First thing: chronic calf issues. For years I looked for answers.
My take: it's not metabolic, it's not the shoes, it's not your technique (unless you're running with very poor economy). It's the calf muscles and how they function. They work eccentrically when you run. Meaning they lengthen as they contract. Like lowering a dumbbell during a biceps curl. We don't train for this, so the calf muscles suffer damage.

The answer? Eccentric heel exercises. These are the only exercises that train your calf muscles to work as they do during running. They will condition the muscles and achilles tendons.
I call them 'Up one two, down on ones.'

Stand on the edge of a step and hold on. Let your heels hang over the edge and raise up on the toes of both feet. Take the weight off your left toes and lower you right heel for two seconds.
Push yourself up on your toes again with both feet, lower your right heel again for two seconds. Repeat 5-10 times with each leg.
Here's the key part: repeat again, this time with the knee bent.
So: Up on two feet, down on one 5-10 times each. Repeat with the knee bent.

Go slowly, be careful, don't do these if you have pain. A basic wall stretch feels pretty good after these. Three times a week is plenty; incorporate them into your core training.
Here's a link with lots of detail:

http://www.sportsinjurybulletin.com/...lles-tendinitis.html

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

I turned 55 last week which means eligibility for the Seniors games! Woo Hoo!
For chronic calf muscle strains I got some Graston massage [deep tissue mass.], it works to break up some scar tissue and now I'm running mostly pain free.
For cycling training I ride to work
For swimming [which is my weakness] I'm going to hire a coach next year, gonna be expensive but I'm tired of having the worst swim time in my AG

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res, non verba

Deep tissue massage is the best. I tell you, I don't get enough of it.
As swimming is so technique-dependent, a good coach is a must if you want to make significant improvement. Other than small changes, it's very difficult to do so on your own.

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

For me 55 was a very good year. As an old geezer at the local sprint tri I put a bike split in the top 10% OA in a field of about 400. My secret that year was to ride a lot and not swim or run that much. :-)

Easy week every 3rd week, follow BarryP's running advise, run 5 minutes then stop to stretch, made a commitment many years ago to stay active until they plant me, chocolate milk.

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I'm going into my last year in men's 65-69, and I'm still trying to figure it out...
I've dropped 8 points in my USAT ranking score since 2009. Since turning 65, the drop off has been drastic. (Much more so, it seems, than most of my peers.)

.

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Remember Luddites are people too...

That's great to hear. It goes to show you the effectiveness of keying on one leg.

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

Every 4th week an easy week is old but solid advice. I think an easy week with some ART/deep tissue massage would be ideal!
I also advise stretching after an easy few minutes running.
That's my commitment, too. Reinforced by seeing guys in their 70's at the finish line who look great.

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

You, sir, are my role model!

Any words of advice on longevity in the sport?

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

55 here this year. Great year and bad. 13 races, 10, top 10 Ag's, 5 podiums and 1 AG win. Races from 5k to IM. Struggled with Achilles tendonitis then Insertional Achilles tendonitis, still having issues with it. I was stupid and raced all summer despite the IAT. ART, deep tissue massage , Miofascial release and eccentric heel drops were my secrets to keep going. Spending this winter rehabbing and eccentric heel drops are the best remedy.

Interested in what others have to say. Started racing 4 years ago and have been getting faster and faster. Had I been healthy, who knows where this year would have ended. Looking forward to more years but I realize I need to train smarter and stay healthy so share your thoughts and tricks.

I'm 56. Three things. Consistent training. Low body weight. Really worked on getting lean this season. Third, believing I CAN do this, and do pretty good!

I'm 59. I've run all of the World Marathon Majors. Always BQ in marathons. Done an Ironman. Doing 2 in '14.

