50+ Masters Training and Racing Open Forum

Congratulations KPdx! My team mate, Mike LeBold, won the 65-69 800 before your race. My week was decidedly less exciting. I spent the week tapering for next Sunday's 5k and fighting off a minor head cold. I was feeling congested and very tired for the first several days last week so I just went out and walked two miles each day. My legs felt pretty dead too. By Thursday I was feeling better but tired. I stuck with the two mile walks through Friday. Saturday I ran a very easy 5+ miles with my legs feeling better. Sunday we took my 2-1/2yr old granddaughter to the zoo, which is like a 2hr cross-training workout. This morning I went out and did my recovery day run of 4 miles of walk 400/ run 400. I'll just take it day by day on how I feel this week, and try to get in some strides to work on turnover rate and stride length before Sunday, and assume it will all come together just perfectly for Sunday morning.

Good running to all!

Mike needs to do his bare shirt statue pose in celebration. 😹

SHOULD I BE RUNNING INTERVALS WITH MY 11 YEAR OLD?

So Club starts in two weeks for track. I have been training with my 11 year old to prepare.

M 4X800 2min rest (10mph)
W Fartlek Wednesday
F 8X400 2min rest (10.5MPH)

I do a long run on the weekends. We have been doing this for three weeks now and I am destroyed. Didn't see any improvement in my 5K race this weekend.

Would I be better off with less intervals and more Tempo/Threshold runs?

Congratulation! Championships are about gold, silver, bronze. Please post a link if I could see that race.

Congratulations. Negative splitting to 2:20 in 60+ is good going. Always think that 400/800m guys make a mistake in going to too slow. It's very hard for them to use their speed in the last 200m...

Really bombed the first summer series race. I just had knee surgery in late February but that wasn’t it… it was like what I read one time where an old runner said “ I went out slow then tapered”

I had some lady pass me wearing some back pack water thing sloshing around and ear buds in!!!

what am I training at all for? ha But man it was a great morning volunteering

The club that I volunteer for finally got rid of two things that always keeps me up at night worrying about… that damn finish line (Macys thanksgiving day float ) arch and that damn huge tub we put drinks in at the finish line.

Ya see it’s the same volunteers every damn race!! Same once’s the past 11 years!!! And we are getting old! The sandbags for the arch were killin’ me.. and that tub!!!!!!! I wear a back brace but man!!! Please young people!!!! Sign up to volunteer!!! It’s right there on line !!!!

No more (macys thanksgiving day) finish line arch no more big ass tub to put back on the truck.. but my running is going way down hill… fast… year 47.

Are you named after the Robert E. Lee?

Rendition by Gustav Kruell, my wife’s grandfather. Purchased after Lee was cancelled. 😹

Congratulations to KPdx and ATP on great results! Quite inspiring!

My week May 9-15:
Mon – off (planned)
Tue – 55 min with a fartlek in a sand quarry in the middle. 6 x 45-48 sec uphill (1:10 easy down) and then up and down along the perimeter for 15 min.
Wed – off (unplanned, late from work)
Thu – copying Tue fartlek with longer warm-up (flat running) and cool-down, 64 min total
Fri – elliptical 48 min, easy-moderate (cold rain and strong wind outside)
Sat – again copying Tue and Thu up-down fartlek
Sun – longer uphill, 6 x (1:40-1:45) with 2:10 easy down

That week was the final chance to get (somewhat) ready for a hilly trail on May 22. It will be a 10.2 K course with 330 m elevation gain. No flat segments, at all. Only ups and downs on a steep slope (river bank) around a winter slalom facility. Accordingly, I tried to run the whole week up and down, mostly to get used for this mode mentally.
Signed for this challenge for training diversity reasons only. I am getting bored very quickly doing similar stuff week by week. And hills are fun, I loved them in my youth. Will then try to translate additional strength into flat running speed aiming at 10 K road masters in mid June. Will see if it helps or not now at nearly 64.

This week workouts will be milder with rest on Wed and Fri and easy Sat.

Happy and injury-free running to all!

