How do you feel at 35, 45, 55, 65???? Getting slower inevitable????

Good thread especially the answers from non-trolls.

For me I ran middle distance in HS but it was challenging even then due to bad feet. I was never the star of my team so my my expectations were lower than some. But running 8-10km daily for conditioning with the entire team gave me a set point to gauge my expectations. No problem with injuries. just sore feet.

As time went by those times was not so easy to hit, and where we trained was uphill outgoing/downhill incoming. But I could still get close, maybe 3-5s slower per km. I'd be usually 30s+ slower per training run once I was in my thirties compared to my twenties

Now I'm even older so it's just not realistic. Maybe on my best days on a flatter course I can approach it, but I just don't care as much... I'm not running competitive races so what is the point? If old people could run as fast as young people we would see this in competition, but this is not the case. And injuries? You don't want me to talk of this, then I sound like a really old man. To get old is not for the suckers

Tollie Bibb wrote:

I am 71 today and feel great. After tomorrow run will have 30 plus miles for the week. Yes you will slow done but that's okay. I find myself competing with those around me during a race. Keep up the core exercises and forget the stretching. Being Abe to run most days is a blessing.

Today's my 71st birthday too. I've slowed dramatically but I can still put in the miles (sad to say, walking). Three weeks ago I did 71K (guess why) with a 6000' elevation gain. No problem. The week before, 50k with 8600' gain.

But I sure wish I could run as I did in my 40s and 50s.

To me, now, it's all about the effort. If I put in a solid effort, I'm pleased. I try not to think about how I could run a marathon much faster than I could run one mile now.

of course every runner who gets older and realises the signs of aging thinks again and again about the glory past. some wallow in self-pity and quit running.

for me running is still a passion and i feel good after finishing a taxing workout. keep up the effort, take care for your health, adapt your training, remain competitive, aim for a good result in your age group, age-grade your results.

it´s not amazing to run a sub 17/5k as a young lad, but hats off to old guys who continue to do so.

I think there are two important factors that have enabled me to continue running into my late 60's:

Never been a real high mileage runner. 40-60 mpw until age 50.

I've made an effort to land 'light' on my feet.(Forefoot striker)

I've slowed dramatically...can't run one mile as fast as I AVERAGED in the marathon 30 years ago, but I'm still running.

Almost cried reading this and the thread on moobs. Does it HAVE to be this way?

Here is some good news.

We have collected running economy data on runners >65 years old, up to 82 as I recall.

Running economy remains the same as their younger counterparts.

Data are being prepared for publication, presentation this summer at conferences.

Unfortunately, VO2max declines with age. So the fastest sustainable speed declines.

I haven't seen any data on lactate threshold etc. among us geezers.

Max sprint speed decline is also a slow slide into tortoise-ville.

Here is another pretty optimistic finding, this one is about VO2max.

http://jap.physiology.org/content/114/1/3

"To our knowledge, the V̇O2max of the lifelong endurance athletes is the highest recorded in humans >80 yr of age and comparable to nonendurance trained men 40 years younger."

old guy 68 wrote:

I've slowed dramatically...can't run one mile as fast as I AVERAGED in the marathon 30 years ago, but I'm still running.

I was careless in my posting. That's what I meant, too. Considering that my best marathon was 2:51, that would be a hell of a slow mile.

Pretending that we don't age would be silly. I don't need a stopwatch for that. I've got a mirror. And, at age 53 now, I've also got memories of running in my teens, and 20s, and 30s, and 40s. And of course it changes over the years.

It used to be much easier, now not so much. Doesn't matter what element of training or racing we're talking about. Every component of our running bodies weakens as we age: We lose muscle (mostly fast-twitch), our connective tissue stiffens, our hormone levels drop, our nervous system slows down, our max heart rate drops (and the corresponding cardiac output), our VO2max gets lower, etc. etc.

When my shoelaces came untied mid-run in my 20s, I didn't have to find a bench or low wall to retie them. In my 20s, I didn't worry about pulling hamstrings and quadriceps attempting intervals without a running start.

But then again, age gave me a great gift: It removed the ability to train stupidly and hope to make a race start line; it forced me to become a better runner, even as I became a slower one. I soon learned that training as an aging runner is a No Mistake Zone: that I had to practice proper workouts (targeting all elements of running fitness--not just a glut of mileage and fast reps, with the hope that fitness and performance improvement would magically trickle down), proper recovery, targeted and thoughtful racing, etc.

And as I trained smart, I began to view racing not so much as a competition against the past--a race I could never win--but as an attempt to maximize my current potential. Victory has become maintaining a smart training routine and then celebrating with a race in which I run as fast as I can--at this age.

Look, here's the thing: As runners, we learn early on--unless we're Olympic champions and world record holders--to measure our performance against what we consider to be our own potential. To enjoy running as you age, do the exact same thing; just recognize that the "you" who existed at age 25 is not the you who will exist decades later.

If there's one thing masters runners are proving these days, it's that we don't have to slow down as much as we thought we were going to. When I was 21, I was amazed to discover that runners in their 40s could still run a 5 minute mile. At age 50, I averaged 5:01 for a 10K.

Don't be limited by what you cannot do as you age; be amazed by what's still possible.

