50+ Masters Training and Racing Open Forum

M 25

T 25

W 25

R 25

F off- drive to CO

S 39 w/ kid 4

S 38 w/ kid 4.

Lots of good running Going on with you all. Condolences Sonogno

Greetings!

Sonogno, my condolences for the loss of your mother.
Dhaaga/Dave, happy birthday and many happy returns of the day!

My week was OK in terms of training. A heat wave arrived here (86-88F are quite unusual for my area), but both interval and tempo sessions went well.
Mon – mix of elliptical and treadmill (12-15%), 1:03
Tue – off
Wed – 7 miles incl. an interval session on a trail. Was a sort of a “monthly non-regression testing” and the test was very successful. Also, ran in Saucony Triump 20 for the first time and liked them very much. I found model 19 a bit worse than 18, but read that the 20s improved greatly and it seems truth.
Initially, 2x1:30 on a warm-up lap, then per lap:
4:36 (138/96) (HR just after the interval and 1 min later)
4:29 (148/109)
4:30 (151/114/96 2 min later)
4:30 (153+/125)
On average it was approximately equal to the 3:42-3:44/km pace while doing the 5x1K on road.
Thu – the same as Mon
Fri – the same as Mon and Thu, but a bit longer – 1:05
Sat – 7 miles incl. a tempo. Tried Triumphs 20 on asphalt (and was very satisfied). Planned to have a 8 km tempo but just before the 7 km mark got an emergency call from my old mom and ran back home. Split per km:
4:10-4:10-4:09-4:06-4:01-3.59.
Felt that about the 5 km mark crossed my LT level.
Sun – mix of elliptical and treadmill, 1:05.

In total: 6 hrs and 5 min of training. Time above LT – 22-23 min. Time at sub/near-LT – 40-41 min. Time running uphill on a treadmill (12-15%) – 1:12.

Happy and injury free training to all!

so trying to get faster. new to the sport, far as consistent training, since 2020. july 4th 5k = 26.26. now starting a new training block, hoping to get under 25, and break the 8 min pace.

M= 4M @ 9:11 (90+ degrees)

T = 4M (3) 4 x 400 Tempo, 1 x 800 Tempo, and easy miles.

W = 5K Easy (90+ degrees)

TH = off

F = 2.5M 10:00 min pace (90+ degrees)

S = 4.5 M 9:50 pace

S = 5k easy 9:52 pace

21.5 miles, and plan to work my way up to 30-40 miles/week over the next month, and then it will begin to get cooler.

I find my legs seem to feel stronger if i do at least a little running most everyday and i get aches and pains when i take days off, so I usually just wait till i feel rested and go. usually this is mid day and it is super hot in S. Florida.

Any ideas to help me hit my 5k goal and how long this training block will take? 5'10". 185 lbs. Male.

57 yrs old...ty

Nice consistency!
How much time do you have each day? Consider adding slow casual walking for a double every day (unless you already are very active). Gradually add super slow jogging segments (don’t time it or measure it) or walk a little more. My own theory, fwiw, is that for us old guys, daily training is not enough physical activity. Just moving around more has many benefits and can also help race performance.

i'd like to extend my condolences to sonogno as well.

haven't posted much, but coming off a run of two solid years of fitness and racing (near-miss AR in the track mile for 55yo, AR in the road mile for 55yo), i've now had nearly two months of little training and an aggravating calf strain/spasm (sometimes called a "calf heart attack"). glad i took advantage of racing while i could, though hopefully i can regain health and fitness soon enough to be in peak shape for x-c clubs in tallahassee...

carpe crepusculum,

cush

Thank you, my time each day available for a run, I’d say up to 2 hours (though I have rarely run that long) could be blocked, but still working and spend many hours on feet walking during work. It usually about equals the steps taken during a run.

nice job coping with that summer weather; sounds brutal.

Little bit easier in DC area this week in that regard -- still humid, and dodging fallen branches from a brief but intense (80 mph winds) storm last weekend, but not as hot.

