50+ Masters Training and Racing Open Forum

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Week 1

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OK, to get us started on this new thread, maybe its good to get the ball rolling, by just asking where you are at, and what's a current joy and/or concern? (as running goes, of course.)

Where I'm at. For those that don't know already, I started back to running just prior to turning 46, I'm 51 now. My initial intent was just to show that I could still run even though I hadn't run since I was 19 yo. I also wanted to shed a few pounds. Since returning, it has taken me all this time to get to the point where I can regularly log 50 mpw without some niggle forcing me to back off (I've also shed 45 pounds in the process). So that's my current joy, in that through last week I logged 5 straight weeks of 50+ miles for the first time ever.

That being said, this was a down week for me, with lots of traveling (still in Arizona), and only logged 42 miles. I ran easy 5-7 mile runs STWF. I tempo-ed for 3 miles on Monday's run, did 6x2 minute pickups on Thursday, and found a local 5k down hear in the Phoenix area for Saturday. On a cool overcast day, Monday's tempo was only about 5s/mile slower than the average pace of my race in AZ. The heat got to me during the third mile, I got terrible cotton mouth, and I slowed dramatically clocking 18:16 (Mile Splits: 5:44, 5:40, 6:13). The race was a strange out and back affair, where everyone was given a start time based on their age and gender, with older runners starting first (I was to start 12:11 after the sound of the horn). So the first half of the race was spent passing lots of slower runners, during the return, one now had to go against the tide, and there was one bottleneck just past the two mile mark, where I got stuck behind a slower runner. When I emerged, I could just never get my legs going again. Oh well.

Hope everyone is having a good week!

To Lucky2b:

Great to see the thread and to know there are some serious runners out there at 50 plus. Keep up the great running.

I'm happy to see that this thread will continue. I've enjoyed seeing how you have trained , raced , and faced the challenges that go with aging. In the past , I've not felt worthy of posting , but have recently decided that it really is about the journey.

I'm comically slow and overweight at the moment , but am thankful to have my original knees. I intend to have an active summer of training , coupled with a better nutritional regimen , that will allow me to race again this fall. Happy trails , all.

by way of introduction, i'm a 51-year-old woman who didn't start running until age 38, but was quickly sucked into its joys, especially after discovering trail running here in the finger lakes region of new york state. my passion is training for and racing trail ultras, and revel in the adventure that a new trail can offer, especially when i can share it with other runners. i also dabble now and then in shorter stuff, such as my first-for-me experiments with xc and the indoor mile this past fall and winter.

my letsrun screenname derives from a time when i was coming back from a stress fracture, and unfortunately, as of this past wednesday, it no longer applies. i guess you can call me "no longer no longer stressed," since i did a number on my fourth metatarsal on wednesday and therefore wasn't able to become caked in the mud of the 30-mile race i had looked forward to running yesterday (instead, i was on the other side of the aid station table as my husband ran). well, at least it happened at a time of year when i'll have a couple of months ahead of warm weather, since i'll be logging my miles on my road bike instead of runnable trails for the time being. so, discounting a few pleasant but unexceptional runs before my new injury, i'll report a lovely 32-mile ride this morning in warm, breezy sunshine past cows, sheep, and alpacas, many small ponds and one big lake, fields of just-up corn and flourishing winter wheat, and only a modicum of roadkill. that'll be my exercise life until late july when i'm back on my feet, and i know it could be much worse.

Thanks for keeping the thread open. I've been running seriously again since age of 46. Now 52, PRs post-50 are are 2:12 (800), 4:57 (track mile), 17:41, 37:19, 1:23:03, 2:58:19. I'm more of a miler then a marathoner, but like to do them all. Currently coming back slowly from a 4 month injury hiatus; hope to race again in the Fall. Best wishes to everyone. Look forward to hearing your triumphs.

LucKY2b, thank you for your thoughtful stewardship of this thread.

The new format can provide a continuum of wisdom and experience found nowhere else. May it live long and prosper!

Welcome to the new contributors. For others who are still shy, don't be.

