50+ Masters Training and Racing Open Forum

Igy, I remember watching the '72 Oly Trials on TV as a 15-year old kid. My mile PR was 5:10 and Ryun was my hero.

He ran the trials 1500 final at the back of the field, and I noticed his head roll. I thought something was wrong with him. I was worried he was not going to make the team, let alone with the race. Then he uncorked a 51.9 final 400, boom... a brilliant win.

And thanks for the story of the Von Ruden/Ryun friendship!

Evidently Ryun had the lead for longer than I remember, but here is an article from the time.

https://www.nytimes.com/1971/04/18/archives/ryun-does-3558-for-kansas-mile-time-is-fastest-in-world-since-1968.html

Von Ruden in the lead:

https://media.gettyimages.com/photos/kansas-city-missouri-jim-ryun-winner-of-the-mile-in-kansas-relays-his-picture-id517259266?s=2048x2048

Mon. 1 hr kayak.

Tue. 1 hr 45 min mountain bike.

Wed. 15.8 km easy trail run 1 hr 32 m.

Thu. 1 hr kayak.

Fri. Road ride 1 hr 8 m then a 35 min mtn bike ride.

Sat. 8 km trail run 46 min.

Sun. 8 km run inc club virtual 3 km "race" in 13.37. It was cold and getting dark and I had left my mojo back at work. I ran 4.40, 4.35, 4.22 km splits which pretty much tells the story.

Feeling a bit weary all week and felt I was just getting it done.

Average week for me 3 neuro muscular sand dune sprint, bike sprint and C2 row. One easy speed day working on changing gears but keeping the lactate levels low. Bumped up my daily slogs to 45 minutes.

Cavorty looks like you are making progress , interesting to follow .

KP you always bounce back;)

Racerdb good luck on the 5:30

AMK sorry you are hurting

Igy and LK2B good walking Walking is just a great way to get out the door and put in time non impact miles on the legs. I probably walk 2 hours a day just not in one chunk more like 3 or 4 times 20 to 40 minutes usually after eating. Which activates glut-4 muscle receptors which sucks up glucose which lowers the load on the pancreas and accelerates glycogen replenishment.

Enjoyed Podcast on lactate shuttle using blood lactate levels to figure out optimal training.Optimal being building a lot of healthy functional mito in the Type I and to a lesser extent Type IIa fibers. Main take away for me is slow stuff is the key for me. Interesting that the top elite type bikers and runners just have superior lactate processing back into fuel without raising blood lactate levels. I guess that is why Ing brothers are always checking levels after a run . If your level is high you need more base because the type I fibers use the type II excess via brooks shuttle. Just a whole different way of thinking get fast . So put these 2 things together and the average runner probably is always running around with high lactate levels even though they think they are training in the right zone. So I am going to keep my focus on slow twitch mitochondrial development while maintaining my type II fibers via neuromuscular workouts that do not create high lactate levels ie too much stress.

https://peterattiamd.com/inigosanmillan/

I have been recovering from a knee problem which started in early last months. Right now, I an doing jog-walk three times a week, and walking the other four days.

wk 460 400mx4, 400mx5, 400m6.

wk 461 800mx3, 800mx4, 800mx5.

wk 462 1200mx3, 1200mx4, 1200mx5.

wk 463. 1000mx3, 1000mx4, 1000mx5. (A cutback week.)

wk 464: 1500mx3, 1500mx4, 1500mx5.

One of the problems is finding a place to run. The public park I usually run in had been closed until last week. And the junior high school track is still closed. I had to find stretch of side walks where I have enough room to step aside if I pass walkers. Now that the park is open, at least one problem is gone.

The other problem is that doing rehab exercises is so much harder at home. I have been using ankle weight to do some seated leg extension exercises. And I don't remember when was the last time I did wall squats. The gym had reopened last Monday, but I haven't been there yet. They have all the protocols that the staffs follow to keep us (and them) safe. But based on how people are behaving at grocery stores, it's hard to trust other members. So I will wait and see for another week or two.

RF reader wrote:

The other problem is that doing rehab exercises is so much harder at home. I have been using ankle weight to do some seated leg extension exercises. And I don't remember when was the last time I did wall squats. The gym had reopened last Monday, but I haven't been there yet. They have all the protocols that the staffs follow to keep us (and them) safe. But based on how people are behaving at grocery stores, it's hard to trust other members. So I will wait and see for another week or two.

