50+ Masters Training and Racing Open Forum

RF reader wrote:

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So I need to run more, and run longer "long runs." The longest I ran this cycle was 14 miles (and only once). I need to run 15-16 miles multiple times with progression

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If I can ask, what’s your weekly mileage? Are you planning to break the rule about your long run not exceeding 25% of total mileage?

Regarding the cannabis discussion, there was some good information presented in the latest AARP Bulletin. Its use among older adults is on the rise and, not surprisingly, AARP has taken an official pro-cannabis position. While they agree there is a tremendous need for more study, they acknowledge that it “seems to help” in many areas (MS, cancer pain, chronic pain, insomnia, PTSD, anxiety, chemotherapy side effects, etc.).

Here’s one article from that publication with links to others:

https://www.aarp.org/health/drugs-supplements/info-2019/cannabis-for-medical-conditions.html

AK-67 wrote:

Regarding the cannabis discussion, there was some good information presented in the latest AARP Bulletin. Its use among older adults is on the rise and, not surprisingly, AARP has taken an official pro-cannabis position. While they agree there is a tremendous need for more study, they acknowledge that it “seems to help” in many areas (MS, cancer pain, chronic pain, insomnia, PTSD, anxiety, chemotherapy side effects, etc.).

Here’s one article from that publication with links to others:

https://www.aarp.org/health/drugs-supplements/info-2019/cannabis-for-medical-conditions.html

Yeah, but that's pricey stuff - they need to get the cost down for some of us seniors on a fixed income (is it going to be covered by insurance?).

I can buy glucosamine and acetaminophen at reasonable prices and get some fairly good pain relief with them (so far anyway - I have OA). Not every retiree is loaded - I have to watch my dough and make good decisions on supplements & pain relief medications.

CV Workout to smile about

20:07 5000 pretty even 400s 1:36/1:37 first 6 laps were easy but was tired over the last 3 laps.

vs 21:26 , 20:46 CVs in Jan which resulted in a 19:05 5 months later.

I doubt this will lead to a 41 second improvement as I am fitter than last year but all I gotta do is improve by 6 seconds over 5000.

We all know this but it is worth repeating.What works for me is competing against myself. If I was a minute a mile faster or slower it all works out the same. I fit into the fast but not that fast category which used to bug me now I see it differently. PopEye said some interesting stuff:

I yam what I yam and tha's all what I yam." ...

"That's all I can stands, cuz I can't stands n'more!" - ...

I'm strong to the finish, 'cause I eats me Spinach, I'm Popeye the sailor man

Toot Toot!

Figures we all love our numbers yeah!

8 months ago after 10 weeks of base building from 20 to 40 minutes a day

Speed/Tempo:

Weekly 20 minute LT runs

A few faster efforts like 4 x 400 R200 jog

Two Hard Tempos close to CV pace:

Jan 1st T 2019 high school track 5k 21:26 even effort 3/3 breathing

Jan 19th T 5000 track 20:46 6:32,6:42,6:44,48 HR 156 3/2 breathing

Mile Time Trial:

Feb 18 Time Trial Mile 5:52.55 South Eugene nice day ran hard 2-1 breathing laps 2,3 then felt better finished fast 85 last lap

2 weeks off no running 9 weeks of running starting at 20 minutes a day of easy progressing to 45 minutes a day with 9 tempo runs and 1 cv run:

Good job Charlie. I was on the other side this morning. I planned a workout with 3.5 miles of tempo runs, but called it a day after a mile warm-up. I have been ramping up my volume, however it caught up to me with general fatigue and dead legs. Plan to get back on schedule in a day or two.

Igy

Ran my last race of the summer season this past Sunday- time was 20:03. Not too disappointed though was hoping to go under 20 again. Overall everything was a big improvement from last year- it pays off to run more- go figure right.

Ran a total of 6 races through the summer. Some hilly- some flat. This was my 2nd year of running and if all goes well will try more races next Spring/Summer. For now will take about two weeks off and then hope to run about 15-20 miles per week to maintain and then begin training a bit more starting in November. Overall thoughts are that regular long runs are needed and more "tempo-ish" runs are needed. Turn 57 in October and the goal is to go under 19 next year even as the body decays.

Here were my times in order for this year's races:

1) 21:41

2) 20:21

3) 20:52

4) 19:51

5) 20:46

6) 20:03

As I look back on it now those races were over a 2 1/2 month period starting in July. Probably should space out the races more. Really enjoyed the running this year.

