I became more tired all the time.Injuries took more time to heal.Female triathletes stopped wanting to sleep with me.

My solution

I make myself get a lot more rest,take it all it less seriously and stopped spending money on fast gear and fast women.

.

Most of the top guys that raced in 40-44 and 45-49 when I was in those age groups did not lose any speed during their 40s. Some are now still knocking out good times in their 50s.

Unless you were really fast in your 30’s you should still be able to improve into your late 40’s. The big keys will be staying healthy and motivated to improve. I turned 49 this year and have run my fastest times this year including a 2:40 marathon in December. I didn’t start my endurance sport journey until I was 38 so have been steadily improving since then. Still have the motivation to push my self hard as I really want to run a sub 2:40 marathon. I know the decline is just around the corner for me, and am also worried how I will handle it if I know I won’t have a chance to set a PR in a race.

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Let food be thy medicine...

I started to fall apart at 50.
I was at my fittest and least slow at 48 or 49.
Long period anaemic when 50 fooked most of a year. Subsequent Lost flexibility (not doing enough when ill) has hampered the following couple.
Definitely a use it or lose it scenario.

But my swimming is still improving and the long distances getting longer. 2.4 mile on an IM is hardly enough to get properly loosened up these days ! So it's not all totally downhill even in the mid 50s !

I was training hard, smoking my age group, and still getting some overall podiums into my early 50’s. Long story short, After blowing up at 58, I realized that I was still trying to maintain my times… despite hurting more, perceived effort increasing, injuries, and longer recoveries. I had to totally regroup, and had to throw out time expectations and goals. I went back to training by feel, with the same perceived effort I had come to know and love for the previous 40 years… and just let my times fall where they may. I’m living the inverse of the old saying: It never stops hurting, you just get faster. My new saying is: It still feels the same, you just get slower.

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Athlinks / Strava

Good question. I was actually going to post something like “When did you start feeling your age?”.

55 now. Bad knees so cannot run. Still riding and swimming on par from my 30s but definitely takes way longer to recover from those efforts but I also feel like I’m close to going off a cliff times wise…

43? Y'er still a babe.

I'm 54 and still *feel* young---and can train pretty hard when I want to. You have plenty of time left to improve and actually get faster. At 51, I lost a local 10km to two 27 year-olds.

Everyone is different, of course, but the consensus from similar threads over the last several years seems to land somewhere around late 50s that true unilateral decline begins (some sooner, some later)---notwithstanding injuries, or disease. By 60, most everyone seems to report no longer being able to hold on to the past, in spite of remaining healthy.

I was not going to respond to this because it comes quite often. But there is another side that some may find interesting. Never been super fast but held my own. In my 50’s started podium, also got to Kona but pretty much racing the same time wise. In my 60’s and 70’s podium all the time and got to Kona’s a bunch of times not really slowing down well maybe some. But the age groups started getting smaller and a lot of DNF’s. Past 75 I changed the way I trained not being concerned about speed and more on endurance. Over 80 finished Kona last year and I have a big engine and you are going to need it if you want to continue to race long course at this age. I had problems in 2 places at 2022 Kona with out the endurance my day would have been over. Still got some speed but it comes from endurance training.

I'm 44, so similar age. I always thought I didn't need to do any strength work - swimming, biking, and running provided sport specific strength. Over the last couple of years I've learned that just basic body weight and mobility exercises on a daily basis can go a long way.

Biking has stayed the same with my FTP being pretty consistent over the years, but I do ride a lot (10-11k miles most years). Running is harder to hold on to, but with doing strength work I've been able to retain most of my speed across all distances. Swimming is also pretty consistent (when I swim consistently!).

Another thing is that you need to make the easy days really, really, really easy to make the harder days pay dividends fitness wise. I've found this especially true for running. I can still crank out reasonably fast intervals on the track, but I need to surround those days with real easy ones to make the hard days count.

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Blog: http://262toboylstonstreet.blogspot.com/
https://twitter.com/NateThomasTri
Coaching: https://bybtricoaching.com/ - accepting athletes for 2023

Too many variables to answer your question. Are you talking about sprints and olympic distance? Or Ironman? How much have you put into racing? Were you all in? Years of Masters swim and track workouts? Massage therapist and PT sessions?

If you were “all in” and doing short distance, yup you top end stuff is done. There may be endurance to pick up?
If you did triathlon as a sport for fun and fitness, you may have both speed and endurance to pick up. I have done triathlon since ‘81. Ironman since ‘82, but I was a teacher and spent more time working than working out. A year after I retired at age 60 I did my fastest Ironman (yes, ideal conditions on an easy course).
Like the pros, your speed will decrease for short stuff by 35ish and Ironman by early 40’s if you were “all in”.
There will always be another age group with damn tough competitors! Enjoy the sport!
Or give up and play golf😂😂😂

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Team Zoot So Cal

I started running competitively in HS and haven't stopped competing since then, starting tris in my mid 20s. I'm 63. My current 5K run race pace is slower than my PR marathon pace. Why do I continue to race? Because I still enjoy testing my limits.

similar for me. i'm in my late 50s and have raced running events since 1975 and trained hard since my early teens. From my late 30s through to late 40s it seemed the pack was constantly getting shuffled as some started declining a bit earlier and/or faster than others, and some of those who started running later in life were even improving. In my case i didn't lose much over 5K until about 43 or 44; then was a minute slower by 48, and another minute slower by 52 or 53. Some of that is due to no longer being able to do track intervals without injuring something.

Cycling is the complete opposite. Started at 41 with a lot of fitness and no specific skills, and 16 years later i think i am a much better cyclist, and haven't really lost any power. i think that is pretty normal. i am not bad on the bike, but at no time in my life would i have been good enough to win the state 60-65 TT champs.....there are a lot of cyclists who don't seem to lose much as they age. i also think cycling is a sport that it helps to be "retired" ...which may contribute to the performance of those 60+ year olds. Running....not so much.

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And the question remains. where were you.

I'm 63. My current 5K run race pace is slower than my PR marathon pace. Why do I continue to race? Because I still enjoy testing my limits. //

Ha, wait until you are 67, I would have to train very hard for at least 5 weeks to maybe do one mile of my marathon PR pace when I was 38!! That is where the wheels have come off the most, running. Could also just be that it is the one sport I neglect, but also do that with biking, and that comes back much faster, and better. There was a time that I couldn't run a 9 minute mile, it was just too dam slow. Now it is the pace I have to train for, and eventually try and hold for my runs of 3 miles, what the hell happened to us!


I suppose if I ran at least 15 miles a week for a few months, with a few 20+ ones in there, I might still have a 21 or so 5k in me. Just seems like a lot of work and potential injury for little glory. But the new swim run races have sort of motivated me to get back at it regularly, not just a crash course 6 weeks before the races...

I'm running more miles now (averaging about 38 mpw) than I have in the past 35+ years. It helps that I quit swimming & cycling (except for 3 or 4 sprint tris each summer) when the pandemic began and haven't started back up yet.

I've been doing this since 1990 and since reaching 52 / 53 my times have dropped off a cliff.

Last year I decided to try and hit a 5k run target and after a couple of misses, I eventually made it - but it was hard work and still more than a minute slower than the time I had done 6 years before. I'm retired and have time to do a lot of training if I want to - but I definitely cannot push myself like I used to.

I'm glad I can still swim, bike and run - but it's totally for enjoyment now. I do have a half marathon in 6 weeks time and I'll be interested to see how that goes.......

At 43 I still had my fastest times ahead of me since I really didn’t start racing and training until my 30 s. It’s the short stuff that I’ll never come close to again and that’s kinda depressing , however, at age 66 I’m looking for a PR at Boston this spring. And I’m pretty sure I can still come close to my early years half and full distance tri times. Those times weren’t very impressive in my 40s but now they consistently get me on the podium in my current age group.

I'm 61 now and still have my run. I do not manage 1:30 anymore in a half marathon, but did a 1:33:36 last year. Last year in Kona I ran 3:50, which was the 4th time in the m60. The fastest time was 3:43. I had 2 kg overweight last year (BMI 25,4) compared to other years because of a slight motivation lack due to all uncertanties during the pandemic. So without those kilos I even could have had the fastest time!

So hardly any decline in running although I neglect my running training, giving more focus to my weaker disciplines swimming and biking.

Every year I'm surprised it still goes and I'm looking forward to see how it will go this year. One goal is to loose some weight and get back to 84 or 85 kilos again.

42 is no age to use as an excuse for slowing down! Consistent focused training will still pay dividends and, unless you were a top age grouper previously you could easily improve not slow down. In my 50’s I’ve set PB’s for full and half, including 9.27 full age 56. All my cycle TT PB’s have been set as a vet 50 or 55.
Yes injuries will probably happen more often and take longer to heal, you be a bit more tired…but just get more rest. You might need to look closely at diet to get the best out of your body and, perhaps most importantly (and not very popular) if you drink alcohol cut right back or give it up!

It depends on the event and when you started. If for instance you are talking about the marathon, it takes about 10 to 12 years to build your endurance and run your best. I know people who started in their early 20s and peaked in their early 30s and some who started in their early 60s and peaked in their early 70s.

The formula as you age is to be aware of rest, diet, consistency and mobility to be able to perform your best. The one factor that surprised me as I went thru my late 50s/ early 60s was genetics. You can’t fight what your mom and dad handed to you and things like heart, hips, knees, colon, etc…..have to be watched and managed to continue to move into your 70s and beyond to be successful in your journey.

