50+ Masters Training and Racing Open Forum

Just checking out this thread as a 47 year old, getting back into it these days buthavn't raced since 42 many problems with the arches of my stiff and aging feet.. Will get back to post training over the last 3-4 months . Great to have people to bounce ideas off as I am a Canuck but situated ,a bit isolated training -wise living in Hong Kong for this phase of my life..

Cheers

Kirk

Here we go,... I am an ex - 30:XX 10 km guy (25 years old...21 years ago..yeesh) ,and I never was one to survive 85-100 mile weeks, even while young. For that reason always kept basically 55-65 miles per week, and (relatively) preserved my ligaments and range of motion. I married a while ago and now with two kids in the house I have found a routine that works for the time being until I get back into proper shape. I am a contracted teacher here in Hong Kong as well, so have real reasons to keep it to 5/6 times a week (besides I think that is all I can handle anyhow!)　

The last 3-4 months I have been building up to running 5 times a week,every week, with always one long tempo of an hour, pick it up for second half (done on treadmill ,1% grade) and one hill session of 5 X 1 min. (both done away from track to avoid injury as in the past) Everything else is 5 and a half miles steady running.I have been also trying to get my core /upper body in shape for posture's sake, so 100 pushups in sets of 25 or 5 sets of 8-10 pull ups are done 5 times a week and 80 situps on incline 5 times a week..

Week 1 : 1hr 8.78 m.(total 10m) /

5.5 m /

hill workout 4-6 X 1min/

5.5 /

5.5

Week 2 : 1hr 9.1 m.(total 10.5m) /

5.5 m /

hill workout 4-6 X 1min/

5.5 /

5.5

Week 3 : 1hr 9.32 m.(total 10.5m) /

5.5 m /

hill workout 4-6 X 1min/

5.5 /

5.5

Week 4 : 1hr 9.55 m.(total 11 m) /

5.5 m /

hill workout 4-6 X 1min/

5.5 /

5.5

Week 5 : 1hr 9.76 m. (1st 30min 4.7 miles 2nd 30min 5.06 miles (total 11

5.5 m /

hill workout 4-6 X 1min/

5.5 /

5.5

Hope to race in either Hong Kong International Standard Chartered Marathon races (10km/Half /Marathon) or other races locally in Japan or HK aiming for sub 34 10km ..

Cheers

Kaku/Kirk

Also checking in for the first time. M52 Jeff Mann here (53 in July).

Have been pretty much out of action since the beginning of 2012 with an ongoing Achilles problem. After surgeries in Nov 2012 and April 2013, I made repeated but short lived comeback attempts followed by 6-mo layoffs.

Finally seem to be on track now. This latest comeback started in January with easy running progressing to moderate "speed" work starting in late March. I've found that 4 days/week keeps my Achilles in check, supplemented by 3-5 days/week on my ElliptiGO.

Although I'm nowhere near race ready, I'm going to lace 'em up tomorrow in my first outdoor meet since 2011. Running the 800 and 1500 at Bay Area Sr Games. I'm not expecting much - my best session of 200s so far has been 10x @ mid 33s with 2 mins rest. I haven't cracked 73 in a 400 yet, so my over/under for the 800 is 2:21. The 1500 is just for the workout value. We'll see. I'm doing two more meets in the coming weeks to get some racing practice before heading to Nationals in Michigan this summer. Wish me luck.

JM

Good luck with the races JM, ..yes it is a downer to really be put out that long. I as well had a series of issues , the worse being chronic metatarsal tendonitis..but fortunately no surgery needed yet , I hope i can hit 53 like yourself still enthusiatic and able to race well. I am actually a "cheater " on the forum as I just 47 this season, but love the feel of the thread and very informative and inspiring to hear,albeit online, from others getting on . This week was 5 runs again...

Mon 5.5 steady/easy

Wednesday 2 x long hill( 4.30) steep brutal

plus 1 min hill finish(5.5 total)

Thurs 5.5 steady/easy

Sat 5.5 steady easy

Sunday 10.04 miles /1 hour tr.mill, 1%

grade (11 total) first half ,4.92,

2nd half 5.12

good week ,will stick it out at 5 times a week as I feel less crippled and long tempo is improving steadily ,for now....

RF Reader wrote:

1. If it is only your left side that hurts, the first thing you should check is whether you have any pseudo-discrepancy in leg length. If you pelvis is tilted laterally, your left leg becomes "longer" than your right in relation to the ground contact. This creates inflammation on the origin (top) of hamstring and the pain radiates all the way down to the knee. If this is the case, you need to get someone (PT or chiropractor) pull your right leg, and then do corrective exercises to keep your pelvis properly aligned.

I have this pseudo-discrepancy of about a half inch. A trainer gave me this drill that eliminates the discrepancy after a couple of reps.