Hey Igy smart move. For me hard runs are almost always spur of the moment. I feel the need for speed and today I was feeling the need. After 2 miles of jogging on a bike path I felt energetic I thought about doing a cv on the track and my pulse increased oh yea time to party. That is when I really enjoy running no schedules or dates or times just the body and mind saying time to rock .

Allen53 you gotta run a 5000 on the TRACK. Find a race with a bunch of runners running around your best or slightly faster .

There really is something magical about racing on the track no hills no tangents no inaccuracy.

Greetings Ladies and gents, Long time lurker here, male, 61, 6ft.3, 180 pounds. Running well still and feel good. Had bloodwork done and everything turned up normal except T.S.H. levels are 5.7 which is considered Hypothyroid. At 61 I am grateful for good health and feel a bit ignorant to be upset at the results when some of you have been through so much more serious diagnosis. Doctor says Hypothyroidism is rare in males. was wondering if any of you guys have this condition. On 50 Mcg of Levothyroxine. Thank You in advance for any info. and sorry for the whining!

69 year old male 6’-3/4” and 175 lbs. My TSH normal range is listed as 0.45-5.33 on my report, last test 2.438. I am on 25 Mcg Levothyroxine. I was diagnosed hypothyroid in 2002, and on medication since then. My medication strength was reduced over time. I was lethargic prior to treatment. I would recommend a retest in several months and especially if you lose weight. There is a correlation of lengthy participation in endurance activities and hypothyroidism.

Not where I could do that yet, but some encouraging signs of life. Had 10 days off with going to a racehorse sale in Kentucky and back to Oregon, and catching up with work. Had a couple of my "semi-hard" runs, then today ran a "short 5" and 7:02 per mile, which is way quicker than I have for a while. Reasonably even - 7:06 (from cold start), 6:54, 7:02; 7:06 (back into wind); and last 0.6 in 4:15 (7:06 pace). HR actually dropped off a bit late, which tells me it was leg fatigue not cardio-vascular.

Was pretty hard, and probably harder than LT, but not bad considering the left ankle is still too weak to do a single hop on. I think if the ankle was fully functioning I would have got out 6:50s with the same effort.

Don't have any immediate goals, but it might be time to get an aerobic base, if I can slow myself down - the last three months have been goalless other than trying to burn calories and avoid losing too much fitness.

Anyone any idea what three months of 4 miles or so a day at a LT or a little either side is going to have done physiologically?

Cavorty One vote for building your base it worked for me.

Injuries are the bane of all runners eventually even the bullet proof runners BPRs get bit. The number one risk factor for injury is age;) This is a lead in......

Older runners even the BPRs eventually have to change the way they train. Running is not a panacea for good health.You cant outrun a bad diet lack of sleep ect. Running is just one piece of the health span puzzle .

Here is what is working for me at 63:

-Slogging, yep learned how to run really really slow. It took a long time felt awkward felt like I was getting no benefit but now I swear by slogging(credit Tom Osler for the term).

-Diet a high quality diet and supplements specific to me and OMAD also works for me.

-Genotyping taking off the blinders and dealing with my genetic issues was life changing.

-Monitor how well my body is working. Sleep, Blood sugar, Blood pressure, Blood work still working on this as there is just so much stuff to measure, Thinking about a whole body scan using MRI 3500 bucks a pop but probably worth doing at least once.

-Tons of cross training that include joint maintenance upper body strength and range of motion

-Sauna 30 minutes of sweating to the oldies or Joe Rogan at least 4 days a week. Yeah I am sold on the benefits of sauna or how to sweat without moving.

-Low impact running barefeet softsand

So I probably left some stuff out but I was only trying to make a point and to give others dealing with aging some ideas.

These are all areas: Diet,Exercise, Sleep and Monitoring. Running has been and still is a powerful form of exercise with major health benefits but as are many beneficial things has a down side.

Time for that SCalPete writer guy to act his age:) and write a book on how to run into old age;) Covering all the issues with getting old and how to deal with em. He of course would be perfect to do this as he has just entered the twilight zone.

Coyote Montane wrote:

KC geezer, I do doubles most weeks, usually about two or three. Rationale is sometimes it's difficult to get in a full 9 or 10 miles on a workout day (e.g., tempo or reps) when I have to be at work by 8 or 8:30, so I break it up into workout and then an easy, short run; sometimes I just need to break up a regular run (easier to do two 35 or 40 minute efforts than 75 or 80).