I would say in your early 40s is a good time to start being aware of your goals and figuring out how to extend your journey and not to start shutting down.

3:50 at 90 kegs at 61!!!

That is fantastic. I am happy for you

Not too happy for me. I am running (pun) out of excuses why I run so slow

Lol

I'll add my 55 year old slowing down experiences but first ask a question:
is anything slowing down your old human decline??

my experiences: i am a cyclist first and run mostly for the dog (and my bone density). i first noticed not being able to hit peak numbers as consistently at 45. basically the next 5 years were more attention to detail to hit peak numbers for shorter periods of time. after 50 (the last 5 years) - my peak numbers are getting lower and my winter numbers are much lower than the few weeks every summer where i hit peak numbers again.

what i'm doing about it: nothing has been terribly effective that I can tell. I started lifting at 49. that did and still does seem to help holding spiky power from 30 secs to about 2 minutes. I think it also helps have better ability when tired late in a ride.
i have started stretching with more and more regularity to try to increase hip mobility mostly to address low back pain, but... i'm also hoping that better hip mobility might let me get more out of the cycling ability i still have (?!?). my hip mobility is terrible. my attempt at the 90/90 hip stretch is embarrassing. no way i can do that stretch and sit up.

as others have said - my running is significantly worse at 55 than the one year I coached our distance guys in high school winter track and ran with them at 43. i don't run enough that i care too much about that - but just my anecdote that running has declined much more than cycling.

as to original poster. as a LONG-time cyclist (since I was 22) before I hit 43 - 43-45 were still peak performance years.

In my coaching and racing experience at the pointy end over the last few decades it seems that run times start to slow some, not much around 40. Then you see a slow slide again ~ 45. Then again at 50.

S & B times have stayed about the same though and after 55 run times really drop off.

I have seen older athletes get faster on the bike into their 50s, some of that is from retiring, no kids at home, divorce, working less hours. Rarely see swim times get better but then rarely do you see people make that commitment.

Father Time is not kind to older athletes on the run though.

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Brian Stover USAT LII
Accelerate3 Coaching
Insta

Congrats on your impressive run splits! When did you start competing? What were your running times then?

I’m 63 my Cycling is still ok sub hour for a 25 mile TTs 5K Swimming races are in the region of 1 hr 15 to 20, I do more weight training now although can’t really say I love it, running forget it, it was always my worst of the 3, however I have to watch how much I do now, get some days when my mind wants to do stuff and my body says not a chance ha still love it all though

I just wanted to say those are amazing times at that body size and that age. Chapeau. Very inspirational.

In my case, I hardly had much decline till 50 and then had a major sequence of accidents at 50 and then 53 (totally different things). Where I was not as limited in swimming and riding my times and wattages stayed pretty good till around 55 (I am 57 now). I have noticed a slight drop off in swim times compared to age 35 and a bit more on the bike, but run is a joke. Even at 44, I was running 1:26 in a half IM and 1:21 open. Today in a half IM, I am 2:00 to 2:06. Much of this slowdown is mechanical due to lumbar spine. Most the the guys I used to run sub 1:30-1:35 on a half bike leg, are running around 1:40 in their late 50's....I am coming into T2 with all the same guys, but after that, my run is 20 min slower. Cardio and will are there, but control over my left leg due to spinal complications is the issue. Still hoping I can get this back down to sub 1:50 (ran 1:49 at Esprit half on a flat course in 2021....2022 spine complications got worse).

I would say in general I am recovering a bit slower between workouts at 57 than 54. At 54, recovery was basically the same as 30.

I had a serious accident when I was in peak form at 44, and after a few years of intense PT began working my way back up again. I wasn't quite back up to previous form (my running never came close, but this was due more to never regaining full use of my left leg rather than loss of fitness) when I started rapidly declining in my early 50s. My GP simply chalked it up as "You're just getting older". A few health issues cropped up shortly after (afib, anemia from internal bleeding), and once those were dealt with my performance rapidly improved. Just shy of 62, I'm consistently matching or beating Strava PRs that I set 10 years ago...

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"I'm thinking of a number between 1 and 10, and I don't know why!"

Started triathlon at 35 and was at my fastest at 48-49

I started running with 19 and had my best run splits in my early twenties: not very impressive because firstly I weighed 84 kg @1.85m and secondly I did not know a lot about training, racing and fueling. My PBs are:
Half IM 1:21
Marathon: 2:59:36 (this is a number I'll never forget)
and
10 km: 37 minutes.

Only since 10 years I get relatively better and better compared to my AG, because I'm declining slower. I even get competitive in local running races, which was not so when I was in my twenties.

One poster wrote here above I'm 90 kg, but that is not exactly right, it is about 86 or 87. As I wrote, too much due to homeworking (miss the bike commute to work).

46 was the year I started falling apart. I turn 52 in a couple of months and no longer race. The injuries mounted and took their tool physically and mentally.

I realized Father Time caught me in 2020 when my right shoulder gave out and required surgery. Following that a nasty neuroma that was removed that severely limited my running, then last year my SI joint gave out again so I hung up the racing gear and now try to work out for fun and maintain my sanity and weight.

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The secret of a long life is you try not to shorten it.
-Nobody

Yeah, the injuries and age-related degeneration start piling up after age 40. Sometimes slowly, but sometimes all in one fell swoop and then you're out - first for short periods of time, then longer, and then one day, it's over.

I'm 47 and still chasing PRs but am actively managing fatigue, ankle arthritis, sleep apnea, recurrent back pain, and a host of other age-related things that each could end my triathlon career abruptly if they worsen.

Even with avoiding those things, my genetics are catching up to me - I'm still gaining a pound a year despite training up to 15 hrs per week and averaging around 12 during the inseason. In my 20s, this sort of training would have left me a stick figure I would have lost so much weight, but in my 40s, my body sends alarm starvation signals that are quite crippling the moment I start mounting too big a calorie deficit. (Parents are obese.)

Congratulations with your wooden bowl! (I peeked into the ironman results). Not a lot are blessed for such an achievement.

I'm 53 this year, still making gains. Muscle atrophy accelerates tho, consistency is important.

This year overall Kona amateur winner was 40-44. I think for all 40-th, there no need for any additional motivation ))

Not to hijack this thread, but it sounds like a lot of people have managed to hold on to their speed and health quite well. What would you say are the keys? What changes did you make to hold off Father Time?

One, I think, is mentioned above—consistency. The impact of aging is that you get out of shape faster and take longer to regain fitness. Better to not have long layoffs, if at all possible.

Others? Perhaps adding in strength and flexibility work? Making sure to get enough rest to allow for recovery? Genetics and luck?

I’m 49 and still holding on, well under 1:30 for a stand-alone half marathon and sub-5 at the 70.3 distance. But I know it’s coming, so I’d love to hear what has worked for others.

At 40+ I was 215 lbs, started doing Tri's at 43.
Set some lifetime bests after 60 and a bike lifetime best at 71 (40K) and no it wasn't a new bike.
We all measure ourselves against the AG and the overall.
And it's still fun.

A few things:

Empty nesters. Kids left for college. Allowed personal investment for the first time
Invested in a real coach
Wife that supports

Lots of good stuff in the thread here, and has been hinted at, the biggest roadblock to getting faster after 45 is what you did the couple decades before that. Yes late adapters to the sport can continue to get faster into their 60's even, but that equation is all about the denominator. If you maxed out your potential in your 30's when your physical body is at its peak, you will of course be on a slide going down from 40 on.

So as fun as it is to hear someone is still getting better in their late 40's/50's/even 60's, its just not possible for a lot of us. It is just about hanging on and slowing the slide, and calling on those old muscle memories to get through old guy races. That's why I find guys like Ed Whitlock, or master swimmer Jim McConica so interesting to follow. Both were world classs in their youth, went on to open world class times in their 20's/30's, and then just continued to race at the highest levels in their respective sports into their 70's/80's. There is a very nice graph that shows the real % of decline one could expect starting from the very tippy top, and the ultimate in aged human performance...

i think the single biggest factor in limiting losses with ageing is keeping weight relatively close to where it was when at peak. It doesn't guarantee anything, but gaining 20lbs makes running or cycling fast with an ageing body a whole lot harder.

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And the question remains. where were you.

It all depends when you start: if you start at 50 you will become faster after 50. Nicely put down here:


And, in my case, for running, these 4% and next% shoes caused a temporary halt in decline quite considerably.

Turned 41 at the end of last year, started triathlon at 21, always been fairly committed and always made progression but had my strongest season last year (3rd overall Ironman UK, 1st overall Ironman Florida, 1st 40-44 in 3 IM's). In my experience I think there has been a very small decline in my performance at shorter distances (eg. short TT's and 5-10k races) but I'm still improving significantly at the longer races which I put down to increased training volume. I do find that high intensity running sessions take longer to recover from so I've adopted a much more controlled approach, using heart rate to control my efforts so I can train the next day. I've also found that 'supershoes' have mostly offset my declining ability in shorter runs so I can still get close to my run times from my 20's.

The only area where I've noticed a huge decline is in very short run efforts eg. when the guys in your track session drop a fast 400 at the end of a session, it used to be something I was good at but now I'm the worst at this.

I'm reading this thread with great interest as I'm super motivated to try and up my game this year but I'm terrified that age is going to start slowing me down!