The 50+ crowd is friendly. We want to hear your stories, some will give advice/commiseration/praise, and there is none of that adolescent nonsense you find elsewhere on LR. (Even our very own Gibbon is a mature heckler.)

My brief intro: Started running in at age 12 in 1972 with an untrained-for marathon. Then Frank Shorter won in Munich and like so many others of our generation, running became my whole world.

Serious runner until age 19 (like L2B) then sidetracked by other interests and grad school. Fair-weather runner until age 38, moved to New England, running hard since then, with 12 Boston marathons in a row, until missing this past one. Now age 51, this year's goal is to return to sub 16:00 in the 5k (last achieved at age 49). Currently 10.97 sec away.

This week was 80 miles, one track workout, 4x1k 3:13ish, aborted due to a track meet (!). But I got in some barefoot sprints on the faux-grass infield that felt free and good, and carried over to the next few days (more balanced, hips more forward, arms lower, more power on pushoff...). So I ended up running pretty hard the next few days and now have heavy legs which need a rest before next weekend's grand prix 5k.

Alas, resting is the tricky part.

Cool...The thread rolls on...

Good week 62 miles, a nice 400-800-1200-1600-400 ladder on Tuesday. Hit the mile in 5:10.4 which is, after looking thru my logs, my fastest mile in a workout for many years. Ran 17:22 in a wet & muddy 5k xc race yesterday. Slow time but I'm good with it. It was tough!

I've always run/raced since starting when I was 15 in 1975. Went 4:16 in HS then stumbled my way thru the next 20 years with some decent times on minimal amounts of work. Started my comeback of sorts in 2003, when I was fat & out of shape. Been logging consistent 70'ish weeks since. Couldn't be happier with my running. I'm very fortunate these days. And like msr, I'm also chasing the 16:00 barrier. Last time was 1997 but I've been under 16:10 four times in the last few years.

HM next weekend...

All the Best,

Dave

Ran some in my twenties maybe a years worth.

Started running at 39 on a bet.

Would train for 6 months then get injured.Quit at 46.

At 48 I fired up yet again.I was wanting to run under 16 at 50.After about a year I was running pretty well.My favorite workout was 10k pace for 5k on the track.I did these every 9 days.After 5 months I got down to 16:50.As usual I was getting pretty fit then did something stupid.I would rather not say.So pf flared up.I tried to continue but knew it was all over. I did 2 races a 5k and a 5000.The 5000 was my last race.Two months before turning 50. I ran 16:45 about what my workouts had been before the pf started.So I was a going backwards and in PAIN. So a break from running and all the frustrations that comes with injury after getting off to a good start.Took all most 5 years off from running. I did do a ton of bike riding.So I stayed fit

So we have been having some really rainy weather the last 2

years.I got tired of riding in the cold rain.So one day I said to hell with it and started running.After 6 months of running a few times a week I am starting to feel like a runner once again.

Whats next?

So I figured out the 2 ways from the past that worked for me

1.barefoot running on soft surface

2.hard runs up long hills

I am doing both for 15 to 20 minutes a day and so far so good.I am doing the ez barefoot(Franklin hs) run every morning then do the hard hill run (up mt tabor) when I feel like it.

Honest is good racing often times enters my head but this time around I am NOT setting any race goals not until I have ran for over 1 year at a decent amount of volume and quality

without any pf or calf problems The barefoot stuff really is a great way to get the legs and feet strong with very little impact damage.So is the uphill hard stuff.

Banished from using my computer today because my wife has taken over. Hope this new format works. Been running regularly since 1976 with 4 or 5 years off due to injury; have had almost all the common ones that waylay runners. The latest being stress fractures an entry level arthritis in my knee. As most regulars know I xc ski half the year. 5K has been bandied about as a bellweather. Have not broken 16 since 1993, before that I enjoyed about a decade when I ran sub 16 pretty much every time out. Ran 16:20 as 40+ and best 50+ 2 yr ago was 17:01. Now maybe 17:30 shape but in a funk lately despite age grading well. To get back to a level I want it would take building back to 60 or 70 mpw but last year I got reinjured at 50 mpw so must be careful. 41 for the 3rd week in a row. We shall see what future weeks bring. Meanwhile I have enjoyed reading everyone's story so far.

