50+ Masters Training and Racing Open Forum

Great to hear the positive report, Racerdb!

Following last Sunday's "2 mile" race that turned out to be about 3 miles, I jogged another 3 miles or so on Monday and 4 on Tuesday, then took four days off because of a sore ankle. This morning I ran 3.9 miles with some hills, including what's probably the steepest hill in my very, very flat city, conveniently located a mile from home. A little over 100 feet of climbing altogether, which sure isn't much but sure did feel hard. Then I went for an easy 22-mile bike ride. I now feel pleasantly tired--nothing hurts, but I like I've done some work. I had almost forgotten how that feels!

Assuming things continue to hold together, I will try a 4-mile St. Patrick's Day race next Sunday. I have no idea what the course is like--rolling or flat, all paved or partly cross-country. I guess I'll figure it out on the fly.

Greetings, fellow 50+ers and happy daylight savings!

The comeback tour continues unabated with nearly 18 miles of actual running this week. I even added a touch of speed today! It feels good to be back in the saddle. Hopefully my health will continue in the same direction.

Mon: 54’ CR; body wt ex + med ball routine

Tue: off

Wed: 59’ CR; body wt ex + free wts

Thu: off

Fri: 38’ CR; body wt ex

Sat: off

Sun: 57’ CR w/ utility pole fartlek (4 x 1 on / 3 off); body wt ex + med ball routine

All the best!

Greetings!

One more good week for me here. 8+ hrs of training, two runs this week (all the rest was cross-training). Both runs were workouts: trying a short 3K tempo @ 4:10 min/km (6:43 min/mi) and also 500 m and 1K intervals @3:50-3:55 min/km. Totally, 10-11K of running above my LT pace.

Obviously, my LT HR decreased during long winter slow activities (though the total mileage
increased vs the previous season). When I tried to stick to the number (145 bpm) that was supposedly my LT level earlier, I found that could maintain it for just 5-6 K only. So, hope that adding more speed work will push the LT HR up again in a few weeks.

It is still not comfortable to run, only possible on roads sharing them with cars. Some 15+ inches of snow in the fields and woods. 25F in the morning and then up to 40 in the afternoon. Good skiing this morning and it is likely not the end of the season.

Happy and injury free running to all!

Greetings, fellow 50+ers and Happy St. Patrick’s Day! ☘️

This turned out to be another pretty good week on my comeback tour with 17+ miles of actual running. That’s a bit off from my weekly goal of 20 that I had before my injuries and illness of the last year, but I’ll take it. I did have a positive meeting with my oncologist on Tuesday and my spondylolithesis is behaving itself and allowing my right leg to behave at about 95% normalcy, so the health issues are trending in the right direction. My upcoming schedule and a couple of minor aches will probably get me back to 3-run weeks for much of the foreseeable future, so my weekly mileage with almost certainly take a dip, but at least I know what I am capable of again. Life is good!

Sun: 57’ CR w/ utility pole fartlek (4 x 1 on / 3 off); body wt ex + med ball routine

Mon: off

Tue: 35’ CR; body wt ex + free wts

Wed: off

Thu: 48’ running (3); 16 oz curls

Fri: off

Sat: 57’ CR; body wt ex + med ball routine

Sláinte!

Greetings fellow 50+ers! And howdy to fellow 65+ers. I've got another couple of weeks at 65. My only son turned 18 today. A good feeling, having produced a man, son, and heir.

A solid week for me. Took Monday off--my blues trio and I drove 790 miles home from Florida to Mississippi by way of Atlanta, where the singer lives.

The rest of the week was 8 slow miles on Tuesday, 3 mile jogs on Wednesday, Friday, and Saturday, a hard 8-miler on Thursday up and over the hills (270 vertical feet) at 9:18 pace average with a final semi-downhill mile at 8:03, which is hammering for me, and, this morning, 10 mile progression run at 9:32 average with the last two miles pushing at around 8:35 pace and cumulative HR not too high. Felt grooved. 35 miles for the week.

