I once ran sub 30 for 10k. Now I'm 40 & I let myself go. Can I get back in reasonable shape?

Smoove wrote:

I am always amazed at how much of a difference some folks have between their college level abilities and their later-in-life abilities. I was talking to a college teammate who was a 3:50 1500 runner who managed to also run 15:1x, despite being an 800/1500 guy. At age 40, despite staying fit with cycling, he couldn't jog at 7:00 pace for any appreciable period of time and couldn't go under 19 for a cross country 5k at our alumni meet.

I honestly wonder how much of it is physical, and how much of it is mental, with the mental part being half a lack of willingness to hurt and half a self-defeating belief that since one is older, they must be slower.

I've noted this too. I'm a masters runner, who started late in life, and I'm notably faster than women my same age with longer running careers who ran spectacular times in their youth. I don't believe that I'm more talented than they are. I think it comes down to two things.

1) Physical - perhaps the body only has so much lifetime speed in it - spend it early and you won't have it as a masters. Of course, there are some very fast masters runners with very long careers - perhaps they just got extra helpings of lifetime speed.

2) Mental - I think that it can be very hard to keep that level of discipline and drive over decades. If you've been doing this all your life, eventually you get sick of it and lose that fire. This is compounded by the knowledge that your fastest times are likely behind you. As a relatively new runner who is still setting PRs as a masters runner, I have potential PRs for additional motivation - those who have been running their entire lives don't have that same carrot.

Strength training to the extent you can. All muscles, upper and lower. Will make a huge difference in how you feel, what you're capable of in running, and avoiding injury.

davidandersen wrote:

Strength training to the extent you can. All muscles, upper and lower. Will make a huge difference in how you feel, what you're capable of in running, and avoiding injury.

Different strokes, for different folks. In my late 30's early 40's every time I would mix in weight training thinking I was a superman I would end up injured. The last 5 years I just run and the injuries are a lot smaller and fewer. I am a runner, so I run.

Don't call it a come back wrote:

I once ran Sub 30 10k & a 2:26 marathon (15 years ago granted). Had a kid at 32 and stayed in reasonable shape, could still crack 6 min pace for a marathon. Second kid came and between work, & no sleep I shut it down and haven't run in 5 years.

I'm 40+, gained 20 pounds (170) and in the worst shape of my life. After 15 years of 100 miles weeks I have Achilles tendinitis which is not fun. Long story short I'm a mess.

I started running again. I'm one week in running 3-6 milers the last six days.

I want to lose weight & get in shape to enjoy running again. Anyone have a similar experience and can offer some advice/tips?

wife pics?

some questions pop up:

how tall are you?

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whats the hobbies of your kids?

i was in usa in 2014 and i was amazed, people drive everywhere and the size of a cup of coke is huge! i also saw huge people very often!!!

i hope this is not the direction sweden is goin. i like the chicks to be fit and lean.

OP,

It's possible. My 2 recommendations (I'll be 38 this year, was a 14:5x guy in college and ran 2:49 in New York this past November, not fast, but relative to my "shape").

1. Eat your humble pie. It's hard to run slow at first because it's embarrassing. It took me a few weeks to just get over the fact that I was jogging. You prided yourself for years on the daily grind of college training and racing and now you're a civilian. It's hard to be redlining at 8:00 minute pace when you know you once ran 6 miles straight in the 4:40's.

I think if you stick with it though, you learn to appreciate it all over again. You also find you love and feed off the progression, as long as you keep your expectations reasonable. When I got back down to running 17:00 for 5k, I was like, man, I'll be back in the 15's in no time... yea... no... Your daily life, work, kids, sleep... it all adds up. Be reasonable.

2. Get a coach. I have done a few different "comebacks" over the years, and ran relatively well, but I always felt like I could do it by myself, as I had so much experience. But this last marathon, I decided to use a coach for 8 months and it was the best decision I made. You can kind of take your worry out and just follow the training and focus on whats written for you. My wife had our second child in Jan, so I've been in "maintenance mode" for a while, but as soon I feel my schedule will find some regularity, I think I'll get back on the coach train.

Just some food for thought.

At 50 I follow the 90-10 rule. 90 percent of my mileage is easy and 10 percent up tempo. Take rest days and cross train more. Recovery takes longer, so I take extra rest days after hard work outs and races. Can't emphasize the importance of rest and recovery. Longer planning horizons for specific races key to avoiding those nagging injuries. My body doesn't tolerate high mileage very well, so I stick to 5 and 10K racing. I recently ran 18:48 5k off 30 miles a week following the 90-10 rule. Not record breaking but I have been injury free and enjoying myself.

Isymfs wrote:

Just commit to moving 60 minutes per day and going to bed slightly hungry.

Look in the damn mirror take a picture... send it to the forum...life is to short to be old and wickedly slow.

You were a stallion before and can be again... you just need to think long term. It took a 10 years to get where you are at....it will take 2-5 years to get back... nonproblem.

+1

OP, you can get back into shape but it will take commitment and you may not get back into the same relative shape you once were. Don't fall into the trap of comparing the shape you can get into now with the shape you once were via age grade calculators.

