50+ Masters Training and Racing Open Forum

Charlie wrote:

Another set of questions

Since turning 40:

- How many years have you ran?

-How many miles?

-Current weekly mileage?

2005 (age 40). 571 miles.

2006. 687 miles.

2007. 751 miles.

2008. 1004 miles.

2009. 1707 miles.

2010. 1986 miles.

2011. 2211 miles.

2012. 2237 miles.

2013. 2445 miles.

2014. 2447 miles.

2015. 2628 miles.

2016. 2714 miles.

2017. 2416 miles.

2018. 1917 miles.

2019. 696 miles so far. (26417 miles since Jan. 2005.)

I was 39 for the first 5 days of 2005. But sorting by the calendar year is more convenient. I started running in May of 2004 after 18 years of virtually no running. So my lifetime mileage is still pretty low.

Charlie wrote:

Another set of questions

Since turning 40:

- How many years have you ran?

-How many miles?

-Current weekly mileage?

Since turning 40 (rounding up guesstimates)

1996-2003 7 years 12,000 miles

2005-2006 2 years 2,000 miles

2012-2013 2 years 2,000 miles

2016-present 3 years 2000 miles

14 years 18 thousand miles

Current weekly mileage about 35

BF before forty I can't remember much detail but I did some running in high school, army, college and after watching Rocky

Interesting questions that evoke a lot of memories and some reflection on my athletic history. My basic history back to HS - started running my junior year, 1967, and ran the 1320; senior ran the mile with HS PR of 4:53.

College - my dad died of a heart attack 3 weeks before I left for college and I was pretty much of an emotional wreck my freshman year and didn't run (and 2.0 GPA). Sophomore I worked on getting my academic act back together (3.86 GPA) but didn't run, but did play a lot of pick up and IM basketball (won the intramural 3-man league). Junior I went out for track and ran 220 and 440 with 24.2 and 53.1 PRs. Senior ran 220 and 440 with 23.6 and 51.8 PRs.

1972 - Got married and went into the Navy. '72-'76 Navy fast attack submarine officer with zero running but a fair amount of swimming.

1979-1985 a mix of swimming, running, triathlon with about 30-35 mpw running. (My wife is a very talented swimmer who trained with a bunch of the early big names in the sport, e.g. Tinley, Allen, Greg Welch, Lance Armstrong, etc.)

1986- back to just running about 25 mpw (that whole darn family and career thing really can interfere with training).

Age 40 (guesstimates)- 1989-1994 6 years 7,500 miles (close to 25mpw)

1995 - 1,500 miles (30mpw)

1996 - 1,750 miles (35mpw)

1997 - 2001 - 4 years 8,000 miles (close to 40mpw)

2002-2005 - 4 years 10,000 miles (close to 50mpw)(calcaneal stress fracture Sep '05)

2006 - 1750 miles (35mpw)

2007 - 2,000 miles (40mpw)

2008 - 1750 miles (35mpw)

2009 - 2500 miles (50 mpw)

2010 - 2250 miles (45 mpw)

2011 - 2,000 miles (40 mpw) (Achilles problems)

2012 - 2250 miles (45 mpw)

2013 - 2500 miles (50 mpw)

2014 - 1750 miles (35mpw) (calf "heart attack")

2015 - 2250 miles (45 mpw)

2016 - 1600 miles (32mpw) (runners knee)

2017 - 2,000 miles (40 mpw)

2018 - 2,000 miles (40 mpw)

2019 - 50mpw so far

Pursuant to Rtypes and GOI's HJ and PV comments, in HS my younger son, who was a good all around athlete, used to drag out the pads for HJ and PV for the coach before workouts and fool around a bit with the PV before distance practice started. His junior year the coach had him PV for points in a couple of league meets. One meet he jumped 10'0" and ran 10:00 for the 2 mile.

Nice racing to your wife Jane Mike.

KP

Been running and keeping a log for 46 years; 101,000 miles and counting.

43,465 miles since turning 40.

Current miles per week 40-50 when not hurt.

KP

oh...

18.75 years since turning 40

43,465 miles

avg 45 mpw when not hurt

I threw away all of my racing/training logs more than 20 years ago in a fit of frustration when injured and have never resumed keeping a log, so I can give only estimates.

I was almost constantly injured between ages 34 and about 42 and did very little running (lots of cycling, though).

Since approximately age 42 (about 19 years), I have averaged 50-75 mpw when healthy, and anywhere from 0 to 50 when injured to varying degrees. I normally run every day when not injured, and while I don't keep track, my longest streak of uninterrupted running days is probably several months.

I would guess that my average annual mileage over the past 19 years has been somewhere around 2500 miles. I've surely been over 3000 in good years, but surely never over 4000. Total mileage since age 40 (I'm now one week short of 61) is probably somewhere around 50,000.

amkelley wrote:

I threw away all of my racing/training logs more than 20 years ago in a fit of frustration when injured and have never resumed keeping a log, so I can give only estimates.

I was almost constantly injured between ages 34 and about 42 and did very little running (lots of cycling, though).

