50+ Masters Training and Racing Open Forum

amkelley: Dang, sure wish some doc could help figure out something. Good thing you have biking.

SCgal: Congrats! So nice to get “semi” back to normal.

Charlie: Glad to hear from you.

Tue = 4 miles with 6 X (1 min on, 2 min off)

Thr = 4 miles easy cemetery prior to 2nd Moderna vaccine

Sat = 4 miles easy new greenway section (9:27 pace). Still feeling effects of vaccine

Sun = 4 miles easy new greenway section. Still not 100%.

Tue, I brought back an old workout from when I was 50 in 2009. It felt good to break into a flat-out sprint, and left me pretty sore. That tells me I need to do more. I’m hoping it will freshen up my legs a bit before I race March 20th.

The second Moderna shot left me with a temp of 99.9, headache, and body aches the following day. So, I guess it “worked” and I’m building antibodies hand-over-fist. Took a little over 30 hours to not feel like I had the flu. I still have no appetite today, 3 days after the 2nd vaccine.

My area keeps adding new greenway sections by the river. I now have two new sections that don’t even show up on maps. Cool to have them mostly to myself.

Make it a good week.

The week was

Mo 5x800m with 400m jog, total 7 miles

Tu 1 h drills and jumps uphill

We 7 miles easy, 8x100m build up with jog back

Th 5x200m with jog back, total 6 miles

Fr 7 miles easy, 8x100m build up with jog back

Sa chilling and hiking

Su chilling and hiking

Monday 800s shall not be fast. Not yet at all. Tried to hit tempo pace and stayed away from hard breathing.

On Wednesday it was laborous to hit 38s per 200m, which should feel very easy. Big sign that recovery is needed. So I stopped after 5 and decided to rest during the weekend.

I chilled on Sat. & Sun. with some recreational beverages as well as nice walking and playing with my youngest in the forest. Monday back to business :)

Good week to all.

Recreational beverages are an important part of masters running.

cool to read actual race reports. no races on the horizon here so my training is going well, but completely unstructured (as you can see below, i alternated days of 13-3-16-3-13--not much rhyme or reason). i did finally get to start meeting with my h.s. runners this past week--only 4 athletes are cleared, and most have done very little running the last year since we shut down last march. crazy to think the year anniversary is coming up soon.

65 days down, 300 to go:

FEBRUARY 28-March 6

sun: 13 @ 7:30 pace

mon: 9: 3 (with h.s. team, our first practice)+6 (on my own about an hour later)

tue: am--6: 1x1200 (4:10--85/83/82), 3x500 (75 pace through 400m), 2x200 (33/32)

pm--2 (with h.s. team)

pm, pt. 2: 6: 1x1200 (3:53), 6x500 (400 splits: 77/77/77/75/77/73)

wed: 3 (with h.s. team--i’m feeling pretty tired)

thu: am--4

pm--12 (3 miles @ 6:06, 2 min rest; 3 miles @ 5:59, 2 min rest; 2 miles @ 5:45 pace)

fri: 3 (with h.s. team, tired again)

sat: 13, hilly trail run in around 1:45, felt pretty good…

sad end to the week as i attended a memorial for the 20 year old son (sudden unexpected death with epilepsy) of one of my best friends from college. bittersweet since it was nice to see a bunch of old ucla bruin teammates, but obviously tragic circumstances. still, can’t help but feel lucky that running has introduced me to such treasured friends, and hopefully our group’s support of our teammate during such a difficult time was of some comfort…

carpe crepusculum,

cush

Mon. Quick 3 km hike up and down 110 metres elevation on tech single track.

Rough 90 min kayak on the lake, 40 kph winds.

Tue. 3.2 km hike up to the top of the ridge and back 160 metre elevation on tech single track.

2 hr 20 min grinding mtn bike ride in gusty winds, just nothing in the legs so it was just a get it done ride.

