Congrats to CPT Chaos with a 2:59.36 at age 50 at Boston!!!! I don't know what his PR is at the marathon, but that is solid day all around. We'll take that as a win for this thread!

Wasn't the first Whistler ironman in 2012 or 13?
I did that race it's second year. That course was epic, and very challenging.

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Long Chile was a silly place.

I've only done two and I think with better execution I could probably PR after 50. Did one at 48 and went a little over 11 hours with a disaster of a marathon. Second one at 49 went better a little over 10 hours with roughly half of a disaster on the marathon. If I could figure out hydration/nutrition and not imploding on the marathon, for sure a PR.

Otherwise in my Oly/Sprint stuff since nearing or turning 50, I'm noticeable slower, especially my running. I'd been able to quite easily run 20 minute 5Ks or 40 minute 10Ks and even some random 5Ks in the upper 18's. Now I'm really having to press hard to go sub 22 for a 5K.

I don't have any answers for what to do. I'm also trying to figure out if I need to just come to terms with 'it' or is there some way to get back on track.

My response goes somewhat beyond your original question, but I hope it offers you hope. I'm just short of my 51st birthday and on an unexpected streak of eight straight running races / triathlons with a PR, including a full distance (10:32). But my first full was at age 49, so that's no great accomplishment. The other races include a 70.3 (4:36) and running races at multiple distances (5k, 8k, 10k, 10-mile). My running PRs go from a six-flat to low 6:20s/ mile, depending on the distance. Some of the running PRs I broke over the last year were from my 30s.

I was a runner through from my late 20s to my early 40s, and switched to triathlons about 10 years ago. I continue to get faster as a triathlete because my swimming is getting better via a focus on technique and because my starting point was very slow. My training volume is a little higher each year. Last year it was 11.5 hours per week. 2018 was the first year I got serious about triathlons and it was just under 7 hours per week, which seemed like a lot at the time.

I am a faster runner as a triathlete than I was a pure runner. I was very injury prone as a runner and got hurt before a number of A races. Because of my tendency toward injury, I capped my training, especially in terms of weekly mileage. As a triathlete, I can train to my full potential in terms of volume and intensity. The super shoes help a lot too. Because of my tendency toward injury, I used to run in very heavy shoes that provided a lot of stability. The contrast between those old clunkers and today's super shoes is notable.

I don't think there are any secrets to staying fast as you age. Volume and consistency remain the key. I do more of my VO2 max stuff on the bike and in the pool than on the track to avoid impact injuries. I limit the length of my long run to 2.5 hours, and don't even go that long very often. The fast-finish long run is a thing of the past for me, and I'll peak around 45 miles per week in IM training. I've added strength training, which I try to do 2-3 times per week. And I sleep a lot. Not having to wake up because of young children is a huge advantage versus a decade or so ago.

Kudos on the PBs!

I see you've added strength and conditioning 2-3 times per week to your S/B/R and have found that helpful. I agree that it is definitely useful, but lately I have been struggling to find times in the week when I can lift without compromising either recovery (by lifting on an "easy" day) or the quality of my S/B/R workout (by lifting on a hard S/B/R day). I think lifting after a hard S/B/R workout seems like too much of an injury risk. My solution at the moment has been to split my strength training into multiple small chunks (like 5-10 minute chunks) and sprinkle them throughout the week.

How do you plan the strength training into your week?
Do you do dedicated strength "workouts" that are scheduled in the same way as S/B/R?
How long do your 2-3 sessions last?
Do you lift before/after S/B/R sessions?
Do you lift on "hard" days or "easy" days?

I recently listened to a Scientific Triathlon podcast w/ Melanie McQuaid, who is a professional triathlete that qualified for Kona past age 50. The episode had some discussion on training for masters athletes but wasn't a deep dive into that topic. She's been on some other podcasts that I think I will go back and listen to that perhaps cover the topic further. She said in the episode that she's continued to find avenues to improve despite having been in the sport for a long time and at a high level and at a high-ish age. Thought people on this thread might be interested to listen.

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Dimond Bikes Superfan

Thank you.

I generally lift weights after a ride or run. Strength training is definitely not my thing, so I keep it simple. I will do either a 25-minute upper body workout or a 15-minute core workout. To get myself to do it, I will shave 15 minutes off either the run or ride. I tell myself that the benefits of strength training are greater than those 2 miles I would have run. I should probably do more tri-specific routines, especially something that is swim-specific. But I don't. I usually just do a general workout from the Orange Theory app. I'm sure it is not ideal but I'm very much of the mentality that "something is better than nothing". It's hard enough to get the SBR in and I don't want to overcomplicate or overburden myself. If I do, I know I'll just skip it.

So my unscientific response to the OP is - Yes.
Nothing drastic but I was 30 minutes quicker on Saturday than 5 years ago on the same course.
PBs in each of swim, bike, run - just slightly better in each discipline - keeping old father time at bay - just.
Conditions sucked with strong wind on the bike, and high heat / humidity for the run.

IMLP 7x 1st in 2013 11:49. Last year at the age of 50 I went 10:30 and ran 3:37. My fastest IM run split of the 12 I've completed. Not my fastest IM time but my best on that course and best run split all time at the age of 50. The keys for me the last few years have been weekly runs on the treadmill, track and only 1 or 2 runs on asphalt. It took me a long time to trust all of the experienced athletes on this form who said, " you don't need to run hard." I still do a few tempo and intervals sessions but nothing compared to the way I used to bury myself.