For example, a local runner was 27:XX, 13:XX back in the day, now at age 50 runs high 33s and high 16s which are OK times but not as good age calculated as what he once ran. Must be said that he doesn't/can't train as he once did. Runs up to 70 miles a week now, 100+ then. Still enjoys being in shape, doing well in his age group and enjoys running. Never got totally out of shape though and is only a little heavier than he was back in the day.

Another giver of +1 wrote:

[quote]Isymfs wrote:

For example, a local runner was 27:XX, 13:XX back in the day, now at age 50 runs high 33s and high 16s which are OK times but not as good age calculated as what he once ran. Must be said that he doesn't/can't train as he once did. Runs up to 70 miles a week now, 100+ then. Still enjoys being in shape, doing well in his age group and enjoys running. Never got totally out of shape though and is only a little heavier than he was back in the day.

"Age 50" and runs 33's & 16's, and 70 mpw? Sounds like freakish genetics or PEDs to me.

Get lean again and get your ego back.

Your Lieing to yourself that you feel ok chubby.

Go to a local track and take off your shirt while some college kids are working out. Don't stop until you can do this. YOU WONT REGRET IT.

reality czech wrote:

Don't race against your younger self.

Best advice in the thread, right here. I'm convinced that many masters injuries occur because they keep trying to train and race like they're 25. Forget about your old PRs. They're history.

Flagpole wrote:

Don't call it a come back wrote:

I once ran Sub 30 10k & a 2:26 marathon (15 years ago granted). Had a kid at 32 and stayed in reasonable shape, could still crack 6 min pace for a marathon. Second kid came and between work, & no sleep I shut it down and haven't run in 5 years.

I'm 40+, gained 20 pounds (170) and in the worst shape of my life. After 15 years of 100 miles weeks I have Achilles tendinitis which is not fun. Long story short I'm a mess.

I started running again. I'm one week in running 3-6 milers the last six days.

I want to lose weight & get in shape to enjoy running again. Anyone have a similar experience and can offer some advice/tips?

Doug (yes, Doug),

Your goals are reasonable, so yes you can do it.

Why you gotta be a douch Flagpole - the OP clearly wanted to remain relatively anonymous and you just need to speculate who it is.

old man shuffle wrote:

reality czech wrote:

Don't race against your younger self.

Best advice in the thread, right here. I'm convinced that many masters injuries occur because they keep trying to train and race like they're 25. Forget about your old PRs. They're history.

Can someone outline a week of masters training and how it is different than what someone might do in their 20's?

By the way I'n not Doug but good to know I'm not alone.

I still go with the fairly standard approach of 1 tempo workout, 1 track session and 1 long run during the main portions of my training blocks. During the early and late phases of a training cycle, however, I tend to get either a tempo or a track session in, but not always (maybe even not often) both. That hasn't kept me from being competitive among masters runners at age 45.

I am probably on the more aggressive side of things for masters runners though. I hear a fair number of guys here talk about 9 or 10 day training cycles instead of weekly cycles.

No matter how you approach it, I think the biggest difference is that people manage to reduce their intensity some as they age.

old man shuffle wrote:

Best advice in the thread, right here. I'm convinced that many masters injuries occur because they keep trying to train and race like they're 25. Forget about your old PRs. They're history.

Except those that use PEDs. There are some anti-aging wonders out there who defy all logic and seem to race & train as if they're 25 all over again. Just imagine; masters/grandmasters using PEDs to have an edge...who would have thought? 😉

Which is why I think that age grading is a really good thing, even if it is a bit hokey. I accept that I cannot run the times that I ran in college again, but trying to run the age graded equivalent gives me a goal to shoot for and train toward.

Not Buying It wrote:

Another giver of +1 wrote:

[quote]Isymfs wrote:

For example, a local runner was 27:XX, 13:XX back in the day, now at age 50 runs high 33s and high 16s which are OK times but not as good age calculated as what he once ran. Must be said that he doesn't/can't train as he once did. Runs up to 70 miles a week now, 100+ then. Still enjoys being in shape, doing well in his age group and enjoys running. Never got totally out of shape though and is only a little heavier than he was back in the day.

"Age 50" and runs 33's & 16's, and 70 mpw? Sounds like freakish genetics or PEDs to me.

Good genetics. A world class runner back in the day. 33:50/16:45 is not world class for a 50 year old.

Oh...please, those times age-grade to near world-class levels (89% +). I'm late 50s, broken down all the time and can barley scratch out 70% age-graded times...no surprises there. So, your local 50 yr old runner is either using PEDs or has superior genetics, or both. And if it's just superb genetics, then what's so great about that? Hell, if a lot of us old farts had better genetics we could get the quality training in necessary to run faster times...who would have thought? 😁

Not Buying It wrote:

Oh...please, those times age-grade to near world-class levels (89% +). I'm late 50s, broken down all the time and can barley scratch out 70% age-graded times...no surprises there. So, your local 50 yr old runner is either using PEDs or has superior genetics, or both. And if it's just superb genetics, then what's so great about that? Hell, if a lot of us old farts had better genetics we could get the quality training in necessary to run faster times...who would have thought? 😁

I'm not saying there's anything great about his times now. World class for a 50 year old is under 15:30 for 5k. His times now are slower age graded than the 97% he ran when he was young.

Agree with you that not being able to train and recover as we once did is one reason why we're not running faster as old runners. Being smart about how we adjust training as we age is the secret to running our best (age graded) as older runners.