what full deconditioning looks like: 57 and pitiful

You're not deconditioned. You just need to properly address the injury. More rest days is probably the key. In any case if you only ran 5 miles and did it under 50 minutes you'd be exceptional fit and like in the 1% fittest in the US. I tell people: Don't run marathons, You can get injured. Run for fitness. Current research indicates 15 miles max for running a week for great health. Anymore and you open yourself up to injury and possible oxidization stress.

e56uy4 wrote:

.....Run for fitness. Current research indicates 15 miles max for running a week for great health. Anymore and you open yourself up to injury and possible oxidization stress.

There is one certain way to absolutely minimize oxidative stress: eliminate carbohydrates from your diet. Burning glucose creates advanced glycation endproducts (acronym: AGE). Burning fat by contrast is clean and sustainable.

To eliminate inflammation, remove plant products from your diet. They are loaded with defense compounds, toxins and antinutrients. This will make injury and lingering fatigue but a faint memory if you train with any sense whatsoever.

Fortunately, there is a diet which accomplishes both of these goals: carnivore, i.e. consuming only meat, fish, eggs and for those who can tolerate, butter and/or raw dairy. Simple and proven over two million years of human evolution. One meal a day suffices.

Age 63 and 45 miles a week is easier and far less painful than 10 years ago, with improvement in performance (I was suffering all the complaints listed by those above). Not to mention my gains in resistance training would make a 30-year old think they've hit the "gains" jackpot. Also better sleep, work productivity, better skin, perfect digestion and excellent mental clarity, all with a very stabilized mood and attitude. I easily kicked lifelong alcohol and caffeine habits. Best of all, it's perfectly easy to implement, once you overcome your ingrained biases and misinformation about diet, health and fitness.

Reducing carbs has some pretty good arguments.

Reducing all plants...Ive never seen anything supporting that. Tons of plants contain minimal, or negligible, carbs...and they have very solid benefits in terms of nutrient density and effect on gut microbiota.

Meat, obviously is good. Need to be careful about what you buy though to keep omega 6:3 ratio solid. Some fish and mostly grass fed meats along with good oil choices will do that.

That said, carnivore is not proved by "2 million years of evolution". Diets of ancestral populations had massive variance. Inuits for instance were almost pure carnivore, others were primarily vegetable, still others were heavy nuts + seeds.

the end is here wrote:

I run the Whirlpool trails wrote:

Yes. I remember Ed Whitlock saying this very thing.

I remember thinking at age 54 when I could still train and race pretty much like I always had that I'd be able to do it indefinitely like Ed Whitlock. Then I had a couple of years mostly lost to injury and when I finally get healthy enough so that I could train consistently suddenly I can't. I'm not Ed Whitlock. Almost nobody is. Be prepared to find out you're not either.

You might have to give up running eventually. You don't have to give up fitness and being in shape. The bike is the way to go if/when the injuries become not worth it or prohibitive. Lots of 70+ year old guys absolutely crushing it.

Sprintgeezer wrote:

the end is here wrote:

I remember thinking at age 54 when I could still train and race pretty much like I always had that I'd be able to do it indefinitely like Ed Whitlock. Then I had a couple of years mostly lost to injury and when I finally get healthy enough so that I could train consistently suddenly I can't. I'm not Ed Whitlock. Almost nobody is. Be prepared to find out you're not either.

53-1/2 now, you have me thinking that this is my last blast of glory!

Good thread

I'm 58 and back in Jan of this year I sustained a grade 2 distal hamstring strain while sprinting a 400. Took 2 months of aggressive rehab and non -weightbearing activity (phase 1) before moving on to phase 2 of some light running (I hadn't pulled a hammy since my HS football days!).

Hamstring strains greater than grade 1 for old bucks will knock the snot out of you! Heck, look at some if these football players in their 20s sustaining a serious hamstring injuries -- many are never the same and some are forced to retire early.

You're still relatively young at 53...but just wait until you get into your late 50s/early 60s -- that's when things start really tanking! ?

KudzuRunner wrote:

59 here wrote:

What has been your strength and flexibility program over the past 20 years?

No strength training whatever. Some minimal stretching before and after runs. I've started to up that, slowly, and I've added a couple of dynamic stretches--including, usefully (and carefully), some punter-style kicks to about 90 degrees.

I would welcome suggestions for hamstring strengthening exercises, particularly those that can be done at home, without specialized equipment. Give me a couple that work and that anybody can do, and I will add them to the mix. Clearly hamstring strengthening is one key missing element.

If you wish to train at home using little or no equipment, read Drew Baye's PROJECT KRATOS, which is far and away the best book on bodyweight-only training. You will, of course, not wish to only train one muscle group. If you wish to read another book on training which is fully complementary with PROJECT KRATOS, I suggest John Little's recently released THE TIME-SAVER'S WORKOUT.

e56uy4 wrote:

You're not deconditioned. You just need to properly address the injury. More rest days is probably the key. In any case if you only ran 5 miles and did it under 50 minutes you'd be exceptional fit and like in the 1% fittest in the US. I tell people: Don't run marathons, You can get injured. Run for fitness. Current research indicates 15 miles max for running a week for great health. Anymore and you open yourself up to injury and possible oxidization stress.

Well...I'm an old fitness runner (59) who runs 15 mpw and an easily hit sub-50 for 5 miles - but why do the millennials make of runners like us? ?

Correction: ....make fun of runners like us?

An internist who took care of me several years ago was a cyclist and a true ectomorph, beanpole. We'd discuss training, fitness and such just as a course of conversation during my checkup. When he retired the last thing he mentioned to me when I expressed my frustration at not being able to get as thin as him was that I was not built for marathoning, but for 5K/8K and that more satisfaction might come with running specifically for those. It was amazingly good advice. Since then I've had less stress, no injuries, more fun and satisfaction with the sport by tailoring to just those distances. Maybe this would apply to anyone else-to work to your natural capability and design. 67 YO and a solid 76% age grouper.