CM, since this describes my situation pretty closely, and you're tracking close to my ideal mileage (60), I decided to take the plunge this week.

I'm on track for 60 and feel fine. That's a 10+% jumpup from my current 52-53 but as Pete Magill says, there is no "rule of whatever" — just do it for a few weeks and see how you feel.

My pace average is a nice easy 8;30 which includes 4400m of 5K mixed intervals on the track. Looking to Sunday's long run I see two things I already like: 14 miles is not even 25% of my weekly total and doing 8 miles of tempo during that run would raise my "hard" time for the week to just 17%. In other words, while 60 means my legs take more of a beating, the things I need to do to get tougher are ironically easier to do at 60 than at 52. (Duh.)

All that said — I didn't take a rest day this week. Looking over recent logs you've posted, no rest days. Even when you're super-tired you run. I'm curious what's your rule of thumb on resties.

AK-67 wrote:

Regarding the cannabis discussion, there was some good information presented in the latest AARP Bulletin. Its use among older adults is on the rise and, not surprisingly, AARP has taken an official pro-cannabis position. While they agree there is a tremendous need for more study, they acknowledge that it “seems to help” in many areas (MS, cancer pain, chronic pain, insomnia, PTSD, anxiety, chemotherapy side effects, etc.).

Here’s one article from that publication with links to others:

https://www.aarp.org/health/drugs-supplements/info-2019/cannabis-for-medical-conditions.html

Iggy,

Really appreciate the info. What dosage were you on when diagnosed in 2002 and how long did it take to notice a change? Also, did it improve your running ability?

hypothyroid wrote:

Iggy,

Really appreciate the info. What dosage were you on when diagnosed in 2002 and how long did it take to notice a change? Also, did it improve your running ability?

I was started on 50 Mcg of Synthroid and over time (6-12 months) dropped to 25 Mcg. I noticed it helped keep my weight stable and I felt more energetic. I did my best running as a masters 2006-2008, and feel the boost from getting my thyroid levels into the normal range was beneficial to my overall health. My best masters running came more from a personal commitment, if I can ascribe it to one thing.

Igy

Thanks again for the info Iggy. Much appreciated.

Sure, hope it was helpful. I get it tested once a year by the way with standard blood panel and PSA.

Hi KC,

I rest every 15 to 20 days and I'll take an off day an off day before big races. Otherwise, I'll run two recovery days every week, so 45 to 60 minutes very slow. In August I had 3 days off, 1 so far in September.

Up to 3 years ago I'd take a rest day every 7-10 days, so have upped number of consecutive some. But I'm pretty flexible with it.

Good luck with your experiment to bump up the miles some!

The nearly 5 miles at just over 7:00 pace yesterday kicked my butt. No stiffness or soreness, or aggravation of injuries, but after feeling ok for about 1 1/2 miles today, I had a massive 'bonk' just a complete energy drain, light-headed, hard to move forward at any pace.

Nothing new, as it was happening nearly every other day when I started back in January. Even when I was running well, if I had two weeks active recovery after a major race, when I came back again, I could do a six mile run and go from feeling comfortable to 'bonk' in a matter of strides.

Not surprising that Thursday took a bit out of me as it was about 15 seconds per mile quicker than I've done that run of late.

Looking at the other recommendations, I try and pay attention to sleep and diet, but I have time limitations from my work, especially this time of year. I work for myself, and work from home, but at this time of year if I'm not out for a run, I'm at the computer most of the time from 7am to10pm , seven days a week.

Seem to be fortunate with health problems overall; do stretch a fair bit; get some upper body work in moving hay for the horses we have here; don't cross train, but do generally run every day (to burn calories if nothing else).

I don't do much slow running, very little over 7:40 pace, but if I'm going to try and pick up the distance and get a better aerobic base, I'm going have make myself try and slow to to 8:00 or so. I do find that very hard, as my turnover tends to be in the 195 pm range, and when I'm running as slow as that it seems like I have to make the stride about 6 inches.

I've probably hard-wired myself towards the faster end. I was always lower mileage/higher intensity, and I'd say a lot of the time when I was young, I would do a lot of steady running at around 6:00 min or so. I was still doing my long runs at close to 7:00 in my mid-50s. I'd have to admit though, that it was 8 miles at 7:15 in June that exposed the ankle weakness.

Still can barely hop on the left ankle, but I feel I'm fit enough to actually start to 'train' as opposed to the last three months of taking up residence in zone 2.

No serious goals in the near future, but (re)building an aerobic base seems like a good place to start.