50+ Masters Training and Racing Open Forum

Orient: I hope you're finally past your illness. My recent cokd lasted well over two weeks, starting with a sore throat, progressing to congestion and constant runny nose, and finally just a lingering nose drip.

It had been years (a decade?) since I was last "sick," not counting my myriad other health issues. Not fun at all, but I continued my routine of three-days-a-week jogs.

This week, though, I'm stepping back my running, as I've had continued internal discomfort at the main surgery site. I may have rushed things a bit. Plus oral surgery today, so another excuse for taking an extra day or two off, ha!

Big Mango: Thanks for the words. My biggest challenge, beyond basic healing, is the massive weight gain during the past five months.

Coyote: Bummer you couldn't compete at your normal level. Still, an impressive showing. Congrats to you and your team. I noticed your 70+ miles the week before. Amazing. During my half-century of running, I've MAYBE logged that kind of volume only a half-dozen times. Too lazy, I guess.

Best to all.

Hi runners and parked runners,

Another week in the book. After a couple of strenous months, retirement looks much more attractive than a year ago. Still long to go at age 52...

Mo 7 miles easy

Tu off, "no time"

We 7 miles steady, 5x100m with jog back

Th 7 miles easy, 5x100m with jog back

Fr 7 miles recovery pace

Sa 1.5 miles WU, 3 miles tempo in 6:46 min/miles, 10x200m with jog back, 1.5 miles CD

Su 90 min recocery in the hills

My current time slot from 5:30 am to 6:45 am is too late for business on some days. Have to think about running even earlier those days.

Keep fun and faith, BR

Share your sense that retirement sounds good, though I'm about 7 years away probably. In the meantime, an enjoyable week of fall training:

M 45:00 + 40:00 x-t

tu 1:30

W 1:15 with 6 X 3:00 hard (2:00 jog recoveries)

Th 45:00 + 1:00 x-t

F 1:05 with drills/strides

Sa 2:00

Su 1:15 + 1:00 x-t

Happy Halloween! We get virtually no trick-or-treaters in high-rise condo bldg., so it passes uneventfully at home, but at least some students will probably be dressed up.

have a great week,

Dave

Speaking of retirement, running and exercising took a back seat until last week. By default we became the receptacle of family photos, letters, mementoes, and genealogy of several generations. Back in the summer my niece and nephew started forwarding what became six small moving boxes of family photos and slides. I had another four boxes of similar sized boxes out in garage that held items from my wife’s family, and from my office following retirement. Of course, there were additional photos that never made it to scrapbooks, as parents and kids transitioned (traditional meaning) in life. I wouldn’t want to forget the time my father and father-in-law spent on family linages. My father bought an early Ancestry.com program and logged quite a bit of research time at the Mormon Temple in west Los Angeles (we are not LDS). Lastly, three drawers in my home desk were packed with newspaper clippings from years past running, and coaching career.

The volume of this was daunting. Something had to be done, or left for our two children to clean up, or toss. The buck stopped with me, there is only so much energy, three months of virtually no running was the answer. I purchased a couple of different type of scanners, parked my rear. I have now catalogued, boxed, and digitized 90% of the volume. I ran cross country Oklahoma State University which is hosting both the NCAA and a reunion of teams from the 1970s. I am mailing off next week USB sticks of photos and articles I collected as a student athlete to given to participants of my era. I will do the same for our extended family. The final editing for them can be done leisurely over winter.

The net result of this is I gained 15 lbs, and lost quite a bit of fitness. None of that is good at age 72, but overall I am reasonably fit for my vintage, and still able to run. The break has been good, I feel reinvigorated, tackled something that was bothering me, and ready to get to work. I set some modest running goals, following recommendation of reachable but challenging, measurable, and with a completion date. The weekly training regimen will be a mix of three key running workouts, followed by cross training the other days. That has been the best mix for me in recent years. Here is my first week:

Sunday: 40:00 spin bike with hip exercises

Monday: 3 miles of 100m walk / 100m run; core exercises and weights

Tuesday: 1,500 yards swimming

Wednesday: 3 miles walking and running

Thursday: 50:00 spin bike; core exercises and weights

Friday: 1,500 yards swimming

Saturday: 3 miles of 100m walk / 100m run

Have a good week.

Igy

Greetings, fellow 50+ ers! And Happy Halloween! 🎃

This was another positive week for me. They have been few and far between this year, but perhaps I have turned a corner. Saturday’s run got bumped to today thanks to an event that I volunteered at for several hours followed by some family obligations. But everything worked out to the tune of nearly 19 miles of actual running for the week! The only niggle I am still enduring is some knee soreness, but that has been greatly reduced. Life is good!

Late this week I will be traveling to the grandkids. I’m not yet sure if, or how, that might affect my running for the week. As usual, I will report back next Sunday.

Thanks for all of the support. This is a terrific group!

