50+ Masters Training and Racing Open Forum

Had a slight set back but am doing what I call a hot stove approach. Back off as you get too close.

my third knee surgery in 46 years on Feb 23rd. 4th week after ran 11 or 12, then 17 the next but woke up one morning hobbling. Scared me.

Two days off, ran 3 felt ok, ran 3 yesterday felt ok… getting stuff on now for another short workout.

if you would have told me 35 years ago that there would be a time that I’d take the time to put the stuff on to run 2 or 3 miles I would have not believed it.

if I don’t run I get depressed. Biking or walking dosent cut it.

Been staying away from the forum the last couple of weeks because reading every body's training and racing posts is depressing. I'm as healthy as I've been the last 5 years but all the races are cancelled because of Covid and I have zero interaction with other runners. I drive to a track once a week in a nearby town hoping I might see other runners but at most, a couple friendly hobby joggers.

Took the treadmill indoors because of the farmers burning the rice fields and the next day a cyclone hit Vietnam and another followed. The fires were doused and the weather is borderline chilly the last 12 days. Did a couple TH runs from 2.5 to 4 miles at ~5:43/mi and they weren't too difficult but know they would be unsustainable for an hour so renaming them to CV runs. Staying fit but it is taking tons of resolve.

I'm amazed how countries in the West are dealing with Covid versus here in SE Asia. People are dying here but a small fraction compared to the West. I remember last year when a couple people died( not in a city but the whole country ) in a weak and the panic that was overwhelming at times. The fear has been constant ever since that period. Wish somebody could beam me to America for a few months.

Sorry for the rant - I'm just frustrated with this fear regardless if it is justified.

Early Post motivated by the after glow of a promising workout!

Recovery...Base...Speed...Race
Updated Goal Range:
10:45---11:15---11:30
5:44(86)---6:00(90)---6:10(92)

Speed critical factor only 8 weeks before race
Start date for 8 weeks:Monday Feb 21st 2022

April 4th. Week 6 of 8 2 workouts
Tuesday poweroff treadmill sub LT 2 x 10 minutes recovery 5 minutes semi hard workout last 3 minutes run of 2nd 10 felt and did the run to the barn felt great! I am getting fit but not sure how this fitness will translate on race day.

Tired Wed,Thurs bounced back Friday

Friday 5K Race Effort 3 laps in 9:15 no rest Sand Dune Course 3:04,3:06,3:05 . My goal was 3:10-3:20 under 10 so was very happy with this but sand is sand conditions change anyhow 4 weeks to Hayward Classic 3000. Two weeks out I might do a 3000 dress rehersal + 2 seconds per 400 on the track. Feeling a bit more confident in my unconventional training which is unconventional. The older I get the less std training stuff applies.

Onward!

Charlie,

Another race prep workout is continuous 3,000m = 500m @ ~1500m pace + 2,000m @ ~5,000m pace + 500m @ ~1500m pace. Good twist in driving up heart rate tempo early, ease into slower pace, then hit it again to finish. Just an idea…..

Igy

Igy, Thanks for the suggestion. I do a variation of this before any tough workout or race. Today my warmup was a 3:30 lap with the first half being a progression and the last half done very hard. Gets all systems prepared but I also take a complete rest to recharge cp and atp. The actual race sim stuff , I shoot for even pacing and today I nailed it;)

Charlie,

Good work. I am confident you will be ready to go.

Igy

Haven't posted a lot lately, but another year older and still here. Have racking up a decent base, although I stopped the skiing a few weeks earlier than planned--just travel, weather, traffic and all that. Hope to do some more next year and year after depending on things.

Here is a summary of the past couple of weeks.

Su - LR 2:40, going easy for about 70 minutes then steady with some breaks going easy

M - AM 20 min cycle; PM easy 43 min on trails

T - easy on trails (1:12)

W - 1:42 on paved bike paths and park roads with tempo work of 3, 2, 1, 1/2 mile over hilly terrain (avg. about 6:45 for the tempo part).

Th - 1:13 easy on paved bike path and gravel road

F - 1 hour recovery effort on trails

Sa - track session with 7X 800, on LT as a warm up, then progressing from 3:06 to 2:57 with 1 min recovery

Su - LR 2:15 on rolling dirt roads (middle 14 was at about 7:10 pace)

M - AM 15 on bike to loosen up; PM 45 min easy run (very tired)

T - rest

W - 53 minutes easy

Th - 75 minutes with 3X 1 mile (6:21, 6:10, 6:08) on bike path

F - 54 minutes easy

Sa - 1:10 easy with pick ups

Hope the 50+sers here keep up the good work and stay healthy!