I haven't raced yet this winter/spring, but I'm ready for that. I think I'll hit a local 5K on Saturday. My best 5Ks last fall were 7:45 pace but I usually race my way there, so in a rust-buster I'd hope for 7:55s and would be OK with anything sub-8.

Carry on!

I skipped posting for a couple of weeks due to grandchildren activities and some home maintenance projects that really needed to be done. Yesterday I ran my first race since getting COVID last December and having some long COVID symptoms, including fatigue and high heart rate during any attempted hard effort to exercise, that lasted for 10-12 weeks. About the end of January I was able to start increasing the volume of my runs ( which had been at 4 miles of half walking and half running slowly) while keeping the pace down to where my HR stayed in the 120-140 range. Before yesterday I hadn't run anything faster than about 8:00/mi pace, and mostly at 10:00-12:00/mi pace. Yesterday I ran a local 5k that I also ran last year. Last year I ran 21:52. I had no idea what I might run yesterday, but hoped I could keep it under 23:00. I ran 22:06, only 0:14 slower than last year. I was very pleased with that time and finding out that I am not as far behind on rebuilding my fitness as I thought I might be.

Happy and healthy running to all!

Today was my planned 4-mile St. Patrick's Day race. Not an auspicious start as our neighborhood had a power failure overnight and I had to get dressed by flashlight and leave without coffee. Also my left hip hurt a lot and I had no confidence that I'd be able to run at all, but hoped I'd feel better after more time out of bed and a good warmup. I did, and I managed to get around the slightly rolling course in 41:20 after spending the first half-mile dodging walkers and very slow joggers in the 600+ field. That was good for 5th out of 26 in the 60-69 age group. I felt practically maxed out the whole way, but managed to keep it going.

I'm still embarrassingly slow but I guess this is progress. In November I ran 10:40 pace for a flat 2 miles. Two weeks ago I ran 10:37 pace for a somewhat hilly 2.95 miles. Today's 10:20 pace, for 4 miles on a course intermediate between those two, is certainly an improvement. I just wish I could get back to where running slowly feels good. There is still no pace that qualifies as running that doesn't feel hard.

Onward! I'm planning a 5K in April and another one in May, and may hunt around for some other 5K-ish races in between. Meanwhile, next Sunday I'm volunteering at the Modesto Marathon, where I will spend 6 hours or so handing out water to runners and cheering them on. I hope it doesn't rain.

Is mise an Taibhse

is tusa an Troll

is cúis leis an trioblóid ach ná bí ag súil le haon iarmhairtí

Started training 1977. 69 years old.

For 30-35 of the years I trained 2600-3300 miles per year. I weigh 182. In my prime around 170. 17:06/35:57/58:42(10 mile) 1:19 half

I I can’t believe how much I’ve fallen in just a year. During the Covid era, I really did ok..27 weeks over 50 a week. Then osteoarthritis set in my knees and it caused , well it seems it’s caused muscle atrophy too, when I do train my legs sort of get all wobbly. ( hard to explain) I found a way to shorten my stride that the sharp pain in my knees aren’t as sharp ha, and well of course…. A secondary injury… tendinitis in the right foot and where you tie the knot on your shoe, a nerve impingement that for a few days had me at full stop ( 4 cortisone shots in that foot in 47 years)

Anyway, I gotta tell somebody this, I looked down at my watch several days ago after my last mile and it said 11:36….

So, the next day, I tried uptempoing the second and fourth mile.. I had to pull up very briefly on both but they were 10:09-10:29!!!!!

I can’t believe it… I hope I never tell the running world that for the first time in all my years, I’m counting my walking miles in my weekly mileage. Like, I’ll hobble 4 miles, walk one and call it 5. Grover Cleveland Alexander once said, if he couldn’t pitch, he’d go all to pieces. I feel that way about running. And to race again. How do you get yourself to show up at races again at this point ha

i do miss the social part of racing

This is either Scots or Old English and means something like “cause trouble, but do not expect any consequences.”