I quit going to the gym a week before they were ordered closed. They are still closed (California) and it's unlikely that they will be open any time soon, and even when they are, I don't intend to go back for a long time. Even before COVID-19 I thought the gym was pretty risky as far as just catching the normal upper-respiratory bugs.

amkelley wrote:

Allen1959, good to hear from you. How are you doing?

I'm forever astounded at the volume you maintain, incredible that you covered 100+ km last week despite your current maladies. I've self identified as a "runner" since 1973, and have probably run only a couple dozen 100km weeks during all those years!

Anyway, I hope you get some answers and some relief soon. I stopped training because of my ongoing knee problems -- calcification of the tendons, bone spurs, tendinitis -- but now I'm fighting obesity (no exaggeration). So, hoping to do some running and biking when the weather improves. Still snowing here. Cold and constantly windy.

I did manage a 2-mile and a 3-mile jog last week.

Charlie: Thanks for the comments. Dang, yeah my "sub-3 at 60" goal was a reach, but at 12 months out I really thought I had a shot if I could maintain 60-mile weeks. I was flying through a 17-miler when I fell hard on my knee, and just never recovered. I probably landed on that patellar bone spur, further damaging the tendon.

Charlie,

Thanks for link and summary.

BR

Ghost of Igloi wrote:

oId guy wrote:

Love the mile. Probably my favorite event. Never came around to the 1500.

But best test of overall endurance? A middle distance race? I don’t think so. Now if you want to talk about the best combination of speed and endurance, I’m ready to listen.

Couldn’t have guessed you would disagree. You made my day. ?

As Dirty Harry said: “Opinions are like assholes; everybody’s got one.”

Came across this on Twitter the other day - an interesting read for guys of advanced age... https://andrewrenfree.wordpress.com/2020/04/21/running-across-the-lifespan/

I haven't had any trouble finding a place to fun/walk as the dirt trails of an open space park I've utilized for decades remains open. The problem is so many people from walkers to joggers to cyclists are using it now it's become a circus.

Not having the services of my gym has become a major problem now. They closed down here in Denver around mid-March - so it's been almost a full two months with the governor giving no indication or hint of when gyms, pubs, theaters, etc., will get the green light (we're on a soft opening for restaurants and most businesses for 50% of employees).

I use the gym 4 days week for primarily rehab and physical therapy for post-traumatic OA and damaged tendons/ligaments from older running-related injuries and serious injuries sustained in a car accident 3 yrs ago. Without this structured routine of rehab & PT, I can't run very much and even have trouble walking - plus the increase in pain that requires medication. I don't have much equipment at home and basic home excercises & stretching aren't that effective with these types of injuries. Eccentric excercises with specific machines done under strict protocol is what works, and has worked for me. Plus spin cycling is great form of non-weightbearing cardio and keeps the joints lubricated.

All this now because our governor (probably on advice from county health officials) won't allow the reopening of gyms (I never agreed with the closure in the first place - they're essential for peope like me!). Require masks, have people sign a waiver, wipe down the equipment after use, etc. - anything to get these gyms reopened. And for the people that are scared - don't go! The only thing that scares me in life are idiotic drivers here in Denver like the knucklehead that ran a red light while texting and smashed into me while I was driving home from a run. Double rotator cuff tears, displaced finger & wrist fractures, broken nose, concussion, back & hip injuries aren't fun and turn your life upside down. So, sorry the virus doesn't scare me after what I've been through. Again... open the gyms...scared rabbits stay home! ?

Not just physical but also mental:

Allen1959 wrote:

I stopped training because of my ongoing knee problems -- calcification of the tendons, bone spurs, tendinitis -- but now I'm fighting obesity (no exaggeration). So, hoping to do some running and biking when the weather improves. Still snowing here. Cold and constantly windy.

I did manage a 2-mile and a 3-mile jog last week.

I do remember well the snowy days in May in upstate New York. I hope you can get out more once your weather improves.