Wed. Up early (5am) for Harvey baby sitting duties in Melbourne. Went across to mum's to stay the night. Did a hilly run of 8 kms in 52 mins with 250 metres elevation. A sore right heel on a steep bitumen downhill made me decide to pull up early, planned 12 kms. Felt like I had bruised the rear outer corner of heel.

Thu. A 3 km hike up and down smooth dirt on Basin Hill, 100 metres elevation. Heel felt ok.

70 mins crashing and slogging in the kayak in more big winds on the lake.

Fri. 100 min/34 km forest mountain bike ride, still windy. It has been a very windy but mostly cool few months.

Sat. Battled the wind and chop on the lake in the kayak before belting out 8 mins pretty fast with the breeze. All up about 30 mins.

Mountain bike session straight after, About 35 mins but did a hot lap of a rolling dirt loop of 7 km at 26 kph.

Changed shoes, warmup 1.2 km jog then 1.5 km striding out on 6.14 then 600 m jog.

A quick steep tech hike of 2 km with 100 metres elevation.

Sun. Quick 3 km tech singletrack hike up the ridge and back 160 m elevation.

14 km fairly smooth 14 km run in 79 mins. Heel was feeling 90 %.

A bit short on for running k's this wedk but it will do.

Back to work today after 3 weeks leave.

My fitness is ok but I do need a few fater efforts to get me in some sort of race shape.

Racing is back to near normal here but I haven't been organised enough to get to one yet.

Spring is here! We're looking for the mid 60's this week. It was nice to get back outside for most of my workouts last week. Hit my goal of 31 miles on 5 good runs. Managed two rides. Kind of a non-event week...

M: 6.01 Miles in 52:48 [8:47 per mile] 913,857,847,846,833,826 HR 141

T: am: 10.06 Miles in 30:02 ride. 20.1mph, HR105 max 125 pm: 4.01 Miles in 34:38 [8:38 per mile] 903,834,831,826

W: 5.14 Miles in 42:55 [8:20 per mile] 832,829,820,816,811

T: Off

F: 10 Miles in 1:24:05 [8:24 per mile]

HR135; 905,854,838,830,818,817,813,807,803,800

S: am: 2.87 Mile walk in 43:28 [15:08 per mile] pm: 6.05 Miles in 51:48 [8:33 per mile]

853,840,837,827,827,818

S: 25.23 Mile ride in 1:36:58 38 deg & sunny. 15.9mph HR 121 70rpm

My plan is calling for 33 miles this week. Still keeping everything above 8:00 pace. I really need to work on shedding the 10lbs I've put on the past 6 months. I don't think I'm fat or anything (6'2" 178) but I'm getting a little soft in the middle! My racing weight the past 15 years has been 163-165. Which my wife thinks is too skinny...

The death of Paul McMullen is bothering me. I've never met him but always knew of him. He's from upNorth where we've vacationed 100 times. There's a sign as you come into Cadillac, MI that says "Home of Paul McMullen 1996 Olympian". Crazy to think he died skiing on the slopes he grew up skiing on.

Vaccine? No thanks.

That's it from here. Have a good run!

Dave

Michelle went 5:03.88 for 1500 this weekend at the AAU meet. I am out of shape. I'll check in next week

Greetings all. Finally hit my goal time for the week:

M - weights

T - 30:00 easy

W - 45 min easy

T - 30:00 easy

F - weights

S - off

S - 60:00

Goal is to maintain that for 3-6 months picking up speed as I get fitter. Toss in progression run, tempo run, fartlek on Tuesday or Thursday as things take shape.

M61, 5'11", 190 lbs

FEB 28 - MARCH 6, 2021

Sun - Off

Mon- Off

Tues- 22 min on bike trainer

Wed- 5.0 miles @ 9:41/mi

Thur- 23 min on bike trainer

Frid- 5.0 miles slowly

Sat - 22 min on bike trainer

TOTAL: 10.0 MILES

Another attempted re-start. Twenty-five pounds overweight. Looking forward to better days ahead!

