50+ Masters Training and Racing Open Forum

amkelley wrote:

Allen1959 wrote:

With your marathon PR well below 2:45, I would expect your 5K PR to be 17 minutes or under. Were you focused on longer distances when you were PR-ing in your 30s (1992)?

I did focus on the longer distances because I quickly figured out that that was where I had talent. I may be the only sub-2:43 marathoner in history who could never break 18 minutes for a 5K. I never tried to optimize my training for the 5K but when I did enter a race I ran it as hard as I could. I just didn't have much top end speed, but I could run very close to my top end for a very long time.

I'm 56 and I too peaked in my early 30's. I did not start running until my mid 20's, but had no guidance for years. I just ran and raced in the same shoes, sometimes the same shoes I worked in. The day I broke 16 minutes was a euphoric day. I was oblivious until the 3.09 mark.

Alan,

My sentiments as well. Lately I have seen ads for Low-T lawsuit attorneys. The risks of messing with nature are pretty high.

Igy

Alan, I have always wondered why/how a 60+ year old like myself should feel like a 20 year old. Thus, low-T for me translates to no-T (at least not in injectable form! :) Now if my carrots and broccoli boost me, that is ok.

Here's my goals for '17 an some past stats.

Age 58

2017 Goals

10K: sub 37 at sea level; 38a

1/2 Marathon sub 1:22

Marathon: maybe, and maybe in May (low or sub 3)

Mostly just stay healthy throughout the year--run Club XC championsips on our masters team, or maybe even a 50-59 team.

2016 Bests

10K: 37:28a

1/2 Marathon: 1:26a

Masters PRs (1998-99)

Mile: 4:38

5K: 16:21

Marathon: 2:44

Open PRs (1983-91)

5K: 15:34 (also 15:38a)

10K: 32:11 (32:48a)

Marathon: 2:34a

a = at >5000 feet altitude

Coyote Montane wrote:

Here's my goals for '17 and some past stats.

Enviable goals and impressive stats ... they would be in the fantasy realm for me! I was recently imagining the possibility of sub-3 at age 58 ... 6:51 per mile sounds so conservative ... only a minute per mile faster than my most recent effort (on low mileage) ...

But then I looked at age-graded numbers: that would be "equivalent" to a 2:29! Pure fantasy for me. Of course YOUR open marathon at altitude, and recent performances, compare quite favorably to an age-58 sub-3. Best wishes!

2016 Bests

Caught a 41 inch winter steelhead on a bluefox spinner;)

Masters PRs (1998-99)

1500: 4:13

5K: 15:56

Goals at 60 years of age

actually stick with running,lose my excess fat 25lbs and run a mile on the track in under 6 minutes

Here are my goals for 2017 and some past PR's.

Age 57 and 11/12th

My 2017 goals are set pretty low….but then again there's only one way to go from 2016!

2017 Goals:

5K: sub 21

Train consistently without interruption until at least July

2016 Bests:

No races whatsoever!

50+ PRs (2009)

1500: 5:08

5K: 18:47

Open PRs (1979)

5K: 15:42 (April)

10K: 32:12 (November)

Charlie

Love the comment on 2016 best : "Caught a 41 inch winter steelhead on a bluefox spinner"

In regards to the goal "lose my excess fat 25lbs," I am in the same camp. Ran a race last weekend, saw the race photos yesterday. Form looked good, but the "tortilla belly" has got to go. Without the weight lose, there is no way I am going to hit my 2017 goals.

Igy

Age 57.

Goals for 2017.

Complete Nepal trek in one piece.

Run a full winter (April- Aug) season of club races relatively uninjured.

Clock something under 21 for one of our club trail 5 k races.

Make it to my 32d 4 Peaks race (Nov.) in reasonable shape and improve on my 2016 effort.

PBs. From the 1980s.

16.02 track 5000 m.

33.09 road 10 km.

1 h 8 m road 20 km

2 h 43 m marathon.

Masters.

36.18 road 10 km.

1 hr. road 10 mile.

2 h 57 m marathon.

A bit more relevant to me are my mountain racing times. One constant has been Mt Buffalo on the 4 th and final day of 4 Peaks.

All time best is 1 h 7 m.

Masters best is 1 h 13 m.

50s best is 1 h 30 m.

2016 time 1 h 37 m.

