amkelley wrote:
That must be the Around the Bay 30K in Hamilton, Ontario. I ran that race two or three times when I was fast, placing near the front of the women's race and earning some modest cash.
My wife and I ran that race as part of our 2001 Big Sur Marathon prep. I don't think there were problems with the draw bridge that year, but it was a cold, miserable day, and I have never had any desire to go back. Of course, no cash incentive for this mid-packer ...
Slow boat to nowhere wrote:
In my mid 60s, being running marathons years and I've gotten slow and basically suck a that distance. Working on 5ks now to slow the slide into slothdom.
As I get older it seems the best we can do is slow down getting slower. Toward that end, when you guys do speedwork, do you try to keep the effort high and maybe not as many reps? Or keep the rep count up but slow down to be able to complete the workout and not fall apart?
I used to do up until my 50s a workout like 6 to 10 800s, depending on the race distance.
Now it seems 4 or 5 are all I can do at a high effort level and would have to slow a good bit to do more. Seems like going slower has less effect to me.
Wondering what you guys think who have been over the hill a while. :)
Anyone here try to mimic Ed Whitlock's 3 hour workout training?
There are those middle-agers who are built for running who have exceptional genetics and can keep volume & speedwork high with little risk of injuries. Conversely, there are those who generally are not built for running (but love to run nonetheless) who have a significant injury history and struggle just to maintain any consistency with training. I fall into this second category as a short/stocky late 50s passionate runner who gets injured at just the thought of speedwork. ? What I could get away 30 yrs ago with twice-weekly speed sessions and 50+ mpw had all come to a screeching halt when I hit the 50s. 15 mpw and maybe 1 day of 4x800 at the track or a 1 mile TT is all I can hope for with fingers crossed these days now. Most of my speedwork has to be done on a spin bike which I've learned (reluctantly) to become good friends with.
Interesting though, I always thought those middle-agers "built for running" with sound training principles over the years never (or very seldom) got injured. But I'm seeing a growing, and disturbing trend with more of these "built for running" body types developing chronic and sometimes debilitating injuries (at least in the masters running club that I belong to). Many of these in runners their 60s & 70s (both men & women) have very small, lean builds but yet have some pretty bad injuries developing such as chroinc joint tendonisis & OA, in which a couple of our members have needed knee replacements recently. Very perplexing...there may be a point of no return with age-related degenerative changes and general wear & tear of the joints regardless of body type & build. ?
Injury-Prone, I would wonder if some (many?) of those of us who get injured tend to first minimize or ignore the early warning signs because we could do that when young and/or will take some "down time" after the XYZ Memorial race that we have been training for and spent money on. For me, I am tempted by early entry fees and keeping costs down, but then don't want to "lose" that money and not race while gimpy. Such is the ego saying GO instead of NO.
". But I'm seeing a growing, and disturbing trend with more of these "built for running" body types developing chronic and sometimes debilitating injuries (at least in the masters running club that I belong to). Many of these in runners their 60s & 70s (both men & women) have very small, lean builds but yet have some pretty bad injuries developing such as chroinc joint tendonisis & OA, in which a couple of our members have needed knee replacements recently. Very perplexing...there may be a point of no return with age-related degenerative changes and general wear & tear of the joints regardless of body type & build"
The bigger the talent the bigger the carrot.
Talented runners may or may not have durable joints and tendons. What they do have is a bigger carrot that can lead to doing stupid things that can lead to debilitating chronic injuries.
Health issues can come out of seemingly nowhere. I suppose partially genetics, lifestyle and luck of the draw. Hard to imagine that there are hard and fast rules to these things. I can think of several 65+ masters that have horrible biomechanics yet were/are some of the best ever.
When running gets you down you can always go fishing with a friend. Ferrel who is 86 years young let me net this bad boy for him. I got a bump but no bite.
https://drive.google.com/open?id=0BxbhZ16IUhreYWd1SWZ2Qk9JZGcyRXFkd0JNRHNNLU9HTVlN
Now that’s a catch!
Ghost of Igloi wrote:
Health issues can come out of seemingly nowhere. I suppose partially genetics, lifestyle and luck of the draw. Hard to imagine that there are hard and fast rules to these things. I can think of several 65+ masters that have horrible biomechanics yet were/are some of the best ever.
I have to agree. Got use to seeing the doc for the annual physical when I was younger with no issues at all.
As the years roll by things start popping up, cholesterol, BP, other stuff. So now when you go you wonder what they will find next and hope it is fixable (I think you know this).
I could never imagine myself not running. And if the legs give out for some reason I'd have no problem going to a racing chair or doing what it takes to be out there until time, finally, after all these years, catches up.
Something to be said for never quitting even when the outcome is certain.
You have it. Courage.
Slow Boat to Nowhere wrote:
Ghost of Igloi wrote:
Health issues can come out of seemingly nowhere. I suppose partially genetics, lifestyle and luck of the draw. Hard to imagine that there are hard and fast rules to these things. I can think of several 65+ masters that have horrible biomechanics yet were/are some of the best ever.