I am a couple of days tardy posting so y'all forgive me. I have massive respect for the coaches on this site who are on their feet for 12 hours for big high school track meets. And this doesn't count the meet set up the night before waiting for 4 soccer games to finish. But it was worth it for me hosting the Rome Invitational last Saturday with 800+ Athletes from 23 schools. Our top boy won his third race in a row running like a pro. 9:22.20 for 3200 patiently sitting on the rail behind 2 or 3 frontrunners before blasting to the win for victory. I'm coaching this kid and he's a JOY to do just that. Last week we said, "get yourself on the rail and 'be boxed in the first 2 laps'". His splits? 71-70-68-59! Saturday he did the same "rail strategy" with a steady 4:41-4;41.

Me? Back in PDX for a 3-kids visiting week; trying to keep the training plan going before I sneak in an outdoor 1500m at a low-key Sunday AAU Meet back in Georgia in a few weeks. Lucky me!

Y'all be good now, Ya hear? KP

*Week 510*

Greetings 50+ers! Well....I've not been AWOL for quite awhile. I think maybe just once before in the past roughly 10 years that this thread has been running. It's been a busy week, but frankly not a very productively one. Some walking, but nothing remarkable. Glad to see so much happening; still concerned for a few that are going through some issues; nice to see a "photobomb" by Charlie. Only good thing to happen this week is getting round one of the vaccine (Pfizer) so hopefully I'll be part of the solution in a few weeks. On a personal note, it looks like I'll be bumped up to the Dean position (interim for now) following the resignation of my well-regarded colleague that I mentioned the other week (filling some big shoes!)...that may have been yet another event that contributed to my tardiness this week.

Be safe out there and I look forward to getting back on the rails.

All the Best!

Congratulations are in order for multiple posters. I am not as skilled as Coach Rohl, but tackling painting my house at age 70. Why? Who knows, challenge, just like running, which will take a back seat if anything for March. This is not a project where you bite, a small piece at a time. Too much preparation and clean up, need to make the day count.

L2B. You might've been running late but certainly not AWOL.

Allen1959 wrote:

M61, 5'11", 190 lbs

FEB 28 - MARCH 6, 2021

Sun - Off

Mon- Off

Tues- 22 min on bike trainer

Wed- 5.0 miles @ 9:41/mi

Thur- 23 min on bike trainer

Frid- 5.0 miles slowly

Sat - 22 min on bike trainer

TOTAL: 10.0 MILES

Another attempted re-start. Twenty-five pounds overweight. Looking forward to better days ahead!

Amazing - that's exactly my run portion of my weekly workout regimen. I'm currently running on a Sun/Thur schedule at around 4 or 5 miles a pop at 9:30 to 10:00 min pace. Still at 170 lbs (5-7), ironically that was my weight 20 yrs ago when I was 40 and running in the neighborhood of 40 mpw and racing 5ks year-round. Lol. But now with advanced trauma-induced OA in my ankle, mild OA in one hip and a bad back from a MV accident several years ago, this is about as good as it gets - and it will eventually get worse to the point of probably no running at all.

This doesn't bother me though because I've become a gym rat embarking on some bodybuilding for fitness (did 10 yrs of competitive bodybuilding/powerlifting after college) and really getting into spinning. It's amazing how well I feel after a 50 min hard intensity spin bike workout - no joint pain or discomfort. I can walk without pain and inflammation the next day and the ankle & hip feel great. Contrast that with how bad I feel after just a 4 or 5 mile easy run, even on a softer surface like a trail - pain & discomfort in the joints, walking with a limp for a day or so, having to ice for the next 24 hrs and sometimes even some pain medication before bed. With spinning, I can even do back to back workouts on the bike with no trouble - I haven't been able to run back to back for years now.

