50+ Masters Training and Racing Open Forum

charlie: i am not a native speaker and my internet dictionary is not providing the english terms for the diffenret ways to jump uphill. uphill because it is easier for coordination and good for muscle balance at reduced physical impact. i have started with easy "run jumps" and drills like knee lifting. actually, for me it is important to avoid repeating stresses such as mileage on consecutive days. in order to get some strenght back i did:

- 3 months 1x peer week one session of hill jumps build up from 5x50m to 10x90 m with walk down.

- 3 months 1xpeer week hill jumps 10x90m with walk back and adding 1xper week 100m runs. starting with 5x100m slow and buildup to 10x100m floating with walk back. immediately stop, when one muscle or tendom is getting tight.

-3 months 1xpeer week 10x100m floating with walk back and 1xweek 5x90m hill jumps with jog intervall, 5x30m flying uphill (start very careful, always slower than i have urge to do), 5x90m hill jumps with jog intervall (the hill program)

-3 months 1xweek 10x100m floating with walk back, 1xweek hill program, adding 1xweek track starting from 5x200m with 1,5 min jog build up to 10x200m with 1,5 min jog.

right now my schedule is like (of course i have variations of the programs):

monday 2 km warmup, 10x100 m floating with walk back, 2 km cool down

tuesday 2,5 km warmup, 3x1600m with 3 min jog, 2,5 km cool down

wednesday 11 km easy (means really easy)

thursday 3 km warmup, hill program, 1 km cooldown

friday 11 km easy

saturday 2 km warmup, strider, 10x200 m intervals or comparable, 1 km cool down.

sunday easy run like i feel, i.e. 45-60 min

learned that i can avoid tight harmstring by stretching before! every faster workout. dont understand - it is the opposite i have learned once from several good coaches (stretch after the workout).

if i feel really tired, then i just skip 1 or 2 or even 3 days if necessary and resume with one week with lower number of repetitons.

that is what i am doing now since october. there is a looong way to progress from my current fitness. next spring I am planning to do on saturday race specific training for the 400/800m or race and adapt the other workouts accordingly. but no need to rush anything.

i am doing middle distance since 14 years old. the last 3 years only hobby jogging 4xpeer week because to busy. between 35 and 45 some road racing in the range of 33...35 min 10k. did no race on this schedule yet. in januar i will look for a group which needs a guy for 4x400m and 3x1000m relay. thats good for me.

cheers

...and i have to admit...

i am 48

therefore, i am usually silent on this thread.

no radar wrote:

...and i have to admit...

i am 48

therefore, i am usually silent on this thread.

There's a LetsRun regular, a really good runner who is, I think, 47 or 48. He said he follows this thread from time to time (silently) as "the ghost of Christmas future".

I'm impressed you can still do all that high intensity work. I couldn't do that stuff even at 48, much less at 60...

I rarely post on Mondays but today is a university holiday for me.

The smoke from the fires was stifling near my home, even though I'm 200 miles away. There was also a strong temperature inversion, suggesting things might be a lot better at slightly higher elevations. So my husband and I piled our bikes into the car and drove 45 minutes east, to about 2300 feet of elevation, and rode mostly uphill from there. The difference was stunning--the air wasn't perfect but was at least "OK" by almost anyone's standards, and it was 10 degrees warmer than down in the valley. I haven't ridden serious hills in over a year and had never ridden this particular route, which includes a very quiet, hilly road that recently became bike-friendly after being repaved. I rode hills for nearly 2 hours--some gentle, some really steep. It was a very good workout, and reassuring to know that I can still do this. (I can't come close to keeping up with my husband, who is a very good cyclist, but that's OK, he can't keep up with me running.)

For the next two days I'll have to work out near home and I'm not sure what I'm going to do if the heavy smoke persists. On Thursday I have to be in Tucson and I really look forward to getting out of the smoke, at least for a day!

amkelley

had no intention to brag. ... and i have a lot of respect to all veteran runner. we are all really cool.

my intention was to contribute the idea that variation may be good against overuse injuries and to have more fun with our sport. i wrote down the buildup to show that it may be possible to develop some variations in loads, stress, impact and become stronger and more balanced. after this buildup, my workouts do not tax out in terms that it is high intensity. some workouts are faster than yours, some are slower than yours. the most difficult part was to start running fast without harmstring injury. therefore, a very long and gradual buildup. now, i am totally happy and have fun.

for you vets all the best.

i need to be silent again for 2 years?

charlie: i am not a native speaker and my internet dictionary is not providing the english terms for the diffenret ways to jump uphill. uphill because it is easier for coordination and good for muscle balance at reduced physical impact. i have started with easy "run jumps" and drills like knee lifting. actually, for me it is important to avoid repeating stresses such as mileage on consecutive days. in order to get some strenght back i did:

Radar,

Maybe bounding is your reference.....