Things I do:

• I never mix explosion sports (basketball, racquetball, etc.) with endurance training. Our ligaments aren't ready for it. I have seen many endurance athletes injured doing explosion running or sports.
• I never mix explosion running into my training. Doing 100's or 50's etc. will get your hurt. There is nothing bad about 'pick ups' within a run.
• I train with a group of athletes, most of whom are decades younger than me. They don't factor in my age, so I don't either. We compete heads up. We train just as hard regardless of our age difference. I can outrun most of them anyway.
• Stretching -- I don't. Never liked it. Never needed it.
• Core exercises -- Yeah, I don't do much of that either, but wished I did.
• Weight -- I am not heavy, but I always try to watch my weight. Gravity tends to be the nemesis. I enjoy food. The key for me is 'portion control'. It is OK not to be stuffed after a meal.
• Training -- you have to be disciplined. I normally train from 4am to 6am during the week. Sat is a long run. Sun is a moderate length ride. I train every day. I take a day off when I feel I need it or the weather causes it.
• My default training exercise is a 6 mile run.
• Sleep -- I need it. Since I get up at 3:20 every morning, I go to bed between 8:30 and 9.

As to your recovery Qs.

• I try to alternate intensity in training. One day hard. One day easy. Especially with the running.
• I don't need much recovery. Normally 2 days after a marathon, I run easy, but I run. A week after a marathon, I train resume normal training. I did the same after the most recent IM.

60 years old
training bible for triathletes
mafatone running
if something starts really hurting in training i stop
rest days 1-2 per week
get family to race i have brother, grand-kids, adult children, wife
make every race a fun trip
be nice to everyone at races
encourage new people to start
diet
don't judge
don't listen to negitive talk
I do some of this and try to do all of this

Great stuff guys.
My go to workouts:

Run: I like mile repeats, building up to 5 with 3 minute jogs in between (in season). I also build up to two 30 minute tempos with a 5 minute jog in between.
Bike: Six 3 minute repeats, as hard as I can do them, with 3 minute rests in between (in season).
Swim: I haven't been doing intervals, just crawl, back stroke, kick board and paddle work. I come from a swim background and require harder work on the bike and run. I find that the explosiveness of swim repeats also aggravates areas I need for the bike and run.
Off season: core work twice per week. In season: once a week.

I agree, mixing hard repeats with endurance work can be a recipe for injury at 'our age'.
BTW, what do we call 55 and over triathletes?

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

You know that a drop of eight points in USAT ranking is bad. From 78, in 2009, down to just over 70, this year, is not a good thing. Part of my "secret" was shoulder surgery in 2010 that killed over seven months of swim training.
I'm hoping to get healthy in 2014 and 2015. I age up in 2015, that's probably my best chance of being successful again.

.

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Remember Luddites are people too...

This is an excellent point by dennis. I like destination marathons and IMs. I have done some where I have traveled alone. Some where I traveled with my marathon or tri buddies. But now I have evolved to where I like to make them a vacation with my wife. We travel on Thurs or Fri ... I compete on Sat or Sun ... and we spend a week or more vacationing there. It works.

I meant that to read as an easy week every 3rd week. Until I hit 60, every 4th week was enough, but now I get too many nagging injuries if I do more that 2 hard weeks in a row. Once I started a 2H-1E rotation, my times have come down. I credit it to being able to do quality workouts instead of running/biking on tired legs. It also keeps me fresher mentally, which is big at this point in life.

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56 YO here, My secret is that I have given myself permission to DNS/DNF or come in dead last. Somehow, my race anxiety has lessened and I have yet to DNF. Beforehand, I would get really worked up if I had a bad day.

Excellent discussion. I'm 46 but I'm hoping I hit 55 some day, so I appreciate the insights.

One thing I have noticed with the athletes who stop in their late 30s or early 40s is that they cannot face the simple fact that they are getting older and slower and more fragile. Has coming to terms with this been difficult for any of you?

I know I used to always be motivated to train because I knew the training was going to make me faster and faster, but now it's just a matter of slowing down the decline. I'm pretty much O.K. with that, but I'm wondering if this has been much of an issue with anyone else.

It's amazing how that works: take some rest and a bit less training and have better times.
It's like that saying, train only as much as you need too and no more.

Taking the pressure off is good, too. At this point, who needs extra anxiety?

There was an older gent in a race, I'd say he was in his 70's. Someone asked him how he was doing and he replied, "I'm doing great, I'm going as fast as my legs will carry me."
I like that.