It's strange. I'm almost 48 and I'm definitely faster in overall triathlon races by a lot, but my 5k times are slower and my FTP is lower. Somehow the overall finish times are faster though.

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http://www.sfuelsgolonger.com

A lot of it will also depend on your life situation if you are an age grouper, even an elite one. If for example in your 50s your kids have moved out, maybe you have saved a little, you can pull back a bit on work ambition and sleep more, then you will have a lot more chances to continue to improve. If your lifestyle doesn't change, it's realistic to expect some signs of decline.

Some thoughts
1. 80/20 actually means something as you age. You simply can’t make effort mistakes like you could.
2. Pay attention to details - I can’t remember ever stretching. At 50 I started with 15 minutes of daily yoga. It’s a daily practice.
3. Weight - you have to pay attention to your metabolism. If you add weight it is going to hurt.

Look for motivators
Ken Rideout - in his 50’s is crushing the marathon.
Gordo Byrn - find him on Twitter
Herbert - yes, that Herbert here on this Forum. He is setting a tempo all could learn from.

Read the interview Herbert did with Dede on the home page.

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Dave Jewell
Free Run Speed

Some more thoughts at 62:

Core strength… it’s getting harder to ride aero for longer periods of time, despite adding very dedicated strength training

Eyesight… by 58, it was no longer safe for me to ride without my prescription glasses… it took an orange cone at WACO to finally hammer this home. By 60, I could no longer safely run, without my glasses, as proven by a seemingly harmless crack in the road, in a local 5k. I have a nice scar from that one.

Balance and coordination… there’s no way I can still look over my shoulder, on a bike, at 20 mph, without endangering myself, or anyone around me. Heck, I can barely do it in my car at a stoplight.

Reaction timing… this can be scary as hell. I’ve made some stupid delayed split decisions on my bike, in the last couple years, that could have been fatal. How far do I dare push this, until my luck runs out?

Sleep… if I don’t get 8-10 hours a night, forget all this.

Bathroom… long course racing really sucks as an older male, in this respect, and I’m not in the club that doesn’t mind peeing themselves, or their bike, in a race. And I won’t even get into the portapotty blow outs.

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Athlinks / Strava

Consistency is king. If you get injured after 40 and have to take significant time off, it can be incredibly hard to regain fitness.

So that means you have to take care of your body.

80/20 training plans where the majority of the training is easy.

Flexibility work.

Some moderate strength work.

Know when to really back off and recover.

Be lucky. Because sometimes you can do everything right and still wind up injured....

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Jason
None of the secrets of success will work unless you do.

65 in 2 weeks. I love running and competing and can almost run my PB marathon time for a 5K (but I never had a great marathon - never what my 10K times predicted). Last year I did 20 races - a few tris, a du, 6 mtn bike races, and the rest 5Ks. But, too much run training and I know I will get injured so I don't run more than 3 times a week when I am healthy. I also do other sports - May to September is windsurfing season and last year I got back into hockey after decades without playing. The key for me as I age is staying active and doing something every day - if not actual training I try to do yard work - in the AZ desert stuff never stops growing so always something to do.

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Andrew Inkpen

I started racing at age 36. I was fastest age 39-44. I didn't see a huge decline 45-50 but it was harder to hit some of my 70.3 times. At 5 my run pace is slower, bike and swim still are hanging in there but my days of sub 4:30 half's is over and has been for a few years now.

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-Of course it's 'effing hard, it's IRONMAN!
Team ZOOT
ZOOT, QR, Garmin, HED Wheels, Zealios, FormSwim, Precision Hydration, Rudy Project

I am 51 and have been doing sport since college (but with couple of years long breaks) and I am faster now than ever. Biggest difference I think is I do not race long course anymore. Just do olympic and sprints. The long runs really beat me up. By focusing on shorter, I do a decent amount of volume for that distance and none of the workouts I do are such mega long workouts that I spend days recovering after. Instead I train just about every day. I would love to go back in time and not be doing long course and see how good I could have gotten at olympic distance. My 'faster-than-ever' is with an Asterix because I suspect I would not do as fast an Ironman or 1/2 ironman now as I did in my 30's, but my olympic times are faster and I am finishing higher up in overall standings. Most importantly, my body feels better now at 51 than it did in my 30's. I think it is mostly from going shorter, but I now also get much better sleep, understand and practice much better nutrition, have a less stressful job, live in a less stressful, rural and beautiful place, do strength training, and have some coaching. I am also just more experienced which leads to less wasted time in a race - speed through transitions, less likely to have swim freak out that costs me time in the beginning of a swim. Could afford a better bike too...and the carbon shoes are pretty fast.

43, youngster!!!

I was 50 last year, and am still getting faster, with certain caveats.

At 45 I did my first IM in 11h53m, at 49 I did a 9h11m Ironman - I was aiming for a sub 9hr IM in 2022, but dislocated my shoulder and tore the AC ligaments 13 days before the race.... I still managed 9h40m and 9th in my AG in Roth, withouth the shoulder injury a podium would have been possible. I am still dreaming of a sub 9hr time, but thinking that 9h11m may be as quick as I go

In May, just after my 50th birthday I ran a 2:53 marathon PB. I also raced in Kona and finished in 10h20m 44th in my AG - not exceptional, but hardly shabby (shoulder still impacting my swim)

In 2021 and 2022 I started to focus more on Ultra Distances. I came 7th in my first multi day ultra cycling event, I came 3rd in my first Century run. I may be losing a little bit of pace, but finding that I am really competetive the longer I go

I was thinking that my shorter distance pace was going, however, this autumn, with a bit of focus, I have been running 18min 5km (3.2 miles). On Zwift I recently achieved my highest ranking ever (380 in the world).

Collective wisdom suggests that HR should start to decline from the age of 40, however, I have not seen any decline at all over the past 8 years (when I started using a Garmin Watch). My MHR is still 192bpm. More research shows athletes can maintain their HR far longer as long as they continue to exercise with some proper intensity sessions

So don't start to look for excuses, train in the right way and getting faster for a few years yet is totally possible

Hah I'm in exactly the same boat. I'm slower for sure at standalone 5ks-10ks, but I think because of a combo of better training methods (finally found a plan that I like-works for me well), better sleep (CPAP!), kids finally kinda independent = more training time, and finally having enough time to go to the pool, I'm overall faster.

Weirdly, despite my slower standalone 5k-10k times, I've been running my lifetime fastest times for Oly tris (haven't done long stuff in the past few years). Makes me really think that the impact of swim fitness and bike fitness on the run continues to be hugely understated, especially the swim. In a few races where I had disappointingly slow swim times for my pool fitness (not sure what happened, could be cold water effects on me?) I suspect the saved energy from the under-effort swim let me outperform on the bike and especially the run. My local racing buddy who does very similar training to me (we track closely on Strava) just ran a 2:48 marathon, and has an averaget training pace 40-60 seconds faster than mine on Strava, yet come race day I on ran 8 sec/mile slower than him in the same race where he ran as he expected. I did swim a LOT more than he did (he did minimal swimming) and I think I'm just a naturally faster biker so probably cost me less on the bike.

At 47 I got in a bike accident. Since then I don't push the downhills like I used to but can still ride the flats / uphills close to my best times.

Running started dropping significantly at 48.

Swimming hasn't changed much, but it was always my weakest sport.

Currently 51 and had an MRI on my knee this morning so we shall see if running is every an option again..

Relying to last post but also good timing as I also did my last fast (for me) running at age 48 (last time I could run an open half marathon around 90 minutes). Mostly replies from men here. But as a woman here, I do think women have it a bit harder with menopause as we lose more hormones. My husband didn't miss a beat training into his early 50s. For me it was turning 50 and menopause that affected my running. (I'm almost 53 now). That being said, I was still the fastest runner in my last 70.3 a few weeks ago in my AG but it sucked. I was a good 10 mins slower than what I could have done 5 years ago.

I had a very bad bike crash in the late 1990s so I've never been a fast descender especially in my middle age. I am still trying to figure out if my cycling is slowing down. I had a great 70.3 bike in 2021 but two in 2022 that were not so stellar. And swimming is about the same. Actually my last two 70.3s were slightly faster than usual but I chalk that up to swimming 6x a week in my Endless Pool. The fact that I'm not getting slower in the water is a huge win for me I guess. Swimming will always be a work in progress learning from scratch at age 42. But I do love it!

BMcMaster - hope your knee is OK!! Sending good vibes your way.

I think for women everyone is different with menopause and when it happens and how badly it affects us. There are some 50 plus women doing some mind-boggling racing in all three sports. Really blows my mind but I try to find inspiration in other women who are still kicking ass. I'm signed up for my 5th full IM after not starting my IMs in 2021 and 2022 due to PF. Feet are now good so fingers crossed!

---

Death is easy....peaceful. Life is harder.

Granted I didn't start doing triathlons until I was in my late 30s, but I just set a PR for 70.3 last year at age 51

I have been racing triathlons for as long as you have alive!! I was my fastest in my mid-30s. Then, I maintained fairly steady until I's say 47. Then decline was very gradual until 55 or so. Then, 55 to 60 I think I declined more than from 40 to 55. Now, 60 to 63 the slide seems continuous and precipitous. As (most) others have mentioned, the run seems to slide faster than the swim and bike. A beauty of our sport is that maintaining a healthy fit lifestyle can continue for a long time. I see no end in sight.