Lay on your back. Bend knees with feet on the ground up near the hips. Cross right ankle over left knee. Keeping shoulders on the ground, twist sideways to the left until you put the right foot on the ground. You should feel a tightness in the right glute and outside of the hamstring. If you don't feel the tightness, change your movement slightly until you do. Then, repeat on the other side. Do it a couple of times and check for the discrepancy. It should be gone.

Oh, I forgot. This drill should be part of your warmup routine. Do it often at other times.

*************************

Week 260

*************************

Greetings, 50+ers! Don't know if anyone noticed but today we celebrate the fifth anniversary of this thread. Thanks to all that have contributed to this discussion and especially to those that have stuck around to continually share our journeys; our successes and failures; our trials and tribulations. It's been a pleasure to keep this thing rolling, and I hope it has been enriching for you, as well.

On this weekend, we also recognize all those that made the ultimate sacrifice in service to our nation. I offer a humble and grateful recognition for your courage and honor. Today also would have been my dad's 84th birthday had pancreatic cancer not claimed him nearly 20 years ago. He also served our country during the Korean War as a recent immigrant from Latvia. Missing him today.

On those notes. I offer a quick update, as we're on the road this weekend, attending a nieces graduation from High School in Johnston, Iowa (suburb of Des Moines.) Managed 35 miles on six days of running this week with one stinted workout. Log reads as such:

Sun: 7.4 easy w/form drills

Mon: 4.4 easyish trails (8:01 pace)

Tues: 5.5 Intervals (4x(800, 200recovery) + 4x(100walk,100jog,100cruise,100sprint))

Wed: 4 slogging (8:55 pace) 60% trails

Thur: 8 rough (7:39 avg pace) had to stop a few times

Fri: off

Sat: 5.5 moderate (7:10 avg pace) w/1 mile@6:17 pace

The humidity shot up this week making all the runs past Monday difficult. Cut one short on the 800's on Tuesday. The 800's were all run right around 3:06-3:08, the 200 recovery wasn't quite enough and I overheated. Wed. and Thur. overheating continued. Friday, I screwed up and didn't get a run in soon enough before having to pick up the rental car (when we're doing a lot of driving, we rent a car for peace of mind.) Saturday, the humidity was right at 100% (light drizzle) but the temps were upper-60's, so I was able to run fairly steady miles. Threw in one faster one (6:17) for good measure.

Knock on wood, I've been injury free since January, but I've also been running under where I typically would be running. Been very slow about bringing the mileage back and have tried to be mindful of trying to not overdo it and taking appropriate breaks. Should do more core work, but otherwise feeling like the training is going well.

@Reno, welcome back! Sorry about your Achilles', but glad you've been getting some good training in! I would be thrilled to run 2:21!

@KP, glad you've been getting some feedback on your issues. Cool to see a few that have been following the thread pipe in to offer their take.

@kaku, OK, so not 50 yet, but getting there, and interested in the topic (nice PR's by the way.) Good luck on your training heading into the asian rim races that you choose. I might ask that if you want to post you workouts, that you find a more compact form to present them. It's a little hard to follow what you've written.

OK, wife is signalling that we've got to get going, so that's all I've got time for. Hope you all have a great week. Will look forward to your reports!

All the Best!

PS--Oh, and in Lexington, a kid broke Tyson Gay's HS State Meet 100m record yesterday (went 10.42). He also ran close to State Meet reccords for the 200 and 400 (that he also won.) Remember the name WIlliam Allen.

Nice week lucKY. Whew, 5 years sure went by fast.

My week:

Mon = 85 min medium, road with some trail (sore and tired)

Tue = Rest

Wed = 86 min easy, mostly trail (hot and humid, 86 degrees)

Thu = 87, min easy, 30 min cemetery, 57 min mostly trail

Fri = Rest

Sat = 120 min medium steep and rocky hike

Sun = 90 min easy, rails-to-trails gravel trail (flat)

It was another good week where my legs started out kinda beat up but got stronger through the week. Today’s 90 min run marks the end of my buildup which started in January at 10 min. I’m pretty happy with the progression and how good I feel.

Have a good Memorial day tomorrow understanding the freedom to do that was not free.

Week 260: 3 hours 36 minutes in 4 runs.

Tue - 31 min tempo

Thu - 30 min easy

Sat - 2 hr 5 min long run

Sun - 30 min easy

Tuesday tempo run was just testing the waters. No bad repercussions.

Saturday long run was supposed to be 90 min at a good effort. But a silly arithmetic error left me 26 min from home at the "end". So instead I did a detour for water, then run-walk: 3 min jog 1 min walk to get home in 35 min. Followed by a nap.