There are a lot of threads about injuries. Feel free to post up your aches and pains here, too. I'd say between us we've had it all.

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

56 y/o here. Competing in triathlon since 2001. Still love it.

There is much power in the consistent early morning (as in 4:00 or 4:15) workout.

A day off when I feel like it, maybe one every 4 or 5 weeks.

Intensity is needed, but must be balanced against chance of injury.

Over the last ten years or so, my swim is about the same (very poor), bike a little faster (nice!), run slower (no surprise).

I used a coach for about six years, though I no longer do. I learned a lot, and it was worth it.

Ben

Some good points here. My single biggest training belief, at 61, is in periodization. I will only train hard in the key training stages for races, and do lots of easy training in the off-season just to keep a base. I've done only easy rides and runs since my last race in September. Not until February will I start some harder workouts. This formula has worked well for me for the last several years, and hopefully a few more to come!

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"No more hurting people - Peace"

At 46 I'm still getting faster every year but I didn't start until I was 35. I can see that happening for a least a few more years.

Two of my training partners are in their 50's now and they are almost as fast as I am on the bike. One of them kills me on the run while I can outswim them both. They aren't showing any signs of slowing down.

Maybe it's because we started triathlon later in life and don't have the same wear and tear the others got that started in their 20's

jaretj

I was hoping you would chime in when I saw this thread. Maybe when I'm 56 and you're 67 I'll be fast enough to keep up with you on a run.

trav

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____________________________________________________
"As for "xxxxxx"...what can I say? You sound like a dick. If you don't want to answer the question, just shut up." AllezPappa

I'll play!

Background: 56 YO male. 13 years in triathlon, lifelong athlete. 137 tris to date. 34 long course with 12 IMs. In 2013, I raced 11 times. Won my AG 7 times and finished 2nd twice. Top 3 OA on the bike 4 times. Qualified for 3rd Kona at IMLT. (Full disclosure: I did it via the XC route.

My "secrets":

1. The first law of triathlon: "The Conservation of Motivation". This is my prime objective. If I don't feel like doing a workout or I just want to do junk miles that day then that's what I do. If I feel like hammering it because I feel good, then I do that. If I'm entered in a race and life throws me a curve ball I skip it. If I decide to do a race the night before because I wanna race someone, I'll do it even though I did a hard brick that day....

In the long run, and at my age that's where we are at, it's about making sure that you don't burn out and that you really enjoy training and racing. I don't do as many intervals as I should but I really look forward to training and racing....and I don't seem to really get injured really badly any more...

2. The first law of life: "Maximize Happiness". Triathlon is just a part of life. If it creates negative energy (with a spouse for instance, or because you feel you're denying yourself of something that makes you happy) then you need to change something. Guys who have relationship problems with the love of their life because they need to train are violating this law.

3. Do the best you can given theses laws and your limitations and then give yourself a break with the results. If you do your best, you have achieved excellence.

4. Embrace competition and the competitors. I love to race. I know I wouldn't train as much as I do if I didn't like to go fast. When I'm in a race, it's all out for me...I want to go as fast as I can and crush my competitors. However, before and after I help them in any way I can and enjoy my time with them. Without competitors there is no competition. Triathlon should be a social activity where you connect with fellow souls.

5. My body is a furnace, not a temple. I like red wine, IPAs, chocolate and french fries. If I have some fat on me and I'm slower sobeit. It's worth the trade off...especially in light of points one and two above!

6. I like to ride my bike more than swim or run so I do more of that. I do way more bike than what a good coach would say is right. I'm ok with that. Posting the fastest OA bike split out of 300 folks never gets old...even if I'm slower at the finish line.

7. I like to do other things with my fitness. I've done RAAM. I'm now getting ready to climb in Argentina. Triathlon is my true love but I do enjoy my other flings!

8. I decided 15 years ago to make less money so I could have more free time to do this endurance stuff. I recognize that I'm lucky that I can make that choice, but it's a choice that lots of folks in my situation don't make. As a result, I can follow my first two laws and still train long enough and hard enough to do pretty good at this stuff...one of the best decisions I ever made!