I don’t think so but I did retire as an Army Major.
Another race this Saturday. I don’t volunteer at this one. I would but the only volunteering I will do is the lifting, bagging up, loading up work. The club arranges it so that you can both volunteer and run but I have found that “ set up” can have a tendency to ruin your race. When you get done putting out the aid stations, setting up the registration area and the finish line arch, you feel DONE.

so, this year .. it’s clean up only UNLESS I notice that no damn body volunteers for set up!!!! Then I’ll show up at 5am. Getting up at 3am.

I asked to volunteer at this Saturdays race but the only volunteer positions they have are giving the medals out and registration.. I’m a trash man.

Just a brief update, ran a 4 miler in late April, 5 km (about 3.2 miles actually) in the next weekend, and last Saturday ran the KC Corporate Challenge 1/2 marathon. Walk/runs for the 1/2, and went through 11 miles (per Garmin) in 2:03:11 (about 11:06 pace) but started feeling my Achilles. Was able to finish, going through uphills, in 2:30:10, but am sore now. Big mistake by wearing racing flats and by not having done the long run/walks that I did before last year's. Finished 5th of 9 in the 65+, though I am now 71. Still dodging COVID so far, and though vaccinated, wearing a mask at work for added safety. Don't want to bring the virus home.

Stupid of me to not going with shoes I am used to, and not building up to at LEAST 10 or 11 miles prior. Live and relearn!

Sun - Jog/strides. Day after a lot of physio working on loosening, balancing, pelvis, hips.

Mon - 8 miles @ 7:12 per mile, including 6x4 min faster/4 min steady

Tue - Recovery 3.11 miles @ 8:04 per mile

Wed - 4 miles with strides @ 7:52 per mile

Thur - 3 miles @ 7:45 per mile

Fri - Jog/strides

Sat - Rhody Run 5k - Second overall/First Master 20:08 - out and back course with U turn around a cone. Quite undulating 84ft of ascent and 84ft of descent. Splits 6:20 (38ft total drop), 6:33 (46ft up 10ft down), 6:16 (19ft up/36ft down). 57 sec last 0.1 (17ft climb).

Disappointed not to run under 20:00. Monday's run might have been a bit too quick (seems to take me a long time from the legs to recover, even when HR/Garmin says I have recovered) and never felt that I really bounced back.

From a racing point of view, one of the local high-school x-country team was going way to quick to latch on to. I picked off a few, then when I caught the last pair ahead other than the high-schooler, just after a mile a took a ride behind them. After halfway, I was by myself.

First mile was too slow given the drop: I was 4 seconds slower with 38ft of complete drop for the first mile, than I was for the third mile, which was undulating with less than half the net drop. Either too cautious, or taking a long time to really loosen up. I think I also backed off a little with a half-mile to go rather than pushing, and then the steep final hill stopped me winding it up the way I would normally do on the flat.

I've also noticed that during the recovery from the 15 mile trail race (which took a good three weeks), I put on weight that I haven't taken back off. The drop in mileage without a drop in calories consumed! So, more calorie burning needed.

I think partly, having only done a handful of races in the last three years, I might not have got fully into race effort mode. I definitely was more in "hold back" than "push on" mode from 2.5 to 3 miles.

Next race might be Butte to Butte 5k on July 4. Several things to do before then. Loose a 4 lb. which is probably as low as I would go, but is free time. Try some weights to see if I can increase leg power. Get in some more running at 5k race pace, and try and get in a strong 2 mile time trial.

Mid-South heat/humidity has arrived with a vengeance.
M: 5.5M easy 10:40 pace after hilly Sunday 10-miler

T: 40:00 treadmill @ 13:06 pace

W: 7.4M in early morning humidity @ 10:17 pace - 4 x :25 strides (third week of strides to bring forth more turnover)

Th: 40:00 treadmill @ 12:30 pace

F: 5.5M with 10(.2@7:40 pace/.2 recovery) early morning heat/humidity

Sat: hot and humid early morning 11M following the running kids @ 9:55 pace - second half with lots of long ups and long downs. Kids (ages 54-69) were well ahead of me after the first mile. Amusingly, they usually finish behind me in races (heh)

enjoy the week

Much improved race on Saturday. Finished 158th out of 600 and first in my age group although my time was 4 minutes slower than my age group at races put on by another club.