Week 261 I will try to run every day. Counting the running I have been averaging 13,000 steps/day for the last 3 weeks, so I'm hoping it won't be too much of a shock.

The week following my biggest week of.the year was a rough one.

4 mile slog on Sunday following my longest run of the year on Saturday.

4 miles on treadmill in Baltimore during rain storm

Tuesday work and travel home; no run

Wednesday was planning on running 10k trail race and it was an unmitigated disaster. First I had back spasms during warm-up. Should've just gone home but didn't. Went off comfortable with lots of people racing by me. Garmin locked up after upgrading the os earlier in the day so I have no idea how I went out. A really steep hill in mile 2 put me way over threshold and I had a tough time recovering. Then left calf tied up because the around the lake clockwise loop was putting a lot of strain on the uphill leg. Stepped off the course at 5k. DNF. my first dnf ever. Embarrassing. Race was won by a woman with a 6:20 average. That was pretty cool.Still haven't run a 10k since '82.

Thursday 3 miles slow.

Friday 4 miles and had to stop repeatedly.

Finally on Saturday I got some redemption on an 8 mile run with my wife. Averaged 8:20 after the first mile. And in Sunday a 7 miler with wife an 8:20 average after the first mile. Only bummer about that run is wife finished and said exasperated, 'god, that was so slow'. Well, not for me.

On the plus side, I compared my workout times versus a year ago and I'm well ahead of last year; on the order of 30/45 seconds per mile. So thats encouraging.

Cheers

Ken

Mon. 27 km mountain bike ride in 1 h 31 m. 240 m of elevation gain with 4 good solid climbing efforts up a moderate grade.

Tue. Easy 3 km jog then 8 x up and down the roo track, total of 8.7 km and 624 m of elevation gain in 1 h 33 m. then finished with a brisk 1.3 km to finish off.

2 hours total.

2 x 3.8 km walks to and from work.

Wed. Painting ceilings most of the day. A cold 38 min kayak session on the Campaspe River in the afternoon.

Thu. 4 x Mt Ida's steep west face with hiking poles. Picking a line up and down rather than using the loose rocky track. At the top I dropped the poles and ran down the fire road about 250 m then effort ran back up before descending back down the west face the first 3 times After the 4th climb I kept going down the fire road for a couple of km at around 4.40 km pace then ran back up at a solid effort 6.50 km pace. Then scrambled down the rugged north face. 13.3 km, 735 metres of elevation gain total time 2 hr 18 mins. The last 300 metes of the west face gains 100 metres in height, with no track and lots of rock, mud and fallen timber itis quite tough.

Fri. 28 km mountain bike ride. Mostly after dark. I have found a good 2 km uphill deadend road so spent a fair bit of time riding up and down that. 1 h 32 min. The legs felt pretty well cooked from the previous day's hills.

Sat. 40 mins kayak session on Greens Lake then a slow 40 min jog on flattish dirt farm roads, 7.3 km.

Sun. Club forest race. 6.5 km . Not very hilly but a bit muddy. Very sluggish 29.55. Very much still feeling thursday's hill fun.

Not much to report this week. My runner's knee seemed sort of stalled on any improvement so I took it very easy. 12 miles total, a 4mi run at 8:05 average and two 4mi walks with 4 days off. My knee feels pretty good this AM. I am about to warm up and try a 4-6mi easy run.

LucKY2b, were you able to run in Johnston IA? My mother spent her last years there at Bishop Drumm nursing home. There's a nice trail very close to it and the interstate, the trail can take you all the way to downtown DM, and has very scenic, tree-lined, river-lined areas.

I encouraged my wife to run back to back 5 km's the first weekend of May, the KC Corp Challenge, followed by the all-women's Mother's Day race. She won her age group in both, but was exhausted from the first, which she really gave her all, so her all in the 2nd was very tiring. So she and I didn't do any speedwork as we traveled to Tucson for a 4 visit with her Mom. After returning home, I ran the 1/2 marathon, which I mentioned in last post. At the same time, her back went out, so another week of no speedwork, very little training, and both of us going to chiro, me to get my hammy soreness worked out. After about 9 days, she and I are better, so we hit the track yesterday. 80 degrees and sunny, she went 8x300 and I did 10x200. Her average was an awesome 1:14.88, my own was 1:19.9 (I served as her "rabbit" going out first). It helped her confidence for her mile race on June 7, though she still has some insecurity on it (she won her a.g. last year in 6:57). Last year I ran 7:19 at it, and would sure like to improve on that. My feet felt heavy yesterday in my LunaRacers, but she insists that I cannot risk running in spikes (which I've never owned), and just need to be more aggressive (I ran the mile about 5 seconds faster in the last 1/2 last year, so maybe so). Suggestions on how to not fear the pain and get rolling in something so short as the mile? Sure need some help there. Thanks, and thanks to my Father, who also served in the Navy in WWII and Korea.

