50+ Masters Training and Racing Open Forum

Happy Holidays everyone,

Hope you are all having a nice Passover or Easter. I managed to show some self-control around the enormous quantities of Easter candy in the house…

So… my past week of training:

Sunday – 5.5 pleasant miles through the woods in 45:01 with my son and one of his friends; later stationary bike 4.25 miles.

Monday – Rest.

Tuesday – VO2 max workout – 2 mile warmup; 6 1000’s in low 90’s awful heat and humidity and a nasty wind – 3:47; 3:50; 3:49; 3:52; 3:52; 3:51. To be honest, I was bummed because I had hoped to have lower times with less effort (although my son's times were also a bit up). 1.5 mile cooldown; later did 10.75 miles on stationary bike.

Wednesday - 2 mile warmup, 1.5 miles of circuit training/plyometrics, 10 fly 30's... jog 10 meters, sprint 30 meters, deacceleration zone for 20 meters, complete 400 meter lap and repeat; my 1st 7 I felt I was doing very nicely but on the 8th one I felt a twinge in my hamstring… shockingly, I showed common sense and did the last two as stride outs instead of sprinting and pulling the hamstring (I definitely would have done this literally a couple months ago). Ended with 2 mile cooldown.

Thursday – took it easy and just played an easy game of paddle ball with my son.

Friday – Intensive Tempo workout – 2 mile warmup then 8 repeat 400s – 1:24, 1:23; 1:23; 1:23; 1:24; 1:23; 1:25; 1:24. Felt fairly easy… makes me want to do a 1 mile time trial as I really think I could maintain this pace for 4 laps…; 2.5 mile cooldown

Saturday – 10 miles on a slightly hilly paved trail through the woods in 1:20:51. First 15k felt very very easy, legs did get heavy/tired for last kilometer but I was not going to fall off from keeping up with my son.

Question – next week I have a conference in Denver – I’m hoping to do a 5.5 mile aerobic pace run on early Thursday morning and 10 mile aerobic pace run on early Friday morning… are there places to do this in downtown Denver? Is the altitude going to kill me???? Anyone live there and want to join me?

I'm mostly over the cold and fatigue post-Euro trip, so that's progress. Ran 42 miles over 6 days this week and feeling much better than the previous two weeks. Did a few pick ups on Wednesday and my foot/toe, which I stubbed last month in Poland, was aching on Thursday and Friday. So I got an X-ray and sure enough broke a phlange. My life of clumsiness continues. The good news is that it's healing properly after 4 weeks already I can continue running, just nothing radical like a marathon or even a half over the next month or two.

Due to all this recovery and some upcoming travel I did defer the masters 10K champs, with regrets. But your body can only take so much of al that before breaking down. I've got Bolder Boulder on the plate next month and a set of three or four big races in the summer and fall to look forward to. Nothing impressive by LR standards but looking forward to it.

Last weekend's du races didn't take the toll on my legs that I had expected. I was able to get right back on the horse (aka the bike) and keep pushing;

Sun: Non-draft Sprint Duathlon National

Mon: 2700yd swim

Tue: 7 Easy

Wed: 6.75 fartlek (6 x 2min H/1 min E), 3300yd swim

Thu: 7.2 Easy

Fri: 1:18 bike workout

Sat: 10.3 Easy, 2200 swim

I gave all of my final exams last week so I can get them graded before I leave mid-week. It will take me two days of travel to get to the World Multi-Sport race location in Spain. I'm renting a bike and don't know what to expect other than the water temperature for the aquathlon (swim/run) will be 58- 60 degrees, that's cold for me. I have a wetsuit, neoprene cap, swim socks, and ear plugs so I hope my hands won't be too cold to put on my running shoes during the race. I'm practicing an open water swim tomorrow at the same temperature so I'll see how it goes.

LucKY - my sympathies on the SACS project and search committee assignment. If teaching were all that a career in higher education involved, I'd keep going until I reach 70. I just don't have the patience for the bureaucracy and hoops we have to jump through anymore. I'm so tired of ed-speak I could vomit....SLOs and QEPs anyone? Student's expect to have a grading matrix for everything - just wait until they get jobs and have to decide how to do things on their own!

