How An Older Guy Ran 30 Miles Yesterday On A Whim

So what happened to all that great climbing and running you were supposed to do?

Oh be nice.

He ran thirty miles because he could. BRAVO! Way to go!

I hope to do the same. Could be the start of a club.

Wow! Sounds like somebody needs a Snickers

High Fat and Protein Diets are a recipe for cancer.. Very dangerous. Maybe more so than smoking.

What's with all these anti-wonders in their late 50s training & racing like they're 25 yr old elites. C'mon man...high mileage, fast race times, no injuries, no downtime, etc. And it's funny how they always chalked it off to dietary changes and some special "smart" training program only they know about.

Just not buying it...

:LOL!!!

Well yeah, I know right? All I can say is..."wait, you'll see." LOL!

I'm not going to read the whole thread to find it YMMV. What the heck is 2:10?

+1

Was a 2:10 an 800m race?

Are you still around YMMV? I read the whole thread. How did the 60 mile race go?

...

Hi guys, I suppose it's time to update.

Not sure what the 2:10 refers to, maybe someone can quote. I did run a ton of 2:10's for 800 in my 40s and 2:11 age 50 (while climbing 13c/d).

It has been a very good 2017 in terms of health and basic fitness, but not a ton of performance results yet, I guess I am a lazy procrastinator who prefers process over results, ha.

I adopted MAF training last Fall and was able to maintain a steady 50 miles/week throughout the winter...my first winter in five with NO respiratory infections! This was my primary goal, as I was getting very serious bronchitis/pneumonia that would sometimes drag on for months. I credit my health to slowing down from 8 min. miles to 10-11 (initially) which has now become 9-10 min miles. Almost all running was under 135-140 HR, or zone 2.

I spent three months in the Southwest running and rock climbing and plan to return this next winter. I see some great opportunities for work projects (climbing) and life is just too darn short to be cold and damp for 4-6 months.

Oh yeah, I turned 60 at the beginning of the year, which for all competitive running types stirs thoughts of age-group race "glory". So of course I dabbled in some speed work, which led to an injury scare when I donned spikes for 200 repeats (I know...dumb off mostly slow running). I averted any long-term damage and now am able to at least fartlek and do hills and a tempo once a week without residual aches or pains. I am no stud now though, at least a minute per mile off even my age 50 times. But far more healthy and niggle-free.

While I have done some great off-road runs in the Utah/Nevada desert and now in the Northwest mountains, I pulled the plug on my 60-mile mountain run for this year as I have too many climbing projects, most notably my first 5.14 rated rock climb. I am getting close to sending it without falls, maybe in a month or two (I first got on it two years ago). It is a fantastic project but I am being careful to keep my perfect record intact as far as injury. In any case I am steadily breaking my all-time training records in the gym for various pullups and hangs off small edges. Unlike my legs, my fingers and upper body seem to be still getting stronger. Much lower impact stress is a big part of that, plus I have learned the hard lessons from running to keep from overtraining on the climbs. In any case if I climb the 5.14 it puts me in record-setting territory for over-60 rock climbers, woohoo! The main thing is it is fun as hell, I love the gymnastic element and the adrenaline. My partner and I are also finishing up what will be one of the longest sport climbs in the world, so that is very satisfying, and it feels good to give back to the climbing community and share our love of the vertical with friends of all abilities.

As far as diet, I went full keto for much of the winter, as it is compatible with pure aerobic training and keeping infections at bay. I started introducing more carbs in the form of fruit in late Spring as I began speed work, but by July I was having some real problems with energy, brain fog, the injury scare, etc, so now I am back in ketosis. Moderate protein (13-15% calories) and low carb (less than 50g/day) seems the sweet spot for me to train hard and stay at fighting weight. Lots of veggies and healthy fats (no polyunsaturates). With the family history of the typical inflammation-related disease (Alzheimer's, heart issues,diabetes, cancer) I will likely be staying whole-food LCHF indefinitely. I also do a 13-16 hour fasting window 4-5 times/week. I now have a different relationship to food as it is much higher quality and I am not fighting carb-cravings all day. Fortunately LCHF seems to be compatible with long-term performance, as long as I am patient. It feels good to at least *feel* light and strong most days, even though my old mile pace (35-second 200s) feel like and all-out sprint.

