50+ Masters Training and Racing Open Forum

Brittle Master 1958 wrote:

I get the impression you guys were never in the military, or went to summer camp, or were on a sports team.

I suffered through all three of these crucial experiences, which contributed to making me the broken man I am today. Forty years of working for a living has completed the catastrophe. ;-)

*Week 478*

Greetings 50+ers! Nothing to report this week. The poison ivy rashes and heat and humidity really did a number on me. Lack of sleep, too, from the insatiable itchy skin. In retrospect, I probably should have gone in right away for a prednisone shot. But I suffered through it with cortisone cream and Allegra; it's finally starting to clear up and I actually got half-way decent sleep last night for the first time in 10 days. Only a couple of hot spots remain. I plan on finally getting back to activity today....probably just an hour walk (it's finally cooler today!) Yard needs work, but I'm a little gun-shy at the moment.

Props to a nice solo DaveH, and happy anniversary MikeL. Nice discussion regarding training hard and longevity. Healy v. Cush....that would be fun to watch! CbD, hope you can find a solution to your hip woes....I suffer from piriformis issues in the right hip...have for years, even when I was running well. Nice to see some solid training from others, and good luck on the rehabs for those still dealing with issues.

My summer-of-covid staycation has come to an end and I'm officially back on the clock come Monday (not that there hasn't been a ton of logistical virtual meetings this summer.) Feeling a little anxious about the prospect of in-person classes this fall (all hybrid, and half-capped); students are wanting to be switched to all online schedules; faculty are asking for exemptions from having to teach any in person; adjuncts are likewise not wanting to take in-person sections. It's a mess!

That's all I've got. Hope y'all have a great week, and stay safe out there!

All the Best!

LucKY: Hope the return to college goes well. I am deeply concerned about Covid spikes. Guess we’ll find out.

Allen1959: Interesting on the Vapors. I wonder if there is a cost to the mechanics of the body? I have a 53 yo buddy who switched to them and now is having knee problems (but had probs before the Vapors too). He’s a high 17 low 18 5K guy and it would be good to hear from on this thread. Wonder if he thinks the Vapors are a factor? Yeah, he’s a damn good runner.

Tue = 4 miles with 3@8:22 pace

Thur = 4 miles, cemetery, easy

Sat = 4 miles with 3@7:48 pace

Sun = 4 miles easy

M/W/F = 3 X (9 exercises X 15 reps) with 15-pound dumbbells.

7 days post hot-spot with no COVID SX, so fingers crossed. Feeling excellent overall and enjoying running a great deal. Excited about race coming up on 8/15.

Have a good one.

oId guy wrote:

Ghost of Igloi wrote:

OK, then you’re just a turd and take every opportunity to harass me. It’s a regular deal with you. What’s up with your Igy obsession. Speak of creepy.

It was I who reported that photo. It was a disgusting and unnecessary photo. It was not harassment to call you out for this. It was appropriate and necessary to have it removed. You are lucky that you weren’t banned.

OK, “best to most” :-)

“I wonder if there is a cost to the mechanics of the body?“

As mentioned, I have used my Vaporfly 4% three times and noted the “slappy” feeling. I could see how it could compromise foot mechanics.

Good morning. Covid 19 cases have leveled off in Idaho, and like many of the harder hit states deaths have accelerated. We are still largely work at home at my office. More stores are mandatory masks, and my YMCA is still a ghost town. I have seen more small business closures as well recently. I was planning to compete in the Huntsman World Senior Games, and that is another off the list for 2020. I just can’t get excited about the virtual racing at the moment.

The training week was uneventful after my backpacking trip. The downhill return gave me a case of DOMS, and trio itself several days of general fatigue. Did walk one day, rested the other. Saturday’s workout with the group was alright, but I moderated the plan.

Saturday: One mile easy; 4 x 100m repetition @ 25, 22, 23, 22 / 20m walk; 200m walk; 2 x 1,200m tempo @ 6:43, 6:46 / 2:00 rest; 600m easy; 4 x 200m easy @ 52, 49, 47, 44 / 200m walk; 800m easy

I’ll try to work into the full group schedule as the week progresses.

Have a good week.

Igy

The local heat wave led to an extra day off at the beginning of the week, so this week’s actual running miles totaled only around 13 miles. The good news is I was back to a 50+’ run by the end of the week. There have been no issues with the calf/Achilles, so I have resumed activities such as push ups and eccentric heel drops. Hoping that the weather cooperates and I can get closer to a 20 mile week soon, but I may have to wait for the dog days to end. Either way, life is good!

Sun: off

Mon: off

Tues: 40’ CR; swim; body wt ex + med ball routine

Wed: off

Thu: 42’ run; 16 oz curls

Fri: off

Sat: 51’ CR; swim; body wt ex + med ball routine

Best to most!

