aging and feeling good while running

You are living in the past.

I started running late forties and there is no way I could keep you in sight.

Be thankful that a life time of running has kept you in good shape.

Realistically sub 3 hr Marathon is what most youngsters aim for.

Sure it hurts,but it hurts me to run sub 21 for 5k and sub 3:20 for a Marathon.

Measure your achievements against your own age group and you will realise you are up there with the top 20%.

If you want to have fun go pace the 3:30 women. MosT of them will be 20 years younger than you.

So, what you're saying is that it takes more time to build/repair new muscle tissue as you age, right? Thus the extra days off/Xtrainging. (btw...what kind of low-impact XT are you doing?)

How about consistent hard training? When I run, say, 40-50 miles per week I am generally always a bit stiff and sore. When I am doing 80 or even 100 I feel better. Seems counter-intuitive to what the muscle damage theory suggests. Am I missing something?

-Toivo

I think what most people are saying is what you should do....cross train. Too much of a good thing is just too much. But Toivo....(are you Finnish?) if running lots of miles makes you feel good...then maybe you should do that? How long can you keep that up? Can you do it month after month? Or do you alternate between the shorter mileage weeks and the longer ones?

As you get older, you just need to train smarter. You learn to listen to your body so that when something starts to feel weird, or hurt, you back off. When you are younger you may ignore it or just go through the pain. As you get older you just know not to do that.

Kudos to the people that get in the water to swim, it is also a great place to work on your ROM. All of the things that you can do for the hips and knees on dry land, you can generally do in the water, and usually get a better ROM since the water is supporting you. Plus there is all that great balance work as well.

This IS a great thread....

Yo, pikku Suomalainen.

...and I hate swimming. Water has to be at least 99 degrees , or vaporizing over the sauna stove to be enjoyable.

Maybe I'll bite the bullet and hire one of those old-time sauna matrons (250 lbs. wearing a frock and scarf) to brush me and beat me and knead my stringy and abused runner-muscles.

Toivo (means "hope" in Finnish) Got it?

Great thread! My 2 cents - after 8 months of constant viruss, infections and a debilitating high hamstring injury after following a watered down versin of the training I'd been doing for the last 35 years I decided it was time for a complete change.

I started yoga every day, introduced strides of 50 paces (about 80 yards) after every run, and began doing drills on the advice of SoCalPete. I was comical to watch at first - no coordination and pathetic little hops and bounds. But over the months I've got a lot better, introduced plyos such as hops, jumps and bounds into the routine and now spend 10 minutes a day doing them along with squats, lunges and step ups with a 50lbs barbell on my shoulders. I feel good on every run, despite doing 3 sessions a week including a weekly 5k race, a session of 3k pace reps and a session of short fast hills.

By rights I should be crippled but I've never felt better - my 5ks are improving and my easy running at my recovery pulse of 130 is down from 8.30 to 7.50 pace in 5 months.

Thanks to everyone else for the links and ideas, I shall certainly be looking at them for any other 'edge' I can gain! Best wishes.

Tovio... You're Finnish?

Get yourself a Kickbike. Better workout than cycling and no saddle sores. Great active running-like stride. I have gone up to 127 miles on one kickbike ride. It is excellent cross-training and it comes from Finland!'

http://kickbike.com/index.php?mid=1

http://www.kickbikeamerica.com/

Kickbikes and running

http://www.kickbike.com.au/Glut_work.htm

Sweet! Kiitos!

Gotta have one....

I wonder if you can set them up with panniers or something to carry a few things?

Any benefits to your running so far? Seems like it would help stride length, flexibility, etc.

(I've tried kicksleds before in Finland; they're fun.)

Your comment about feeling better at 80 mi per week suggests that that works for you. What I have found, is that I feel better and run better on 4 (5 max) days a week, with 3 of them fast (not necessarily hard) I read the "Lore of Running" over Christmas, and one of the author's key conclusions is that marathoners have a shorter career because some of the damage done in the long hard training seems to be irreparable.

Anyway,good luck to all. It is interesting to note how many 50 somethings are on this site. That is certainly a testament to our love of running.

The aging body takes longer to do the repairs from running.The landing phase of running involves *eccentric contraction which unless you are blessed like Ed Whitlock causes even more damage as we get older.So for many of us older runners the term "recovery run" becomes and oxymoron.

Always no impact!

Mountain biking(can be intense),ez bike rides,walking,hiking 3 hours,rowing or sometimes just a day of rest.