LucKY - Congratulations on the 5 year anniversary! It's great to have new posters contributing to the conversation.

A reality check week for me. The tightness in my calf/ankle did not improve. I think I strained my soleus in England and all the walking we did while carrying a heavy backpack didn't help. I'm registered for events for the next three weekends but since I don't want to limp through the summer injured like I did last year, I decided to pull back and cross train all week.

Mon: 6.41 mi Trail running

Tue: 10 mi Fell hiking in the Lake District

Weds: off Flying home

Thu: off Physical therapy

Fri: 16.7 mi Biking - mountain course

Sat: 16.8 mi Biking - sprints

Sun: 14.7 mi Biking + 1500m swimming

The calf is feeling better but isn't ready to run on yet so I'll be cancelling out on my 5,000m next weekend. I've got ART and PT scheduled during the week and I'm doing strength training that I've neglected during the school year so the injury may be a blessing in disguise. Plus I can have my grandchildren sleep over and not feel guilty about getting out early to run!

Reno - How were your races?

A.B. - That was quite a nice long run!

Reboot - A smart DNF is better than an injury.

Mike L - Embrace the pain but focus on something other than how you feel; your breathing/cadence/pace etc. Visualize crossing the line at your goal time. I try to hold back on lap 1, stay strong on lap 2, push on lap 3, and go for the finish on lap 4. Do strides to get your cadence up. Good luck!

Hope you're doing well Spikez - Miss hearing from you!

Hey All:

Week 3 of current cycle

M 4 miles easy

T 1 mile easy 2 miles tempo 1.5 miles easy. Meant to be 4 mile tempo but didn't have it in me.

W rest

Th 5 miles easy

F 90 minutes hockey

S rest

Su 7 miles easy. Felt good. Longest run in 18 years provably

My hips are tight and I just can't tell where I am fitness wise. Maybe 22:00 5k shape but Tuesday I was to tempo 4 miles @ 7:30 and after two at 7:24 and 7:22 I felt burned out. Maybe trying to do too much too soon.

Kirk nice to see another hoser.

Happy Memorial Day.

Arts Fest 5k on 6/11 in Cbus Ohio. 21:55 possible?

Andy

It's Decoration Day. Thank you to those who have given their all to give us to keep us safe and free.

I am also grateful for all the sound advice towards this 3 week injury puzzle of mine. The tightness originating from the left glute min/med area just won't let go. Its weird.

I have had one good run... my fave but grueling wildcherry hill repeats. 5x up 400 feet in about 4:40-4:55 with same time recoverying back down. The gravity keeps you fit and safe as the tempo is slow. Swear my glutes didnt bother me. Adrenaline? Endorphins? I'll buy that as the next day I was so beat up even my forearms were sore. HR max'd to 180 on #3-#5. A genuine monster workout to try and find some way to keep (or get) fit.

I have had some positive response to 15 days in a row of a 25 minute core/yoga-ish routine that includes a few of the suggested exercises mentioned here. After day 9 I felt better getting out of a chair or car seat. And i can do the drills better eg. runner's touch balanced on one foot. The best drill seems to be the resistance band around both ankles and above bothe knees to then step sideways acoss the room back and forth. Burns white hot at glutes telling me i'm still very weak there. Make sense gang?

OK my good friend and chiroprator is going to see me today. I believe he'll find the imbalance and fingers crossed can see me a few more times to keep it sorted.

More to report when I know something. As said a few times on this great forrum, we all appreciate these real life solutions to the challenging and experimental life of a 50+ athlete who refueses to replace the spikes or flats with a bike or a sofa.

KP

M: swimming 1000m.

T: 7 miles.

W: 7 miles.

R: 7 miles.

F: 7 miles.

SA: 7 miles.

SU: 11.1 miles.

Another hot Sunday ( mid-80s), but I managed to finished the planned 11.1 miles. Now four weeks of post-marathon recovery is complete.

I was pretty close on my 800 over/under of 2:21. Finish time was 2:22.8 on a really windy day; followed up with a 4:50ish 1500 (didn't stick around for results). Both efforts were probably 90-93% efforts; my primary goal was to finish fairly strong given the strong headwinds.

It was a good start; I likely left a lot on the track but came away with confidence that my Achilles may finally hold up. I'll take that any day.

Only 23 miles for the week on 3 low key days plus yesterday's race. Only rode twice for 45 miles too. Hope to get back to a normal 35 mile run week with 4 days of riding this week; started this morning with 25 ElliptiGO miles.

Welcome back Reno. I'd say that 1500 was the strong mark of promising faster results to come.

KP