50+ folks, how much have you had to factor in rest/reduced volume or intensity

Triathlon Forum
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Just curious how other over 50 athletes are coping with the inevitable decline, in your rest needs, monitoring fatigue, injury potential etc… Especially those who have been consistently at this for multiple decades. Those who are coming in to the training racing regimen later in life or after an extended lay off of many years I really don’t think factor in to this population. It’s your “racing age” that is key, at least 20 years for this query. I’m talking about LONG term wear and tear on the body and mind.

I find my legs are pretty much ALWAYS in some sort of fatigue even after rest days or enforced layoffs. Also, recovery is considerably longer from anything long or intense. Backing off to the point of questioning whether it really even qualifies as a training program is the issue.

I draw the line at 50+ because this is when it really began to hit me hard. There’s a psycholgical component here too I think.

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I started doing tris again when I was 49, in part because one of my daughters wanted to do them with me but also because of the prevalence of the sprint tris, which allowed me to be competitive in my age group without as much training as I used to do when I did olys. My point is that, since I seldom run more than 6 miles, bike more than 20 or swim more than 1,000 yards in my workouts, I find myself with a good energy level just about every day. If you are a long distance junkie, however, this will not work for you.

3

I’m wondering the same thing myself this morning as I wake up knowing I should go run but nothing’s there. I’ve got Nationals in 2 weeks & wondering what I can do & then 2 HIM in July & IMC in August.

I’m 54 & really haven’t experienced significant recovery issues until this yr. I am coming off a March 1 ruptured quad that had me unable to do anything until the end of April on top of a 5 month way low training to heal up from other injuries. Feel like I’m starting over. I was planning on some top age group finishes as inthe past but have NO speed what so ever & not sure how or if I can get it back this year. My half marathon times are now just over 2 hr which is ~ min/mile slow. My endurance is coming around but I am kinda lost since the usual training & racing/adventuresendeavors of the past are taxing. Rest is 4 letter word. Is it speed & rest or endurance & rest?

Had my slowest swim ever at the Hagg lake 2.4 swim by 12-15’. That was an eye opener. I had planned to take is easier knowing my legs were still tired from doing the Mt Hood loop (~158 miles ) on Friday working on form but not that bad. My quad which hasn’t bothered me was really tight in the water & my hams/calfs close to cramping so I mostly pulled it. I did bike 60 miles to & from Hagg Lake. But last yr biked the full distance from (81) & did the swim without thinking about it or recovering. So guess I’ve really lost a lot.

Barb

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There is no doubt a psychological component if you suspect it, but there are also physiologic reasons why a 45 yr old recovers fastert than a 55 yr old!!

What are you doing nutritionally? What dietary supplements are you using? Have you recently reviewed Dave Scott’s recommendations for daily supplements in the athlete over 50?

5

I don’t know if I’m “qualified” to respond to your post or not. I’m 51 and I’m a cyclist rather than a triathlete. I do time trials and tri relays. I also do every century I can find and I ride them at the front with the racer folks. After a mid-life of being a workaholic, alcoholic and 2 1/2 pack-per-day smoker, I got into cycling about 15 years ago now and have ridden 10,000 or more miles per year ever since.

As of now, I’m training more and racing more and winning more than I’ve ever done in my life. I’m still posting personal best times I’m amazed at how hard I can still push myself. But the important thing I’ve learned is that every little detail needs to be addressed … training, rest/recovery, nutrition/supplementation. I’m not strictly regimented to the extreme. I’m just careful not to eat crap, not to over-train, not to over-stress, not to under-sleep.

I strongly believe that, as we age, we MUST spend time in the gym to help maintain muscle mass. I neglected this for a few years in my late 40s. When I returned to it last year, the response in all aspects of my life was amazing and the improvement in speed on the bike was dramatic. I don’t do huge, grunting exercises. I do a sensible, well-rounded program.

I also believe that cross-training is critical for weight control. I don’t see that as much of an issue for a triathlete, though. I can’t run (major injuries from getting hit by a car), but I walk daily. I could ride my bike 1,000 a week and not lose a pound, but mixing in the walking really works to help knock off the weight.

If I’m really feeling trashed, I take a day off. Period. That works WAY better than trying to push through it and getting into a state of chronic fatigue.

Finally, I think you’re right to disqualify folks who just returned to sport later in life. I might not qualify as a legitimate answerer to your question on that basis. Though I’ve been back at it for 15 years, I’ve had a couple of years where serious injuries took me out completely. It’s amazing how fresh you can be when you come back from a year out like that. It can be quite rejuvenating. I think folks who have been grinding it out consistently without let-up for decades tend to have many more problems on average. I have a good friend who’s 55. He competed in triathlons pretty much all his life, then injuries really started to pile up on him at age 51. He came up with a plan to really ease off for a couple of years and then come roaring back when he got to the 55-59 age group. It’s worked like a charm for him. He’s winning his age group at every race he attends with absolutely smokin’ performances.

