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!

---

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.