How do you feel at 35, 45, 55, 65???? Getting slower inevitable????

Of course slowing down is inevitable with age.

On the bright side though, eventually you will die.

I was fragile at 18 and 27 and indestructible between 32 and 37.

throw your ego away. I now walk for health and do lots of mobility exercises. If I wake up without any pain I'm happy. I'm told I'm in decent shape but it's humbling to be so slow.

26 is nothing. I PRd at several distances well after turning 26. Yes you have to adjust your training a bit, but the best years can be ahead.

Crashed at 35 (steep drop off and decline) and again after my early 40s but have enjoyed comebacks and now a decade (now into my 50s) holding relatively steady.

Keys are consistency and passion for the sport.

of course it is going to get worse. in your 40s injuries will happen for no reason; healing will become glacial; your "speed" will go - which soon won't be a problem because you will be afraid to do short reps because of injury. Finally the longer distance times will begin to slide - slowly at first, then a crash as you become slower than you thought you would ever be. Staying light won't guarantee slowing the decline but packing on the pounds will sure speed it up. And staying light isn't easy with a 40+ metabolism.

And yet, even after almost 40 years racing i enjoy it more than ever. All about perspective.

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Kgpremed12 wrote:

Im just wondering how people feel at these ages and how their priorities and perspectives change as they get older?

Im 26 now, and I feel my body is starting to age. I try to exercise everyday to keep myself in shape. I need longer to recover from hard workouts, I need to stretch more, warm ups take longer, injuries take longer to heal, it sucks. when I was 21, I could just get up and go. I hope it doesn't get much worse.

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Just talking about looks, 26 is a peak age. I'd say it's the last year when you are really a young person. After this the wrinkles start to show, you get bags under the eyes, and you aren't producing as many hormones as when you were younger.

As I reached 30 I started to care less about competitive running and started to enjoy running for running if that makes sense.

Uphill on the way to late 20s, flat for a few year, slight linear decline until late 30s, then the exponential decay starts.

Don't stretch so much but do strengthening exercises. At 45, I'm not far away from my fastest times and in fact was in my best shape at 43. So, while getting slower is inevitable, it is not inevitable until your 50s, unless you didn't run much prior to that time.

Yes, getting slower is inevitable. The only alternative is to quit running. The age at which you really start to decline depends in part on how long yo have been running. Generally, you get about 10 years to improve, then a few years to maintain, then you start to slow. Keep running long enough, and eventually you really fall off a cliff.

You seem to be aging very differently than me. Just turned 31 and have been getting more durable and quicker. PR's from 800m through 1/2 marathon this past year.

Bad news - I ran 14:45 at age 26, can barely break 19 at age 53.

Good news - 18:41 at 53 FEELS just as fast as 14:45 at age 26.

Here is my n of 1, best 5K times (rounded) by about 5 year increments. No doubt weak by LRC standards but the best I could do.

teens - 17:10 (but that was a 16:30 3 mile split in an 5 mile race)
@20 - 16:15
mid 20s - 15:30
late 20s - 15:15
early 30s - 15:35
late 30s - 16:20
early 40s - 16:20
late 40s - 17:00
early 50s - 17:00
late 50s - 17:20

I am 71 today and feel great. After tomorrow run will have 30 plus miles for the week. Yes you will slow done but that's okay. I find myself competing with those around me during a race. Keep up the core exercises and forget the stretching. Being Abe to run most days is a blessing.

I turn 40 this summer. I have been getting faster every year. 13 years ago I ran 3:08 in the marathon and I just ran 2:29, heading for 2:25 baby. I would destroy myself as a high schooler-keep the faith.

In my 30s it was just a gradual decline. Mentally I was just as competitive as ever and I really knew how to train at that point; however, once I turned 40, I noticed a big drop off. After a year or so of a nagging injury, I started rolling again, but was knocked down by 2 surgeries 1 year apart. It took so much longer to get back in shape, that it just wasn't worth it. After the 2nd surgery, (to remove parts from the first surgery) my heart just wasn't in it anymore, and I made the transition to being happy with doing other things and with simply living a fit lifestyle.

I turn 47 in August, and don't have a desire to run competitively anymore. I am fine with going for an easy jog here and there. Cycling doesn't beat me up, keeps me fit and fulfills my desire to roam around the countryside.

Fiddy Tree wrote:

Bad news - I ran 14:45 at age 26, can barely break 19 at age 53.

Good news - 18:41 at 53 FEELS just as fast as 14:45 at age 26.

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I agree. At 68 years old a sub 8 minute pace feels just like a sub 6 minute pace did when I was in my 30's.
It's hard to believe someone feels they're slowing at 26.
Keep a running log, it's great motivation. I've logged every work out or run for the last 38 years.

26???? It is all downhill from here!! Down.Hill!