I have to agree. Got use to seeing the doc for the annual physical when I was younger with no issues at all.
As the years roll by things start popping up, cholesterol, BP, other stuff. So now when you go you wonder what they will find next and hope it is fixable (I think you know this).
I could never imagine myself not running. And if the legs give out for some reason I'd have no problem going to a racing chair or doing what it takes to be out there until time, finally, after all these years, catches up.
Something to be said for never quitting even when the outcome is certain.
You have it. Courage.
A life filled with second guessing wouldn’t be worth it to me. I decide a course of action and move forward. Of course exercising common sense and avoidance of the stupid, trying not to hurt myself or others. Some of the worry over this or that seems pointless.
Ghost of Igloi wrote:
Now that’s a catch!
That's what she said;) Caught a real nice chrome hen today but could tell by the hard fight it was gonna be a wild fish so back she went . The hook was through her tongue and lower jaw. No bleeding but I always wonder if they survive.
Well I am going to post early today as I have some things I want to post and will be fishing early tomorrow.
The last 10 weeks have been tough. Then I had an epiphany. Or really a reminder. I just want to run for fun. My fun also means training hard and trying to race a few races with goals. All I have to do is dial down my goals and all is well. So that is what I did .
My focal point in training has changed drastically:
-Form vs Time
-Being mindful of how my body is working during the runs vs Enduring or even ignoring pain.
-Taking the time to feel ready for my next hard part vs Following a regimented schedule
One run on the treadmill about 10 minutes total grade/mph 6/8, 5/9, 4/10 :
3 x 30 seconds
3 x 60 seconds
3 x 120 seconds
The focus on recoveries was just walking or stretching until I was ready to go again.
I did finish the workout but was ready to quit if I experienced any twinges ect.
This approach feels good so I hope to reach my real goal which is to be able to enjoy running.
Peace
A big step backward this week. I guess it was because I had to spend a lot of time working in the lab Monday through Thursday, which involves hours of standing in uncomfortable positions. That really irritated my already unhappy Achilles heel. By Wednesday I was limping badly just walking down the hall. Friday and Saturday I was finally able to rest my heel but the damage had been done. I ended up with 32 miles of running in the first three days of the week, and took Thursday through Saturday completely off from running, substituting the bike trainer, a brief period of outdoor cycling, and a bit of rowing.
I’m posting early this week because I have to leave town early Sunday morning to visit my family and then attend a conference on Monday. I’ll be gone for around 36 hours, of which I’ll spend about 14 hours driving the California freeways. Tomorrow morning (Sunday) I’ll spin my brains out on the bike trainer before hitting the road. Monday I might try a short jog, depending on how things feel by then, plus whatever I can find at the hotel gym.
My half-marathon on Sunday of next week isn’t looking too promising at this point. I might not even run.
Hope your week is going better than mine…
I have nothing better to do so I will post now. Lot’s of time sitting and sleeping last week; in between about half-time at the office, other half logging-in from the house. Thursday was my tough day, bloated and very lethargic. At the end of the day I told myself “you will feel better if you just get out and walk a mile.” I ended up walking five miles, took a shower and went to bed exhausted. Friday woke up feeling great. The nadir for white blood cell count is 7-10 days after treatment so the way I was feeling made sense.
For the week highlights were: 60 minutes spin bike, one day core, one day weights, 4,800 meters with curve walking and straights striding and the balance 15 miles walking. Doing fine.
Best to all.
Igy
Mike Lundgren wrote:
Injury-Prone, I would wonder if some (many?) of those of us who get injured tend to first minimize or ignore the early warning signs because we could do that when young.....
...such is the ego saying GO instead of NO.
This is a HUGE problem for all runners. I wince every time I hear a runner say, "I felt this sharp pain two miles into my run, so I struggled another eight miles to finish and the next day...."
After being told by two doctors at the Mayo Clinic I could never run again, I now take all injuries very seriously. I have "pre-decided" before every run to stop at the first sign of pain to access it as a potential injury. As a result, I abort about 10% of my workouts. Usually, I can return to running the next day.
That, plus adding weightlifting to my crosstraining two years ago, has significantly improved my running. This past weekend, our 4x400m relay team broke the M70 world record at The Armory in New York. I owe a great deal of that success to aborting those workouts because one or more could have caused a major training setback.
Sorry... typo.
*assess* not access.
Late Sunday night here in Australia so I wil jump in too.
I didn't post last week.
Mon. 19th Feb. Slow shuffle for 3 km in 19 mins. No hammy discomfort. Also a 34 min kayak session.
Tue. 6 km hike with weight vest dropped the vest in the scrub then a slow 3 km jog up and down a hill. No hammy pain. 3 km hike with weight vest.
Wed. Slow 3 km jog still ok.
Thu. 24 km hilly mtb ride 1 h 37 m.
Fri. 1 km hike then 5 km slow jog just starting to feel hammy tendon hiked 2 km. Also a 34 min kayak.
