constant fear of damaging myself. If I do feel the start of a nagging injury I just switch to a different cross train activity. The swimming is great on numerous levels.Before I got into this I needed so much recovery time and had to do so many slow easy runs that it started to get frustrating. I had to constantly monitor and cut back for fear of injury. I freer now to exercise without worry.duggar1 really has the key.

Just run baby...to THE END

NEVER stop...EVER

Don't forget the most important and basic element:

THE SHOES.

Rotate them, replace them, pay attention to them.

I for one, can't wear racing flats anymore.

Most people over fifty aren't running at all. Count your blessings.

older fellas, can you keep your muscles and bodies toned and not all flabby with the training? I have seen a couple master runners in my town who are in their 50s and look like they have the bodies of college runners. Others look overweight. All i will care about at that age is not being fat.