Best wishes,

---

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.

I can’t imagine you have peaked at 43 but of course it depends how long you have been in the game

My run times at 52 are way slower than my running days in my 20s as you would expect

I started doing Tri age 40 , and probably peaked age 48 but since then I seem to be hanging into what I have - my run has not deteriorated I don’t think , I set an IM PR going sub 9 age 51

Will see how I get on this year , I do know if I don’t get 8 hrs sleep I fall apart and have now started lifting heavy over the winter , not sure if it helps for me but I love it anyhow

I don’t do crazy hrs (average 13 to 14 up to 8 weeks out) but I am very consistent

I will keep going until I don’t want to anymore- noting all my friends have given up on the sport and I end up hanging out with the 30 plus year olds when I need a training partner

Thank you, that is what I want to hear - Sub 9 in 2023 age 51, here we come

I may need to do the unthinkable and enter IM Barcelona in September

The "I see no end in sight" is the answer to minimizing decline. Literally the guys who see no end in sight, keep up the lifestyle and they decline less thant the guys "who see the end". I "see the end" at least when it comes to triathlon, and even though I am some semblance of a training hero, my training is more exercise/activity lifestyle oriented, which is barely good enough for me to get to start lines in Olympics (where I can actually race) but half IM's are a "tour" because frankly I don't train like a "performer", I train like an "exerciser". Because of not pushing myself in anything but the pool (which I do often), I don't really visit the pain level required to be pointy end "with no end in sight". So I just show up at tris, and my superior swim volume and intensity, literally cruises me through the swim and most of the bike (by the way, you saw me in Snow Canyon in St. George 70.3WC when my tourist training was put to the test and there was no touring up the climb). That was a far cry from when you and I met on the bike at Kona 2006 close to Waikoloa village on the way back and I felt I was "racing" at double the distance.

I really think you have to "want to race" to have "no end in sight". That innate desire keeps some people like you from not declining as fast as your peers.

I am enjoying my new life as a masters swimmers because all my times are from my 50's. It's not like I have a 400IM time from my 30's nor a 1500m pool swim time, but it is just demoralizing limping through a 5km literally 40-50 percent slower than my early 30's, so I am not incentived to run hard to begin with and race times reflect this.

I did my first triathlon when I was 44. I had a pretty active sports background when younger including in my teens/early 20s a run focus and ran sub 2:50 marathon/35 minute 10k.

With tri, I improved every year, noticeably, for about 7 years. In my early 50s that improvement stopped but it felt like a plateau for a few years. In retrospect, my run began to nosedive in my early 50s (note, I have/had a bad knee that was just replaced at age 65). My swim was still improving and I would say between 55 and 65 years my swim has been pretty stable. Some years up a little some down. My bike has always been my strength and while I still had my days when I’d fop on the bike, by 55 it was clear I was losing my top end speed—this was especially evident in local tris. When I was 50, I’d be in the hunt for top bike split in a small local sprint, but when I show up at 57, some guy beats me by 2 minutes, and oh, my time is 90 seconds slower than 6 years ago. My fastest IM bike split was when I was 50.

As I mentioned above, I had my left knee replaced 5-6 weeks ago. As my knee deteriorated after I turned 60/and after CoVid, my run performance collapsed. I went from logging 1500 miles/year to a couple of hundred. Walk became the new run.

I’m not sure what the future will bring. It would be great to return to long distance trekking and alpine climbing. I’d like to solo across the country on my bike. Maybe even jog a bit just to see how it feels to run with two knees that work!

To me, I’m cool with getting slow and having all my PRs behind me. My son reminded me of a Conrad Anker quote where he said something like: “The summit is the objective, but the climb is the main thing.” So if I can keep coming up with fun, adventuresome challenges that I’m motivated to pursue with my usual intensity, I’ll be happy. No matter how slow.

The real bogeyman is not getting slow, it’s not being able to do this stuff at all. Enjoy it while you got it! Whatever it is!

---

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

Insert Doubt. Erase Hope. Crush Dreams.

I am a handful of years older than you (48) and I'm still finding speed as a cyclist - don't give up on yourself yet. It's been slow but fruitful progress for me personally. If anyone is interested, I wrote a blog article on this issue and included 20 years of my own performance data of my biking (I've actually continued to improve on this data since I posted that up): https://www.precisionhydration.com/...performance-decline/

For perspective, I just looked up UK rankings for 5k and marathon (women, 2022). Seems that Marathon pace at F45 correlates pretty well with 5k pace at V60. So, if that's the sort of degradation you're noticing in your run times, you're probably doing fine!

Im 56. Really didnt notice any major decline until about 50. Im a full one minute per mile slower on the run but my bike splits are still right up there.

I ran my fastest 5 k at age 35, a 15.36, but was never the same, after swimming in the ocean after rain, and getting bacterial pneumonia, filling one lung with fluid. I kept drying to deliver the mail, the supervisors screamed at me for slacking off, and eventually I collapsed. I believe that was the end.
However, a change from 24 hr mtb to sprint triathlons, saw my times improve, from 45 through to 53. My brick runs got faster, the less I trained running, without biking first. One one mile brick a week, could get me an 18 minute 5k leg, into my 50s. I guess Russ Jones would agree with me, carrying mail on a walking route, 9 to 13 miles a day, might have been a plus.
What slowed me down, was not running for 3 years(Aquabike, thank you race directors), before hip replacement, but times stabilized from 57, to now, 62, at 21 minutes, on the 5 k leg., on about 1 to 6 miles of bricks. In retirement, I do a fair bit of hiking, absolutely hate running.p, except for races. Did just do my first raw 5k, a 20.40, which surprised me. Hated it.
Well, in retirement, and not working up to 72 hours a week, humping mail, I got to recover more. I watched more swim videos. I hate the notion of coaching, I like to be a free spirit, and do what I want upon waking. It works for sprints. At age 61, I had the fastest swim leg, at the Morro Bay Sprint Tri, and it felt so easy. Damn it, if only I had focused on technique for the previous 45 years of racing. Sadly, I broke 7 ribs, collarbone, sternum, punctured lung, just after a pelvic fracture (I won a rural Tri outright 12 weeks later🤠), and the new shape of my body makes swimming tough, and very unpleasant, I’m great full to do a few laps now. No aging with technique, is the word.
Biking, well, being retired on the Central Coast, who wouldnt want to ride up to Big Sur, or into wine country, a few times a week. No power meters, no plans, just sheer Breaking Away exuberance. Some of my fastest bike times ever. In fact, some KOMs, even a top50 all time Strava dude couldn’t get em. (Ysbel Rollers, and the longer one down to Baywood Inn). Other top 10s, against some handy guys ,too, no drafting, road or TT.
Take away, just have bloody fun, be retired, hike at least 3 hours every other day, fire your coach.
Most of all, live in a cycle friendly community, like SLO, and ride in beautiful surroundings, that’ll keep you young. Vary your speed. You feel good, hammer, wildflowers are blooming, get out of the aero position, and drink it all in.
Just moved back to San Diego. Pools are shit, and low maintenance sketchy, with few hours. Traffic shortens my bike rides. My times will suffer, but I’ll still go to see me mates at races. Swimming and biking are sustainable, at age, but you can’t outrun time.
Now, I’m going to concentrate on kayak surfing,at La Jolla, because it was too bloody cold at Morro Bay.
Another take away for fast times aging, fun first, for me. Enjoy your metrics, see you at the sprints.

Love this thread, as I am soon turning 42 and trying to hold on. So many great tips and personal insights that are motivating. Thanks all for sharing.

For me the weight thing is the new challenge. Normally I put on 5-6 lbs Oct-Dec that come off pretty easily/naturally Jan-May. This past year I easily put on 10-11 lbs, really not doing too much different than other years (I always let healthy eating slide some post season…just no more extreme this year than others). holy crap I feel it running. Motivated to knock it down now, and this thread is helping a lot.

My fastest 5K times were at 47 years old where I ran a 19:58 the day after I ran and easy 4 miler at lunch then 10 miles of threshold work in the evening.

Spot on! Just enjoy and appreciate the fact that we can still do all this stuff, regardless of the pace. I think that's the key to aging gracefully.

I remember a mantra I had in my head during the 2nd half my run at IM Canada in 2008: "run if you can, walk if you have to; just keep moving". That helped me to have my fastest 10K of the run be the last 10K. I was 49 at the time.

Just over 11 years later and a few months after my 60th birthday I had a left foot injury the week after thanksgiving 2019 - in the dark of the early morning, while going down the hallway from our bedroom I accidentally kicked a Kickr Core bike trainer that had been left in that hallway temporarily (for some reason that seemed good at the time). I thought it was just a broken toe and took some time off to let it heal. By the time we figured out I had also torn either a ligament or a tendon (don't recall which) and I'd need surgery in order to be able to run again, COVID had broken out and the surgery had to be postponed for a few months. By the time the surgery happened and the 4-6 months of recovery I hadn't run in well over a year - early spring 2021. My run pace never really recovered from that, but at this point I'm just happy to be able to run for an hour in the sunshine and walk the dog for another 30-40 minutes a day.

Like Monty said - there's a lot of good insight and experience here. Reminds me of Joni Mitchell's Big Yellow Taxi song, "You don't know what you've got, til it's gone.