Mon: 60’ CR; body at ex + med ball routine

Tue: off

Wed: 44’ CR; body at ex + med ball routine

Thu: 44’ running (3); 16 oz curls

Fri-Sat: off

Sun: 55’ CR; body at ex + med ball routine

All the best!

56 years old coming back from meniscus surgery in April - couldn’t run for 8 months.

I’m back at it slowly increasing my minutes- running by effort rather than pace.

M- 45 min spin bike easy

T- 50 min easy

w- 40 min of strength work

Th- 50 min easy with 4 30” uphill strides

Fr- 40 min easy

Sa- 40 min strength work

Su- 60 min easy

my easy pace is 2 min/ mi slower than it was a year ago but I feel healthy and am just grateful to be able to run pain free.

Greetings!

Newbi, I understand your feeling as my job is also too nervous and sometimes crazy. But at 52 it seems not too late to change the job (i.e. the company) while keep staying in the profession. It is even not too late at 64 (my age). Total retirement sounds great after a bad
day, but then you understand that it might be too dull.
Anyway, best of luck to you on finding the optimal way out!

I have not yet fully recovered from a strange cold that lasts for nearly 3 weeks already. Worked on an elliptical again (also because of a bad weather), 225 min in total.

It is clear now that it does not make sense for me to plan any more races for this season. Even if I recover in a few days, it will take not less than 3 weeks to re-gain the form. While the winter may come earlier. Also, the weather is so much demotivating in Nov. here. E.g. now there is a mix of rain and snow outdoors, 33-34F, strong wind and darkness.

So, it’s time to summarize (and analyze) the key numbers for this season and start preparing for the next one. Hoping that it will be enough snow this winter and a long ski season.

Summary for this season (vs. the previous one). Time span: 7 months, April through October.

M64, 5’6 ½
Average mpw: 28.1 (30.2 in 2021)
Percentage of “fast miles”: 21.2 (16.9 in 2021)
Season’s bests:
5K – 18:57 (18:53 in 2021)
10K – 39:29 (39:34 in 2021)
Number of races: 7 (9 in 2021)
Numbers of weeks lost because of (legs) injury: 1 (5 in 2021)
Average weight on the race day (morning): 137.2 (136.7 in 2021)

Looks like my weight was quite stable for the previous two seasons (in winter I am always 4-5 lbs heavier because the upper body muscles get larger during the ski season). And I have an ambivalent feeling about that. On one hand, it is obviously a huge resource to improve the results because my “combat” weight up to mid 30’s was 119-120 lbs. I assume
that if I were that light now I could run some 20-25 sec per km faster than now. On the other hand, I feel that any attempt to reduce it that much would ruin my health, so I’d better remain where I am now.

Happy and injury-free running to all!

It's always good to see lots of positive reports for the week. I seem to be doing well on my training plan towards Club XC, which now is only 6 weeks away. I got in two quality workouts on Thursday and yesterday with 35 miles for the week -

M- 4mi easy run 12:26/mi

T- 2mi walk

W- 7mi walk

Th- 6mi of 12 x 400 easy run/ 400 run (run 400s at ~1:40)

F- 6mi easy run 11:13/mi

S- 6mi trails progressive tempo 8:16/mi ave.

Su - 4mi walk

At almost 4 years into full retirement it doesn't look likely to get too dull for me.

Good running to all!

Hi Orient,

Thank you for your kind and helpful response.

BR

Adventurous week for me, last week.
M: morn: 5.5M; afternoon: 40:00 treadmill

T: morn: 75:00 treadmill; afternoon: 25:00 treadmill

W: morn: 7M w/6x3:00 @ 2:00 jog; 35:00 treadmill

Th: morn: 5.5M; afternoon: 40:00 treadmill

F: 8.25M

Sat: grade 1 sprained left ankle

Sun: 20M: huge pain for 5M, then pain up and left. Final 15M @ easy, progressive pace

enjoy the week while I go ice, run, ice, repeat

Greetings, fellow 50+ers and welcome to November. My favorite month for running has ended, but the new month is off to a good start thanks to some unseasonably warm temperatures. I guess global warming isn’t all bad! 😉

As I suspected, this week’s schedule required a slight modification due to my trip out of state to visit the grandkids from where I am filing this report. As a result, my scheduled Saturday run was postponed to Sunday. But the total exceeded 20 miles of actual running, albeit for an 8-day week. Volume continues to gradually increase with intensity continuing to lag. No complaints!

Sun: 55’ CR; body wt ex + med ball routine

Mon: off

Tue: 56’ CR; body wt ex + med ball routine

Wed: off

Thu: 53’ running (2); 16 oz curls

Fri-Sat: off

Sun: 55’ CR; body wt ex

All the best!