Hate to miss the 10k Nationals in Dedham next week. Good luck to those of you who will be racing!

Question – next week I have a conference in Denver – I’m hoping to do a 5.5 mile aerobic pace run on early Thursday morning and 10 mile aerobic pace run on early Friday morning… are there places to do this in downtown Denver? Is the altitude going to kill me???? Anyone live there and want to join me?

Yes, there is a greenbelt paved path along the river. I was at a conference in the downtown several years ago and thought it was nice. You will feel the altitude so adjust your expectations.

My bad heel has been generally worse since the marathon and I was only able to run five days this week for almost 56 miles, but I ended up with a confidence-building workout yesterday.

Monday: 90 minutes on bike trainer with sore heel.

Tues: 10.5 miles easy

Weds: 10.5 miles easy

Thurs: 10.4 miles a little less easy

Fri: 10.0 miles moderate

Sat: 14.2 miles at 8:35/mile pace.

Sun: 35 mile bike ride outdoors, no running due to sore heel.

Saturday’s workout was only 10 sec/mile slower than HM race pace and it felt hard, but I was glad I was able to do it. I have my next half-marathon in two weeks and it gives me some confidence that if my heel holds up I should be able to run a decent race.

I would like another crack at the full marathon. My only other truly “local” marathon isn’t until November and would be a perfectly fine choice except that I don’t want to wait that long. (At this age, I don’t even buy green bananas.) The only race within driving distance during the next 4-5 months that has a good chance of decent weather is San Francisco, which is obscenely expensive to enter and the 5:30 am start time requires an even more obscenely expensive hotel the night before. But I’m still thinking about it.

mo’pak, regarding the night cycling, I do not ride a bike after dark when there are motor vehicles around and I don’t have any easy access to traffic-free places to ride. My small city (80,000) has some separate bike/pedestrian paths that are nice for running but not extensive enough to be very useful for cycling. It would be a lot of back and forth on the same segments, which I guess would be less boring than an indoor trainer, but not great. As far as personal safety goes (i.e. being attacked by some bad guy), I think about it a little but I don't obsess over it. I've been running outdoors most of my adult life, usually alone and often in the pre-dawn darkness, and I've never had a real problem. I keep my radar turned on and I choose my routes with some care.

lucKY2b, I hope you get through the term soon! I have 3 more weeks of the semester and then one week of finals…I’m counting down…

Allen1959, I’m jealous of your roads! I ride roads that I consider lightly traveled, but that means maybe 100 vehicles per hour, not five! And a double century, holy cow! I once rode a bike 100 miles—not an organized century, but just a group who decided we wanted to ride that far—and I definitely would not want to attempt anything more than that. I’m really glad to see you getting back into running and I’m keeping my fingers crossed for you.

Rtype, good luck in the 5K. After my HM on that same day, my current plan is to run several 5K races over the next month seeking my 2019 goal of sub-24:00 (78% age-graded at age 61). I think this is an ambitious goal.

MikeF, nice 2-mile time trial! You must be justifiably pleased.

Happy Easter to all.

Mkarver wrote:

Question – next week I have a conference in Denver – I’m hoping to do a 5.5 mile aerobic pace run on early Thursday morning and 10 mile aerobic pace run on early Friday morning… are there places to do this in downtown Denver? Is the altitude going to kill me???? Anyone live there and want to join me?

Mkarver, I live in the area but have a trip through the week. will be back by Friday.

If you are in the downtown area the Platte River Green way is the best bet. Washington Park is great for tempo runs. It's just lightly rolling and has a 2.5 mile cinder path around the perimeter, and a 2.3 or so mile paved pedestrian route (no vehicles, kind of like a small less hilly version of Central Park)

Best of luck in Spain! It seems like a tough assignment to try to perform after all that travel and with a rented bike, but you seem to have the right mind-set that will make this an enjoyable adventure.

I agree completely! Dirty little secret--I somehow got talked into serving as vice-chair of the Academic Senate this almost-completed year, and one of the jobs of the vice-chair is to co-chair the campuswide committee that oversees all program reviews. I have spent my year trying to chip away at the bureaucracy from within, sort of like most of Trump's cabinet appointees who try to dismantle the department they've been appointed to run. Like them, I'm having limited success, finding that the "deep state" entrenched academic bureaucracy is very hard to pare down. But any time I have an opportunity to recommend changing a policy to require less faculty time, I do so. (Please don't infer any level of agreement with Trump's policies...)