You are still moving amkelly and Robert plenty of over 60s who aren't.

My week was a bit different as from Wednesday evening until Sunday afternoon all looked very hectic. I decided to get a bit done early on in the week and then see how things played out.

Mon. 90 min kayaking on the river. I usually do this either Wednesday or Friday but took the opportunity to get it done early in the week.

Tue. 2 hours mountain biking. Longest ride for awhile.

Wed. 15 km run on some pretty flat forest trails near home. 95 mins. Cruising. That's also longest run for awhile.

Thu. Squeezed in about 40 mins easy spin on the mountain bike in the evening.

Fri. An easy 7km xc/trail spin on the mountain bike then a hard tempo effort (on the mountain bike) on gravel and smoother dirt. 11kms in 26 mins. Later in evening a 30 min kayak with a few efforts.

Sat. 1st birthday party for my twin granddaughters. Long day as it was a 5 hour round trip. Body didn't want to run so I walked/shuffled then walked/jogged and even a little running. 6.5 km in about 50 mins on the trails.

Sun. Hectic morning but got away in afternoon for a run. Easy rough trail trotting up to top of Rose Hill. Easy jog down the steep tower access road. 3 x up the road. 460 metres long 65 metres elevation gain mostly in the 2d half. Goal was cutdown 4.50, 4.40, 4.30. Actually ran 4.55, 4.28, 4.26. Too hard on no.2 made no.3 pretty tough. Cruised back along the rough trails. 7+ kms in an hour but some decent work done.

I am going OK. Doubt I can run any respectable times if I raced but I am feeling pretty fit. Seldom hit the scales but did last week. 2.5 kg heavier than I was when running 20 min for 5k at 60. That is OK for now but will try to chip away at it.

It’s GOI trying to stir up trouble again. Just ignore him.

Four years ago, at age 61, I was running 70 miles/week, racing everything up to marathons, and running under 8 min/mile for a 5K. Then I was hit with rheumatoid arthritis followed by runner's dystonia. For a while I could hardly walk a quarter-mile. But eventually things started to come around and I started being able to jog a little. I'm now entering short races again even though I can't even run a 10 min/mile. Like you, I really missed the social part of racing and have decided to just suck it up and accept being embarrassingly slow, and use that as motivation to try to improve. Anyone in his/her 60s who is even jogging is doing better than most folks their age.

Whenever I do this from time to time, the post disappears, but I'll try again (because again, someone asked me about it!!) I don't really care if you delete, but I am just trying to clear up some confusion.

Eons ago I posted on this thread. I don't even run anymore.

But I am NOT "Skuja", who posts here and elsewhere.

Greetings!

Two runs this week, the rest was cross-training. Started reducing the volume and increasing intensity, thus 6 hours only in total for the week. Also, closed the (xc) ski season.

The following two workouts on running days.

Wed
15 min warm-up including 500 m @2:05, then a broken tempo: 2x3K @12:35 and 12:34. HR was 144 in the end and 108 1 min after.
Got concerned that 144 did not feel like the LT HR, but rather like CV. Obviously needed more speed work to push the LT HR up.

Sat
15 min warm-up including 500 m @1:55 (HR 142/97 in the end / 1 min after). Then 4x1k interval session (2 min walk/jog in between): 3:53 (148/102), 3:51 (153/113), 3:52 (155/118),
3:55 (156/120). Average: 3:53/km (i.e. 6:15/mile pace).
Then one more 500 m @ 1:53 (156/120).

Happy and injury-free running to all!

Age 69..Osteoarthritis, prostate cancer, began training 1977.

week: 41.3 miles in 6 days. Although the idea that it is actually “ running” can be left to debate. The effort nowadays “ feels like” running but splits of 11:36 and 12 minutes…well…..

My uptempo mile was 9:59. The goal is to get back to at least “ going to the races”….just to socialize basically.

I gave all my hockey tickets away because I can’t take drunks anymore so I gotta get back to the races.

incredible how much I’ve slipped in just a year. I do like the challenge