Sometimes we have to face the inevitable with our aging bodies that some of us can no longer tolerate running or no longer run like we did 10 or 20 yrs ago. Running is a high-impact activity that can be unmerciful to those that don't have the right body type or have a sustained acute or chronic injuries over the years where the body just can't tolerate that kind of impact anymore. And who wants to be in constant pain all the time trying to run through these age-related injuries or seeing the medical professionals in hope of a miracle that they'll perform when in reality there's very little they can do other than treating the symptoms.

But the name of the game for us old bucks is fitness. Whatever it takes to stay healthy and fit and not become a burden on our families by becoming chronically ill and full fledged member of the medical system. Heart disease is the # killer of people, especially those over 50. Look around at how many people over 50 are overweight/obese, unhealthy and needing constant medical intervention. Many of these people have lost their independence and put the stress and burden of having to rely on family members to take care of them.

Something interesting here: I stumbled on this YouTube channel called Mark's "60 Plus Fitness Journey." He was once a pretty hard core runner but has transitioned to strength training and bodybuilding, and now goes with a milder form of cardio in walking. Fascinating guy with his workout program and diet, and looks phenominal for his age:

Nothing much to report here for the last couple months, except that yesterday I received my 2nd dose of Pfizer vaccine! Much more delayed onset of shoulder pain than the first, and that was managed with Tylenol. Still sore today (dose was given yesterday at 2:20 PM) and so woke from sleep to take Tylenol first time.

SI Joint pain and hamstring tightness made me back off running and just walk for 40 miles/week. Starting up short, interval runs again, mostly 1/2 mile or less, and managed 20 mpw last week. Hope to run/walk the KC Corp Challenge 1/2 marathon in mid-May, cannot see running nonstop for it by then, but will be 70 so will be a new age group (though they only credit 65+, I'll look for other 70's).

So sorry to hear of other's pains, esp. amkelly, so hope to hear good news sometime. Thank goodness we have a President that believes and is acting on sound science!

By watt of introduction: So it’s been 2 years since I last ran and I am excited that I am getting back into running again. I just turned 50 and have not been active since high school. 2 years ago I almost broke 2 hours for the 1/2 marathon, and that was on 2 years of running on and off.

I started walking on the treadmill and following some MAF low HR principles. Now I am bored and jogging with a short stride to keep my cadence up or else I would be walking. I am right about 130 bpm going for 2 hours per day 5 days a week. It is fatiguing and I sleep better, but no injuries. My thinking is someday my pace will improve and I will be able to someday start a training plan again.

Alternatively, I could incorporate some workouts but would need to run less time to avoid injury.

Any advice?

I would buy a copy of Daniels Running Formula. Read the book cover to cover; the book provides a science based outline for structuring an individually based training program for middle and long distance runners. The book has four editions I believe, any will suffice, even a used copy.

Igy

Been on LetsRun for a while, but just found this thread....hello to all you fellow oldies!!! Great to see so many still going strong.

I used to run alot in my 20's/30's but had nagging injuries to my calves/achilles that just shut me down. Nothing longer than a 10k though. Kept in decent shape, but had a heart attack playing hockey at age 44. Was a nasty one, but was able to recover. At 50, my family was on a trip with another in Amsterdam....and during some drunken bragging, a bet was made. A half marathon had to be run within 9months.

So started slow training and was able to run the Melissa's in Banff AB in 2:05. Was really happy with this. But in trying to continue on in 2020 I had tremendous leg cramping for the first time in my life. Experienced this for 7 months which completely shut my running and virtually all exercise. Finally figured out my Cholesterol pills (because of the heart attack) were the cause. Kicked those to the curb and have been back running all of 2021. Goal is to do another Half this year and break the 2hr barrier.

Currently I only have gotten back to regular 5k's with my longest being 7k. Planning on the Melissa's again in Sept. legs are feeling pretty good.

turning 52 this year. 205 lbs (6ft) - goal is to get to 190 by race time.

Here's hoping.

Cheers all

Good luck, continue to share your journey.