Igy

no radar wrote:

amkelley

had no intention to brag. ... and i have a lot of respect to all veteran runner. we are all really cool.

my intention was to contribute the idea that variation may be good against overuse injuries and to have more fun with our sport. i wrote down the buildup to show that it may be possible to develop some variations in loads, stress, impact and become stronger and more balanced. after this buildup, my workouts do not tax out in terms that it is high intensity. some workouts are faster than yours, some are slower than yours. the most difficult part was to start running fast without harmstring injury. therefore, a very long and gradual buildup. now, i am totally happy and have fun.

for you vets all the best.

i need to be silent again for 2 years?

Radar,

I did bounding, triple jump hops, bunny junps, etc in late 50s. I found the longer time at single leg support precarious for an older fella.

Igy

amkelley wrote:

... had never ridden this particular route, which includes a very quiet, hilly road that recently became bike-friendly after being repaved. I rode hills for nearly 2 hours--some gentle, some really steep.

That sounds wonderful! I didn't get on my bike at all this year, opting to run whenever I could invest the time. But I really miss it. I saw my brother over the weekend, and he's still suggesting a double century with me next summer, now that his docs have given the OK to try cycling again (prostate cancer). We'll see!

Also, very nice half marathon last week! Really enjoyed reading your account. HM is my next target race ... that's in May. I have only run four HM's over the years (they weren't really a "thing" in the old days, were they?), but I appreciate your attraction to the distance. I'm liking them more and more.

SCgal - What a disappointment, having to miss your target competition! Lousy, lousy luck. Especially after what you've endured, coming back from that horrific injury. Well, I guess onward and upward from here. Best wishes!

Charlie - I am fascinated with your fasting, but it sure isn't anything I am anxious to try. I had to fast last night/this morning prior to a medical test, and afterwards, I immediately ate 2 cheeseburgers, 2 eggs, 2 tuna sandwiches, and an entire box of cereal. And drank four cups of coffee to cure my caffeine headache.

L2B - Wow. Scary stuff. Hope you are doing much better.

no radar - why disappear? Your input is appreciated.

socal cush - I very much enjoy and appreciate your posts here ... even though I have to take a time machine back 35 years to match your "old man" paces!

daagha - Still a darn fine result. I hope to do as well next year. If I do, there are about 20 slower marathons in my log book that will get bumped down a spot!

Also wanted to offer shout-outs to Igy for the continued impressive progress, and to KP for that excellent race. And best wishes at club nats. I'm still considering joining the local touring team next year at age 60 -- would be fun to race with some of you guys and gals.

No Radar- Every few weeks I do like the 10 x 100 hills it is actually pretty tiring when you go all out up a steep dirt hill.

It seems you are also doing bounding of some sort up a hill.

Tough stuff. I do that once in a while but on the turf- flat.

I'll be 50 next month.

I gradually went down in distance over the years to faster and faster stuff. Feels great.

I still don't stretch enough, bought a foam roller, but don't use it enough either.

I now take one complete rest day and can't seem to do more than two decent speed sessions a week.

By March I hope to have run about 26.5 200 sub 57 400. Then I'll try some 800's again. Fun stuff - a new age group!

Ghost of Igloi wrote:

charlie: i am not a native speaker and my internet dictionary is not providing the english terms for the diffenret ways to jump uphill. uphill because it is easier for coordination and good for muscle balance at reduced physical impact. i have started with easy "run jumps" and drills like knee lifting. actually, for me it is important to avoid repeating stresses such as mileage on consecutive days. in order to get some strenght back i did:

Radar,

Maybe bounding is your reference.....

Igy

I don’t think there’s any need to insult.

Willie O’Ree wrote:

Ghost of Igloi wrote:

charlie: i am not a native speaker and my internet dictionary is not providing the english terms for the diffenret ways to jump uphill. uphill because it is easier for coordination and good for muscle balance at reduced physical impact. i have started with easy "run jumps" and drills like knee lifting. actually, for me it is important to avoid repeating stresses such as mileage on consecutive days. in order to get some strenght back i did:

Radar,

Maybe bounding is your reference.....

Igy

I don’t think there’s any need to insult.

Huh?

I second this. Every time I thought that I had found "what works for me" I ended up having yet another injury which forced me to rethink what works for me. This is not just about running itself, but also about all the strength and mobility works I do. Until a few months ago, the biggest concern I had was my glutes / hamstring. I had tried many things to prevent hamstring injuries, and I thought I had found a formula. In the meantime, I was neglecting my feet. And now I am trying to figure out what works for my feet. I have a better idea now than I did a few months ago. But I think it will still take some time to figure it out. And I am certain that I will have injury at some other area sometime down the road. And then I learn how to take care of whatever the next body part that I need to take care of.