When I was in my fifties I thought I could see my life stretching into my eighties. Climbing mountains, racing and swimming the oceans of the world. My mind is still willing but my body doesn't have the strength and resilience. In my sixties and now my seventies I often feel like I'm recovering from a series of injuries rather than trying to get stronger. Managing your expectations is key.

I guess the answer to your question is that we cope as best we can. It's not just the racing but your own mortality you're faced with. Use that to guide your choices. Your life is more than than training and racing.

All great replies here. I started triathlon at 36 and have raced just about every year since. At 50, I decided to get a little more focused and race more. At 52, I PR'd every race (2 olympics, 13.1, 70.3 and 140.6). You can certainly make gains in your 50s.

Hi. Well not too sure I like the title of "Age and the Decline" when you are only 43 YO :-) I've been tri-ing for over 40 years and I was still improving at half and IM distance thru to early 50's (fastest IM of 9hrs 6min), right up until I had a major cycle accident during an IM event and rehab'ed for 6-months. Back to my first comment, it's about thinking 'young', not worrying about other competitors (you can't control how they race) and most importantly enjoy your training (events are the cherry on top!). Triathlon has long been a lifestyle for me so apart from still enjoying training and racing I've been involved in the tri-community in various other ways, along with coaching, race organising, endurance sports research, club and association involvement, etc. About a year ago I established a Facebook page called "Triathlon Tri-ing Over 50" as we more mature athletes do have specific needs that our younger selves didn't. Things like differing nutritional and hydration needs, differing training programming due to recovery needs, reset of mental attitude (i.e. my time goals were about improving my own time and based on overall place, now different perspective of finishing and AG position), differing hormonal changes by gender as you mature, etc.

I was talking to my sister (55), who is an active exerciser, but not a "racer" ( swear this women would have ran sub 2:45 at all of 95 lbs if she raced when we were 30), about how racing provides a quantitave window into our mortality at a relatively young age. We get to measure declines in various things that our peers in their mid 50's don't measure....they carry on with life with things degrading, but they don't really notice it in any measureable ways....then we all get to our 70's and its not just "performance" that is degrading, but basic functional things that have evaporated "all of a sudden" when in reality, these things kind of gradually dissappear from the arsenal, but the performance "elder athlete" has had a quantitive window into this degradation for many decades by then.

Good insight Paul.

Hey all,
OP here. I can't thank you enough for these responses. I felt kind of obligated to follow up and share a little about myself and what motivated me to post this thread.

I was not a great athlete growing up. Had back surgery at 28, somehow started running a few miles here and there at age 30 in 2010. Ran my first half marathon in 2013, just broke 2 hours. First HIM in 2016 (7 hours+, wasn't pretty). Did a HIM and my first (and only) full marathon in 2017. I broke 6 hour at that HIM (Muncie) in 2017 at 36 years old, which was a huge goal for me. I was running about a 22 minute 5k then, and I can say this was peak fitness for me.

2018 came, and kids came with it. Not much racing over those next couple of years, mainly a yearly local Olympic distance tri where I usually finish in the 2:40's or something like that. Second kid in 2020. I was still training very consistently, but the longer workouts were no longer what they were given family life on the weekends.

I did Timberman this past year. Finished in 6:09. Not terrible for me. That bike was not easy, and I was not as bike fit as I needed to be. Just couldn't fit in the long rides consistently. But I also picked up a nagging achilles pain for most of 2022. I've run a little since September, and I just can't shake it. Before you ask, no, not doing much to help it other than rest. For some reason I still stubbornly think I'm 25 and will just get better on my own.

For the poster who asked, I haven't been "all in" as you put it. I don't really have that kind of time or motivation right now. That's on me. The achilles has me bummed. I'm really just in a mental rut, and with the kids came more thinking lately about my own mortality. I love that that got brought up as well. I know sooner or later that wall will come, and regardless of how hard I train I won't get faster.

What I can say is you all have provided me a lot of motivation and rejuvenation. I have so much respect for this board, and the athletes who hang out here. You all are friggin studs, man. I got back in the pool today. It sucked, it was slow, but you know what? I'm healthy, blessed with a beautiful family, and I was at least able to do it. Time to refocus on my "why."

You guys rock. Thank you for your vulnerability.

This strikes me is a very true comment!

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

Insert Doubt. Erase Hope. Crush Dreams.

To paraphrase a really good endurance coach, "It's important to remember than we all went pro in something other than triathlon."

We have to have balance in our lives. And family is part of what we have to balance.

Randy I did not realize what an accomplished runner you are and it is too bad you never discovered this sport when you were a sub 2:50 runner but I still see the sub 2:50 mentality in everything you do. The body may be different as each age group passes but our minds keep rolling along wanting to push the limits with what we have available today.

By the way can I get you on the daily 100 pushups, 200 sit ups and 30 pull up program? It does not require 'good knees' !!!

Here is inspiration: In 1982 I was on target to run sub 2:30 at Grandmas Marathon but was slowing towards the end. I heard a big roar coming from behind me as we ran the last couple of miles. It was Lorraine Mohler. She passed me with a half mile to go and set a women’s course record of 2:29 that stood for twenty years….but right behind me in the finish was Dr Alex Ratelle with a 2:30:30. Alex was 56 years old at the time. Alex started running at the age of 45 when he gave up racing cars and went on to set all sorts of age group records and went head to head with another running age group legend of the time, Norm Green. Both of them were sub 2:30 marathoners well into their 50s.

I remember Dr. Alex. I was in my early 20s then. Not much to add. He was an inspiration, for sure

---

I saw this on a white board in a window box at my daughters middle school...
List of what life owes you:
1. __________
2. __________
3. __________

I mentioned this in another Thread (which has received zero responses so far), a very interesting video.
You need to get past the first 60 seconds -
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=EVdwRIvllmU

What is the summary of that video?

I didn't watch the whole video but learned 2 things: 1) atrial flutter and afib are different; atrial flutter is much easier to treat and 2) afib is a natural part of aging and is widely found in the annual kingdom in animals that live the longest like tortoises and elephants.

---

Andrew Inkpen

Well, here is your first response. It was tortuous to sit and listen to! Good thing I was working on paperwork. I am VERY interested in the subject, but thought this was minimally helpful at best, and not very time efficient. Sorry my review is a bit of a pan. You previously didn't get responses because this was very hard to make it through. Note, I did think the Doctor was pretty interesting and it would be nice to have a more tailored discussion with him.

---

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.

That's OK - it's not like I made the video! It was brought to my attention over at the Time Trial Forum, and I was frankly surprised that no one had even mentioned it here at ST. I'm 76 years old and still ride hard, so I'm also very interested in heart related issues.

Surprisingly, I do not feel like I am an old guy! This is a good a thread, and it gives me some confirmation to what I am experiencing in my training.

I got back into to Triathlons in 2021 at age 56 after a 11 year's off. I did my first Triathlon in 1986 at age 20. My goals these days are to be fit, and have fun being back into the sport. I love local events with Olympic distance being my favorite.

My biggest challenge is a combination of age one, and the fact that I took 11 years off. What I find challenging is trying to figure out this new operating manual. Every workout I begins with thinking about recovery, and realizing I need a whole lot more runway in my training. I also find adding miles to both running and cycling have to be done gradually to avoid feeling completely wiped out, and wanting to take a nap afterwards.

All in all, its all good! Its great to be back!

- George

I turned 50 last month. The big change as many have mentioned is recovery. I feel like it takes three full days to recovery from biking workout.

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_________________________________
The curious task of economics is to demonstrate to men how little they really know about what they imagine they can design.

I just turned 50 last month, but in my late 40s, I didn't notice that the body takes longer to heal from owies and the discoloration from scaring doesn't really go away anymore. I can't push big blocks over and over like I used to (I need more recovery time) or else I just tank. My high-end and endurance is as good as it has been, but pushing my FTP, and maintaining it seems harder. I have also cut intervals down to 2 a week in 3-week blocks, with more Z2, I don't do more than 16 min of HIIT work in a workout (total), and generally keep sweet spot to about 40 min a workout (total). My body seems to respond better, and less overall fatigue.

I race CX in the fall to winter, and focusing on this, kept me feeling great for every race for the first time in years, and after CX season, I got on my TT bike after 3 months, and it was like I never left.

We are all doing what we can with what we have, including injuries, families, jobs, and whatever other stuff life throws in the mix. Glad you're still getting after it and enjoying it! That's my main goal at age 45, even as I'm still chasing some PRs. PRs are a ton of work, and I have to sometimes remind myself that this is supposed to be fun. Trying to keep that front and center.

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"One does not discover new lands without consenting to lose sight of the shore for a very long time."

I turn 45 this year.

I had my fastest days when I was 16 years old. I PR'd in the 5K at 16:44.

I then blew out my knee and had reconstructive knee surgery. I never made it under 17:00 flat in a 5k after that. I did some 17:30 type times my senior year of cross country but after running at state my Sophomore and Junior year didn't make it back to State for my Senior year which was disappointing. I slowed down in college due to poor training but did a race or two every year in the 18:30-19:00 range.

After college I had more time so I made a goal to get my 5K back under 18:00. I trained year-round for years. I was training harder than I had in high school but the best time I saw in my 20's was an 18:01.

When I was about 30's I figured I was slowing down and may never see another sub 18:00 5K so I started to try other things. I did Marathons for two years which never went well and so I focused on Half Marathons for 6 years and they went really well.