Either way, you will age. It's your choice how you choose to deal with that--but remember that most of your life will be lived on the downslope of athletic performance. That doesn't mean it can't be a wild and exhilarating ride all the way.

bump

Biggest slippage for me was in early 40s. I'll be 50 in August, and have been pretty plateaued since about 43-but there was a severe drop off between 38 and 43. Injuries take longer to heal, and I can't handle 60 mile weeks anymore. If I run a 12 miler, I take the next day off-rather than trying to fit in a 5 miler.

The manboobs thing is funny. I'm 6 foot, 160ish pounds-not whippet thin, but by no means obese. I went jogging with my son's boy scout troop a couple years ago-and one of the little f$ckers teased me about my bouncing breasts.

Thank you, SCP. You can't run as fast, but you still enjoy it just as much as you ever did. Probably more because you don't take it for granted. I had a serious injury last year that made me wonder if I'd ever sprint or hurdle again. I remember telling myself that if I could get back to that level of participation, the joy of doing so would outweigh the disappointment of my decline. One of the happiest times I had this year was when I got to say, "Today I get to sprint. Today I get to hurdle." Sometimes I get frustrated comparing my present self to my past performances. But then I think back to a year ago when I couldn't run at all, and I smile.

I am 42 and I don't get injured on trails unless I run hard up mountain type terrain I'm not ready for. Btw I tried that and surprisingly got a 2 month calf injury -oops- but completely healed with no running. Otherwise, I'm indistructible and do things I wouldnt dare try in college. For example I did this experiment 2x: Took three months off over the winter, then my first run was 9 miles on trails, then 6 days off, then 11 on trails, 6 days off, 18 on trails, and then add extra running days during the week, 40-50 mile weeks on trails. I've always finished near the top 25% of races in high school, it appears that's still the same so I don't care. I didn't run at all 3 weeks before my first trail marathon at age 40 (went on vacation, no time). I ran the marathon and ended in 16th place with around 150 runners. I was alone in 6th place for 18 miles, then faded (I ran too fast the first 12 miles in soaked sneakers, and should have trained 3 weeks before). I don't do speed work, just a really long run on the weekend (3-4 hours).

Don't worry, completely put it out of your mind about aging. Just eat right and have a blast whatever you do! If you die, you die just make sure you have fun! When your dead it's over, if I died now I would have died with my memories of the many years and miles and miles of trail running and they are good ones!

G Money wrote:

I turn 40 this summer. I have been getting faster every year. 13 years ago I ran 3:08 in the marathon and I just ran 2:29, heading for 2:25 baby. I would destroy myself as a high schooler-keep the faith.

Nice work! Can you describe your recent training?

35-Why did I ever run?

45- Maybe I can set my mile P R?

55- Will I ever get over injuries to run again?

65-don't know yet

5:01 miles for a 10K at 50???? Bullsh!t.Record for 50 year olds at BolderBoulder-held since 1989-is 35:07. That's 5:40 per mile.Biggest, most competitive citizens 10K in the country. Yea, at 5000 feet, so if your the best of the best, at Sea Level, you could do 34 minutes. You didn't run 31:06 at age 50 my man.

Here's the link to the bolderBoulder age records, top twenty are listed-the race has been going on for 35 years or so. Quite a few famous names sprinkled in the lists-it's a pretty good document to see how many of these elite and subelite people have faded over the years time wise, but they still show up in the top twenty at each age over the decades.

http://www.bolderboulder.com/Page/Find/All-Time-Records

You're right. He didn't run 31:06. He ran 31:11.http://runnersconnect.net/running-interviews/training-as-a-masters-runner-inteview-with-masters-running-record-holder-pete-magill/It's fun to watch rash posters like you go down in flames.

Keepin_It _Real wrote:

5:01 miles for a 10K at 50???? Bullsh!t.

Record for 50 year olds at BolderBoulder-held since 1989-is 35:07. That's 5:40 per mile.

Biggest, most competitive citizens 10K in the country. Yea, at 5000 feet, so if your the best of the best, at Sea Level, you could do 34 minutes.

You didn't run 31:06 at age 50 my man.

WAVA tables keep me sane.

My AG%s are continually improving as I get older.

How do I feel? Fine, thanks for asking.

I'm about to turn 56 in October. I've been running for 34 years and ran almost all my lifetime PRs between the ages of 39-41 (16:04 5k, 1:14 HM, 2:43 MAR).

Today, I ran a road 5k in 19:25. Interestingly enough, that age grades to a 16:18, so at least I'm still in the ballpark of my PRs.

I still do my usual 45-55 miles per week on six days of running, with harder workouts on Tuesdays & Fridays, and a longish run on Sundays. Most of the guys I run with are way younger than I am, so it's getting tougher to stay with them on these runs.

I've been lucky enough to remain injury-free most of my running career, although I'm definitely feeling tighter and stiffer these days. It takes a while to get everything loosened up and working after getting out of bed in the morning!

I can no longer jump right into seven-minute pace on runs. The first few miles are slower as I ease into the overall average pace.

Even though I still do my normal weekly training routine, it's all for the social/fun/laughs aspect. Since my PR days are long in the past, I rarely race anymore, and get more satisfaction from pacing friends in races these days.

That's about me in a nutshell. I'll keep going as long as I can!