I'm ordering the Make Academics Great Again caps now!

SCgal wrote:

I'm ordering the Make Academics Great Again caps now!

Love it!

I had once considered getting my PhD in Ex Phys, but was not any kind of decent researcher. I did/do enjoy teaching, but seeing the stories you all share about other assignments, I'm rather glad that I went the route I did with working at several hospitals over 26 or so years. I consider these last 6 years of working at Garry Gribble's running specialty stores my "semi-retirement" gig, though I do average well over 30 hours weekly, and do a fair amount of teaching (mostly about plantar fasciitis, but sometimes on other things, too).

My 1/2 marathon is in 4 weeks. I have only gone 11 miles once, 4 weeks back, and really wanted to get in a 12-13 miler, but my legs are very stale on a Sunday after 4 straight fulltime days of work getting shoes, up and down, etc. Yesterday was no different, plus my wonderful wife was back from Tucson and wanted to do something harder, so we went to a quite unused road near our house to do 0.2 to 0.4 mile intervals. I averaged 3:20 and 1:32 for 4 of each, so 8:20 pace and sub 8:00 pace. Disasppointed until we checked our Garmins later (oh, and she was faster by far, but mostly did the 0.2), and the temp was 81, crosswinds of 24 mph, and fairly humid. Changed our outlook to one of satisfaction. Now about that 12 miler I'd like to do tomorrow instead!.......Oh,, we ran on the road because it was warm and sunny enough that the track would have been much warmer than the partial shade we had.

Also, I signed up for my annual trip to Des Moines for the 1/2 marathon in October. and only cost $74. Such a deal! Though that trip to Spain or that trip to San Francisco does sound FAR more scenic and enjoyable. But won't there be any kind of fall marathon in Idaho/Oregon/Washington if you don't want those expenses, amkelley? Sure hope I have some of your endurance next month for my little 1/2, though my training has been of the 25 miles per week variety!

Welp... not too pleased with my week. Only managed 43 miles with Wed off. Felt lousy every day except for my workout day. Thursday I did 3x1000 @ 6:00 pace with 200 rest... then 1 mile in 5:47. All other runs I felt old, crippled, broken and unmotivated...

I'm not sure which will win out. All the negative thoughts I have on the bad days or the occasional good day I have that give me hope...

Anyhow, I've got a 5K this weekend. Who knows which version of me will show up? I still think I'm in sub 18 shape right now. Guess we'll see Saturday.

Have a good one,

Dave

Dave,

Can certainly relate to your description for how you felt last week. It seems real that the REALity of having one, slimly possible two, day per week of feeling like a runner is legit once we crested the M58+ age-group.

But your aerobic tank is always solid. Good luck in the 5k.

KP

The grandkids were in town this week, perfectly weather for cycling which I was glad to do on Monday after the half marathon. Already the mind and body are having rapprochment talks regarding this whole 13.1-miles-hard-as-you-can business. Turns out I'd been carrying this worry about longer distances with me even into workouts. I found myself this week starting slower than ever and easing myself into cruising speed, building momentum as well as confidence. Next Sunday is a point-to-point downhill 4-miler and I'm planning to trial a more sensible race approach there. Something under my right glute is still sore a week after my half, but it loosens up after a mile or so. Everything else cleared up in massage (who knew when my wife got her certificate 25 years ago how handy it would come in??).

Rtype wrote:

I’m signed up for one of the Susan G Komen 5K’s May 5th ,,, I know I’m one of the slower folks here but I’m happy to be continuously improving on low miles and, above all, feeling 100% solid.

Rtype, your post took me back to 2000, when six months after Diane's surgery to remove a breast lump we entered the Komen run together ... and she whupped me! We both thought it pretty funny at the time that she could outrun me. Only months later did it occur to either of us that this was the first sign something was terribly wrong....

