I live in AZ where landscaping and gardening is a 12 month job. This time of year when everything is really growing I am out every day usually when it is dark. When I am stiff and sore from a race or hard workout I find landscaping very effective for getting the aches out. Walking is good too but an hour or more of cutting, trimming, lifting, bending, hauling, walking, etc. really works - our now deceased former yard guy used to call his job his "gym."

This is huge. And not just for 40-and-over people and not merely to avoid injury. It's a performance enhancer. Sure, the 30 year olds can do speed workouts and long runs (that maybe the 50 year olds can't) but if they don't learn to have many (most) runs during the week feel easy (like Dev describes), they end up paying the price.

Again and again I see this. That minor achilles problem that turns into 6 months of injury. Or those great track workouts followed by mediocre races because they are just too damn tired from never backing off. Because they just can't make themselves go easy on an easy day.

I'm so glad I've kept a good log over the years. Because every time I take a look at it, it teaches me this lesson again.

This is probably sound advice for many. Especially for those that that tend to have recurrent injuries. But one size doesn't fit all. Yesterday, my easy run was mostly at MP+1:00. Today, was more of a tempo run so the first mile was an easy warmup. Next 3 were a MP+30. Then MP+10. The last mile was at MP-40. I thought it was a good run, but I like to run negative splits most days. I also don't like to do any cool down run. Tomorrow will be an easy run at probably MP+1:00. I basically alternate my runs. It works for me but I don't tend to have nagging injuries. Across the board, I think ending every run easy is sound. It just isn't the way I like to finish. Each of us need to modify all advice, whether from a book, a forum, a guru and use what fits for us and ignore what doesn't (on most topics, not just running).

Actually I wasn't talking about just ending every run easy. I was more talking about about running all of (or at least most of) easy runs easy. Yes, Dev said "end every run as if you could have run 5 more K easy" but I think didn't take him to mean just end it that way.

After all, if you were run every run hard except just the end, you wouldn't be doing much to help yourself avoid injury/burnout.

Either way, the point is that runners do themselves a world of good to stop thinking that easy days don't do anything for them -- and to limit the hard running workouts to just a couple of days per week. You can ignore that over the short term but too many people pay for it over the long term.

And by "pay for it" I'm talking about lack of performance as well as injury.

To add to what JoeO is saying, what I am essentially getting at is "don't hammer yourself into the ground so you are spent and depleted". Hold back in most runs so you still have energy at the end and you are not cripple and sore. It just sets us up better for "tomorrow's training". Getting to "tomorrow's training" is the most important thing for the older athletes. It means you're able to add more training load rather than sit around and do nothing tomorrow (or much longer) and be injured.

Exactly what I just have done the last 2 days. I had not exercised much when I was at Disneyland and I have a race Sunday. I normally never run back to back days but since it rained tuesday, was not able to run outside, so I did my 90 minute run Weds. Got up this morning and said what do I want to do since I again have a value of never running long 2 days in a row. So did my normal 90 minute interval on the bike trainer. I then went and ran another 90 minutes but just kept it even slower than normal. Just wanted to get the distance and could care less about the time. Then did a 30 minute core exercise set. And still hope to do a lake swim for 40 plus minutes after lunch.

Yep, if one cannot get up and exercise the next day, then one did too much in training.

.

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Dave Campbell | Facebook | @DaveECampbell | h2ofun@h2ofun.net

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Lions don't lose sleep worrying about the sheep

Just an Olympic distance. Will swim im the morning then shut it down m

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Dave Campbell | Facebook | @DaveECampbell | h2ofun@h2ofun.net

Boom Nutrition code 19F4Y3 $5 off 24 pack box | Bionic Runner | PowerCranks | Velotron | Spruzzamist

Lions don't lose sleep worrying about the sheep

Another 60 year old with 30+ years of sprints and Olympics. You can easily do 3 runs per week, playing with speed, tempo, hills or LSD on different days if you like. I don't do short, fast intervals anymore, just mile repeats and tempos.
This year I'm training a bit differently, working on building 60-90 minutes at 3% elevation on the treadmill. We'll see if the propulsive power is enough to get me comfortably through the runs.
And your core training will also help prevent injuries.
Stretching has to be done much more carefully these days. Over stretching will aggravate a number of the nicks and dings picked up along the way.

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Dr Jay
http://www.Tri-Pod.net

I was out "speed walking" this morning waiting for the pool to open. I had Merrell flats and well, who needs to run. Heck of a workout, if you keep tempo and cadence high. My wife is a crazy fast walker, it's all I can do to keep up.

Benefits:

Hip flexor range/stretch
Glutes and Hamstrings
Lower legs (as mentioned)
Abs - keep good posture.

It's a lot of work, takes more time but in a lot of respects more effort than a shuffling run I see many people doing..

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