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Randy Christofferson(http://www.rcmioga.blogspot.com

Insert Doubt. Erase Hope. Crush Dreams.

Another great post: how to live the Tri life in a nutshell!

How do you all deal with the various nicks and dings from training?
Anyone have any particular intervals that are indispensable?

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

3rd / 4th ez week? how ez? How much do you reduce the load on the ez week? And how many cycles of 3/4 wk ez before you take an extended ez break? three cycles of 3 weeks provides a 9 wk period before extended ez break Vs 4 cycles of 4 weeks - 16 weeks before an extended break - What is your experience? 3 week cycles seem to work best for me - so I'm thinking after the 4th 3 week cylce I should be thinking about maybe two weeks back to back ez? I know when the time comes I'll be trying to talk myself into another normal three week cycle without the additional ez time.

thanks for adding your experience and perspective,

Dan

58, tris since '81, Ironman since '82.
Balance in your life is key. So many people burn out on doing 3 sports and a job and a family.
Train consistently. Less real "speed" work, to easy to get long term injuries. Fast for me just means faster than normal or near current 10k pace.
Foam roller, ball, some core work, but not a lot of stretching.
A day off once every week or two helps.
I love to eat. So staying close to a race weight is my biggest struggle and my biggest limiter. 10 pounds is huge in performance.

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Team Zoot So Cal

I am not old enough or fast enough to be of much authority.
It occurs to that most over-use injuries are really under preparation injuries (or they are accidents). People's will power and passion often age with the body. This kind of aging is voluntary, however.

Under preparation is a factor, but I think that wrong decisions account for many injuries. You've made a decision to do something that you shouldn't be doing that day. Either because you haven't recovered from a previous workout, or you make a decision on the fly without proper focus.
As in my last yoga class. I wasn't focusing so I did one or two things I shouldn't have. Weeks later my knee and shoulder are still complaining.

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

Trav,
I hope to keep up with him too. Ben is my idol and nemesis.
Don't be fooled, he's FAS,FAS! My fortune, good or bad is that he's in my age group
which is great training motivation.

Randy, excellent post! You got it right (IMO).

- paul

Lots of good information already shared here, but I'll chime in. I'm 55, been in multi-sport 15 years after coming from a background in hockey. I do all distances but my 'A' races the past few years have been iron distance (have done 8 IM's).

1. Consistency in training. In particular, I find that it really helps if I maintain my running year round. I do, however, reduce my volume and frequency for 2 to 3 months in the off-season - basically running 3 times/week with most runs being 4 to 6 milers. But I've found if I let my running slide it makes it hard to come back. Key is to at least run consistently even if they are super easy runs.

2. Keep your body weight in check. I usually fail in this regard during my down time and pay the price in trying to shed too many excess pounds when I ramp up my training. But I enjoy good food and wine. But I have noticed my friends who are older than me and still good at training and racing keep their weight in check.

3. Do more hard interval work on the bike trainer (and less hard interval run training). Most of us have fairly large bases after years of training. I've found I get my best bang for the buck by doing quality bike workouts, high intensity stuff. Embrace the indoor trainer. I love to ride outside but given time constraints, weather and crazy drivers, I've had success doing more indoor biking.

4. Keep a balance in your life. Multi-sport is cool and it's great to get oneself into great physical shape. But at the end of the day us age-groupers are not professionals - most have family, work and other responsibilities. I'm competitive and enjoy racing. But I do the best I can do given my genetics, time I've been able to train and other family and work commitments. I enjoy training and racing. Success is doing the best I can on that day.

5. Train with men and women who are faster than you. You get pushed and it pays off come race day. I ride with some local "roadies" and it's a "use, use" relationship. They like having more people in their group rides. I like riding fast (relatively speaking). I may ride by myself for an hour, then ride with the roadies for 60 - 90 minutes of hard riding, then drop off and ride on my own for 30 - 60 minutes.

6. Listen to your body, take time off when you feel you need to, error on the conservative side. I'm not a slave to my training plan. Junk miles are junk. You have a big base, you aren't going to lose it overnight.

