My doctor told me to give up training for and running marathons by my mid 40s.

Doctors also tell people to exercise 3x a week, not drink alcohol, eat fruit and vegetables, avoid fast food, limit caffeine...etc. Most Americans don’t do any of these or make a minimal effort to do them.

And many live just fine and happy lives.

Get out there and train! What do you maggots want to live forever?!

TMADDDHASFNE wrote:

Tell your doctor the only reason you want to live into your eighties and beyond is to go after Ed Whitlock's 'Thon records.

Jesus turned and said to Peter, "Get behind me, Satan! You are a stumbling block to me; you do not have in mind the concerns of God, but merely human concerns."

Matthew 16:23 NIV

"I just whipped your ass"

Austin 3:16

Precious Roy wrote:

You should give up marathon by your mid 40s because the physical decline from aging makes it a dismal way to spend your time. There is little reward in going out and bashing your legs just to run a marathon 3-4 minutes slower every year.

But O'Keefe is a clown. The science of "exercise dosing" is very weak. If you look at the studies, they do not have a statistically significant sampling of fast runners who run high mileage. Instead, they lump sub 3 guys who run 70-90 mpw with people who run 4 hour marathons off of 30-40 mpw. Apples and oranges.

What we do know is that marathons risk exacerbating any heart issue you may have. If you want to run marathons in your 40s and 50s, you need to get regular heart screenings to make sure everything is good.

Beautifully said.

Has been who never was wrote:

FWIW, I broke 3 hours almost every year between ages 21 and 34 on meager talent (17:00 HS XC type). I'm 49 now and have had several cardioversions for atrial flutter and an ablation this year. No one else in my family has experienced this.

What kind of shape are you in?

I’m almost 45 years old, and was barely a 16:30 minute guy in high-school. Still running quite well and no issues. Currently running under 2:30 in the marathon and “heart” seems to be 100%. There might be reasons to be nervous, but so far so good. I am only an experiment of 1. I’m not ignoring the science, but I run and ski with several guys just as fit or fitter who have had zero issues. I can’t speak for the guys having issues and I don’t doubt their symptoms. I’m sure for some people it can be deadly... and life changing. I’m just hoping for me it doesn’t sneak up and surprise me.

I'm 55 and haven't been to a doctor in years. Why would I go when nothing seems to be wrong with me. Currently running 65 to 70 miles a week just because I like to.

A lot of these answers depend upon the individual-body type, efficiency, etc. As I aged, I started to run only 10-15 miles a week and cross-train, particularly with weights and bands. I felt healthier than I did with just running and it is much easier to keep weight off with a lifting base rather than just running. There is no magic bullet, however, as you can get hurt and sore lifting just as with running-thus my gravitation towards bands. As I lose strength as I age, it seems to be more important to build strength rather than aerobic capacity. A good trainer should give you a mix.

Has been who never was wrote:

FWIW, I broke 3 hours almost every year between ages 21 and 34 on meager talent (17:00 HS XC type). I'm 49 now and have had several cardioversions for atrial flutter and an ablation this year. No one else in my family has experienced this.

FWIW I broke 3 hours eight times in my 50s on meager talent and I'm well into my 60 s now and having no heart issues, though my dad had some. Still marathoning 2 or 3x a year, training 50-60 a week. I want to keep going into my 80s.

I know a few great athletes in their 50s who have had some serious set backs and weird heart issues. A few have stopped racing altogether and others have modified their racing completely. Most of these guys are currently cyclists and Nordic skiers. They still race at a very high intensity... I would estimate they race at a similar intensity comparable to being a very good masters runner. I think cycling and skiing allows these aerobic monsters to still compete and train because of the lower impact. I know Velo news has written some good articles documenting it.

https://www.velonews.com/events/technical-faq-no-burning-haywire-heart/

Someone should let Kipchoge know he’s on thin ice.

you need to find a doctor who really knows about running. I went in for an injury once and my doctor told me that women aren't meant to run more than like 3 miles... sadly i think its just an opinion that depends on the doctor

rojo wrote:

Spare Tire wrote:

Just follow the doctor/patient alcohol routine. Give him a number that is about 1/10 of what you actually run.

Doctor: Do you drink alcohol?

Patient: I have a beer or two on the weekends.

Doctor: So you drink at least 3 glasses of wine each night and triple that on the weekends?

Patient: Um... Yeah, that sounds about right.

God. We need an upvote ability. This is my POD.

How many of you lie to your doctor about your habits out of shame?

Kind of off topic, but this is something important to me, and one of the relatively few things I truly approve of about myself:

I never, ever lie to my doctor. I never even fib to my doctor, or anything even close to it.

I'm lucky enough to live in a country where regular check-ups with a regular GP are a given, and I know how lucky I am. So I respect my doctor, and tell her everything she needs to know

Get a new doctor. Preferably run that runs.

The current science is not determinate although there are observational studies that indicate an association between intense exercise and AF (arterial Fibrillation) amd cardiac calcification

The “Extreme Exercise Hypothesis”: Recent Findings and Cardiovascular Health Implications

https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC6132728/

Quote from the paper conclusion

(1) there is limited evidence that supports the “Extreme exercise hypothesis,” the most compelling relating to the increased risk of atrial fibrillation at high volumes of exercise; (2) cardiac anomalies may be present in a small proportion of the most active veteran athletes; and (3) the combination of high-intensity physical activity in the presence of known or occult CVD, seems to be the major cause of exercise-related fatalities.

hope this helps

Has been who never was wrote:

FWIW, I broke 3 hours almost every year between ages 21 and 34 on meager talent (17:00 HS XC type). I'm 49 now and have had several cardioversions for atrial flutter and an ablation this year. No one else in my family has experienced this.

I strongly urge you to look into a keto/carnivore dietary approach. Also keep up on potassium, magnesium and sodium, as well as selenium and zinc. After 5 cardioversions in my 40s and 50s, I am 10+ years symptom-free with amazing overall health and fitness off of minimal mileage (but tons of cross training).

MeatRx.com has the medical research and advice. High carb + plant oils in the diet, plus stressful training has led to an tragic epidemic of heart problems for older athletes. Please take care of yourself, you deserve many more decades of good health and fitness.

Keep in mind that AF is rare in general, especially if you're younger. So it can be quite a bit more likely among runners and still not all that common. But it's good to understand when you might be stacking your risk -- alcohol (in terms of drinks/day and binge drinking), lack of sleep, family history.

There's also a theory that training/racing through a virus could set you up for issues decades later, whether by laying down scars in the heart or some other means.

jvarunner wrote:

During my yearly physical my doc told me I should quit serious endurance training for marathons by the time I reach my mid 40s..

Photos of doctor required...want to see what shape he is in.

Here is an editorial from the journal "Circulation" Coronary Artery Calcification Among Endurance Athletes

“Hearts of Stone”

https://www.ahajournals.org/doi/full/10.1161/circulationaha.117.028750

Finally, and perhaps most importantly, it is important to acknowledge the complete absence of clinical outcomes data in athletes with CAC. Although CAC in sedentary and/or normally active cohorts has been associated with adverse cardiovascular outcomes, no similar data are available for highly active individuals. We urge caution against the reflex generalization of data derived from nonathletic populations in this setting, and longitudinal studies powered to define the prognostic significance of CAC among aging athletes are warranted. Although it is possible that CAC among endurance athletes may carry similar negative prognostic implications to those established in other populations, this may not be the case. It is possible that the presence of CAC among dedicated lifelong endurance athletes may very well represent a clinically benign phenotype.

My conclusion from all this is if your healthy /good blood pressure good cholesterol readings no other signs of cardiac issues -then keep going