L2b, good to hear that the poison ivy rash is settling down. Out here we only see poison oak, and I usually end up with a little spot or two near my ankles in late Summer or Fall which is plenty irritating. I hate to even think about how a heavy exposure in sensitive areas like you had would feel. There is a detergent product called Tecnu (originally designed for nuclear decontamination) carried by most drugstores that is marketed for removing poison ivy/oak/ sumac oil from the skin. I always keep some in the medicine cabinet and use it immediately any time I think I may have brushed some poison oak on a run. It definitely reduces the severity of the reaction if you get the oil off your skin sooner rather than later.

On Tuesday I got an email saying the rescheduled Carlsbad 5000 was going virtual. Despite that I have gotten myself back into race training mode and I plan to run a 5k on the 9/19-20 weekend. Yesterday I ran a hard trail 6 miles with my son to see how far I've let my fitness slip with my half-baked June and July running. I averaged 8:46/mi which was better than expected. Strava showed that I ran that same loop on 8/3/2019 at 8:44/mi when I was getting ready for last year's XC season. However, in early May this year when I had hopes of Fall racing I ran it at 8:31/mi. I think I can improve 0:10/mi fairly quickly, but then picking up more seconds from there requires lots of work with small returns. My goal for the 5k is 20:45 which is about 83% age graded. I managed a 20:30 at Carlsbad last year. This week was 5 runs for 25 miles with the one hard run yesterday plus one hour surfing sessions on Tuesday and Friday in small surf.

Good running to all and avoid those irritating plants!

daily 50 minute slogs

Highlights:

Set a new all time slow about 2 miles in 50 minutes felt great!

2 days of Slow Sand Dunes 8 x 75" up 10 percent grade over the top down a ways very steep soft sand back up 20" jog down 10 percent jog around starting every 5 minutes. HR was about 70 percent of mhr at top so very aerobic fat burning but neural muscular taxing none the less.

Followed by a 6 minute unstructured fartlek on a hilly rooty dirt trail pushing the uphills cruising the flats relaxing on the downhills fun!

2 x 20" downhill sand sprints hard effort continuous efforts

3x20" downhill sand first 10" gradual acceleration last 10" all out sprint these felt great.

35' fat adapted tempo at about 70 percent of mhr felt really good

Plan is to keep developing aerobic endurance and sprint speed while maintaining the middle.

I am a few weeks away from 64 . A sub 64/400 after turning 64 is a primary goal which of course leads to another primary goal of a fast 800 hopefully do one of these at 2021 Hayward Classic at the shiny new stadium.

M60, 5'11", 181 lbs

JULY 26 - AUG 1, 2020

Sun - Off

Mon - Off

Tues - 4..0 miles (splits 9:40, 9:19, 8:59, 8:17)

Wed - Off

Thur - 4.0 miles (splits 8:53, 8:30, 8:09, 8:04)

Fri - Off

Sat - 2.0 miles (splits 9:41, 9:15); 3 mi kayak

TOTAL - 10.0 MILES

I cut back the mileage a bit this week, trying to stay ahead of the knee pain. Thursday's out-and-back 4-miler was a hard effort from the start; time progression was natural as I warmed up. Happy to average 8:30 pace.

My apologies for lack of feedback on everyone's efforts. During my time away from the thread, kinda lost track of where folks were in terms of injuries, training, goals, etc. There are a few new "faces," too. The Covid "Pause" doesn't help, with few race results to ponder. Just a few thoughts for now --

Congrats to Dave for that impressive 5K time trial. Loved that you donned a race bib.

LucKY - Do you think you'll ever race again? I'm trying to accept that I will not, at least in any competitive sense. In the scheme of things, it's a very minor matter, but still saddens me.

Coyote M - You must be bummed about all the cancelled races while you're still in the younger half of your age group.

Amkelley, hope you were finally able to go hiking.

Brittle, I'm hoping to catch up to your mileage stats. At just 10 this week, I'm not faring well. Also, my goal is to add upper body work on my "off" days, but have yet to make it happen.

Igy, I agree the Vaporfly shoes could cause knee, hip problems. Any high-drop shoe kills my knees, and as I recall the drop is very significant. Plus the high stack height I hear makes for an unstable ride.

Mopac -- Thought of you as my wife and I put our kayaks in the water yesterday. First time in two years. I'll add that there's no whitewater in the Erie Canal. Only once did I attempt the rushing waters of a swollen creek -- my 15-foot kayak got pinned against a downed tree, and rolled over. My son and I went six miles with the current, then back. The slow progress of the return trip, while arduous, made it easier to negotiate obstacles.

Be well, everyone.

Hi runners out there, keep running for the sake of running. It is freedom being capable to run.

First week ramping carefully up after last down week keeping the HR down for most of the week:

Mo. 10x100 with walk back

Tu. 7.5 miles easy

We. off, checking how good is recovery --> all ok

Th. 8.5 miles wasy

Fr. 8.5 miles easy

Sa. 1 h steady hilly

Su. 1:20 LR easy, hilly

I have to extend my LR on Sunday because easy pace picked up from 1:30 to 1:20.

Pleas stay safe and healthy. A thought may be that collective societies may perceive protecting others by wearing masks if distancing is not possible is cooperative and no loss of individual rights.

