Coureur des bois wrote:
Regarding injuries as one ages. So I was thinking the other day. As we get older we run slower. As we run slower there is less pounding on our legs. So in one aspect as we get older we might be less susceptible to injuries like stress fractures. I have had three in my running career but none in the last 20 years. But on the other hand we become more susceptible to injuries as we age for a myriad of reasons. I'm not sure if it helps or not, but I do a stretching/strengthening routine which takes about 30 minutes at least five times a week. I also take several supplements. We will get slower as we age. The key is to slow that process as much as possible.
Age-related degenerative changes of the tendons & ligaments starts as early as age 40 and accelerates after age 50 for most competitive athletes. Some of the more common tendons & ligaments that can become problematic from aging are the rotator cuff, Achilles, lateral humeral epicondylar, quadriceps, patellar tendons and ACL/MCL. A lot of this is due to hormonal & vascular changes and the continued high-stress put on these tendons/ligaments through training & competition.
https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC3874221/Like "Brittle Master1958," I currently weigh ~165, but on a very short frame of 5-6. I weighed 195+ when I played college football & ran sprints back in the late 70s/early 80s (age 59 now). After college, I did about 10 yrs of bodybuilding/powerlifting transitioning to running & triathlon in my early 30s (had some cardiovascular concerns that the cardiologist recommended that I lose some of the bulk and pursue an endurance sport - plus my father had died of a heart attack at age 40).
And like Brittle Master, I raced in my 30s & 40s at about 175 and was much faster than now almost 10 lbs lighter (PRs in my late 30s were sub 19 5k & 5:05 mile - about 40-45 miles per week training). But the "you know what" hit the fan in my early 50s with my first significant injury since my football days when I partially tore my Achilles at an all-comers meet. The was followed a year later when I partially tore my ACL slipping on the ice while running in a snowstorm (stupidity at it's best. Lol). A couple years later was the big one - a completely ruptured PTT of the ankle while sprinting on an uphill finish of a 5k. The ankle now has post-traumatic OA and will eventually need a replacement. To add insult to injury, in 2017, I got T-boned by a knucklehead who blew the red light while texting causing some significant injuries (back & upper body mainly).
So, now I'm regulated to 3 days of running (~4 miles a session at a 10 min mile pace) and a weekend mile TT at track depending on how I feel. 4 days are spent strength & cross training in the gym - and this is the key: I've been able to strengthen the quads, hams, back & hips which helps take the load off the lower extremities transfering impact forces to these muscle groups. I wouldn't be able to run at all without hitting these muscle groups 4 times a week with weight machines (stretching and other stuff is ineffective - you need resistant training). And this is why when the gyms shut down due to COVID, I was basically up a creek and couldn't do much running. Gyms are now just starting to reopen.
That being said, I do notice less muscle definition particularly in my upper body even though I lift weights upper body and eat heathy taking Whey protein & BCAAs. I just don't look the same as I did 10 - 15 yrs earlier due to the hormonal changes (my son pokes fun at me that I'm getting an "old man's upper body" ?). I have acquaintances at the gym around my age who are on TRT and look like a million bucks, but I'm not ready to go there yet. For one, I would like to see more data on the side-effects and risks on the organs with long-term use. But I'll tell you, it's amazing these how these guys in their 60s & 70s transform their bodies looking 10-15 yrs younger and with a ton of energy to boot (and notice all these "Low-T" centers cropping up everywhere being promoted by retired pro-football players - crazy).