How old did you feel at 40? Old farts only.

I am 39 and I know everything is going to shit in the next 20 years. I am planning to live over 100 though. It is just going to be a more passive and boring life. I am preparing for that.

At 40, I felt great. I was able to still break 16 in the 5k, and did not really start to see any changes. But, at 50 I did slowly see some changes. At 55, those changes started to make their effect. I noticed my daily runs became much slower and the desire to stay out for much longer began to slip away. Eventually, I embraced being slow, and have accepted this after my 57th birthday.

41-1976 wrote:

41feeling good but aware it won't last forever.

Definitely trying to be creative with training to stay healthy.

I run with a guy who is 50 he can still rumble but not durable. Gets hurt trying to run to fast.

Another guy mid 50s who can barely run... he was elite 15-20 years ago. They both say 46 is when they broke.

As someone in the nearly mid-50s and trying to get back at it, I'd have to add that I get hurt when running too fast OR pushing the mileage....and it's not knee injuries, but just pulled hammies, calf muscles, etc. PT and strength training is your friend....especially in hips, glutes, and core.

I concur that it's in the 46-48 y/o timeframe where I really noticed the difference in performance and recovery.

At 40 I was in PR shape (didn't start running until my mid 30s). At 45 I struggle w injuries but not running ones. I have arthritis in my lower back and have been having back problems since my late 20s. At 40 I felt like I was about 28 and at 45 I feel younger than my age but I'm not where I wanna be. My back hasn't really been acting up lately and I've been ramping up the mileage. I'm not going to race again but I hope to round into respectable shape during the fall. Bad back and all I'm a very young 45 and people usually thknk I'm 32-35 years old. If I have no facial hair, no one thinks I'm over 35. I look forward to running happily for the rest of my life but I do not think that I will ever race again. The focus and dedication it takes to really maximize your running potential is too extreme for me anymore. I just wanna be outside and run.

Yep, 40 was fine for me.

45 is when I started to feel it. Just running for fun now. I give anyone credit if they enjoy competing in their age category. Not for me though.

I didn't start running until my 30s, but I'm still able to set a PR every now and then in my 40s. Also, I grew a few more inches down there, if you know what I mean 😚😚😚

I started running again at 36 because I figured I had at most, 4 more years before everything fell to pieces. Now at 42 I'm hitting my highest mileage since college and I'm close to my high school times (I was never all that good). I definitely lost some speed, but I have much more endurance. I'm still getting old man PRs though. Otherwise I haven't aged much since I was 30. No hair loss or graying. Still weigh 140. Most of the kids I work with think I'm their age. I think they only thing is with the running and my age, I probably have the T levels of an 80 year old woman. It's not necessarily a bad thing, but I have a definite lack of desire.

It was pretty much the same for me with distance events. Hit 40 and I was feeling good. Had surgery at 41, with a long recovery time, took the wind out of my sails. I just couldn't spring back. Agree that the decline after mid 40s is pretty dramatic. Also, all of the old dings and dents as a youngster come back to haunt you.

Terdferguson wrote:

Was running darn near college times (I sprint) when I was 39-40. I am 46 now and it has been a pretty drastic decline. The struggle is real my friend.

Basically went from being within a few percent of my PR's 20 years after I set them to over 10% off of them in 5-6 years.

This is why seeing Tom Brady and some other pros play until they are 40 doesn't floor me, but let's see if they make it to 42+

I feel pretty good at 42 years old, but from what I am reading many see the decline once hit mid 40's. I didn't start running until my mid 30's. Hence, I won't have the variance in times folks that ran in high school and college do as advance to my age.

Full head of non-grey hair. Can bench 285 yet. Crap running times for this board, but okay standards for general running community. Like getting drunk each Saturday night yet. Body fat in single digits. Hang out with younger crowd (I am not married). That stuff makes me feel young yet.

I have noticed sex drive has decreased a lot since I was 30. I don't have the energy I used to. The ancillary running some scoff at (post run stretching, foam rolling) is stuff I have to do to stay healthy that younger folks prob don't.

When I was 30, 40 seemed ultra old. But, it doesn't feel bad now.