Cheers

Brittle Master 1958 wrote:

oId guy wrote:

It was I who reported that photo. It was a disgusting and unnecessary photo. It was not harassment to call you out for this. It was appropriate and necessary to have it removed. You are lucky that you weren’t banned.

Props for 'fessing up, old guy, but with all due respect to you and Bertrand, who really does seem to be a prude and a harasser, it definitely wasn't worth reporting.

I get the impression you guys were never in the military, or went to summer camp, or were on a sports team. If you were, you didn't get enough of your self-regard rubbed off, which is one of the important functions of those institutions.

Hi old guy,

I do respect your choice. I would like to understand why it was necessary. Why should be somebody banned because he once needed to shiet into the forest what became a relevant memory and felt decades later the urge to share. Hey, we are all full of crazy memories. The foto was connected to a photographer which seems to have a meaning in some peoples live. For me it was showing a part of runners live which we should all try to keep under control as much as possible. Because the most important question is: Are you allowed to stop the watch if you interrupt the run to take a duemp?

Cheers

Allen1959 wrote:

Brittle, I'm hoping to catch up to your mileage stats. At just 10 this week, I'm not faring well.

Allen, haha, your odds of catching up to my meager mileage are good! With my hamstring and now my hip acting up, I may be cutting back just as you are adding.

Perhaps my tribulations have made me a little irritable lately, for which I apologize. Seems like some of us oldsters have to do A LOT OF EXTRA WORK to keep our bodies in shape to run a very few miles. Even with all the extra work, the end product often isn't a body that is capable of racing well, even within age group. But as I learned years ago in the Army, the curt and accurate response to most complaints is, "NBC." (No Body Cares.) It is what it is.

good luck with back to school. We start in 3 weeks. My classes were slated to be a complicated mix of in-person, remote, and 1/2 of each [1/2 of students + me on site, half on zoom], but just a few days ago American U switched to all-remote for Fall. I'm the world's lowest-tech person and was originally hoping for in-person, but by the time the decision came down I felt relieved -- if i have to learn all the distance-learning stuff anyway, I might as well not commute on subway, and I know lots of students/colleagues were understandably reluctant to be there in person

Easy recovery week for me:

M 30:00

Tu 45:00

W 60:00

Th 45:00

F 50:00

Sa 1:20

Su 50:00 with drills and strides

one more week easy, then I plan to start 10 X 9-day cycles to 10-mile solo time trial, then regroup for a couple weeks, then 12 X 9-days to B & A Trail marathon March '21. That's the deadline I've issued regular life to come back.

Have a great week,

Dave

[quote]lucKY2b wrote:

[My summer-of-covid staycation has come to an end and I'm officially back on the clock come Monday (not that there hasn't been a ton of logistical virtual meetings this summer.) Feeling a little anxious about the prospect of in-person classes this fall (all hybrid, and half-capped); students are wanting to be switched to all online schedules; faculty are asking for exemptions from having to teach any in person; adjuncts are likewise not wanting to take in-person sections. It's a mess!

Newbi,

As they say in the land of my forefathers:

"Es passiert Scheiße"

Igy

Brittle Master 1958 wrote:

I get the impression you guys were never in the military, or went to summer camp, or were on a sports team. If you were, you didn't get enough of your self-regard rubbed off, which is one of the important functions of those institutions.

You could not be more wrong. One thing I learned in those institutions was that self-regard is secondary to regard for others. Posting a photo of one wiping his ass shows a complete lack of respect for others. It is the ultimate in narcissistic acts.

Newbi, we have all taken a dump along the trails. How many times have you asked someone to photograph yourself in the act and then posted that photo on social media? Is there anyone else on this thread who has done that?

oId guy wrote:

You could not be more wrong.

old guy, OK, fine, I was wrong and I apologize. Moving on.

SUNDAY, August 2, 2020:

- 2 miles walking

- Regular stretches (11 stretches)

- Upper Body strength (6 exercises, 1 set each)

- Back stretches (9 stretches)

- Lower Body strength (5 exercises, 3 sets each)

- Knee strength (2 exercises)

This week’s totals:

18 miles running, 4 miles walking, stretching, strengthening

The world that we used to know

People tell me it don't turn no more

The places we used to go

Familiar faces that ain't smilin' like before

The time of our time has come and gone

I fear we been waiting too long

Steely Dan, “MIdnite Cruiser”

Of course I asked Duncan to take the photograph just so I could irritate you 49 years later. :-)

I do respect you and your emotions which I do not want hurt in any way. So, no offence to you or other at all.

And I do respect a full life of crazy memories which became maybe individually and symbolically meaningful. I have a lot of such memories. I am very thankful, that the German society in the 80s and 90s was very tolerant. Provocation was perceived as an action of an adolescent to negotiate the importancy of existing norms for the future of the adolescent. If I will be old, I will have no more future on earth. But the young need to negotiate the norms of their coming five to seven decades living in their community.

I will continue this topic.

Cheers