M 1:35 double

Tu 1:30 with 4 X 90 sec (5:00 jog) hills

W 2:00 double

Th 1:10 with drills and strides

F 1:00

Sa 45:00

Su 1:00 + 1:00 x-t

As to input on your 5k goal.........I've mostly been focused on longer races, but when I have aimed for 5k improvement (incl. right now. Report card coming next weekend), I've gotten a lot of benefit from ideas plus schedules in Pete Magill's book "Fast 5k"

have a great week,

Dave

Hey, it's been a while...

Still plugging along here. I had a long stretch of pain free solid running with which I was rewarded with three solid races in June. My first race as a 63 year old started off with a 17:52 (92.17%) 5k on the 3rd, a 17:42 (92.56%) on the 10th and a 5:16 (90.74%) on the 24th. Since then it's been one thing after another; First a painful left knee bothered me for a few weeks. That seemed to go away quickly but now I've had a painful hamstring the past 2 weeks which has really limited things. So here I am just getting thru it with some very, very easy running. Though I did manage 41 miles this week. But losing fitness.

I'm still very unhappy with myself for running so stupidly at the Mile Championships. For the three weeks leading up to the race I kept repeating in my head, "Don't lead, don't lead, don't lead. Sit on the leaders, give myself a chance and race whoever is leading the last 400." I was 100% positive a could run with whoever was there. Well that all went to hell quickly as I foolishly took the lead about 200 into the race. Went thru the 1/4 in 71. Far faster than any rep, of any distance, of any workout in the prior month. I had no business being any faster than 75-76. I was done before I knew it. I think Dan went by around 600, then Rick who was flying, then Joe around 800. Tim passed me around 3/4. I stayed right with him but couldn't close on him. Ended up 5th 10 seconds back from Rick Lee, the winner. Damn!

So I'm not sure what's up for this fall. I had plans for attempting a decent HM in Indy on Oct 28. But this hamstring is starting to concern me. After that there is talk of Club XC with our resurrected Playmakers team now running under CHT Elite. We finished 2nd (By .47 seconds!!!) in the 60's division at the Mile Champs in our first race together in 4 years. So we'll see. Maybe I'll just stay close to home and run some local 5k's.

Take care,

Dave

Greetings to all, and welcome PBRunner. My thoughts/philosophy on training are encapsulated in an answer Kipchoge gave in a recent interview when he was asked about his marathon training. His answer was that the training didn't need to be perfect, but it needs to be consistent. A long stretch of decent, uninterrupted training will get most of us very close to our best performances. As a guy who focuses mostly on XC and roads/track mile to 10k racing, my training structure boils down to as much sub-threshold/threshold mileage as I can handle, a little bit of speed work, mostly walking recovery days, and some strength work. At age 73 this year that has averaged right about 25 miles of running and 25 miles of walking per week for me, plus about 30 minutes of strength/stretching work most days.

As for this week, it ended up at 44 miles total. With two weeks left until my first XC race of the season I am easing up to get my legs well-rested and fresh for the start of the season.

M- 6mi walk

T- 6mi walk

W- 8mi trails at 9:05/mi

Th- 6mi walk with strides every 1/2mi

F- 6mi walk with strides every 1/2mi

S- 9mi run at 9:05/mi

Su-3mi walk (it was supposed to be another 9mi easy run, but I just wasn't feeling it)

Good running to all!

Greetings, fellow 50+ers! I would also like to offer my sympathies to Sonogno. Having been there, I know what you are going through.

On the bright side, a challenging July has ended with a total of 30 actual running miles completed and several dozen Gy absorbed by my prostate. The radiotherapy ended mid-week and the side effects are subsiding slowly but surely. The weather has been nothing short of fantastic and I am happy to report that I completed three continuous runs this past week for a total of almost 9 actual running miles for the week. Though the volume may still be low, there was progress in the fact that none of the runs was interrupted by a walking break and I was able to extend a couple of the runs to the 35’ range. I’m hopeful that the coming week will continue to show progress (spoiler alert: I started the new week’s running with a 40’ continuous effort today 😁). Life is good!

Sun: 31’ CR; body wt ex + med ball routine

Mon: off

Tue: 35’ CR; body wt ex + med ball routine

Wed: off

Thu: 35’ CR; body wt ex

Fri-Sat: off

All the best!

