Approaching 50? Hmmm....everyone is different, particularly as it pertains to age related issues, but I was still doing some pretty intense run-sessions (I suppose I still am) at 49-51. Looking back at my training log from 2019 (age 51) I was doing 15x60s Hill Repeats (max effort) every Saturday. Some soreness from such a session was normal. But, my philosophy is "never do something today that prevents you from following the plan tomorrow/the next day". So, I "never" dig a hole I can't recover from.
How often do you run?
I'm 55. Run 6 days a week...mostly BarryP style with 1-2 harder workouts per week. I certainly get sore when I add something new the first couple of times. But, I still run hills, do 6x600@5k, 8x400@2k, 4x1mi @10k, Mona Fartleks, etc. For instance, in the last 6 days:
Tue: 2mi @ 5k, 2x400m @ 5k
Wed: 4.5mi easy
Thu: Mona Fartlek @5k, 2.6m @10k
Fri: 3.5mi easy
Sat: 5x600m @5k
Sun: 4x600m @5k
This is a taper week (for a 5k on T-day)...so, there's a little more speed than I would normally have. Typically, I do mile-repeats on Tuesday, and some type of speed session on Thursday. Everything else is zone1/easy. All that said, I do work up to these types of sessions progressively. If I didn't, they would certainly set me back.
ETA: I'm 12ish years younger than Monty. But, I agree with everything he says. I hardly drink anymore (not because I don't like a good bourbon). 3 max in a night, once a week---Typically before my off-day. I do take a complete OFF day, once a week. I try to prioritize sleep....but, I'm not great at it---I've never slept more than 6 hrs / night going back to when I was a toddler.
Also, I put extra emphasis on in-workout fueling/hydration to minimize the recovery costs of dehydrating/glycogen depletion. That's probably been the biggest game changer in the last year or so, from Dr. Alex posts. Staying hydrated and fueled, has made a big difference in how hard I can go, and how often. There's a dramatic difference when I f*ck it up.
How often do you run?
I'm 55. Run 6 days a week...mostly BarryP style with 1-2 harder workouts per week. I certainly get sore when I add something new the first couple of times. But, I still run hills, do 6x600@5k, 8x400@2k, 4x1mi @10k, Mona Fartleks, etc. For instance, in the last 6 days:
Tue: 2mi @ 5k, 2x400m @ 5k
Wed: 4.5mi easy
Thu: Mona Fartlek @5k, 2.6m @10k
Fri: 3.5mi easy
Sat: 5x600m @5k
Sun: 4x600m @5k
This is a taper week (for a 5k on T-day)...so, there's a little more speed than I would normally have. Typically, I do mile-repeats on Tuesday, and some type of speed session on Thursday. Everything else is zone1/easy. All that said, I do work up to these types of sessions progressively. If I didn't, they would certainly set me back.
ETA: I'm 12ish years younger than Monty. But, I agree with everything he says. I hardly drink anymore (not because I don't like a good bourbon). 3 max in a night, once a week---Typically before my off-day. I do take a complete OFF day, once a week. I try to prioritize sleep....but, I'm not great at it---I've never slept more than 6 hrs / night going back to when I was a toddler.
Also, I put extra emphasis on in-workout fueling/hydration to minimize the recovery costs of dehydrating/glycogen depletion. That's probably been the biggest game changer in the last year or so, from Dr. Alex posts. Staying hydrated and fueled, has made a big difference in how hard I can go, and how often. There's a dramatic difference when I f*ck it up.
Last edited by:
Tom_hampton: Nov 20, 23 8:09