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.