It is cool to read the base-training thread where HRE posted the training of Francis Burdett. If I could convert my daily 9-10 minute miles to even 18 minute 5Ks, much less 15:xx, I would be ecstatic! I guess there is this missing element...talent, I suppose. I also read the over-50 thread, and marvel at the times some of those guys are putting down, but I don't miss the "devil's dance" with injuries and illness. I like to keep a buffer of health even if it costs me a bit in pace.

wow you haven't changed a bit

I should think not!

captured in amber wrote:

wow you haven't changed a bit

YMMV wrote:

I also read the over-50 thread, and marvel at the times some of those guys are putting down, but I don't miss the "devil's dance" with injuries and illness.

I don't marvel at those anti-aging wonders who are training & racing like they're 25 yr old elites. They're a product of superb genetics that allows them to consistently train at a high volume & intensity without injury. And it doesn't hurt to be a dimuinitive flyweight like so many of them are. I think it's funny that instead of crediting their superb genetics, some of these icons create the illusion that's all about some "special diet" & "training methodolgy" that they've only been privy to. 😁

I actually think that it is the younger runners that lean heavily on their genetics, they have an "inheritance" to spend, whilst older athletes are more a matter of intelligent training and a certain mental fortitude. I know personally that my genetics kept me to a generic level in high school and college, whereas in my 40s I was competitive at the national and even world level (and still am in climbing). Many of the guys in that thread are similar, maybe state qualifier level in high school, but national champion level in their 50s. To be honest though, running a 15:30 5K is unremarkable at 18 compared to at 55. These guys aren't as much genetic marvels as mostly just pretty tough old gits. In my case I would like to think that the decades of experience counted for something, although of course aging has a genetic component. As far as diet, there is no doubt in my mind that it has a profound effect, increasing or accumulating with age, and probably more so on my overall quality of life. It is an area that I struggled with my entire life. In my younger years I was skinny and "fit", but often very unhealthy, certainly compared to now. I feel I have a new lease on life and I am trying to use it well.

Crusty Old Runner wrote:

YMMV wrote:

I also read the over-50 thread, and marvel at the times some of those guys are putting down, but I don't miss the "devil's dance" with injuries and illness.

I don't marvel at those anti-aging wonders who are training & racing like they're 25 yr old elites. They're a product of superb genetics that allows them to consistently train at a high volume & intensity without injury. And it doesn't hurt to be a dimuinitive flyweight like so many of them are. I think it's funny that instead of crediting their superb genetics, some of these icons create the illusion that's all about some "special diet" & "training methodolgy" that they've only been privy to. 😁

Crusty Old Runner wrote:

I don't marvel at those anti-aging wonders who are training & racing like they're 25 yr old elites. They're a product of superb genetics that allows them to consistently train at a high volume & intensity without injury. And it doesn't hurt to be a dimuinitive flyweight like so many of them are. I think it's funny that instead of crediting their superb genetics, some of these icons create the illusion that's all about some "special diet" & "training methodolgy" that they've only been privy to. 😁

As a regular participant in the over-50 thread I don't think any of us "create the illusion that's all about some "special diet" & "training methodolgy" that they've only been privy to." Most of us do discuss what we are doing in training as we try to find the right recipe of training for ourselves as older athletes where slowing recovery times and injury risk have become much bigger factors in the training equation, and, yes, I am a diminutive flyweight with superb genetics.

escaped from the O-50 thread wrote:

As a regular participant in the over-50 thread I don't think any of us "create the illusion that's all about some "special diet" & "training methodolgy" that they've only been privy to." Most of us do discuss what we are doing in training as we try to find the right recipe of training for ourselves as older athletes where slowing recovery times and injury risk have become much bigger factors in the training equation, and, yes, I am a diminutive flyweight with superb genetics.

C'mon man!...that thread is nothing but a showcase of unbelievable race performances & training schedules, and accolades given to each other by top performing anti-aging wonders. Mostly a bunch of pretentious runners, who by the weekend can hardly wait to post their incredible race times and weekly training schedules.

IMO, the thread doesn't encourage your "average" 50+ runner to post, but is intimidating if you don't perform or train at that their level. There are probably hundreds of thousands of 50+ yr old runners in the U.S. alone, and yet it's the same few dozen posters week end & week out that continually post on that thread. It's mostly a club of genetically gifted older runners who seem to have little interest in the trials & tribulations of the "average" over 50 runner or hobby jogger...nothing new there.