*minimizing eccentric damage

Most of my hard runs include a 2 mile uphill.I walk down the hill as a cool down.Eccentric / impact damage is less going uphill and more when running downhill.

Since you adapted to running more miles without getting injured your body was able to make repairs fast enough for super compensation to occur:

link to quote :

Hey guys, what has helped me stay strong and feelin good is Yoga ( 30m three times a week) and a DVD called "Building a Better Runner" by Jay Johnson the middle distance coach at Univ of Colorado, he works with Mark Wetmore and Mike Smith who coaches Cross country and mid distance at Kansas State.

http://www.amazon.com/Building-Better-Runner-Ground-Up/dp/B0011TM20K

Their are over 100 different exercises for the core, joint mobility, etc. I have done some of the exercises and was sweatin pretty good. Granted I bike 80-100mpw and run about 15-20mpw, again cross-training is what I have to do since getting close to 50(June).Once or twice a week I run hard or a progression run.

I have used some of these exercises with my high school runners and it makes them very strong, keeping their form to the finish, I heard Jay Johnson speak and the energetic young guy knows his stuff.

(I have run for over 38 years)

Anyway I think as we age we need to do what works for you and be creative.

Monty

Toivo...if you hate swimming....maybe you should try.....water aerobics. I know, I know.....you and a bunch of ladies. Hmmmm....YOU and a bunch of ladies. You could try the deep water running or other exercises. I don't know where you live or if you belong to a gym, but those group fitness instructors know their stuff. And many of them work with athletes or older adults, and it is a group setting, so you get in get it done and get out. You may be able to pick up some valuable stuff. Yoga is great, but can be difficult if you are flexibility challenged.

I am a Finnish/American myself...we are a tough bunch...with our SISU......

I could possibly get into that pool-treadmill thing that Kastor was using in "Spirit of the Marathon." (As long as it's warm!)

Those of you who recommend yoga, is it advisable if you have upper hamstring pain (6 months old injury.)?

Or should one wait until it heals (if ever)?

-Nakamiin,

Toivo

toivo

I would do the poses you can do without pain, like the hip and upper body, etc.

As far a pool running, it is boring as heck!!!

I have decided I will only do cross-training I enjoy. Water running is great but again your using only those muscles in a linear motion, strentgh exercises work those areas we don't use much when running. Injuries happen due to a weakness some where else in most cases.

Monty

Are you doing some strength training for the hammie injury? You should be....but at a lower weight than you normally would. I can relate, ripped both at one time or another, but aggressive rehab made them stronger than before.....

Water running IS boring....do the aerobics class...you get different moves in all ranges....

Your recommendations so far:

• Testosterone/HGH supplementation

• Foam rollers/massage/ deep tissue work

• Trails/off-road

• Zhealth/ range of motion work

• Cross-training (swimming, XC skiing, water running/aerobics, biking)

• More rest days

• ART

• Joint stability

• Egoscue

• Weight work

• Fast strides at end of runs (10-25 X 100-150 mtrs.)

• Hill running

• Core work

• Circuit training (jump rope, pull-ups, lunges, etc.)

• Plyometrics

• “Play”

• Long walking for a few months

• Quick intervals (i.e. 5X300)

• Yoga

• …and my favorite…the Finnish Kickbike! (I wonder if I have $350 left on my credit card)

I’ll try as many of the above that are free or cheap. Running Boston supposedly and I’ll let you know how it works out.

Thanks all,

Toivo

Shut up O Hanlon you muppet we all know you posted that message

Try training with beautiful young women.

Toivo

You can learn more about Kickbikes and ask questions here at this Yahoo Group

http://sports.groups.yahoo.com/group/KickbikeUSA/

Yes, it is fun! and quite a workout without the pounding of running. People have hooked up panniers to the front. I use a small backpack if I need to carry anything. It definately supplements your running. Honestly, I love the act of kickbiking more than running. It is just that I am a runner and that is how I challenge myself and evaluate my conditioning on the track or at races. At the track, I was told my stride had lengthened after using it. I used it heavily for a couple of years. I backed off the last two years as if I felt great I just ran more mileage. If I felt out of sync: running, biking, kickbiking, or anything didn't feel good. It is my favorite purchase in the past few years! When you use it, you will attract more attention than anything. I hear nothing when I bike or run, but get on your kickbike and little kids "look at that scooter-bike", teenagers "Cool can I try that?" and everyone else have all sorts of positive comments. I got the idea from a book from a few years ago called, "Programmed to Run". The Millenium Racer is the one to get.

Okay...joined the Group. Thanks.