Sat. 4 hard hikes up Mt Piper, the first 2 with weighted vest. 500 metres elevation gain in 3.5 kms. Total hike of 8.4 kms in 2 hrs.
Sun. Pre work hike 6 x Roo Hill plus some extra climb 10.6 kms and 540 metres elevation gain. 2 h 10 min.
Mon. Jogged over Roo Hill and down to the shops 3.5 km 25 mins. Hammy good. Then a 45 min. mtb ride. Also walked the last 3.7 km into work and back again that night after work.
Tue. 3 km as per yesterday but I picked it up to 5 min km pace the last km and felt that a bit in the hammy tendon.
Afternoon ride on the mtb. 4 km climb (510 metres) in 29.20 and descent in 5.28, total ride 13.6 km. Also a 29 min kayak session on a swift flowing Goulbourn River.
Finished the day with a hilly 45 min. hike.
Wed. 15 km hilly hike 500 metres elevation gain 2 h 36 m.
Thu. 36 min kayak on the Campaspe River.
Fri. 54 min mtb with 2 solid efforts up the track to Viewing Rock (10 min).
Walk the last 3.5 km into work and back again at night.
Sat. Hiking 5 x up and down Scar Track, 8.9 km 880 metres elevation gain 2 h 5 m.
Sun.. Hiking 7 km up the back slopes of Mt Ida lots of scramble up and down dry waterfalls and cliffs. The 4 climbs added up to less than 2 km with 670 metres elevation gain. Some of the descents were interesting. 2 h 10 m. Tough!!
The hammy tendon feels good after the 2 days of tough hiking.
Week 351
Greetings fellow 50+ers! Quite a lot of posts on injuries and aging, working through injuries, injury prevention methods, etc., etc.. I've had my share and frankly most of them are due to my own stubbornness, although the effects of aging have certainly made knowing how much I can handle and then how to deal with them a moving target. Meanwhile, Racerdb, Coyote, and MikeF, and others keep plugging along seemingly unabated...they're doing something right.
Hopefully this will be the last week of pathetic posts from me (for the next little while, at least.) I'm finally getting over this crud; still hacking up some stuff, but its not affecting my energy level anymore. Got through midweek in typical fashion with Mon. and Wed. being shot with my overloaded teaching schedule, and I was, as typical, able to get out Sun. (5.2 easy) and Tue. (4.0 w/5 hill repeats) but Thursday I chose to go for drinks after work with coworkers and then Friday and Saturday were completely consumed with preparing for and executing our annual Science Olympiad. I've mentioned that each year, and this year was no different (although this year I did actually get 3 hours of sleep Friday night, which isn't always the case.)
Now that the big event is out of the way, I'm pretty much over this crud, Spring Break starts Friday, and the weather is getting better, hopefully the path to better more consistent training is cleared. Have a great week everyone!
All the Best!
fisky wrote:
This past weekend, our 4x400m relay team broke the M70 world record at The Armory in New York. I owe a great deal of that success to aborting those workouts because one or more could have caused a major training setback.
Oh, and props, fisky, on your teams M70 4x400 WR! Outstanding!
I noted Fisky's 4x400 WR and I was incredibly impressed! Well done!
As for me, my foot is improving. I am still doing low impact but the other day I had to break into a short jog to grab a door that was swinging shut and nothing hurt. The next day, nothing hurt. I'm going to start breaking into short jogs on the treadmill now. Maybe 10 seconds at a time broken up by walking. I'd love to add some inspiring workouts to our thread but unfortunately nothing just yet. My week was: 3 days of low impact (pool jogging, stair mill) and 2 days of weight lifting. On the plus side, after 6 months of weight lifting I'm noticing my body contours are changing. My shirts are getting tighter across the chest and shoulders while the waist on my jeans is getting looser. I'm calling that a win!
Saw your times fisky pretty impressive. We actually posted your photo and times to our club social media page.
Igy
Congrats fisky!
Most of the time I can just say: “What Charlie said” as I agree so often.
Dang, sorry amkelly. I know people think standing is good for us but not with lower leg junk going on. I hate standing for any reason. I wonder, we have at least 4 professors here; if you are lecturing all day does that bug you? I’m having to do more technology talks and people don’t understand my reluctance and it sounds so lame to say I don’t want to because it hurts my feet.
Tu, Th, Sa, Su: 27, 28, 29, and 30 min of running respectively on those days with 50 pushups/crunches. I’ve found this one trail that is super rocky and steep that has become my favorite. Rocky trails are a little risky but I sincerely believe in their healing powers due to all the micro-adjustments they force you to make in your gate, foot plant, push-off, etc. I’ve decided to scrap any plans of hitting the track and measuring time and replace it with some trail-hills for my workouts…when I’m ready. If I wanna find out my time I’ll run a damn race. This week two things happened that have not occurred in a long time: 1) I perspired, and 2) My leg muscles became sore from running. Weird stuff but I will happily take it!
Have a good week folks.