I will check that book out, thank you-

Extra Good Thread this week, Thanks for the posts.

Goal: Sub 6 minute time trial mile in early Sept 2023 after 67 birthday.
Block consists of 2 runs: Alternate strength and endurance using Galpin's ideas. Take 3 days of no running after every run . The no running days are easy cross training with occasional endurance efforts on the bike when I feel good.

Aug 2 - 9 PF keeps improving

Wednesdaybike 6 minutes at 1 mile run race effort

Standup/running on pedals at Vo2Max effort (1-1 breathing no hrm), this was fun .

Friday sand dune sprints
warmup 20 minutes jog ,

4x1minute at lt effort with R 1 minute jog
2x20 second hill sprints R 3 minutes, jog :21,21 so so my pr is 20 flat
2x60 seconds mile effort with the first part going up the sprint hill burn baby burn
short and sweet felt great! Read some stuff somewhere about the advantage of getting out fast

but not too fast;) RDB 5:16 1/4 71 (3/4/ 403) 81 probably cost 10 seconds.

Sub 6 in 4 weeks a def maybe

Onward!

Sorry about your Mom, Sonogno. Mine passed away 12 years ago. Not a day goes by w/o she being in my thoughts. The best to you.
Because my current six-year successful marathoning has ended badly, I am back to the basics: short runs, short repeats, no run longer than 2 hours, continue to PT to get my balance to normal, and chill for a bit. Been down this road before.
M: off

T: off

W: off

Th: toe-dabbling on the treadmill for 3M

F: more toe-dabbling for 4M

Sat: off - wife’s annual birthday

Sun: 10M in 1:51:05 on hilly course with high dew point and real feel. ugh. August.
Enjoy the week

I'm amazed by the times I'm seeing these veterans putting up. I'm just dreaming of 90% next year, but I don't think my 17 miles a week is going to cut it.

2023 -July, Peter Oberliessen age 62 2:08.62 800m. Less than a tenth off Shaheed's world record. 97.91%

In 2015 he had a 53.84 400m and 2:03.14 800m- hasn't slowed much in 8 years, just 4 & 1/2%. I wouldn't be surprised by a M65 2:12.0 WR in a few years.

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Mon. Windy 58 min kayaking session.

Tue. Mum's funeral. Stopped in the forest on the way home, walked a brisk km then a gentle 4 km trot on the trails 27 mins then walked a km.

Wed. A solid 86 min mountain bike ride.

Thu. A rugged 80 min mountain bike ride.

Fri. Kayaking session 74 mins on the Loddon River. Then did a steep 2 km hike followed by 2 x 500m up a steep road, 12% ave gradient but gets to over 20%. Jog back down after both climbs. Oddly enough I have nil issues running smoothly on the 20% gradient despite my lack of running fitness. All my years of mountain running I guess.

Sat. 80 min mountain bike ride. I was exploring new tracks then found myself on a long straight recently graded dirt road. Hammered out a 5 km "time trial" with a breeze at my back.

Sun. 5 km easy run in 32 mins and a brisk 3 km walk cooldown.

Thanks for the kind support re Mum's passing.

Slow cautious progress with the running.

M- off driving home

T- 30 easy

W- 30 w/ 5x3

R- 30 easy

F- 20 easy

S- 30 w/ 4x3

S- 20 easy + weight lifting w/ youngest kid

Be very careful with that hamstring - mine was tight on and off most of the spring but normally would loosen as a workout went on. One day six weeks ago, it didn't loosen and I felt it pop during a 500m. I'm still in PT rehab.

I'd like to think I am being careful. I've slowed down my pace to a very pedestrian pace. The weird thing about it is it only hurts when I run. And like you, it usually fades away after a mile or so running. I can bike, walk, pool run, do squats, work all day long in construction, and it's 100% pain-free. Which leads me to leave It's a low-grade strain. Since everything I've read says I shouldn't be able to do any of those things without it hurting.

Thanks for the advice! I'm open to anyone else throwing some helpful recovery hints my way.

Dave