50+ Masters Training and Racing Open Forum

I use Weldwood Contact cement from HD, with free shipping.
Personally I let both sides dry for about 60 minutes, and then stick them together.

I use Household Goop, Very flexible and good adhesive, I generally wear NB fuel cell shoes for training, but I have VF3s for racing. I got the NB Fuel Cell Elites to try for racing. They are very comfortable, but for me, they are not as fast as the VFs. I also got a pair of Alpha Flys to try for a half marathon I was planning to do. They are heavier than the VFs, and I really like them for training, but the VFs are still my "go to" racing shoes.

This year has been challenging for me from a training standpoint. I've had a variety of health challenges this year, none of them really serious, but all of them very disruptive to training. It's been very close to alternating a month sick, a month healthy for 7 months. I currently have 4 good weeks of training in and another week until the first XC race of out local series. I'm feeling pretty good and optimistic about having a good race next Saturday.

After getting up to 49.2 miles the week before, I tapered some for a half marathon I did Saturday to finish the week with 37.1 miles. I wasn't running much a couple months ago because of a sore hip, so in ok shape but not top shape. I decided to go for a little faster than 1:50, and did that with a very steady pace and a little kick at the end. The age group was 60+, but I was the only one in it over 70, so I understand why they don't go higher. I'm proud of my fellow older runners again. Overall out of 154 finishers we took 13th, 25th, myself in 32nd, 41st, 52nd, and 154th. It was the second race of the day for the last place guy, so he doesn't count. Otherwise proud of my fellow old timers for kicking most of the youngsters butts.

sounds like an encouraging trend on your health and training. Good to hear.

I had a good week taking advantage of unusually nice early-August weather (low humidity and maybe low-60's in the am rising to low 80's afternoons). Highlights were:

Mon 1:45 with drills and strides, then 6 X 4:00 moderately hard uphills (5:00 jog down)

Weds. 3:00 with 2 X 20:00 (4:00 jog) at marathon pace (average of measured parts about 7:20/mile)

Sat. hilly 5k in 20:00 (34th OA, 1st M60-64). Almost two minutes slower than last time on this course, but that was 12 years ago. Maybe more relevant, it was 4 sec faster than a race in mid-June that was hotter/more humid but maybe slightly easier course.

have a great week,

Dave

Big Red, it's good to hear from you! And Kind of Old, that's quite an impressive performance by you and your teammates.

I was backpacking Sunday through Tuesday, and although the weather was great and I never got overheated, I still came back rather dehydrated and depleted, but otherwise unscathed. I managed to run four of the next five days for 32 miles for the week, none of it fast. I plan to focus mostly on backpacking until the equinox, as it's just too hot here in the Central Valley for long runs or races. Come late September I'll pick it up again.

Happy and healthy running to all.

Thanks for tips on fixing shoes to Derby '64 and old guy II.

Either choice sounds better than Gorilla Glue, which I tried on a pair of Saucony shoes without much success.

Registered today for my first USATF masters race, the 5K in Atlanta in October. I live 90 minutes from Atlanta, so it seems like a good opportunity, though I don't expect to be competitive for a podium spot (M63, should be around 20 minutes if the hills don't cost me too much time). The registration process for the race and becoming a USATF member was much easier than I had feared based on what I've seen on threads over the years, but I have a few questions after reading the USATF and Atlanta Track Club websites. Will I get my bib at the expo for the regular races the day before, or is there a separate process for those of us in the USATF race? Will all the USATF runners start together, or will we be mixed in with the regular 5K runners? Is there anything else that's different for the USATF runners and the regular 5K runners? Anything else I should know about how the USATF races work? Thanks in advance.

Greetings!

Very good to hear from all! My previous 3-4 weeks were rather low-profile. Left hip joint still hurts, and in addition to that I managed to catch angina (tonsillitis) that lasts for 2 weeks already. Temperature is OK but swallowing is painful. Thus, only easy runs and work on elliptical.

In general, I am more focused on trail running now. Running on roads only just seems a bore.
This kind of running suits me, as a former orienteerer, very well. I was surprised to learn just recently that there is a special international trail running association (ITRA) that gives score and calculate a so-called performance index for every participant of every race. Another surprise is that I am leading the national league in my country for all age groups above 60 (I am nearly 67 now). And even among all 50+ I am the 12-th.

So, the near-term goal is just to get to a normal state (non-injured and healthy) and resume a “full-throttle” training for the autumn races.

Happy running to all!

congrats on the great success in trail running. I hope your medical situation improves quickly.

mostly good last week of summer for me (school starts tomorrow), highlights being:

Mon. 3:15 with 3 X 20:00 (4:00 jog recovery) at marathon pace

Thurs. 2:00 double + going to Nats game to see them beat the Mets behind 3-run homer by James Wood of Montgomery county, MD

Sat. 1:20 incl. parkrun in 19:37 (2nd OA, 1st AG).