Good luck. Sorry for the long-winded reply.
.

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Psycholist, your response is not long winded in the least, rather helpful actually. What specifically are you doing on your weight routine? I agree whole heartedly that the older athlets have to weight train. I am trying to get better at prioritzing this. It often means excluding a swim, bike or run, but it’s worth it.

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yes

how many times a week and what works for you

Thom.

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Bob, your improvements are very encouraging to me. I am 3 years into a tri comeback after 20 years off. This year (I’m 49) I feel like my improvements are beginning to plateau and was wondering if it was age related or just a training issue. Maybe I have too many toxins and need some herbs.

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In my previous post, I said I came back to tris when I was 49 (after retiring when I was 42) but I have been racing pretty much continuously since 1977, mostly 10ks and, since I hit 50, more 5ks. I have had 2-3 years off with various running injuries.

I am training more now at age 57 than I have ever trained before ( I seldom ran more than 25-30 miles a week even when I was still able to do 35 10Ks and 16 5ks). The good news is I set a PR on my personal 16-mile bike course on Saturday (23.6 mph) and a PR for 500-meters in my local pool also on Saturday. The bad news is I won’t be setting any more running PRs in this lifetime.

As I mentioned in my previous post, I am seldom fatigued from training but I think that is because I train short and intense (well not that intense when swimming, more of a fast float). I don’t take any vitamins or supplements and my diet reminds me of the scene from “Back to the Future” when Doc was fueling his Delorean with garbage. I can’t imagine training for a half or an IM without being totally pooped all the time. I will probably not be doing any more Olys either. Good thing I have never contracted the long distance virus.

My point is that one can still be competitive past 50 without running oneself down if you stick with the shorter stuff. I have no advice if you still want to do the long stuff other than you better stock up on Geritol.

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At 57, this is my 15th tri season, and I swam and cycled for 10 years before that. I do require more rest on average than when I was in my 40s, but it’s not predictable. I can have seven-day weeks that hurt me not at all, and I can have four-day weeks that require a three-day recovery. It doesn’t seem to map particularly well to either volume or intensity, although too much of either can certainly throw me over edge. Mostly, I’ve just got to pay attention to what my body’s saying.

Overall, I’m running faster now than I ever have–but that’s not saying much. I’ve noticed some deterioration in my bike speed, which certainly could be reversed with more attention, but then I’d be running less. Mainly, I have to work harder at bike speed than I did 15-20 years ago. My capacity for building endurance seems little affected and may actually be continuing to grow.

I’m loath to say never, but I doubt I’ll do another full (I’ve done only one, at 50). I’ve become convinced–Joe Bonness aside–that at least for me it’s not a healthful distance. A couple of halfs per year are fine; I can train happily for them and recover well. Going longer seems to be a grinding process for me.

I don’t think I’ve experienced much psychologically, because I was never athletic as a young person. For me, I’ve mainly become more and more fit with the years. The benefits of saving one’s knees for old age.

Dave

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I’ll be 57 in a few months, and all I can say is that I can train longer now than ever before, primarily because I have more time, but I can’t handle the levels of intensity combined with big training loads that used to be common for me. So I do more LSD and less interval/tempo work. I competed (swimming and cross country) in HS and college, then took a few years off before getting back into running. Then took about 15 years off (stayed fit but probably less than 5 hours a week) and then went crazy for a few years logging big miles/hours (lived alone) and now I’m searching for the happy medium because I’m no longer living alone.
I find that I’m still able to do some big blocks of training and big races, but just need to spend a little more time recovering than I needed “back in the day…”

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I do require more rest on average than when I was in my 40s, but it’s not predictable

Dave
I turned 55 last month. I agree with your statement. I started with running in Nov 2001 and did my frist marathon in June 02, at 50. Never ran before that. Then started doing tri’s in 04. Up to now I’ve only done oly/sprint distance races. My wife is doing a 70.3 this summer so I have been training with her. The bump up in training catches up with me sometimes. As for Joe B he is in a class all by himself.

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Interesting thread. I’m 56 this summer, starting my 7th season and did my first tri in celebration of my 50th birthday. I had always been “recreational fit”, mostly with x-country skiing and swimming throughout my adult life but hadn’t been involved in competition since high school.

What I’ve noticed is that many of the older guys that have been into race activities for many years always seem to be more injury prone, particularly with running injuries. I’ve been more or less injury free for the most part and have noticed other older guys that started late seem to be the same, probably because we’re now wise enough not to overdo it or try to work through injuries. I think most of the injuries that the guys who started earlier have tend to be older re-occuring chronic injuries that they originally got in their 20’s or 30’s.

I hear some of the older guys lamenting about how they’re slowing down but the nice thing about starting late is that my times have been faster each year. However, I may have peeked last year and can now joint the club.