Oddly, I seem to have lost a pound or two in eight weeks of quarantine despite running somewhat less than usual. It may be that I'm getting more "unstructured" exercise when working from home 24/7. I spend less time sitting at my desk now and am more likely to take off and walk the dogs in the middle of the day. I think my diet has also improved despite being only a few steps from the kitchen at all times. I never did buy much junk food to eat at home, but I often ate cookies, pastries, etc. at meetings on campus. Now that I'm home all the time, no junk food!

amkelley wrote:

I quit going to the gym a week before they were ordered closed. They are still closed (California) and it's unlikely that they will be open any time soon, and even when they are, I don't intend to go back for a long time. Even before COVID-19 I thought the gym was pretty risky as far as just catching the normal upper-respiratory bugs.

Of course, and there's also a lot of bacteria on the equipment, machines, bikes, ellipticals, etc., so I guess that's why so many people wipe down the stuff before they use it.

I been lifting in gyms all the way back to my college football days right up to my present age of 59. Probably a dozen different gyms over the decades as I was part of the bodybuilding/powerlifting scene back in the 80s & early 90s. So, I never worried about that and like many people, I've had several colds & bouts with the flu over the decades that maybe I picked up at the gym or maybe at work or maybe socializing with friends...who knows. TBH. I'm actually more concerned with the risk bacterial infections that can be acquired at the gyms - so I wear full lifting gloves that I keep sealed in my gym bag after use and throughly wash my hands after each workout, and never go barefoot in the locker rooms.

And these restrictions for the "new norm" that I'm seeing with some gyms reopening in other states is crazy. Temperature checks, masks, equipment spaced apart, locker rooms, saunas, pools closed, social distancing strictly enforced, time limits on working out, capacity reduced to 50% or more. Wow...welcome to the Corona New Norm. ?

Hi all — just checking in to share a great read. I just moved into a new AG, yay, the bride got a tricky cataract taken out today, bigger yay, and our 25th is tomorrow and I’m surprising her with a zoom call to the couple that put us together. They’re in Sydney which suddenly seems not so far away in the Zoomiverse.

The run is still fun. Not masking in the park, no need. Feel lucky I can get it all done out there, and certainly sympathize with those who relied on gyms and are missing the equipment and camaraderie there. Stay safe!!

https://www.podiumrunner.com/culture/still-hungry-at-eighty-training-alone-and-racing-virtually/

oId guy wrote:

Ghost of Igloi wrote:

Couldn’t have guessed you would disagree. You made my day. ?

As Dirty Harry said: “Opinions are like assholes; everybody’s got one.”

?

Been 17 years since I laced up my 20 year old Nike Spikes still fit like a glove.

Push off felt Great oh what a difference .

South Eugene 400 sub 70 real soon .

Onward!

https://drive.google.com/open?id=1g1dMrjKkjgR2LYc-LES-tUwHakkBxFbp

Nice Inspiring Spike-Up Charlie!

Hit a great feeling couple of follow-up to solo time trial road 5k this week. Felt like I was spiking up too. Form from arm carry to foot plants are shaping up with my endurance to speed.

Monday - Maupin OR

4 sets of 200-200-400 with equal distance jog recovery. Basically a modified fartlek/track session on the roads. Splits ranged 42-36 and 84-77.

Thursday - Cartersville GA

10 x 200 with equal distance jog recovery. Splits ranged 40-37

1 x Mile at 5:50

6 x 200 range 41-36

KP

We are initiating a summer virtual team challenge for Senior (60-69) men's and women's USATF teams. Several clubs have expressed an interest already.

The format is runners can run a 5K or 10K time trial and their times are age graded for the team score (so a given team could have 3 run a 5K and 2 run a 10K and would be ranked on the combined age grade percent of all 5 runners). Scoring will be 5 runners per team, larger teams can enter as many runners as they want, and teams need not be pre-selected (teams A,B,C etc., will be just based on their age grade scores).

The first race window will be from May 23 to May 31. Although this is not a USATF event, we are requesting that all participants be a current USATF member and be a member on the team they are signed up with.

Race weeks are also planned during the 4th of July and Labor Day weeks, and we might be expanding age groups. No entry fee, bling, or awards. This is just for fun.

email me at

rws_58@yahoo.com

if you are interested in entering a team in the 60-69 age group.