Masters racing is pointless if you've trained hard in your youth

rough analogy wrote:

Masters running is like going to a beach and building a fancy sand castle. You keep knocking it down and rebuilding it, but each version is worse than the previous one. Eventually, the sand castle you build is just a small mound of sand, which is soon swept away by the waves.

I certainly wouldn't do such a thing myself, and if I were watching, would I tell you to stop? No, it's none of my business. But I can't help but wonder at the futility of the whole thing.

Then there are young millennial runners like you, that were always a crap shack sand castle.

prove me wrong wrote:

I doubt it. An older person who trains and maximizes his potential will almost always beat a younger untrained person (assuming similar body size, genetics, etc.). You'd have something like this:

Person A at age 20: trains as a runner and doesn't lift. He would have benched 150 on the spot if a friend challenged him, but since that didn't happen, that untrained 150 lb lift goes unrecorded.

Person A at age 50: trains as a lifter and benches 200, which beats his unrecorded age 20 PR.

Now, if Person B were a competitive lifter in his 20s, he should definitely switch to something like running or sprinting at age 40+, since he won't be setting any more lifting PRs at that age.

You're missing my point. Yes, I agree with your first sentence. But my point is that not doing something purely because you could have a better PR when you were younger (20) is going to apply to everything. So not wanting to do competitive running purely because you'll be slower than when in your prime is the same for weightlifting - the numbers a 50 year old is going to throw out will be less than what he could've done in his prime. It's just that one was recorded and one wasn't. Pretty much everything you do is going to be slower/worse than if you physically did it when you were 20. That's just ageing.

So I don't understand why you're saying it would make sense to be a masters running if you did say soccer in your youth but not running - it's exactly the same situation - you were faster back that, just one person was timed and one wasn't.

Loads of people enjoy masters racing so it can't be too pointless.

To me it reads somehow like you're scared of getting old?

Person who is a runner when old - if they'd run a 5K without training at age 20, they wou

Joan Benoit: Olympic gold and 2:21 marathon when young, 3:04 marathon at 60-64. Still runs and competes because she enjoys it.

Your missing the point. Look at 20 to 24 years old I had best times of for example I was a miler but ran 14:17 for a 5000m, 29:05 for a 10,000m, 2:23:16 marathon.

At 32 I had a freak complete block of my LAD that had to be stented open almost died. Not an unhealthy guy it just happened.

At 38 years old I can still run a 5000m in 18:56 alone on the track, a and a 37:50 10,000m also alone. My guess is I can still run 17's maybe faster and 36's maybe faster. Possibly even a sub 3 marathon still.

I don't run anymore to say look how fast I am I do it because it is part of me. It also lets me know the engine is running smoothly as in keeps me healthy. Most importantly it helps me stay mentally sound so I can tackle the day.

Running is supposed to be for you remember that.

The race is the beauty part,” said Dr. George Sheehan. He adds, “The time you put it all together is the race.”

Whether you run one mile or fifty, it is an exhilarating experience. Many run so they can race, but some are leery of the endeavor. Let’s delve into why racing comes with benefits.

Community

Racing brings the running community together and forges new running friendships. Running is unique in the way that it allows beginners and professionals to share the same space, and at times run head-to-head.

The more racers the better. It is a rush to toe the line with other runners.

Motivation

There is no better motivator than knowing that you have a race in your future. To give the race your best effort, you need to train.

The future race date on your calendar will give you a goal. Even if your chances of winning the race are slim, set goals such as, winning your age group, beating a friend, getting a personal best or just finishing strong.

Structure

Training for a race teaches you how to be more disciplined and run each day with a purpose in mind. It is all too easy to run aimlessly. A race can point out weaknesses in your training and give you a base to structure future training.

Fears

Race day fears are normal. Even after years of racing, seasoned racers get the race day jitters. They have learned how to use these to help them run competitively. Other runners may fear injury, not finishing or poor performance. Facing these fears at the starting line is the best way to conquer them.

Measurement of Progress

Your first 10k may not tell you much about your progress, but after a few years of racing a runner can gauge if he is getting faster. If you do the same race multiple times you can compare different efforts, times and splits.

Even when you don’t have your fastest race you can use it as a good basis of where your training is.

Competition

Competition can help you perform better. You will notice this competition helps records be broken and personal records take place.

Races lend themselves to runners of all levels. A racer can compete against his own personal records, even if he is at the back of the pack.

Competition can mean many things. It could be passing the runner in front of you, doing better than last year, or running well for your family and friends.

Learn

A progressive runner never stops learning. Introducing racing into your running program provides a platform of wisdom. You learn more about yourself, and running in general.

The question lingers, why not race?

Ten Race Day Tips

1. Don’t get creative-Stick with the same shoes, shorts, shirts, nutrition, etc.

2. Run your Own Race-Don’t worry about everyone else. Focus on your own pace, hydration and fueling.

3. Support Crew- Bring friends and family to cheer you on.

4. Get there early- Plan on being 2 hours early. This leaves plenty of time for race prep and port-a-potty lines.

5. Be Patient- Unless you are in it to win, flying of the starting line spells late race disaster. Start slow and aim for a negative split.

6. Be Flexible and Adaptable- Be ready to flow with the weather, unexpected crowds, or bumps in your race pace goal.

7. Have Goals, not a goal- One goal can easily be missed. Give yourself various time goals, most importantly the goal of finishing.