Here is my week.

M: off.

T: 1.5 miles x 2.

W: 20 min elliptical, 30 min stationary bike.

R: 1.5 miles x 2.

F: 20 min elliptical, 30 min stationary bike.

SA: 30 min elliptical, 20 min stationary bike.

SU: 2 miles x 2. 45 min stationary bike.

Now that I feel no pain standing on elliptical, I have switched my cross training routine to 30 min of elliptical and 20 min of bike. (My rational is that the former is close to the running motion, and therefore should be more beneficial for running fitness.) I am still not sure if my feet can handle running on back-to-back days, so I am preceding very cautiously. Still 10 miles for the week is more than I ran in the entire months of October.

Cush: Man, thats a lot of fast stuff in a weeks span. But then you are only what, 50? So you can probably still get away with it :>)

Week one of my 6 month plan is in the books. Just a tad over 52 miles for the week. (Though the 7 days from Sunday thru Saturday was 56.6) Can't say I felt great every day...Seems like the easy days feel way harder than the hard days!

Here's the log for the week.

Mon: 7.6 miles @ 8:13/mi. Easy morning run. 45 & light mist. Kept it in the easy zone. First day of my 6 month plan…

Tue: 6.0 miles @ 7:28/mi. Treadmill run. Easy run with 8x1 min on/ff at 3 miles. Ons @ 6:00 accel to 5:46 last 15 sec.

Wed: am: 2.0 miles @ 8:24/mi. Easy wakeup run. Treadmill. pm: 5.8 miles @ 8:05/mi. Run home from work. Nice and steady.

Thu: 7.0 miles @ 7:28/mi. Morning tempo back to work. Didn't feel the greatest but got it done. 35 deg & calm. 3E,2M,2T 808,757,804,732,728,640,626

Fri: 6.2 miles @ 8:33/mi. Cold run after working outside all day. 32 deg/wc 22. Just ran easy.

Sat: 11.0 miles @ 7:55/mi. Treadmill. Cold, snow and ice outside. Got it done. Good run. Prog from ez 8:27- to moderate 7:19

Sun: 6.5 miles. Easy run, no watch, no time. Cold and breezy, but sunny. Felt like I ran 11 yesterday…

Not much else to mention this week. Looking to hit about 53 miles.

Have a good week,

Dave

Racerdb - Certainly looks like you're well on your way back. And I hope you're able to schedule indoor work until spring. I've got three bathrooms and a kitchen lined up, and that should get me through some of the cold weather. Unfortunately, my shop isn't heated, except for a tiny and inefficient wood stove. That presents challenges for cabinet and furniture commissions this time of year.

I didn't post my training for this past week because there was none. I'm trying to heal my nagging knee injury, plus I needed to avoid intense exercise prior to a diagnostic test today. Later this week I hope to get on the elliptical, and ease back into some running. Half marathon in May. A couple low-key races before then.

Willie’s Old Knee wrote:

https://m.youtube.com/watch?v=7Fn2Kyf_DyQ

I don’t think there’s any need to be disrespectful, Igy. Willie may be old, but he’s accomplished more than you ever will.

igy: happy with your answer. yes, hill bounding, knee lifts etc... good yt-video. as igloi's pupil you are very divers in training paces. i like your training posts and wish you good health!

skate: you are one step ahead. you are shooting for very good times. for me it is to early to indicate times. but i doubt i will reach yours next year. doing the speed endurance runs really fast is tough. i would also need to reduce to 2 fast workouts per week if i would push them. right now, i have my hand-break on. floating the 100s mostly in 15-16s with rolling start. 5x150m with 5min walk in 22,5-23 s is tough (no spikes). the 10x200m with 1,5m jog are in 35-36s. my aerobic threshold still sucks. started with mile repeats in 6:00 to 6:15 but this was to fast to stand for longer time. now i am doing them as cruise intervals in 6:30-6:40.

all: thanks for your answers. you are doing more strenght, fast stuff and balancing than i thought. happy to read.

all the best

no radar,

Thanks. As a mid-50s master mid-distance training I did triple jump hops from a bench, bounding, double and single leg hops, all on grass. Occassionally I did the hill bounding, and bunnies. “Bunnies” are double leg hops uphill for about 10 meters (thigh killer). As a mid-60s mid-distance runners I use primarily A/B skips, heel flips, high knees, carrioca, etc. As noted I think as you get older you need to be more cautious with single leg support exercises on connective tissue.

Health is good and thanks to you and others.

Igy