48 miles thusly:

Monday - REST (but biking)

Tuesday - 8.22mi

We - 8.05mi (plus biking)

Th - 8mi including 5 miles @ T (h/t CM)

Fr - 7.74mi

Sa - 7mi

Su - 9.22mi with 0.25mi of every mile @ T (adapted from Matt Fitzgerald's LR-with-fartlek workout)

Racerdb wrote:

Welp... not too pleased with my week. Only managed 43 miles with Wed off. Felt lousy every day except for my workout day. Thursday I did 3x1000 @ 6:00 pace with 200 rest... then 1 mile in 5:47. All other runs I felt old, crippled, broken and unmotivated...

I'm not sure which will win out. All the negative thoughts I have on the bad days or the occasional good day I have that give me hope...

Anyhow, I've got a 5K this weekend. Who knows which version of me will show up? I still think I'm in sub 18 shape right now. Guess we'll see Saturday.

Have a good one,

Dave

By definition competitive(mainly with oneself) is a bipolar activity. High Highs followed by LOW LOWS.

This time I am Gonna try stay on the roller coaster one run at a time.

Why? Because not running sucks!

Greetings all!

I posted some a couple of years back and am returning for more inspiration and knowledge :-) A little history. At the end of 2017 I was scheduled to run my BQ marathon. I was all set until a month before the race I got a stabbing pain in my groin when I ran. I soldiered on running 10 miles a week for the last month, ran the race and missed my BQ by 6 minutes. After a month I still couldn't run, so went to see the doctor and was told I had a torn labrum and also had impingement in both my hips. I had surgery to fix the labrum and they ground 1/4 of an inch off of the diameter of my femur, where it impinged on the hip socket. Three months of rehab and I was back at it(slowly). I started feeling great with my runs until one day I took a big hit on my motocross bike and felt the familiar stabbing in the other hip. Same deal, same surgery except 1/3 of labrum could not be saved and there was some arthritis in this hip. Coming out of surgery the Dr. told me I was most likely going to have to stop running, down hill mountain biking, racing motocross. I was devastated and not in a good place. At the follow up the Dr backtracked a bit and said just listen to my body but that I was going to need a hip replacement down the line and doing what I love would make that happen sooner. I was OK with that. I'm just finished with 3 months of rehab and starting jogging again. 2 1/2 miles a day 5 days a week very easy. My plan is to do this for 3 weeks then bump up by 1/2 mile for 3 weeks then start a more refined base training. I still have the goal of Boston and turning 55 this year gives me 5 more minutes! Anyways, that's my pathetic story, thanks for having me again!

Mike Lundgren wrote:

Also, I signed up for my annual trip to Des Moines for the 1/2 marathon in October. and only cost $74. Such a deal! Though that trip to Spain or that trip to San Francisco does sound FAR more scenic and enjoyable. But won't there be any kind of fall marathon in Idaho/Oregon/Washington if you don't want those expenses, amkelley? Sure hope I have some of your endurance next month for my little 1/2, though my training has been of the 25 miles per week variety!

$74 for a half-marathon is pretty good, although a few of the races in my neck of the woods are about that low if you enter early.

I live almost exactly in the geographical center of a large state, and any out-of-state race for me would require either air fare or the better part of a full day's drive, and more than one night in a hotel. San Francisco hotels are expensive but I would only need one night, and it's only a little over 2 hours of driving to get there (at low-traffic times!). So it's unlikely I could really save much money by going out of state, and the hassle factor to go to San Francisco is minimal once I decide to splurge on a hotel near the start/finish. And the July weather there is probably as reliably OK as anywhere in the continental U.S.

Good luck on your upcoming half. I hope the weather gods smile on you...I suppose late May could be pretty variable!

KCgeezer wrote:

...

Something under my right glute is still sore a week after my half, but it loosens up after a mile or so.

KC, my experience has been that it has almost always been upper hamstring attachment causing that pain. Sadly, at our age it usually takes a long time to go away.

Looks like no one bit on your question about whether the altitude will kill you so I will. I don't believe it will be much of a problem at all if you are running aerobically at Denver's altitude. I've gone from sea level to Boulder many times and comfortable paced runs were never much of a problem. I'd say you'd need to go up at least another thousand feet for the affect to be really noticeable unless you're running hard. At worst I expect you'll feel a little sluggish.