M62, 5'11", 178 lbs
Age 23: 16:05, 2:40:30
Age 43: 17:10, 2:56:03
Age 58: 18:58, 3:07:26

RACE CALENDAR
May 7: Half Marathon
May 29: Marathon

APRIL 4-10, 2022
M - Off
Tu- 7.7 miles @ 8:43 avg (9:27 > 7:26)
W - Off
Th- 4.0 miles (10:31, 10:20, 10:06, 9:18)
F -- Off
Sa- 22.2 mi @ 8:49 avg
Su- Off
TOTAL: 33.9 MILES

My son and I are running the same marathon next month (his first), so we got together for a long run yesterday. After a couple very easy miles to start, we settled in at 8:35 to 8:45 pace, which put my son at his target heart rate.

I felt amazingly good, considering my light mileage -- only 20 mpw lately. I'm looking forward to the upcoming half marathon. If I can drop a couple pounds before then, I may aim for sub-1:30. That would likely be top-3 M60-64.

Run well.

Also: Update on cancer strategy. After meetings with the surgeon and with the radiation MD, I've decided to on "active surveillance." The risk is a lapse in insurance coverage, so no MRIs and biopsies during that time. Or worse, not be able to afford surgery or radiation if things suddenly worsened. Thats a low risk, though.

M. 30 min kayaking. 5 km steep singletrack run, easy effort.

T. 5 km easy run on steep golf course. 20 km easy mtb ride.

W. 10 km easy forest run.

T. 25 kms mtb ride easy.

F. 40 min easy kayaking.

S. Hour of steep singletrack hiking. 25 kms mtb ride.

S. 10.5 km steep singletrack run 400 m elevation gain. Easy. 85 mins.

A lazy week, legs felt heavy all week.

22.3 miles

6 weeks out from 3rd knee surgery. Year 46 of being a runner.

Dont really want to quit.

First summer series race is on May 15th. I have volunteered for clean up duties after the race as well.

my 11th year on clean up duty. I can snap open a trash bag faster than any other post race cleanup person in the world. I am a master at dumping the water out of the tub after a summer race in Arizona and loading the tub back on the truck. With a back brace, I can manhandle a registration table and stack them all up in the truck in record time and be at post race breakfast before 9am.

and I still race too.

Real nice sessions Charlie...Igy, I like your 500 / 2000/ 500 suggestion...Allen your workouts are looking great...hope you can see your way throgh that other hiccup seamlessly...and soon.

My coccyx area pain has not subsided after two weeks of easy treadmill jogging, so I've stopped running entirely...officially on the injures reserve list.

That being said, I am throwing the kitchen sink at this ailment...icing, ant-inflammatories, rolfing, A.R.T. work...and seeing an osteopath week after next.

This too shall pass...but will preclude me from racing the upcoming mini-track season that I had planned (April22 - June10).

Time instead to first heal, and then work towards 2022 goal # 2 which is a marathon on August 28th.

I've really got no business running marathons anymore, BUT, 2022 makes exactly 50 years since my first one...so, is one of those oddball goals that 'keep me interested'.

Time is of no consequence...my first was a blistering (literally) 3:36 at age 16...best is 2:25...thinking 4:26 as an age 66 goal...you know, a slow down of just 1 minute per mile for each of the 50 years since the first one....insert big eyeroll here.

As my darling bride tells me, "whatever floats your boat" ;}

Headed out for a walk out in the nearby vineyards with aforementioned bride and pooch (instead of running)...followed by an afternoon of icing and Masters golf watching.

Wishing everyone a swell week ahead.

Your pal,

MF

FUNNY Robert E. Lee...thanks for that chuckle.

Felt like quite a good week-

Sun - 2000m time trial in 7:37. Pretty happy as quite a bit quicker than target pace for Hayward 3000m.

Mon - Recovery run - 4 miles @ 7:50

Tue - 7.25 miles at 7:15, including 6x4 min at around 10 mile pace, with 4 min steady recovery

Wed - Recovery jog -3.32 miles @ 8:07

Thur - 4.3 mile at 8:07, including 6x40 sec hill sprints, 2 min recovery

Fri - Recovery jog- 3.01 @ 7:59

Sat - 5.8 miles at 7:12,including 16x200m average 45 sec with 200m average 66 sec recovery.

Not a lot of distance, but did several 80 min runs through winter for the cancelled March trail run, so hoping that enough aerobic background to get to first week in May.

This week was back to training plan mileage for me. I tried to keep everything pretty easy and just get the mileage in. 55 miles -

M- 6mi walk

T- 8mi of 400 walk/ 400 run

W- 9mi of 400 walk/ 400 run

Th- 8mi hills 10:14/mi

F- 6mi of 400 walk/ 400 run

S- 8mi trails with my son 9:17/mi

Su- 10 mi trails 10:20/mi

Good running to all!

