Help- I think my stride is shrinking as I get older

[quote]darkwave wrote:

1) stretching the front of my hips - quads and hipflexors. I do this everyday, and try to hold the stretch for several minutes. It is ridiculous how much faster I can run for the same effort after opening up the front of my hips. For the same effort pushing off, I cover more ground if my hips don't restrict me.

Hey darkwave, could you please tell me the exercises you do for this?

Thanks in advance.

P.S.: 39 year old here

wejo didn't do good all around training back in his prime and you guys think he's going to start now?

Olympic Trials qualifier now a hobby jogger nobody. No wonder why this board has gone in the crapper.

Genuinely interested wrote:

Hey darkwave, could you please tell me the exercises you do for this?

Thanks in advance.

P.S.: 39 year old here

I do the "couch stretch" - google it first for basic instructions, and then read this:

- for tips on how not to screw it up.

I've found that it works best when I'm very gentle with it - I stretch just to the point where I feel slight tension, and then hold for 2-3 minutes on each side (I suggest watching TV). Over the 2-3 minutes, the hip loosens up, and so I"m gradually able to go deeper into the stretch while maintaining that slight tension. If I stretch too aggressively (and too aggresively is less aggressive than you might think), the hip ends up tighter, not looser.

I also do a high yoga lunge (also google-able) - holding for about a minute. Important here to keep abs and glutes engaged - when you do it right, you feel the stretch in the psoas.

fisky wrote:

Recreational marathon training, in my opinion, reduces range of motion when the runner tries to sprint because the muscles get tight from moving in a restricted range of motion. So if you want to stay fast in the mile over 50, you really shouldn't be messing around with the marathon.

+1

A possible way to combat tightness and restricted range of motion would be to include regular "strides sessions" (10 or more x 100m fast, concentrating on good stride length rather than fast cadence) during or after training runs.

It really seems like you can either spend a ridiculous amount of time in the gym and cross training (pool, bike, elliptical, etc.) in addition to a diminishing amount of running mileage and workouts or you can just let it go and live with the fact that you cannot run like a 25 year old after you hit 45. Guys like Wade, Pilcher, SoCal Pete, etc. are at it like you would not believe. But for the rest of us, there just isn't the time anymore to keep up with it. So, you just do the best with what you have and watch the pack in front of you grow at the races. But it is much better than getting fat and not even being able to run around the block.

you know what they say about a guy's stride length...

EZ10Miler wrote:

Yeah, my form is horrible now. I can look at my own shadow when I run and see how bad I look, then the race pictures just confirm it.

I think this spring I'm going to run counter to my natural abilities and try to run very short stuff in hopes of getting myself back together. Form, stride, weight, power etc...

Yeah, over60 here, and was spacing out on the treadmill recently and looked up to see a reflection of a chubby dude shuffling along, only to realize that it was me. Yikes, when did this happen?

I think there are many variable factors that come into play as we get older.

For example: do you find yourself getting more lazy as you get older?, in other words, do you do ALL the right things like stretching, yoga or take Geritol (jus kidding) and be able to respond spontaneously like you did when you were in your 20s? I didn't think so. I truly think a lot has to do w/the mind set. If you feel like you're younger than what you feel now then I think your stride length will carry you to the finish line as fast as you want...no?

Stride length is proportional to muscle strength and muscle strength declines with age if you don't work to maintain it. Do you even lift, brah?

3in less than military height wrote:

You also get shorter as you age.

Doctor! Doctor! I'm shrinking!

Just wait, be a little patient.

You can do all the stretching/plyos/strides etc. you want, but it will make negligible difference to your times (assuming you would otherwise just run). The main benefit is to break up the rut of easy runs. I basically gave up reps once I slowed to a certain point, and just do easy runs.

60nlovinit wrote:

You can do all the stretching/plyos/strides etc. you want, but it will make negligible difference to your times

You can do every suggestion on this thread, but the fact is you are only going to be so fast. You know what happens when you push too many fast reps? You know what happens when you force that extra 2 inches per stride? You know what happens when you start hitting the gym more than you ever have to relive those glory days?

YOU GET INJURED!! And then you take a bunch of time off and are even slower before so you take it up another notch and get injured again.

Forget about the past. Run and train in the present to the best of you ability and your stride length will be where it is supposed to be.

Wejo, join the club. It is a worry. This time last year I started racing again (former 800m who hadn't raced any thing in 10 years). Locally, we have a few road races and I turned up at a 5k event hoping some of the elite triathletes in the race would drag me through 3k in 9:10 then I would shift focus to the track to get in sort of 8:45 shape, which wouldn't be too bad for a mid-thirties male. But mate I struggled through the first km, then the 2nd was a blowout so I just stopped, I'd had a bad day that day but I thought my old flats were dead but they weren't to blame as two days later I did a couple of 1k reps in them @ 92-95% in 2:57. But then doing a sprint session three days later I blew out my hamstring. Fast forward 12 months of niggles, corrections and hard training (as much as the body will take) I raced 3k and it was a catastrophe. If I was going to run as slow as I did, I would not have bothered. So today I did 5 x 1k reps in 3:04-10 @ 95%. So in 12 months I have lost 7-13 seconds of speed and I'm 6kg/14 lbs lighter than last year. The speed it just disappears and never comes back.

rjm33 wrote:

Are you having fun???

Karma can be a real bummer.

From LetsRun.com:

Damn! rjm33 detective skills rival those of the dark Knight. Well done!

What do you think about my detective skills now?

But Sherlock Holmes is far better, Batman's enemies deliberately leave clues. But Poirot is even better again, off the charts good. Those Belgiums.

Hellzapoppin wrote:

It's called "slowing down". You can either sacrifice cadence or stride length. Usually it's stride length. If you don't like then take up bike riding.

This is the answer. You are not as fast as you were, so the reason is really just decreased fitness. For any given effort level, you are slower now.

It should make sense that cadence for a given effort level is likely the same as it ever was. Cadence is something that is your normal rhythm for a given effort, and you're not going to change that unconsciously. It's going to feel different if you tried, and it's governed in part by the acceleration of gravity. If the slow down was because your cadence slowed with age instead of stride length was the, all old runners would just be lumbering along. You'd also actually need additional strength to get keep yourself up in the air longer between strides to get that lower cadence. That obviously doesn't happen. Since cadence is basically fixed for a given person at a given effort level, the stride length is the aspect of stride length x cadence = speed that must be decreasing.

It's the same thing as an aging cyclist using lower gears, but likely keeping the same cadence as they get slower.

Thank you very much.

At age 63 I now look like a little old lady pushing a walker, when I run.

It is but you are looking in the wrong place "sarcopenea" is the problem,without the muscle you cannot maintain your running form ! You MUST stimulate and activate your leg muscle-mass. Try each day run 1 hr do strength in gym 30 mins also walk properly 1 hr everyday 7 days a week , make time no sitting or car when you could be standing or walking..

Of course if its just a excuse and you cant do it the road is downhill and it gets steeper as you age,and I'm talking 50 onwards by 65 its too late. Adopt the athletic code now or say goodbye to youthfulness. You need minimum 20+ hours a week,your choice,want to see the best runners in the world ? Watch kids running.

Good luck