Banished from using my computer today because my wife has taken over. Hope this new format works. Been running regularly since 1976 with 4 or 5 years off due to injury; have had almost all the common ones that waylay runners. The latest being stress fractures an entry level arthritis in my knee. As most regulars know I xc ski half the year. 5K has been bandied about as a bellweather. Have not broken 16 since 1993, before that I enjoyed about a decade when I ran sub 16 pretty much every time out. Ran 16:20 as 40+ and best 50+ 2 yr ago was 17:01. Now maybe 17:30 shape but in a funk lately despite age grading well. To get back to a level I want it would take building back to 60 or 70 mpw but last year I got reinjured at 50 mpw so must be careful. 41 for the 3rd week in a row. We shall see what future weeks bring. Meanwhile I have enjoyed reading everyone's story so far.

I AM NOW ALMOST 71 and started Masters track 2 years ago.My best event now is the 200m but am trying this summer to run the middle distances .My main goals are to have fun, meet new track people, ang stay injury free and healthy.

Hm, okay, I'll play.

I started running the spring of my freshman year in HS, when I was 15 and basically haven't stopped running or competing since. I ran my best times the five years after college, setting virtually all of my PRs, which were "just shy of qualifying" for nationals or OT marathon. I ran completely through 2 of my pregnancies and most of the way through the 3rd and have been lucky enough only to be waylaid by injuries a very few times in my 36 years of running. My latest injury was in March and I had to take 3 weeks off.

I met AK-53 and Charlie S, through the old mervrunning site and in real life and have now met a few regular posters "like no longer stressed", rlb, Mike F and 1500master - and know a whole bunch from the masters thread. My letsrun name comes from my trail and xc running (the muddier the better) as that is mostly the type of running I now do. I run a fair amount of mileage (60-70 mpw) and force myself to do speed work when necessary (i.e. only during the "season".)

I am sad because it now takes me so much longer run than it once did and my times seems to be getting ever slower (with big declines from my times when I was 43 - my best masters year). I am ever hopeful that with continued mileage that I'll get leaner and faster - but we'll see. I am gearing up for HTC in August (kind of) and the xc season beyond.

For my 50th birthday this year I ran the Boston Marathon (for the 7th time). First race in my new age group, and it ended up being one of my worst marathons ever. 29 minutes slower than a marathon I ran in January. Two weeks ago I had an inguinal hernia repaired. So far 50 has pretty much sucked. At 4 weeks post-surgery I hope to start training for the "Epic Relay" from Colo Spgs to Crested Butte. Last year I was hoping to get back sub-20 for a 5K (I'm female), but couldn't do it. Not sure how to train differently as I get older. ???

The name reflects my occupation. My family operates a Maple Syrup business and much of my time is spent in the Sugar Bush.

I grew up on a dairy farm and running hither and yon came naturally. As a HS frosh I was a wiry little guy who wanted to be a wrestler. Turned out I couldn't grapple my way out of the proverbial wet paper sack. But I could run,the further the better. After a reasonably successful HS stint, I suffered through a collegiate career full of injury. Took 3 years off and then got carried along on the tide of the first running boom. The next 7 years were a blast. My marathon time dropped from 3:39 to 2:26. A group of us Cheeseheads dabbled in some 50 milers and Pikes Peak. We did OK for flatlanders.

Work and family were the focus for 20 years. The inevitable weight gain of mid life prompted a comeback effort at age 52.

Alas, the bloom was off the rose and none of my second career efforts compare to the Age graded #'s I had hoped for. But the pounds dropped and friendships grew, so I consider the second go round at least as successful as the first. Even got to meet some of my heros at expo's etc. and chanced across wejo at an Irish pub in Manhattan last fall. (NYCM)

Last summer was a bust---PF persisted. Currently biking around 100MPW and running 15MPW and feeling good.