Greetings!

Just closed my skiing season, on April 6 this year. Then, a warm front arrived and temperature zoomed from 30F on Wed. morning up to 60F on Fri. afternoon. It’s back to the season average now (45-50F).
This my week was unimpressive:
Mon and Thu – off (too much work and too late home)
Wed – 74 min skiing
Thu – 50 min elliptical, incl. 5х4 min (10-15 bpm below LT) with 1 min slowdown in between
Fri – 50 min elliptical, incl. 4х5 min (15 bpm below LT) with 2 min slowdown in between
Sat – 5 miles easy running (8 min/mi) with 2 x 500 m in the middle at 1:54 and 1:56
Sun – 5 miles moderate. In the middle, tried 1K @ 4:00 in a newly bought Saucony Triumph 19. Just to check how it goes at a cruise speed. It goes OK, though 18 were softer and I liked them more.

The next 3 weeks will be very bad here running wise because of the weather. Not possible to run in the forest yet (snow and ice, then mud), and too much water on roads (bypassing cars will give a cold shower). Also, everything is grey until around May 1st when leaves and flowers finally come. Thus, will take a short 2-week vacation and fly 1K miles south to a seashore. Hope that radon baths and mud therapy (as well as massage, etc.) will help with my legs that hurt much more that a year ago.

Nice week to everybody!

ok week for me, maybe a little improvement on hamstring. Tentatively considering comeback race in 2 weeks, albeit probably not 100% effort

M 45:00 + 1:00 x-t

Tu 1:35

W 1:20 with 2 X 10:00 (2:00 jog) at marathon pace effort

Th 1:05

F 1:30 + 1:00 x-t

Sa 1:10 with 5 X 3:00 (2:00) fairly hard, maybe 10k effort

Su 1:00 + 1:00 x-t

have a great week,

Dave

Good afternoon. We had a good snow this morning, melted in a couple of hours. Funny seeing the snow on our flowering plum trees. Not much going on here running wise. Two days a week, and down to one PT appointment. The hip seems to be improving, low back definitely better. Two years ago prior to Covid I signed up for the Eugene Half Marathon, cancelled, then deferred a year. Well this year isn’t going to happen. I checked to see if I could transfer the bib, thinking Charlie or Cavorty might be interested, but no. My wife is getting the house interior painted (by me), so there is always a brighter side to life (thinking Monty Python crucifixion scene).

Take care, and have a good week.

Igy

Too bad about having to paint the house but at least the lower back improvement will make it a little easier.
Charlie - impressive WO’s and you are ready.
Allen1959 - handling this much better than I would be able to. Hope all ends well and keep up the good spirits.
MikeF - too bad about the new coccyx pain which I had to google. Sure you will bounce back like you have in the past.

This past week:
Only 1 outside faster run at 5:42/mi and held it for 5k. Pretty much the same as last week. The farmers have resumed torching their fields after the recent storms so back inside walking on the mini treadmill. I just measured it and it came to a little over 1 foot wide x 3 feet long. As noted below, Did 2 hard sessions on it and my partner got a kick out of it. As funny as she thinks it looks, the sessions are extremely productive. Impossible to get injured other than falling off the raised deck.

Had my first real health scare in years two nights ago. My gallbladder or something near it went rogue after drinking a half gallon of milk. Hospital is a 2 hour drive so I just fought through the stabbing pain and nausea for 10 hours. Seems to be OK now but I’m only eating foods that won’t upset it.

Monday Run 1:11:17 9:18/mi 120 bpm
Treadmill 33:18:00 104 bpm
Tuesday Treadmill 1:11:02 118 bpm 20x30 secs @ 2k effort+ 14x1 min treadmill 20% incline
Treadmill 34:03:00 106 bpm
Wednesday Run 48:22:00 8:23/mi 125 bpm
Treadmill 55:12:00 104 bpm
Thursday Run 35:10:00 7:15/mi 138 bpm
Treadmill 50:20:00 103 bpm
Friday Treadmill 50:16:00 93 bpm
Run 52:29:00 7:27/mi 141 bpm 3 miles at 5:42/mi + 3x300m at ~4.55/mi + 8 minutes TH
Saturday Treadmill 1:02:01 96 bpm
Treadmill 46:01:00 107 bpm
Sunday Treadmill 1:46:18 123 bpm 20x30 secs 2k effort + 14x1 min 10k effort treadmill 20% incline
Treadmill 22:03 97 bpm
Totals 12.33 hours and avg 113 bpm