I moved to a town that didn't have a running club, that was right on a lake with multiple companies that hosted triathlons, so I decided to do one when I was 37. I took an 8-month break from running to train for it. After 8-months of Triathlon training I started to break 18:00 in the 5K. So, I stuck with triathlon training. First ran a 17:54, then a 17:52, then a 7:48, then a 17:42 over a 5-year span.

I have seen similar trends on the bike. First, I was trying to break 20 MPH average on the bike leg in races, then 21 MPH, then 22, then 23, and last year I broke 24 MPH for my bike leg average in a sprint.

So....being a running I was told that you peak at about 26 years old, and I was told that you start to lose muscle mass between 30-32 years old. So, I thought that after 26 I would be able to maintain fitness until about 30 years old and that after that I would start to see steady declines. That is NOT what I have seen.

When I started to get interested in Triathlons I was 36 years old and one of the guys that got me into the sport was 42 years old. He qualified for Kona about 6 months after I started to pick his brains about triathlons. He said that he was faster at age 42 than he was in his 20's. I didn't believe that was possible, but I am now 44 years old and am faster than I was in my 20's. I was possible training harder at age 26-29 than I am now too. I will say that I am training differently now. The multisport training has made a big difference. There is a lot of untapped potential in all of us. I found some of that by abandoning run training and switching to Tri training. There also is a lot that comes with experience. It took me a few years to learn to pace long course races. I can do that now though and it makes a huge difference. When I was doing Marathons from age 29-31 I bonked in every race and my PR was a 3:14. I did my first Marathon in 12 years in 2022 and I didn't bonk and went sub 3 hours.

So...40's you still are in your prime. 50's I am told that you start to feel the slow and that 60's you feel the slow x 2. I may get to 50 and surprise myself though. My current running group has three guys in their 50's that all have done 25+ marathons string back to their 20's and all three of them set lifetime PR's in 2022. I personally broke my Lifetime PR in the 10K at age 41 and my life-time 15K record at age 42. My Lifetime Marathon record at age 43, and my lifetime half marathon record at age 44. I guess I now need to work on breaking my 70.3 records and 5K records for age 45. I know I can break the 70.3 record. my 5K records might have to wait for age 46.

During a pre op physical it was discovered that I was in Atrial Flutter. The upper chambers of my heart were at 300 beats a minute while the lower chambers were at 34. I had no idea, but once I looked back at my resting heart rate from my garmin Fenix I realized it had been slowly dropping over the year from 44/ minute down to sometimes 32. At the same time my heart rate while training would not break 130. I thought I was just getting back in shape.

The doctors at Mayo did a cardioversion which corrected my HR and my resting went back to 45 and my training went to 150 to 160. I am now scheduled for an ablation in June because the doctor said if I correct it now it will prevent my from further advancing to A-fib which happens to 1 out of 3 atrial flutter patients. He said if you go into A-fib it is much harder to deal with and correct.

I got into the sport at 41. I'm 60 now, 3-4 Olys each year, half a dozen halfs, three IMs. I thought the same as you. But a few things happened. 1) I retired a few years ago. 2) I started learning more about diet.

#1 allowed me to train and care for myself as i always wanted to. Body maintenance at this stage of my life is time consuming, but for me well worth it.

I have the time to research diet and it's part in a healthy life. Prior to retiring i taught Geography, which has a unit called "Food From the Land." I loved that course and specifically that unit. I learned so much, the most enlightening was the impact animal agriculture has on the planet. Spoiler, it's very very bad. I made the decision to become a vegetarian for that reason. Since then i have continued researching. I learned i was a blissfully naive person, victim to the well polished marketing of the food industry and misleading government guidelines (probably because they heavily subsidize the meat, dairy, and egg industries). I learned meat products, including dairy and eggs, are not healthy. In fact they are quite the opposite, if not causing outright, certainly worsening the chance of cardiovascular disease, diabetes, stroke, cancer, skin issues, and on and on. There is no nutrient that is found in these foods that isn't easily found in plant alternatives. Two things that are always found in meat products are saturated fat and cholesterol. Their harmful effects have been known for many years. The animal agriculture sector goes to great lengths to distract and confuse the subject through sketchy studies, lobbying government, and unrelenting marketing.

So..... what is the point? Well, if animal products aren't healthy, how can they be part of a plan for best athletic success? That's how is see it. So i became vegan, for this and other reasons i won't detail here.

Bear with me, i'm almost there.

This past season i got covid, the version that hung on in my lungs for months. The first race i felt barely able to attempt was mid-July. It was predictably slow. The next and last race was mid-August. I was able to train hard and came within minutes of my fastest time ..in 2009. Keep in mind this was on a very much reduced training lead-up. It has been noted before, and i found it to be true for me as well: recovery time from workouts was noticeably shortened on a plant-based diet. I consider this a significant reason for my near pb performance. I can't wait for next season. I think i have a real shot at that pb. I haven't declined. It's inevitable, just not yet.

There is nothing to lose in trying a well balanced plant-based diet. Delicious, nutritious recipes abound.

50 this year.

In the last few weeks I ran a 5km PB, and Zwift spat out an all time high FTP.

Let's not talk about swimming.

This seems about right. I won my 1'st o/a at 40 and my last at 46. Crashed early at 47, lost 48, 49 to Covid, lack of desire and a lot of "life" at 50 with decent results. Early 51 knee surgery planned. We will see what late 51 does but I highly doubt the early 40 run speed will ever come back. 45/46 was an increase in swim, steady bike and already a declining run. (FWIW - swim always sucked so the increase was not impressive given where I was coming from)

I think a lot of you guys thinking you are doing PB's in the late 40's or 50's are only doing this because you never trained properly at 18-30 year old range. Some pro triathletes hang on at Ironman in their late 40's but they are doing that our of smarts, not physiology. It is just the way it is.

I too am doing personal bests as late at 55....but that was in master swim racing that I never did until 53 (400IM, 200 fly, 200IM). My running PB"s are all from the 19-30 year old range, not in my 50's. I wish I learned how to swim properly at 20 because a big engine helps way more in that sport in terms of applying good technique in an oxygen limited environment....but I have what I have in my 50's. It is motivating to do solid times for me in my 50's, but I am certain that if I swam competitively at 20, it would be a different world altogether, because all you have to do is look at the decline in times in all age groups in swimming in every event every 5 years and it is just statistically across humanity a gradual decline.

We can all fool ourselves that we are getting better late in life, but it is generally because we never trained properly in our physiological prime. If not Olympians would be 50 year olds and they never are.

I completely agree with the general sentiment. That said, I segment my history. Ie, I only look back so far. I'm never going to beat my 19, 29, 39 year-old self.

I haven't given up on eeking out a win over my 49 year old self at the wire. Even if I have to cheat and trip him. I already gave my 51 yo self Heart-Surgery...I'm not above anything.

"We can all fool ourselves that we are getting better late in life, but it is generally because we never trained properly in our physiological prime. If not Olympians would be 50 year olds and they never are."


Training better and smarter is fooling yourself?

Dev, I agree with you 100%. I am 57. I have had PBs in my 50s because I didn't start in triathlon until I was 48 ... shoot I literally didn't learn how to swim until I was 47! So I did not train at all when I was 20-30 yrs old. If I did train properly 20-30 yrs and had results to compare with, there is no way my 57 yr old self could keep up with my 20-30 yr old self. One thing that I love about endurance sports is the age group concept. I'm not going to race against a well trained 30 yr old and beat them but I may be able to hang with some in my own age group.

Two years ago I finished 12th out of 120 in my AG at Augusta. The guy who won my age group was a college track athlete. He trained well as a 20 yr old and is blessed with amazing physiology. Could I ever beat him? No because I don't have a 7:00 pace half marathon in me. But my bike NP watts were better than the HIM I did in 2020. So I improved against myself. And I continue to try to improve my technique, my diet, my recover so I can continue to develop myself. It all makes getting older more interesting because I am blessed to still be discovering this great sport.

i agree with the Paul D sentiment - at 55 there is no way I am faster than my younger self in cycling or running (i don't swim - that's crazy talk).
there are data gaps - i don't have competitive running times until i stopped cycling in my 30s. my current running times are way below my running times in my 30s.
i didn't have power data for my cycling 20s (the 90s - yikes). i do have it from age 40 through present. my cycling power has decreased at all durations. maybe by weightlifting i held on to 1-4 minute power the longest. maybe i didn't do hard enough 1-4 minute efforts in my early 40s?
I guess I'm saying we probably all have some data gaps for our best efforts at an age.
there is no way my best effort at 55 is going to beat that effort at 40 in my case.
but (perhaps as others have alluded to) - at 55 my goal is to match (maybe better) my best effort at 53-54 - i think this is possible. i think the decline is slight enough year to year that a really good year can be better than a few years earlier.

Maybe I am taking it too easy?

I’m 10 years older and could repeat the same workout the next day and often do

I have to say, recovery is the big change I’ve noticed - a super hard bike and I’m taking 3 days to recover, whereas 20 years ago I could have repeated it 3 days on the trot. My FTP hasn’t really dropped though.

We all know this!

But it's still a legit accomplishment top beat your significantly younger self if you were doing some real training, even if it's not as refined and as much as you do in your older years.