Since approximately age 42 (about 19 years), I have averaged 50-75 mpw when healthy, and anywhere from 0 to 50 when injured to varying degrees. I normally run every day when not injured, and while I don't keep track, my longest streak of uninterrupted running days is probably several months.

I would guess that my average annual mileage over the past 19 years has been somewhere around 2500 miles. I've surely been over 3000 in good years, but surely never over 4000. Total mileage since age 40 (I'm now one week short of 61) is probably somewhere around 50,000.

What changes did you make after age 42 that reduced injuries and allowed more running?

You say you run almost run everyday when not injured -- what type of surfaces do you normally run on? Though I'm far from anything close to running everyday, I've had to get off pavement/concrete and exclusively run on trails/grass since my mid-50s (early 60s now).

Inquiring minds want to know wrote:

What changes did you make after age 42 that reduced injuries and allowed more running?

You say you run almost run everyday when not injured -- what type of surfaces do you normally run on? Though I'm far from anything close to running everyday, I've had to get off pavement/concrete and exclusively run on trails/grass since my mid-50s (early 60s now).

At age 33 1/2, a few months after qualifying for the Olympic Trials marathon, I suffered what appeared to be a pulled muscle in my butt and had to walk a couple of miles back from a hilly training run. For the next roughly 8 years I was constantly plagued with some variation on that injury, on both sides. I went through months at a time when I couldn't run at all, and other stages when I could run decent mileage with only mild pain as long as I went slowly. But I could never train with any intensity and I gradually got slow and out of shape.

I went to a number of orthopedists and sports medicine physicians, none of whom could identify anything specifically wrong with me except that they all pronounced me the least flexible person they had ever seen. They all prescribed stretches, which never did anything except make the injuries worse. (Except for the one guy who told me, at age 35, that I was too old to run and should take up some other activity more suitable for older women.)

Finally, at about age 41, I figured it out--stop sleeping on my back. I always felt worst first thing in the morning, after a very long sleep, and/or when I was aware that I had been sleeping on my back. I began training myself to sleep only on my side, in a fetal position with my legs pulled forward and my butt muscles stretched out. I got to where I would wake up any time I flopped over onto my back. And gradually the buttaches went away. It didn't happen all at once, but the correlation with sleeping position was undeniable and within about a year I was back to running pain-free. I never recovered anything like the speed I'd had in my early 30s but at least I could run, and now, nearly 20 years later, that particular problem has not recurred. (I've had plenty of other injuries, though.)

The moral is that sleeping, while essential, can also be really dangerous.

The other moral to the story was not listening to this guy: “Except for the one guy who told me, at age 35, that I was too old to run and should take up some other activity more suitable for older women.”

My 64 year old wife, feisty sort, got a similar response recently from a physician about what she suspected was a hernia. The attitude was “quit complaining and get outta here.” Needless to say it was the last time she sees this “professional.”

AmK your mileage is really impressive. What’s your secret?

KP

Another moral is to ignore the petty responders who put down those of us who sleep in the fetal position. We come into this world in that position for a reason. Nature knows best.

Ghost of Igloi wrote:

The other moral to the story was not listening to this guy: “Except for the one guy who told me, at age 35, that I was too old to run and should take up some other activity more suitable for older women.”

My 64 year old wife, feisty sort, got a similar response recently from a physician about what she suspected was a hernia. The attitude was “quit complaining and get outta here.” Needless to say it was the last time she sees this “professional.”

I always felt a little awkward when I would go to an orthopedist and sit around in the waiting room surrounded by people on crutches and in wheelchairs, and then trot into the doctor's office with "gee, doc, I'm really bummed out because when I try to run fast my butt starts hurting". I was often met with the attitude "get out of here and let me treat people with real problems". I suppose what many of us need as a first line of treatment is not a "health professional" but an athletic trainer, but most masters athletes don't have access to those.

Charlie wrote:

Another set of questions

Since turning 40:

- How many years have you ran?

-How many miles?

-Current weekly mileage?

Since turning 40 (rounding up guesstimates)

1996-2003 7 years 12,000 miles

2005-2006 2 years 2,000 miles

2012-2013 2 years 2,000 miles

2016-present 3 years 2000 miles

14 years 18 thousand miles

Current weekly mileage about 35

2000 -2010 10 yrs 19,000 miles (~40 mpw over 5 days)

2011 - 2015 4 yrs. 4,000 miles (~25 mpw over 4 days)

2016- present 3 yrs 1,600 miles (~12 mpw over 3 days)

Current mileage is ~12 mpw

Most mileage was in my 40s (1900 miles per year)

Least mileage has been the last 3 yrs (575 miles per year)

A reduction of ~70%

Didn't start running competitively until mid-30s. Background was powerlifting & bodybuilding (also played college football & ran sprints in HS)

Was doing pretty well until early 50s when an assortment of acute injuries occurred with some being major (partial tears of the Achilles, patellar tendon, distal hamstring & a complete rupture of the PTT). Chronic pathologies followed with tendinosis & OA (ankle & hip).