This thread and the camaraderie help keep the flame burning. Next run/race will be Bellin10K in GB on June 11.

Only words of advice--- don't mix Italian bikes with pit bulls.

(Even our very own Gibbon is a mature heckler.)/quote

I loathe backhanded compliments,MSR.

I'll see you in the yard at recess.

Ran 27:40 on track for 4800 meters the other day after my cardio ablation ,one month prior.

I am officially 2 miles, and more slower, than my 5 mile PB,26 years ago..

That's all you'll get from me now.

Non sequitur of the week ; UFOs are real . And, I'd like to discuss this with all of you, who dwell in my mind, after recess.

I am M50 Kevin Paulk from Portland Oregon. I live a much younger life in my mind training and competing for the 800/1500/mile on the track. There is no greater way to cope with aging for me.

I am greatful for the friends for life achieved by racing around the world. I have learned lots from Masters Track Guys. Thank you all.

My concerns are not uncommon as we're all in this same boat of daily aches and challenges the minute we rise from the bed. We just have to manage the pain. Figure out better and better methods to keep the mechanics flowing, moving, fluid. May we all share on this site.

I stole a few phrases from a Track Vet 10 years ago when I caught the bug... he said somethings likes...

"he who shows up to the line with spikes laced may do all the talking"

"race like it's your last, for you never know what your body will do next"

50+ Folks: thank you for keeping this thread alive.

I began my "Lifetime Adventure" in running at age 16 in 1952, however, I did not run year round until I was age 22 in 1958 and had moved south. Before that the longest part of my year was spent shovelling snow. I then raced mostly on the dirt tracks of those days until about 1965, trained with several different clubs and coaches and trained only on a 653 yard around grass field for an additional 9 years. By the time msr joined our group on the roads in Palos Verdes on the weekends in the 1970s, a large portion of my weekly running consisted of a 20 to 28 mile run on Saturday and 15 miles before breakfast on Sunday.

I later managed to get to tag along at the end of 3 races while in my 60s and one race when I turned 70. Now that I have reached a new age group I hope to make a bigger effort to find a small race with runners far enough back to be able to jog/walk along and talk. What I realized as I approached my 50s was that I was no longer as interested in racing as I was in just plain running. For the last year or two I have been walking a block/jogging a block for about 70 minutes every second day and spending 80 minutes on the other days in the gym mainting a little fitness and stretching the areas that have taken a beating over the years so I can continue to at least maintain doing what I have been doing.

I have also encouraged my enjoyment for Track and Field by attending 7 Olympic Games and 5 World Track and Field Championships since 1964. All of this has brought me much pleasure and many many friends. 18 of them showed up to run, jog or walk before we ate breakfast together this past Sunday.

I'm 51yo male from the goldfields and wine country of central Victoria, Australia.

Started running since learning to walk and have kept on going. No organised racing in our (public) schools so I didn't start racing until I was 19, in local "fun runs".

Joined a club soon after and worked my butt off despite lack of talent.I used to chase the local stars like Deek, Wardlaw, Kenny Hall etc around Ferny Creek every sunday. How many other sports present a chance to practise with a World champ?

Times were never quick, around the 16 for 5, 33 for 10, 2.40 for marathon. I could "fight above my weight" in mountain races and had a bit more success in those.

I'm lucky as I live on the edge of a National Park so most of my running is in forests full of wonderful indigenous creatures and fascinating geology. Pretty easy to get out the door and run, or ride, or go out and kyak.

Over the cooler months, April -September I usually race local races on saturday and sunday, most of these are in forests and off road. I don't train so hard any more, just getting out and enjoying the running. My race pace tends to be mostly in the 3.50-4.00 per km range now.

I'd like to meet you, KP. A broken bone kept me out of nationals in 2010, and a hamstring tear out of worlds in 2011. If I can stay healthy, I hope to be racing in 2012. I'll be 53. Cheers.