I also think the decline varies quite a lot in people, and isnt just a linear dropoff. For example, I'm almost certain that even if I ran more in high school, I'd barely better than the mediocre 19-20ish 5k runner I was back then, even though I was doing lower mileage. I know for sure I wouldnt be runinng sub18s - I tried that at ages 30-34 where there's not much age loss, and it was impossible even with megamiles for me. But my dropoff in performance has been really small so far, at least compared to most of my peers in my 45-50 AG. It seems that I've just improved a little bit while they've gotten a lot worse

(Obviously more realistically, we're all losing ability and I'm both lucky and training harder than the MOPers than I'm beating. But I'l take it!)

Hi: I've been doing triathlon for 40 years.
I started triathlon training when I was 25, and my fastest "short course" times for all endurance events (sprint tri, Olympic tri, sprint du, 5k run, 10k run, 1/2 marathon run, 40K stand alone bike TT) all came about 6-7 years later (age 31-32). After that, I kinda hit a plateau for about 5 years and stayed "fast" but did not get faster. During this time period, I mostly did shorter races, with only a few 70.3s (no IMs) and a few marathons.
After my first 12 years (about age 37) I noticed that my stand alone run times (5k and 10k races) were slowing. Also, I did not recover as quickly from hard workouts compared to my 20s and early 30s.
So, at 38, I started doing some longer races (IM and 70.3, and long course duathlons). My short course times were now
5-10% slower than before, but my fastest "long course" times (IM, 70.3 and marathon) all came about 7-8 years later. After that, I kinda hit a plateau at long course for a few years.
In summary, I was either improving or "fast" at something (either short course or long course, but not both at the same time) for a period of about 24 years.
One of the great things about multisport is that you have 3 different sport, and multiple different distances, in which you can strive for improvement. It is pretty rare to be "at the top of your game" at all 3 sports. and at all distances, in any given year, but as you slow in one area you can compensate by getting faster in another (at least for a while).
And once you've slowed in everything you did before, you can try new things--since turning 60 I've tried draft-legal triathlons, swimruns, off-road tris, masters swim meets. etc. I'm 65 now, I'm slower than ever, but I can still find new challenges, and that is how I "cope" with Father Time.

I'm sure you are right, but it was hard for a regular age grouper then especially on the bike.

In my 20s or 30s, biking was on the roads in the summer. In the winter the turbo would have involved staring a dot on the wall. Which I found incredibly dull. So I just took the winter off from biking.

Enter Zwift, now a guy like me can do high intensity competitive bike racing indoors 7 days per week, 52 weeks per year, if they want. And it's fun.

And running shoes are now magic, those carbon plates take years off.

No doubt the tools today are better, but that still does not take away the fundamental aspect that you (I use the royal you, that includes any of us) are faster in our 40's or 50's only because we did not suck it up and train properly at your physiological peak. Mark Allen today is slower than his 8:09 time he set in 1989 and PNF is lower today than her sub 9 time in 1989. That roughly says it all. If any of us trained like they did back in 1989 (and didn't break), our times today will be slower than our times in 1989 (or pick the year from a long time ago....could be 1999 or even 2009)

I appreciate it is motivating to improve at an "older age" (I keep improving my swimming in my late 50's) but its just fake marketing that we're improving....it is only improvement because the baseline for comparison is bad, not because we are defeating age and physiology (I wish we could!!!)

This. I don't feel old. Today my cycling race entry has me aged up to 50-54 for my masters category, even though I'm 49 grrr. Due to covid and simply not getting back into it I run and ride, 16 hours per week, 6 run, 10 Bike.

While I'm not going to run sub 17 for 5 K anymore, I can get to 18:5x for 5 K, race bikes in Cat 3, do big bike enduro events fairly well and hang around the middle of most of the faster bunches.

I don't feel old, my body doesn't look old, sure face has a few more wrinkles and there is more gray than black up top. When I look at folks younger who don't do what we do I see people looking an awfule lot worse of. Now maybe I missed some of my peak years playing basketball and soccer but I don't see my times falling of a cliff. I do get issues with injury if I push to hard running, anytime go 320 or faster running my hammies are at risk.

Other issue is gradual tightening of back and hamstring muscles, so am always trying to stretch. Swimming I've never loved but can get that back fairly quickly to reasonable 1:30 per 100, with the top end being pretty much gone.

at 43 you have a good decade left..

for me the decline from 25-50 was negligible. It was mostly due to increased life stress and time demands leaving insufficient time/energy for adequate training and recovery. There was also an episode of cerebral malaria at 28 which knocked me back for several years, and didn't ever fully recover from. All my run PRs are from pre-malaria. That's when I took up tri seriously ;-)
I set my Olympic distance PR at 47, after taking some years to learn how to ride a bike.

After 50 the decline started, after 60 it's a cliff..
for me it was cascading injuries, each requiring time off to rehab, after which the rebuild never gets back the pre-injury fitness. Also, sleep quality declines, and recovery times increase. At the same time as we need more training hours to retain fitness, the recovery from that training becomes more difficult.

my coping mechanism is to practice gratitude, though it's much harder than training ever was..

times at a local 5k, from age 50 -
2010 20:31
2013 22:37
2015 23:25
2018 24:27
2019 25:50
2022 26:45

The 26:45 represents six months of focused run training, was 28 or so at races in 2021.
2009 was the last time I went under 20min, PB of 15:50 in the 80s..

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"It is a good feeling for old men who have begun to fear failure, any sort of failure, to set a schedule for exercise and stick to it. If an aging man can run a distance of three miles, for instance, he knows that whatever his other failures may be, he is not completely wasted away." Romain Gary, SI interview

Very well stated

I think the decline in performance provides an excellent window into our mortality.....it should be easier for us to deal with no being able to walk or do stairs, or get to the fridge just before we die. Not to sound pessimistic, but I see a lot of people around 20 years older than me (so late 70's) having a lot of challenges dealing with basics in life become difficult. At least we are training our brains to accept this early with different capabilities declining. I just came back from a 25km xc ski....averaging sub 4 min per km, and on the surface if someone sees me whizzing by it looks fairly effortless. Then I stop to take my skis and boots off and have to bend over and have to be careful that I don't blow out back and end up in bed for the next 5 days. It's a window into tying shoelaces at 77 instead of doing this now at 57.

Age gradings can make it all ok.

Eg for running, I was hitting 65-70% in my 30s but now on a good day might hit 80 or 81% aged 49.

Time hasn't changed all that much, about 15 seconds faster over 5km.

Not sure why this should be. It wasn't for lack of trying. Think maybe I'm just a slow developer. Unlike the guy above who ran 15 minutes in the 1980s- that's pure class and talent.

I posted already some of my data in post #18, but when I saw your table, I have such a table too. In our running club we have a half-yearly 7 km run. (strange distance, but it is indeed 7 km). My times are:

year ------ age ------ pace (minutes/km)

1998 ------ 37 ------ 4:13
1999 ------ 38 ------ 4:16
2000 ------ 39 ------ 3:54
2001 ------ 39 ------ 4:02
2001 ------ 40 ------ 4:04
2002 ------ 40 ------ 3:58
2002 ------ 41 ------ 4:00
2003 ------ 41 ------ 3:53
2003 ------ 42 ------ 3:54
2004 ------ 42 ------ 4:04
2004 ------ 43 ------ 3:58
2005 ------ 44 ------ 3:58
2006 ------ 45 ------ 4:06
2007 ------ 45 ------ 4:02 ------ *
2007 ------ 46 ------ 3:59
2008 ------ 46 ------ 4:07
2008 ------ 47 ------ 4:11
2009 ------ 47 ------ 4:04
2009 ------ 48 ------ 4:10
2010 ------ 48 ------ 3:57
2010 ------ 49 ------ 3:58
2011 ------ 50 ------ 3:57
2012 ------ 50 ------ 3:56
2013 ------ 51 ------ 4:01
2013 ------ 52 ------ 4:04
2014 ------ 52 ------ 4:01
2014 ------ 53 ------ 4:09
2015 ------ 53 ------ 4:05
2016 ------ 54 ------ 4:02
2016 ------ 55 ------ 4:08
2017 ------ 55 ------ 4:13
2019 ------ 57 ------ 4:01 ------ **
2019 ------ 58 ------ 4:00
2022 ------ 61 ------ 4:12

* started with triathlon: went from 90 kg to 84 kg
** introduction of the 4% and next% shoes

Love that! So you have not really slowed down in your 40s or 50s. What do you attribute this to?

I have 5km race data from 2014. This is the best race from each year. Looks like I took 2016 off. Different courses so not directly comparable

dist year age time

5K 2014 41 18:23
5K 2015 42 19:57
5K 2017 44 18:16
5K 2018 45 18:16
5K 2019 46 19:08
5K 2020 47 18:16
5K 2021 48 19:18
5K 2022 49 17:59

Wow! What did you do between 2021 and 2022...or what didn't you do from 2020 to 2021?

travelled to a flat race!

That is very impressive. Congratulations. My slide is more profound and maybe more common. I never kept those kinds of records, but I do recall for 5k:

• 30's - 17.49 (PR) also, 36.30 10K
• at 50 - 19.59
• last year (62) 23.20

I am grateful that I can keep going, AND that I continue to enjoy it.

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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.

Age grading also helps me feel better about getting slower. In fact, I haven't moved to "super shoes" and continue to race in the same lightweight racing flats I've been using for years because I want to accurately compare my current times to past times. :)

Great thread and some fantastic data you guys have kept !
I'm 56 and have seen a noticeable decline over the past 2 years in speed as well as endurance.