The race winner in 2016 ran 1 h 7 m.

2017 Goals (age 61)

one mile goal (5:59 track)

recent best 6:02 at age 59.99 in 2016

age 50 best 4:56 (road) 5:02 (track)

age 40 best 4:47 mile 4:19 1500 meters

lifetime 4:16 mile circa Paleozoic era

800 meters goal (2:35)

recent 2:36.03 (age 59)

2:09 age 40

2:04 high school circa 1973

5,000 meters goal 20:55 (track)

recent 21:40 (track) age 60 2016

19:53 age 55

17 very high age 40

14:37 lifetime best 1980

3,000 meters goal 11:50

recent 12:03 age 60 2016

lifetime best 9:03 2 miles circa 1980

marathon 'fun' goal, not competitive goal 3:59

first marathon 45 years ago...hope to finish one 50 years after the first one (2022) but prob getting way ahead of myself

lifetime best: 2:25 Nike OTC 1980

Funny how many of us have similar lifetime distance PRs (MikeF excepted)

Age: 60 this Tuesday

2016: Injury- and illness-free the whole year, first year ever IIRC.

2017:

-Continue health "streak"

-Complete a 60-mile alpine ultra run over two days in June

-Return to the track over 800m (last time was 2:11.2 TT age 50. That ain't happening again!)

-Complete my 5.14a climbing project. Would be an American Best for age 60+

Mike F got this going so better man-up. I am only considering the 1500/mile and 5,000m for goals. The standard that I would work for would be the Masters All-American Standards for age 65-69 of 5:45/6:15 and 21:00.

Last year I pretty much started from scratch as a 200 pounder (180 now) and hit 6:25 1500m track and 25:07 5k road by August. So gosh, it looks like a tall order, but what the heck.

Young man times 1973-1976 (22-26):

Mile 4:13

3 Mile 13:51 (metric races were still fairly uncommon then)

Old man times 2006-2007 (55-56)

1500m 4:53

Mile 5:16

5,000m 18:02

The tortilla belly must go....

Igy

MikeF you just gave me a bit of a marathon goal.

I ran my first in 1979 on a hot day with no serious training in 4.09.

I reckon 40 years later I would be a fair chance of going faster.

OK, mo'pak and MikeF, you're now getting me interested. I ran my first marathon in 1983, 30 pounds overweight and ridiculously undertrained but in good weather, in 3:47. (You can get away with a lot when you're 25 and have some natural talent.) I should still be able to do that if I could ever stay healthy long enough to train for a marathon; my best half-marathon from last year was just over 1:40, although my most recent ones, hobbled by my Achilles tendon were 1:46. Something to consider...

I almost always start the year with goals for the mile, 5k and 10k. For now for 2017 my goals are first, get my legs 100% healthy (if such a thing is possible at 67) and second, to significantly improve my leg strength with non-running cross-training, i.e. weights, plyos, etc. If I hit my health and strength goals by June, then I would like to better 5:40 for the mile, 19:00 for 5k and 40:00 for 10k in 2017.

At my age, goals are simple...lace 'em up and get out the door to get the heart rate up a bit. Not always so easy.

Had a fun experience last weekend. I'm not much for racing anymore, but a friend was putting on a charity 5K. I figured I'd just do it as part of my usual weekend long run. So jogged 2.5 miles to the start, tempo'd the race, then 2.5 c/d back home. Almost broke 22' which makes me wonder what I could have done if I'd tried. Oh, and the windchill was below 0.

One day of dreaming, then back to hobby jogging.

Best wishes to all for a Merry Christmas.

You and me, brother. I had one multi-year goal for the marathon which I achieved in four years. But every single-season or single-year goal has been a bust. So for 2017 I am going to train a bit, race a bit, enjoy the runs, and see what happens.

Merry Christmas & Happy Holidays to all y'all.

Honored my dad on the one year anniversary of his passing with a time-trial on the Shawsville 5k road-race course here in Virginia. My two sons were pace-setters until they left me in the 38F cold rain after a 6:06 first mile. Clearly too hot for me. All things considered pleased with a 19:15 for age 56.5.

RIP Papa Don Paulk.

Masters PRs, 2016 Bests, and 2017 New Year Hopes coming next week upon returingin to my Portland OR archive of this here obsessive compulsive order athlete.

Hope Santa was good to y'all this morning.

KP