7. If I'm injured, I generally don't train. I might swim more or do some more yoga and/or core work.

8. Help and encourage others in the sport, especially kids.

My attitude alternates between regular/maintainence exercise and pre-race training. My life(style) for ~15 years now is to exercise in multiport 7-9 hours weekly . Shorter single sport events and occational sprint tris I'll add without preplanning.

For Longer races and tris I'll shift to what I view as true training, 3 to 7 weeks or so with specific harder stuff geared to the event. Hills if expected , mtn. bike if off road, longer bike/runs for IM for examples.

Recovery if needed after longer races then back to "regular".

No big buildups which are risky for injury/overtraining, in older athletes, no OFF seasons of deconditioning followed by glacier speed return to fitness.

I like to keep a level of fitness continually, thereby allways ready to jump into most anything, anytime. This approach allows freedom of capability to try whatever comes along. To respect the distance or event or conditions with a base of solid fitness and adequate pre-race specifics to Get-er-done.

Works for me.

Consistent execution over an extended time in the four important areas of life - Family, Physical, Professional, Spiritual

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David
* Ironman for Life! (Blog) * IM Everyday Hero Video * Daggett Shuler Law *
Disclaimer: I have personal and professional relationships with many athletes, vendors, and organizations in the triathlon world.

Great thoughts on balance, time off, race prep, etc.

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

I am 57, and next year will be my 30th season of triathlon. On a local/regional level I have had some success (16/18 multisport podiums this past season) and I feel much of it is because of two things as I have aged:

---A LOT of time in the pool, not so much to improve a race split, but to maintain a very strong aerobic base that can be tapped into when racing. I will have swam over 700,000 meters this year, most of it between 5 and 6 am and most of it very easy. This has replaced a lot of the running miles I used to do.
---An off season regimen of short duration but intense circuit training, using a Lifecycle, rowing machine and treadmill together with the pool. This keeps me in touch with race pace, but for only about 30 minutes total per session.

I let my weight creep up for about 6 weeks this time of year and then go back to a diet consisting mainly of salad and chicken breast the rest of the year, with the occasional cookie tossed in now and again. No pop or alcohol at all.

I'll also almost always buy something new---wetsuit, swimskin, etc., every season to keep the gear/fun ratio going!

Dr. Jay!

1. Keeping the bod and brain fresh is key. When your brain is fresh, you don't do stupid things. It is important to to identify when too much is around the corner.

2. First key secret is to pick your training partners and play ground wisely. If you enjoy the people and environment, you are then in for the long haul.

3. Pick your coach wisely.

4. Sleep and eat wisely.

5. Don't over races and over train....see #1.

I am 45 and still enjoying all of this after 34 years. I am also a coach.....inquire within!

I would inquire with David Boutier.....He owns a Fleet Feet in Rochester NY and posts here. As a matter of fact, I would invest some consulting dollars with him and take it further than a forum discussion. Do not try to reinvent the wheel!

So some don't do any speed work until a couple months before a race. Others do some all year, i.e., 30 minutes.
Several people count more on swimming and biking for basic fitness due to the 'wearing' nature of running.

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

Well, after hurting my knee in yoga (I swear, yoga is a contact sport), I had an injection of Euflexxa, a hyaluronidase. We'll see how it works after a series of 3 injections.
One thing I learned is that the quads lose strength at an accelerated rate, more so than other muscles. This is due to some type of reflex reaction.

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

I'm not as old as you, but I'm 35 and have Cystic Fibrosis - thanks for your fundraising efforts all those years ago!! The research has come a long way, and I'm still here in large part because of it. My secret, because lets be honest, 35 with CF is kind of like 55+... 1) Never stop. 2) Hills 3) Never stop. I set goals that require adherence to my medical regiment. Biking and running (and some swimming) is my break from all that, and what makes the unpleasant parts tolerable.

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Fighting Cystic Fibrosis with Carbon Fiber, and killing it.
http://featherandwedge.tinmountain.org/...ation-13-chris-kvam/

Thanks for your great post.
I have to say that I, also, am doing more and more hill running. Less speed, more elevation. This certainly leads to less injuries for 'older' runners.

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