If you don't do it already, I advise you to work on the little things. Stretching, strength work, balance, etc in addition to the running. I got seriously injured for the first time at about 38 and now at 52, think I've been injured more than I've been not injured since that time. Injury prevention becomes more important than any other part of running (at least it did for me). At 40 I still had a very youthful outlook about running. At 52 I'm more cautious and really just appreciate anytime I can run without pain. The biggest hurdle is the brain in that you forget you are getting older and still want to attack workouts like you might have when you were young. That 2 part interview with Nick Willis is good reading in this aspect.

I've got a pot belly going as foot intake increases and physical intensity decreases but I feel fit. That's the conundrum I'm trying to figure out, it seems like it was the intensity of exercise that kept me like skin and bones. I'm doing longer length of exercise than I ever did. What used to be hard workout enhancement in subsequent days has turned to metabolic issues and general malaise. So I do one hard workout a week because I enjoy running for what it is and I can still handle that, but I can see why people who were high achievers and did it for times, can let themselves go completely after they're no longer competitive.

1977 wrote:

Where were you mentally and physically when you turned the big 4-0?

Was your body breaking down? Did it depress you that everything was about to start declining quickly? Did it piss you off that even if you trained your ass of you would be a shadow of your former self?

How about mentally? Were you still super motivated and full of goals?

I'm a fresh 40. I'm cautiously optimistic about my next 20 or 30 years.

The only thing that bothers me at this point is that I'm the same amount of years away from 50 as I am from 30!

Physically, I'm in good health and pretty fit. Feel good now but am getting stressed out about how fast time is going and what I'll feel like in 10 or 15 years.

40 is young, wait until you turn 60. You have no idea of breakdown yet.

Be smart now, take care of your knees, cross train, don't gain weight.

Aging is a part of life, how you age is up to you. Adjust your goals to be realistic. Being able to stay fit and healthy vs race fit and needlessly training your ass off like your 20.

There is a new class of drugs - senolytics - that will be hitting the market within the next five years (or at least the black market/medical tourism).

Unlike any other medical treatment in human history they promise to actually turn back the clock - to what extent we still don't know, but there is pretty much extensive evidence already that they will have a huge impact on aging and to some extent actually rejuvenate.

So, in the meantime stay healthy and start saving.

http://wtvr.com/2017/09/08/new-class-of-drugs-targets-aging-to-help-keep-you-healthy/

https://www.fightaging.org/archives/2017/04/if-much-older-than-30-save-more-aggressively-over-the-next-decade-or-two/

Depends on how many serious injuries you had. Stress fractures, surgeries, muscle tears. Any of those tend to just hurt when you do too much. Otherwise you feel the same except you move slower and the clock moves faster

40s were great. 50s are good, too.

Sure, you're a little slower, but you can feel sharp, train hard, and compete.

60 wasn't bad, but 65 is definitely the beginning of the end.

You've got plenty of time to enjoy yourself. Obviously, you shouldn't pay attention to all the adolescents who post here.

I am currently 40, and my slower race times are the only thing that makes me feel old. And that's only in comparison to the me of 10 years ago. I am thinner, fitter, healthier, more active and energetic than any of my friends my age. I suspect I'll feel the same at 50 and 60...slower than I used to be, but doing great for my age. I have no complaints.

currently 40 wrote:

I am currently 40, and my slower race times are the only thing that makes me feel old. And that's only in comparison to the me of 10 years ago. I am thinner, fitter, healthier, more active and energetic than any of my friends my age. I suspect I'll feel the same at 50 and 60...slower than I used to be, but doing great for my age. I have no complaints.

Great post right here. We all want to compare our current selves to our younger selves and get depressed over it.

Instead, take a look around at the inactive people around you. Huge bellies, limping around, out of breath after walking up stairs. It's plain old bad. If you still run regularly, even slower and reduced volumes, you're doing GREAT in comparison.

Look around at your 40-something coworkers and neighbors. Almost everyone is fat. Just doing regular exercise and keeping your weight in check makes you a 1 percenter health wise.

Terdferguson wrote:

Was running darn near college times (I sprint) when I was 39-40. I am 46 now and it has been a pretty drastic decline. The struggle is real my friend.

Basically went from being within a few percent of my PR's 20 years after I set them to over 10% off of them in 5-6 years.

This is why seeing Tom Brady and some other pros play until they are 40 doesn't floor me, but let's see if they make it to 42+

But why the decline? What did you chane in your training and life that caused this? Running, cycling, swimming (triathlon): barring serious injury or burnout, the 40-50 dropoff isn't that steep except for elites.