I raced last Sunday too. I won’t be getting 2000 miles of running this year. I just don’t want to chance it.. my knees after 3 surgeries are almost gone. I don’t like to skip a day of running for existential reasons but when I do take that day off, I can feel my legs thanking me.

No races this week. So, it’ll be a 40-45 mile week and a lot of Perry Mason re-reruns ( since my wife died, the 1958 Della Street is my girlfriend) I read Bob Hodges book in one sitting and it’s probably one of the most entertaining running books I’ve ever read. An entirely different look and one I could relate to. I only remember him mentioning his training one time..unlike other books I’ve collected.

Also, received yesterday “Born to Coach” about Bill Squires and read half of it already. I’m living the retirement dream, I always wanted .. training and reading.. nothing else…. We’ll accept 1958 Della.

Nice job Cavorty ! WAG that course is worth a sub 20 and then some. Good luck with Butte to Butte should be a fun challenge! BTW there is a 5000 at Mt.Hood CC June 25 PMTC well run good track get a sub 20 in the books?

Perry Mason first binge watch before youtube ect . Automated schedule so TV to Hard disc all episodes. Fast skip commercials. One day 2007 I ran into a Nielson device installer , suggested he better start looking for a new job;) Told him why. He was in deep denial.

Perry Mason great stories dialog and yeah Della looks brains tact work ethic she had it all

Started my Hit and Run Fisetin maybe placebo but I feel like a new man checkout clinical trials and/or Dr. James Kirkland

Recovery, Base, Speed, Race

Running:

Every other day in the sand for 30 minutes. Rotating efforts of zone 1,2,5

Cross Training Daily: Bike , Walk, Power Off treadmill

Rehab plus prevention from kneesovertoesguy

Calf muscles are much better vigorous massage with some calf raises

Split squats WOW!

Nordic Curls

Poweroff treadmill version of sled push/pull refined the backward pull anchored rope with the stick as a handle think water skiing backwards

Onward!

I’ve been absent for a bit and in my last post I said I’d post again if I had anything worth posting. First, I’ve been gone so long some folks have had some real health and injury problems and gotten through them. Kudos to Alan, Robert E. Lee, Mike F and others! To others still hurting, I hope for your improvement. We are, after all, some stubborn and persistent old cuss’s. For the new folks, I’ve been on this thread since near the beginning and I’m 63. My #1 glaring weakness the entire time I’ve been on the thread is a lack of basic fundamental aerobic conditioning.

Since retiring in Feb I’ve given more time to running. I’ve been very slowly building up the number of minutes I run every week. On average, I’ve added about 10 minutes a week. This week I finally hit 60 minutes of running a day. It’s taken an awful lot of patience. To actually run a whole hour on my ‘legs of glass’ seems kind of amazing, at least to me. 2010 was the last time I could do that.

I won’t lie, my pace has been super slow, averaging around 11:30 pace. I kind of shuffle along. The surprise came as I decided yesterday I may as well see how all this slow plodding has affected my ability to “race”. I was honestly surprised to go 8:04 pace and it felt easier than last year when I seemed to be training much harder, but with much less volume. Yeah, I know, 8:04 pace is slow, but I see it as a starting point, and a much better start than I expected.

Mon = 60 min easy, flat, paved greenway

Tue = 20 min easy then 40 min easy on flat, gravel trail with group
Wed = 60 min easy, flat, paved greenway
Thr = 60 min easy, flat, paved greenway
Fri = Every Fri off.
Sat = 20 min warmup, then 3 @ 8:04 pace (8:02, 8:05, 8:06)
Sun = 61 min easy, flat, paved greenway

Have a good one!