Due to time commitments, I basically run and do strength training these days, although I hope to return to at least 70.3s in the near future.
I run approximately 50-60km weekly over 5-6 runs per week, with a "long run" of about 14km only and some speedwork thrown into a 10km run once a week. I also do a tempo run weekly, which is usually 2-3 x 15mins at +-5.00/km.

I attribute my decline in performance to my unstructured although frequent training.

I used to run a 1/2 15 years ago in the high 1.30s and low 1.40's (in South East Asia, so factor in the high humidity and heat) and now finish in the low 1.50s.
Between 2003 and 2011 I used to average about 85-90km weekly, occasionally breaking 100km, in addition to 8-12 hours cycling and 43-5 swimming.

I like to think if I get more serious and use a structured approach, I should be able to squeak under 1h45.
This would include the same 5-6 runs, but a much longer run leading up to 25km weekly, as well as a more structured approach to speedwork and attached physio which I currently neglect.

Cheers, Terry

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"You are never too old to set another goal or to dream a new dream" - Les Brown
"Discipline is the bridge between goals and accomplishment" - Jim Rohn

This is a great thread, I'll chime in:

I'm 52. Lifelong endurance athlete. Decent in HS. Competitive bike racer in college. Tri since 2004. But never a heavy race schedule - 6 IMs from then to now, a smattering of HIMS and 8-10 standalone marathons over last 25 years. Have had some epic experiences - Boston a few times, Norseman, Kona. But sport always has taken a back seat to family and work... and I have often taken a year off of racing between IMs, etc.

At 47, felt I was sliding downhill (weight gain, wasn't training or racing) and figured - now or never to get back into it. Marked age 50 as last IM and started slowly getting back in shape. Then of course pandemic hit... and what was going to be "one more" turned into four years of training, culminating in finally getting a shot at Kona course - raced as cautiously as I could and finished in 11hrs flat (on Thursday race this year).

What's funny... I'm more focused than ever now. Hovering around 173 lbs... running 60-70 mpw currently as racing Boston for third time this April. "Blew up" for a 3:14 last year - I was 1:31 at half.... expect to be smarter this year and believe a 3:05 ish is definitely there to be had.

And racing IM Wisconsin this fall for the third time (2007- 10:19, 2009, 10:31).... honestly, if I train smart and more importantly race smart... a PR could be there for the taking.

Of course - many faster than these times... but I'm quite pleased to be chugging along at 52 to similar what I did at 37. Going to keep going until I can't... and if I'm an outlier that can just keep going... then great with me!

A little anecdote...

2021 was one of my best years for results
2022 was certainly the worst

Why?

Sudden aging?
Over-training?
Lingering effects of concussion?
Adaptations to heat worse with age?
All or any combination of the above?

2023 is also shaping up badly!

Why I running soo slow?

Well... The 6 lbs I put on over the off-season??
That could explain it.

With age...

On our best days we can still win some pretty significant battles.

But the enemies seem to be increasing and conspiring together.

Thank you for speaking up! Same same here. There's been so much more research for endurance training for women in peri- and menopause that's been helpful, especially working with Dr. Stacy Sims' new book. Also coaches and nutritionists are up on the latest research if you look around for them.

I seem to have fallen off a cliff last February in terms of training ability. Recovery is the most difficult aspect. And learning not to push if I have a terrible workout. Typically, I would work harder the next day thinking that I had mentally fluffed it. But, turns out that my body is going anemic and just getting worse if I don't take care with nutrition, rest days, and so much mobility work. Also, doing 15mins of good mobility work before any run has been so key (and sometimes really difficult to remember).

All of the articles about Dede Griegsbauer's (sp?) phenomenal win at Ultraman Hawaii that being with "age is just a number" has no idea how much she does behind the scenes to keep her body going at 53. I find it somewhat annoying that there's no one who has asked her how she's doing with menopause and how she's dealt with the shift at 53 yo. (Male interviewers *still* are squeamish about discussions that pertain to women specifically unless it's about motherhood.)

I'm a little shocked that there are so few women on ST responding to this query. Is this an indicator of the severe lack of women who participate here? (Yes, I've checked the "female" space...it's not very active...)

Thanks for your post! Much appreciated and I hear you loud and clear. I think Dede is amazing. And I'm sure she has to do a lot of self-care and other work to keep her body moving so well in her 50s. I did hear somewhere that she gets annoyed when people say age is just a number as she has to work so hard in order to keep excelling in her sport.

Menopause seems to be a taboo subject and even some women get uncomfortable when I ask them about it. That needs to change. It's a natural part of life for half the population. It shouldn't be brushed under the rug. I mention it all the time here on ST which is dominated by men. I'm sure some men cringe when they read some of my posts :-)

There are women on ST but many probably just read the posts and avoid participating as ST used to be a rough and some members were a bit impolite (to put it mildly). I've seen the forums improve over the years. Much more civil nowadays even in the LR. A great resource for older ladies is a Facebrook group called "Hit Play not Pause". It's a fantastic private and very supportive group dealing with all things peri and menopause and post-menopause. Many triathletes and many other athletic women doing other sports are in the group (over 20K members). I highly recommend it. I've learned a lot in that group.

For me I am learning to adjust my expectations, more mobility work, more recovery time, less intensity with running, more swimming since it's easy on the body. I take a lot of natural (legal) supplements such as medical grade turmeric. I foam roll and use the Stick every night. More stretching and keeping up with strength work. It would be much easier if I didn't have a full-time job, but I just try to do the best I can trying to get everything done.

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Death is easy....peaceful. Life is harder.

Outstanding. Keep it up.

Running my first 70.3 this summer. I turn 64 in two days.

Oh yes, absolutely. I've read the forums for years now but only signed up to respond recently. Page after page of screeds and silly arguments. With a full time job+ (one where I take care of other people already) and training, there's no time to get in a word battle.

Thanks for the rec on FB page. I listen to their podcast as well. My (female) coach is at the Endurance Summit in Austin this week and soaking in all of the info that they are delivering as well. There seemed to be lots of male coaches in the audience when Feisty was on stage talking about menopause. Hoping that they take it in because women at this stage need adjustments, but we're definitely not done!

I had a journal paper published not to long ago of a case study of a male masters time triallist based over four decades of his results. Bear in mind to do this, we didn’t have power data four decades ago so had to use other means to measure his decline. It’s free to access.

Here: https://eprints.bournemouth.ac.uk/...0paper%2025-9-20.pdf

Plus a blog entry illustrating my own cycling time trial performance over 20 years: https://www.precisionhydration.com/...performance-decline/

The first article is a bit difficult to read without the figures (which are not seen in my browser).
From the figure in the second article I learn that youń rather became faster then slower over time?

Yep the two take home messages from these two articles is:

- The real cliff edge for a masters cyclist performance over 40 year was shown to be ~70 years of age (but held a plateau of good performance until close to 60).
- I have continued to get faster from age 27 to my current age of nearly 48 (I do not have power data for this whole period and much of my improvements in the last 5 years were aerodynamically led alone until last year which was a combination of both more power (~10w) and lower drag.

Obvious...you've reached your peak at 50....not the case for many people. Some guys just find the time to train right afer 50, the kids outta home, and career done.

I'm 53 and still improving. Started triathlon in 1987 and raced until 2001. Stopped triathlon due to two injuries that prevented me from swimming and that's a problem in tri. Switched to cycling full time once I recovered and have raced at a high level consistently when training.

The biggest thing I have found is recovery is slower, injuries more frequent and slower to heal BUT if you allow yourself appropriate time you can still vie for wins. 2022 was my most successful year setting 3 national TT records, one world TT record and two Master world championships...

This is not because I have figured out how to train as another poster suggested. I've won nationals 4x and held WR's an additional 2x previously over a 20 year period.

Stay consistent, train appropriately and continue to kick a$$.

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To go faster than ever before, visit: https://squareup.com/...mic-high-performance

My story goes back to late 90’s when I started in triathlon. I was in my mid 20’s. Before that I swam in school and later on, in college, I was involved in Adventure’s Raids, but not at any high level. Competed in short course distance until 2000, when I did my first IM. Kept improving for six years: 2 Kona’s and 2 ITU Elite LC Championships. Never any serious issues with injuries, and lots of ibuprofens. Resting and recovering was not “a thing”.
Left the sport for 8 years and came back mid 40’s. Not overweight, active in other fun ocean sports, and just maybe a run here and there. Since my came back, I have had a wide array of injuries, maybe a couple of them a year for 4 years. Mostly muscle strains and stress fractures. So I started a new approach, training all year around. So no off-season. Always 2 or 3 days of lifting per week. Targeting lower leg with specific exercises. Sleep as much as I can, even (when I can) napping twice a day. Eat a lot and healthy. Regular massages. Now 48, I am still competitive in IM, with sub9h times in fast events. But not faster anymore as what “fast” means for fast people/athletes in my age group doing 1 single sport (swimmers/cyclists/runners).
So a slight decline in speed, a significative increased need to recover and sleep. Not trying to break records on daily basis, and maybe aiming to a 85% performance in top workouts, but 100% constancy in the year around.
Let’s see what the 50’s bring!

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STRAVA INSTAGRAM

This is either a typo or you are in a very unique position compared to most here.

A few weeks of the year I am in a very unique position compared to most of the year. I am sorry (for you).

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STRAVA INSTAGRAM

Report back when you're 58. You haven't hit the age where the decline is considered to be significant, yet.