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Week 105
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Howdy 50+ers…glad to report another “normal” week of running. Seven days of running yielding another 45 or so miles. The week’s log reads as such:
Sun: 5 easy to moderate
Mon: 5.6 + 6x9 stories of stairs
Tues: 10 (5.5 am w/2@12:12 + post-run, 4.5 pm easy + upper)
Wed: 7.2 w/ 5x(2-laps, 1-lap recovery) 2:38 average (over 750m) + post-run
Thur: 5.0 easy + post-run + upper
Fri: 4.3 easy w/6x30s stride-outs + post-run
Sat: 6.0 w/5k race in 18:08
Below is some pretty self indulgent pontification, but maybe some of you will find it useful.
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The week was very similar to last week, and I sort of feel like I’m on autopilot. I’m finally coming to terms that this is about the mileage I can handle, and the amount of speed work I can handle without getting into trouble. When I supersede 50mpw for extended periods I start having problems; when I try to do the “recommended” amount of interval work I start having problems. So this seems to be it. I think that 45mpw with 8 or so miles of speed work during the week is a safe amount of mileage/speed for me. Not sure what it would take (if possible) to increase this…probably a willingness to do more ancillary stuff (both in terms of strength and physical therapy) and maybe controlling my food intake a little and dropping some weight (still lingering in the 162 lb range.)
This week also had me looking at the age-grade tables (as referenced here,
http://www.howardgrubb.co.uk/athletics/wmalookup06.html
); I wanted to look at the expected slowdown as a function of age. Looking at the 5k times, I plotted the difference in the standard for adjacent years vs. age. The rate of slowdown is a little steeper and not as linear as I had thought!
Age Range...Expected Rate of Slowdown (for 5k)
38-46..........6 seconds/year
47-54..........7 s/yr
55-60..........8 s/yr
61-65..........9 s/yr
65-68..........10 s/yr
After 68, it starts to accelerate with each year adding an additional second/year and it steepens worse after 77. So basically, it is a slowly increasing rate of decline to about age 70, and then it becomes an ever accelerating increase in the rate of decline thereafter. Some people may find this depressing; I just see it as the objective reality of aging….the older you get, the more power to you for sticking to it! It makes what Ed Whitlock has been doing simply astounding by any reasonable measure. It does mean that one does have to temper ones expectations more than one might have guessed, and maybe even give oneself a pat on the back if they are able to beat these odds.
All this pontification comes back to my race on Saturday. This course is on the R.J. Corman Company property, and I have run it many times over the past 3-4 years. While I was suspicious of the lengths of the 5k courses from the previous 2 weeks, there is no ambiguity as to the layout of this well-measured 5k course. It was 3-years ago this coming month that I PR’d on this course with a 17:15 (just prior to the wheels coming off in August 2010). Three year’s later, according to the age-grade tables, I should have slowed by about 21s, so if I were in equal shape, I should have been able to run a 17:36…..I’m running about 10s/mile slower than that. Some if it is weight and some of it is backing off just that amount of training to feel safe. It is a little frustrating knowing that there is more in the tank to be gotten and that I’m not tapping into it (I know others feel likewise). But it’s also a reality check that, while training and racing helps keep me fit and sane, it is still a hobby. That said, I do want to keep trying to improve, but I recognize that I’m in it for the long haul. As Pete Magill reminds us, it is not the training we do, but the training from which we can recover that matters. If that costs me 10s/mile, so be it.
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That’s the end of my self-reflection. If you managed to read through it all and would like to comment, I could use some critical remarks.
In other news, Mike Blackmore ran a 4:34 mile last night at the Portland Track Festival. Maybe Kevin (or any other locals that might have been there) can remark on the race? This seems to be about identical in comparing to the 1500m he ran a month or so ago. I also noticed that Ray Knerr posted a 2:00.28 from June 1st, improving his 50+ 800m PR. Any other interesting 50+ times to report?
@Mike L.: if I had Kevin’s speed, I might venture over to Olathe, KS, but I don’t. Also, the timing isn’t good for me, as I’m in the middle of teaching summer classes.
OK. That’s where I’m at this week. Despite the reality check posted above, the truth is that I’ve *really* been enjoying my racing and training these past couple of weeks. After such a long hiatus from road races, it feels good to be back out there among my running friends. Oh, and I won my age group and took home $50…can’t complain about that!
Hope you all are doing well. As always, I look forward to what you have to offer.
Best regards.