“No races this week. So, it’ll be a 40-45 mile week and a lot of Perry Mason re-reruns ( since my wife died, the 1958 Della Street is my girlfriend) I read Bob Hodges book in one sitting and it’s probably one of the most entertaining running books I’ve ever read. An entirely different look and one I could relate to. I only remember him mentioning his training one time..unlike other books I’ve collected.”

I might be concerned if your crush was on Paul Drake.

I may have mentioned this before, for six months in 1975 my wife and I lived in South Lake Tahoe. I ran as far as 175 miles in a week, and she cooked and baked. We lived off savings in a converted garage rental. In between double workouts watched soap operas, reruns, and read. I had enough of that after six months.

Even today, I like to be productive. A neighbor, likely younger, was pedaling an adult tricycle down the side walk yesterday. I was washing windows. Remarks “you’re always outside working.” I see people hiring window washers, and various other services. I don’t get it. I get plenty of exercise just doing housework. My labor is free. It is all about how you want to live I suppose.

Greetings!

Cavorty, thanks for your interesting story about the race and congratulations on a good result!

My week was a sort of tampering before the hard trail. I decided to do an extravagant workout on Tue. running 6 times up from the ground to the 17th story upstairs. Somewhat close to Empire State bldg. fun run, but in intervals (because there are no high buildings in my area). Used an elevator to go down, so it resulted in 1:40-1:45 rest.
Then on Thu. I had a flat trail interval session, but 50% reduced vs my regular workout (5 x 2.5 min instead of 5 x 4.5 min).

So ran a 10.3 km hilly trail (330 m = 1 Kft elevation gain) this morning. Narrow paths in a thick forest, full of roots, logs etc. Very winding, no flat and straight segments to “recover the breath”. Elevation itself was not problem (rather an advantage for me), but what scared me (and turned out to be true) were many steep downhill sections. First, I am concerned with my knees and the lower spine “section” and, second, I just don’t have trail shoes and ran in a regular Pegs Turbo 2 that slipped quite often. Being ready for that, I decided to slow down significantly on downhill sections (sometimes nearly walked) but put pressure
while moving uphill. It indeed worked like that.
Just after the start, 4 fast boys disappeared in the thick forest and were then competing
among themselves. 2 fast girls were next to go away from the crowd. Very soon, I found myself in a head of a small “peloton” of 8-10 guys and was leading it for 1-1.5 km. But then I stupidly took a wrong direction at a crossroads that cost me some 30-40 m out and back, so was then catching the peloton again. As I was gaining more uphill than was losing downhill, I was soon again in the head and at about 6 km mark we remained only 3 (the others slowed down and lost contact).
Interesting that both gents I was running with (they were under 50) told me that their sons were running somewhere ahead of us among that “fast four”. And indeed, they were finally the 2nd and 4th. At about 8 km one of the guys started slowly moving ahead. The other one told me that he was done and suggested that I would try to catch him alone. Unfortunately, there was a long way down where that guy had a definite advantage and I decided not to take a risk. Was hoping that at the final 40 m steep “killer climb” I could close the gap, but by that time it was too big and I did not succeed.
Anyway, I was 6th overall among M and 8th among M+F. My time was 54:22. The winner (a
kid aged 19) made it at 43:55, but he was a national level elite skier of his age group the previous winter (maybe still is).
There were some 50+/60+ number of M/F participants accordingly for 10K. There were also 15, 30 and 45 km courses but with less amount of runners.

All in all, I am quite satisfied. Hope my knees and spine will forgive me and I can switch now to flat running targeting the next 10K road race on June 18.

All the best and happy running to all!

Carlsbad 5k this morning. Not what I had hoped for, but a very satisfactory result considering my last 2 weeks of minimal running due to a pinched nerve in my back. 21:02 for 3rd 70-74 with splits of 6:38, 6:47, 6:46. My team mates went 1, 2 in 20:47, 20:48. If we all can stay healthy we should be formidable for 70+ team at Club XC in December. Now I need about two more weeks to get my back fully healthy and some serious training to reel my team mates back in. Next race will be a July 4th 10K if things go according to plan.

Good running to all!