Had originally planned an 8k for Sat., but I wanted to break 20 in a 5k for first time this year after posting 20:13/20:04/20:00, last two on hilly courses. As the parkrun course is flat, I expected to be able to do it, but still good to confirm rather than leaving as an "I coulda...."

Today for some reason my lower back is quite stiff and sore -- maybe i was too tense while racing? Anyway, fingers crossed that will go away before long.

have a great week,

Dave

Congrats on the sub-20, dhaaga! I hope the stiff back is nothing.

My first day of classes would be Wednesday, but I'm retired! Not completely--I still have one Ph.D. advisee, and I'm on the faculty committees for a couple of other Ph.D. students, one of whom is having his annual committee meeting on Tuesday, and I'm still reviewing grant proposals and papers from time to time. But most of my days are pretty unstructured now. I'm rather enjoying it!

I spent six of the past 14 days on two backpacking trips. Since I have to carry in everything I eat, I always lose weight and I'm now enjoying trying to make it up back home. I managed to run 62 miles during those two weeks in my days home, and I figure lugging a pack up and down the sides of mountains at 8500-9200 feet is non-zero cross training. I had a decent 12-mile run yesterday while still dehydrated and depleted, and I'll target another longish run within the next week to start prepping for the half-marathon I hope to run in five weeks.

Happy and healthy running to all.

i've done atlanta a couple of times (2022, 2023) among other masters nationals; generally speaking, there should be a separate usatf table/booth/room at the meet headquarters for packet pickup. the numbers will be different than those available to the public, and you'll also have a 5-year age group number that you'll pin to the back of your jersey. we also had a separate start time in atlanta (but that's not always the case with nationals), so you only lined up with other masters, though i can't remember if it was mixed gender masters. there was a separate tent in atlanta for masters as well, so you leave gear there with some confidence, but that's up to you...

My XC race time last Saturday was mildly disappointing. A 23:30 5k, :03/mile slower than last year. However, I was happy with the overall effort and the way my training is going. Since early August I feel like I am finally 100% free of any post-Covid symptoms after 20 months of random fatigue, tachycardia, headaches and brain fog disrupting training and other aspects of my pre-Covid life. I also am extremely grateful that I have nothing worse than slightly slow race times to complain about in my life. This morning I learned that a long time running friend, Carl Brandt, passed away after a long battle with cancer.

Carl was about the same age that I am and has been a fixture in the SD running community for 40+ years. I met him 35 years ago when I was finishing my triathlon years and getting back to a focus on running as a 40 year old who wanted to get back under 5:00 for the mile. Carl was one of the founders of the Movin' Shoes running stores in San Diego. I got advice and shoes from Carl for myself and my two pre-teen sons, who loved running trails and racing. My younger son had a gift for destroying shoes, and Carl replaced several pairs of his shoes without hesitation. I still don't understand how a 9 year old could tear the tongue out of a Nike XC shoe just by running in it. Carl was a steady supportive presence at almost every SD running event from HS meets to elite pro running events, and he was just as interested in talking about running with a novice HS runner as he was with the marquee names in our sport. Many of us are better runners and better people for having known him. He will be missed.

Time moves relentlessly forward. My next XC race is the Balboa 4 mile next Saturday. I will be on the starting line ready to enjoy another race, knowing that my 60 year racing career is steadily running out of further racing seasons all too soon.

Good running to all!

old guy II, sorry to hear about carl. i mainly knew him through others, though we'd say hello when i raced in san diego, carlsbad, mission beach, etc. RIP to an icon indeed, touching the lives of pretty much every runner who came out of san diego the last 40+ years...

Not a lot to report this week, but I like to keep this thread going and see what you guys are up to. For the week 48.3 miles running and the usual weights, biking, and other training. I have a relay marathon coming up. A relay isn't something I look for, but the 2 I have done were fun. Everybody supports each other, and they maybe push harder than they would on their own, to not let the team down. After that 2 more marathons yet this year. Good running everybody.

How do you taper before a track race? take any days off in the days leading up to it?

I am just a few months in so still can get pretty sore after some workouts.

Thanks, this is very helpful.

No backpacking this week as my husband was preparing to race the district championship cycling time trial on Saturday. He won the M70-74 title, though was a bit miffed to ride a slower time than the winner of the 75-79 group. He's been trying to win this thing for about 15 years and finally rode well in a year when the guys who can beat him are still in the 65-69 age group.

I logged 48 miles for the week ending Sunday including a 5K "hill run" and a nice 12.2 mile "long run". It was my highest mileage week in four and a half months, as my Achilles is finally settling down a bit. I hope I can keep this going.

Happy Labor Day!

Anyone planning on the NCCMA meet in Mexico City? It's in November so there's time to head to high altitude to train.