Igy: good training plan which I will plagiarize and use.
Allen1959: patience sucks, but it works. Good for you.
Newbi: the time to retirement goes by faster than a training run. One day at a time. I like the training.
Scubacane: effort running is the fastest way to improving and to enjoying the runs. Excellent.
Olde Farte: my grandkids have begun inquiring about my runs and running with me. I giggle to their reactions to how far I run, “you go further than around the track?”
Old Guy and dhaaga are so damned consistent. Quietly inspiring.
I took myself in to see the doc: I earned a grade 1 high ankle sprain. I can run to pain without long-term damage. goodie.
M: 60:00 treadmill @ 13:40 pace
T: 75:00 treadmill @ 11:50 pace
W: 9M w/6M push, last 3M @ HMP
Th: 90:00 treadmill @ 86-109 HR avg (determined heart rate better than treadmill pace)
F: 40:00 treadmill @ 105-119 HR
Sat: 15M - first 5M in the dark (I don’t run fast in the pitch dark) @ 11:50 pace; middle 5M @ 10:30 pace; final 5M @ 9:30 pace. Felt good about it. Not bad for being 63 with a bad ankle and assorted other aging issues.
enjoy the week

Thanks for the good words MagicShoes. This weekend's XC race was this morning rather than the usual Saturday schedule. It was 8k on a reasonable course with a couple of solid hills and a variety of surfaces, some with very good footing, and some with not good footing. I ran well and beat 4 people who beat me soundly two weeks ago. 7:16/mi pace. My training definitely is moving in the right direction. Now, I just need to avoid overdoing it in the remaining 5 weeks until Club XC. 43 miles for the week -

M- 6mi easy run 10:55/mi

T- 5mi of HR recovery intervals of run until HR 150, then walk until HR 120 and repeat

W- 9mi with AM 6mi of 400 run/400 up tempo 9:22/mi ave, PM walk 3mi

Th- 6mi easy run 9:17/mi

F- 4mi walk

S- 6mi easy shake out trail run with my son 8:57/mi

Su- 7mi of 2mi w.u., 5mi XC race 7:16/mi, 1mi w.d.

Good running to all!

nicely done, and good luck at club x-c!

fun week leading into standard time:

M 1:00

Tu 1:00 with 20:00 at half-marathon pace + 1:00 x-t

W 1:10

Th 1:30 with drills/strides

F 1:15

Sa 45:00

Su 1:00 incl. 10k road race (rolling course) 39:30 (6th OA, 1st AG) + 1:00 x-t cooldown

Unseasonably warm and muggy this morning, I guess similar to NYC for their marathon. Pretty happy with the race despite 36 sec slower than same one last year. I'd thought under 40 a reasonable goal given recent workouts.

have a great week,

Dave

My quest for a post-60 sub 3 (plus things like the sub 3 span, and 5DS3) continue to be vexing. My efforts have been 3:12 (Boston rain/wind 2018), Grandma's 3:02 last year, and Boston 3:00 this spring.

I ran the Indy Marathon under some challenging weather conditions, with wind rain more wind, and temps in the mid-low 60s. Ran first half conservatively but on pace, turned into the headwinds at about 14 and held on well through 22+ (was at 6:47 pace through 35K), but we turned into a very strong headwind (20 with gusts higher than that) with 3 to go and couldn't hold on. 3:01 and change. I'd like to think that on a normal weather day I'd be faster, but maybe that's just making up excuses.

34 miles 6 days

Colonoscopy prep today. And it’s not going well.
I may forget it, get a pizza and pay the 150 dollar penalty.

How did I let that doc talk me into yet another colonoscopy. I’ve had a zillion of them because some of my colon was removed in 2013 but broth? 4 dulcolax a few hours ago, start drinking the prep in 45 minutes

They can send people to the moon but not make it any better than this. This time, is the last time… no more giving in to what the doc says.

67 yrs old.. right at 1200 miles for the year.

Hi,

Routine week:

Mo 7 miles easy

Tu 30 min drills, jumps uphill, 6 x60m uphill

We 7 miles steady

Th 4 miles easy, 10x100m buildups with jog back

Fr off

Sa 2 miles tempo at 6:45 mpm, 10x300m bit faster than tempo pace with 100m jog

Su 80 min recovery jog in the hills

Stay/get healthy, BR

great race! really impressive result, period, and then especially with such adverse weather. Hope your recovery goes well,

Dave

MagicShoes#16, quite an impressive volume!

Dhaaga, great race, congratulations! A rolling course may easily add 30-60 sec, so on a flat one you could be under 39.

Coyote Montane, you have proved once again that you are one of the top athletes! Three “marys” in a row all about 3:00 – fantastic! Maybe for the next one use the same approach as some elite guys do (who prefer Berlin and London) - select a fast flat course in the right time of the year and break 3:00.

Rober E. Lee, good luck with medical procedures.

My week was rather dull and uneventful. Still on an elliptical. And though the cold stepped back, bad weather keeps me indoors. 295 min, with some 30% of time at a moderate effort (by feel). Difficult to measure because 125 bpm HR on an elliptical feel like 140+ while
running.

Happy week to all!