8. Breathe- Remember to breathe in, “calm” and breathe out, “stress.”

9. Test yourself- Today is the day to see what kind of speed is inside you.

10. Enjoy it- Soak in the scenery, race vibes and pushing yourself to the limit.

reference

https://medium.com/why-we-run-far/why-race-top-benefits-of-running-races-55af8a409e5a

https://infotainmentbeats.com/

prove me wrong wrote:

I just don't get the point of it. Why train just as hard (or even harder) to run slower?

I was a runner before the OP was born. Throughout my life, Running has been my one constant lifeline. When I run, the world fades away... my troubles, my fears, my failures. It's just me and 400m of track or my favorite running trail. On easy days, Running helps me relax. I would be stressed if I missed it. On hard days and especially race days, I become what the late George Sheehan called the perfect animal. Not animal as in beast mode, but animal in the sense of reverting to the raw basics of life... living in the moment to the best I can be at that one moment in time.

It's just me against the person I was yesterday.

Running has been my constant companion, always familiar but never failing to bring new surprises and insights. Running and I are growing old together, sometimes like the bickering old married couple, but always together. When Running is gone, it will hit me like the death of an old friend. Hopefully, that will be far into the future, but as my classmates and friends have started dying, I can see that clock ticking. In the race against time, Father Time always wins.

Until then, Running and I will fight him every step of the way.

It's about relativity.

A long time, I got up and tried my best.

Today, I'm still willing to risk it. I'm willing to approach the edge of what I can be and love it.

Just where in there does the time stamp actually matter?

The process itself leads to a healthy, productive, happy lifestyle.

Let’s Run!

rough analogy wrote:

Masters running is like going to a beach and building a fancy sand castle. You keep knocking it down and rebuilding it, but each version is worse than the previous one. Eventually, the sand castle you build is just a small mound of sand, which is soon swept away by the waves.

I certainly wouldn't do such a thing myself, and if I were watching, would I tell you to stop? No, it's none of my business. But I can't help but wonder at the futility of the whole thing.

Sometimes the purpose is in the quest, not the achievement. Futility did not stop this Master:

OP - thanks for pointing out you're a quitter

pls read

https://www.velopress.com/books/run-strong-stay-hungry/

Ghost of Igloi wrote:

highhoppingworm wrote:

Oh the irony. The deep deep irony.

You’re a perfect example of what I was referring to. You are actually a low hopping slug.

Hey Ghost. I was actually a decent high jumper so you are objectively incorrect. I am referring to your absolutely bat$hit trolling on political and finance threads. I am also not particularly young and have a very happy life (wonderful wife, kids, job etc.) I just like to call out people like you because you are a cancer on society.

You're just too young to understand. I ran mid 14's, sub 31, and 1:09 as a 25 year old...not national class, but damn fun. PR's are long gone now that I'm 60, but running is still fun.

Besides, I'm crushing my financial PR's every year, and I've been retired for 3 years!

As a master myself (V50), still racing somewhat fast, I can tell by direct experience that in order to maximize my performance I had to cut down a lot the last couple of years (30-40 a week these days) and going back racing middle distances. Nowhere near I was thirty years ago but still quite pleasing to run a dcent 1500m... High mileage is pretty much pointless at this point in life due to loss of aerobic capacity when you turn 40...

I was able to run pretty well until I was 41--stayed very close to my lifetime PRs. In order to do so, I ran quite a bit more than I did when I was young, lots of miles. Didn't take care of myself, either, by doing the auxiliary work that might've helped offset the absurd mileage I was doing. These days--I'm 55--I run less than ten miles per week and have struggled with running-related inuries for years. Does that mean that everyone who does what I did will have the same outcome? Not at all. However, if I had it to do over again, I'd think more carefully about what I was doing.

I did enjoy beating 20-year-olds as a 40-year-old master, though.

Ask Chris Thompson.

He was turning senior pro around 2003 in 5000m after winning European U23s. There was a guy in the 5000m around the early '00s who was pretty good in the 5000m, Kenny someone, who Chris would've watched for the next couple of years during Chris's injuries... never going to beat him.

Then he came second in the 10,000 metres at the 2010 European Athletics Championships to a guy who would be pretty good for a while - Mo Farah. Never going to beat him. 2011 he finished 2nd to a certain Haile G at the Great North Run. Never going to beat him either.

He could've quit, as there was no way he was beating those guys short of their DNF or injury. What was the point?

He'll be 40 in Tokyo Olympics, and be able to tell his son Theo about racing Kipchoge, & the Ethiopians. If he quit less than a week ago, though, he wouldn't be getting the chance.

stating the blindingly obvious wrote:

OP - thanks for pointing out you're a quitter

The vast majority of the East African elites don't run competitively after age 40, are they quitters as well?

Ghost of Igloi wrote:

rough analogy wrote:

Masters running is like going to a beach and building a fancy sand castle. You keep knocking it down and rebuilding it, but each version is worse than the previous one. Eventually, the sand castle you build is just a small mound of sand, which is soon swept away by the waves.

I certainly wouldn't do such a thing myself, and if I were watching, would I tell you to stop? No, it's none of my business. But I can't help but wonder at the futility of the whole thing.

Then there are young millennial runners like you, that were always a crap shack sand castle.

You don't even know what his PRs are!

(and neither do I, but I'm not the one calling him crappy)