Pretty much relegated to fitness running these days with some races not over 1 - 1.5 miles.

At 5-6, 170 (give or take a couple pounds. ?), I never had the proper build nor biomechanics for competitive distance running. You can get away with a heavier build & average biomechanics when you're younger, but it'll catch up with you in your middle-age. That being said, however, I see quite a few of the lightweight, very thin, low body mass-type guys in our Master's running club who are frequently injured. I'm not sure if there is more of a genetic issued involved with these lighter guys (i.e. injury-prone) or too much mileage and not enough recovery.

I found this an interesting read...it should apply as much to us oldsters as those young bucks and does.

(Hope the link works)

https://getpocket.com/explore/item/4-laws-of-muscle?utm_source=pocket-newtab

^One of the dangers of chemotherapy and often sends one to the hospital is neutropenia or low red blood cell counts. Although I seemed to manage this well in treatment, recovering to where I could handle pre-diagnosis training has been a challenge. One thing that has helped was the addition of more protein into the diet. On analysis this makes sense because you are going thru a similar process as outlined in this article just to get your strength back to baseline.

Sorry for not following the current thread topic but I don't have many opportunities to post an update since I'm staying in a hotel that doesn't have reliable internet. I've been in Spain since April 25 at the World Multisport Championships competing with the US Triathlon Team. There are 52 countries represented here and 4,000 athletes. I was shocked to podium in both of my races which has gained me some notoriety with the USAT folks. Apparently, there are lots of older women who are bikers but the team lacks good female runners so that makes up for my feeble bike skills.

My first race was a 5k run/20k bike/2.5k run through the historic city of Pontevedra and up into the mountains. The run course was a 2.5k loop with lots of turns and one short hill. I though it was a pretty easy run and I finished 2nd in my AG. Next came the bike section which involved one 6 mile long climb and one long descent. I was great at climbing since I'm so light but was paralyzed with fear coming down. I rode my brakes as the other riders flew past me going 40mph. Fortunately, I was partially able to redeem my pride by having the fastest split on the final 2.5k and ended up 3rd in my AG. There was a big awards ceremony where I was draped in an American flag while the Olympic theme song played.

My next race was the aquathlon, a 1000m swim followed by a 5k. The swim is usually the easy part for me but it had rained for 5 days prior to our arrival and the swim was in a river. The current was so strong you could swim and swim upstream and not even move; like an endless pool. In addition, the water temperature was 55 degrees. I had attempted to swim the course three times before the race but had only been able to finish once. I wore a rash guard under my wetsuit, a neoprene cap, and earplugs in an attempt to survive. When the gun went off, I swam as hard as I could and tried to draft behind other people but in the end I had to go it alone. By the time I reached the buoy that marked the turn-around point and was swept downstream, I felt like I'd run a marathon. Thirty-seven people in the race were pulled from the water by the rescue crew. I thought I had it made when I got to shore and started off on the 5k run. Nope. My hip flexor went into spasms after about 1/4 mile and I ended up having to do a walk-run. It hurt so much I had tears running down my face. Apparently it was obvious that something was wrong because as I neared the chute, a young woman from Brazil grabbed my hand and helped me across the line. Thanks to her, I finished 2nd in my AG with a blistering 5k split of 26:24. I'm not kidding when I say I owe my award to her.

Now I'm shutting my running down to let this hip issue heal and heading off on a 5 day bike trip through Portugal. Hopefully there will be few hills, good food, and plenty of wine...

Nice. Can’t imagine doing what you bikers do on steep hills. Great story and congratulations. I am enjoying a glass of wine after mowing my lawn and replacing my wife’s car battery.

SCgal, I continue to be amazed and inspired by your athletic feats over such a range of disciplines. I grew up in a swimming pool and have never felt unsafe in the water, but the open-water swim you describe sounds decidedly scary. Enjoy some well-deserved vacation!

Yesterday I finally got redemption from my marathon five weeks ago, with a half-marathon in 1:46:18. It was faster than any of my last 9 HMs over the past two years, so I was very happy with the result. I started out just ahead of the 1:50 pacer and gradually pulled away. At the halfway point I was fifth woman overall (small race—only about 250 total finishers), and I caught one of them at about 8 miles to finish fourth—unfortunately, the third-place finisher was 40-something so I didn’t win the overall masters. The last few miles were hard but I didn’t cramp or have anything else go wrong. I don’t race with a watch, and while I knew I was doing OK because I was well clear of the 1:50 pace group, I didn’t realize how well I was doing until I made the final turn with 50 meters to go and saw the clock.

The rest of my week:

Monday, 9.7 miles

Tues: 11.0 miles

Wed: 9.6 miles

Thurs: 6.4 miles

Fri: 4.0 miles very easy

Sat: 13.1 mile race in 1:46:18 (8:06/mile pace, 79.2% age grade)

Sun: Plan to ride the bike only, as my bad heel is pretty sore now.

Healthy running to all.

Congratulations, amkelley! You deserve a big improvement - you've sure done the work to get there!!!