It seems that I was running okay in the early part of the year - January, February, March. I did okay in a half marathon in February.
There was a strikingly poor result in a trail race in April, another bad result in triathlon in August, and I just set a massive PW (personal worst) in September in a half IM.
My run was approximately 1 minute/mile slower than the February half marathon would predict. (I went 1:42 vs 1:32).
Details:
I am a 52 years old triathlete. I train hard (20 hrs/wk on hard weeks).
I have not been getting good training data. High temps in Tucson. High elevation in my summer in NM.
Cycling and swimming performance seems off a little. But not massively off, like running.
What’s wrong?
How do I even find out?
Theories:
Overtraining - I am not seeing high morning HR or weight loss.
Anemia - I tested twice in April and again in may. I had mild anemia. Low, but normal Iron. Low protein. I am confused about “athletes anemia” neither my Doctor nor my nurse practitioner were helpful. I bought a hemocrit meter. But it doesn’t work.
Recent running form degeneration.
Recent change in my bodies ability to access or store calories.
Stale training regime with insufficient fast running because of heat and altitude. (There has been sufficient effort and volume).
Bad pacing- HR was normal to low.
I think I am going to hire a coach.
But I am not sure they are going to be able to solve the health mystery?
It’s not possible to stay in top fitness year round. I would look at what you were doing training wise in January/february and see if you were training different at that time. Also look at December where many people take a break from consistent training through Christmas time, if thats the case maybe its rest that was good.
If you are trying to hit certain paces every day in the heat it’s a recipe for disaster. You’re better off watching your hr and not worrying about pace on every run. If you have concerns about losing speed do some runs in a controlled environment on a treadmill.
Typically when the summer heat hits your body’s plasma volume increases and your RBC production declines. EDIT: RBC production doesn’t decline, it’s still going on. RBC drops as a % reducing your hematocrit.
I was always anemic when I’d see my doc late May/early Jun. As RBC production ramped up to counter it the numbers would come into alignment.
Since I know you and have talked with you multiple times I think you would need to let go of a lot of perceptions of what/how your training should look like in order to maximize the benefits you saw with a coach and to keep both of you from becoming frustrated.
It could be overtraining, it could also be other factors such as stress in your life, pressure you place upon yourself that you don’t when you don’t hit a certain target. For cycling as an example if you plan to hit a certain speed and are riding into a headwind or up a mountain it may not be achievable every day.
Keep in mind that it needs to be fun. Try mixing up the training, or share some knowledge with some new peeps to the sport, or get out for some easy training with a group. There are lots of different ways to train.
I have never heard of athletic anemia. You iron is normal. I presume they checked b12 and folate? If you RBCs are on the small size (Mcv below 80 ) you could have what we call anemia of chronic disease ie in conjunction with some other problem. Sometimes from post viral state. I think running is the most cardio of the three triathlon things so would likely be first thing to go. I’d say a minute per mile is a pretty massive decline
Spudone- I don’t feel feverish. Or particularly weak. My running is NOT equally bad at every speed and distance. I think it is mostly that my threshold pace has recently lost 30 seconds - 1:00 mile. Especially when I am tired.
I don’t feel like I am properly recovering. And I haven’t felt improvements from week to week based on training.
Spockman:
I did get blood work in April and again in May after the first startling bad performance:
Normal T levels
Low protein
Normal Iron
Mild Anemia 13.3/38.9
Normal mean corp volume, normal corp hemoglobin.
Normal vitamin levels.
Athletic (false) anemia is a condition that occurs in athletes. Blood plasma volume expands due to heat, or other athletic adaptation, or stress. If blood volume increases, and red blood cell numbers remains constant - then therefore hemocrit values will go down (as hemocrit numbers are cell number per sample size, not total number of cells).
A number of training buddies were told that they had “anemia.” It was subsequently decided that it was in fact this false anemia.
This might be an especially notable problem in a hot dry environment.
Here lies the biggest problem.
There is something wrong with me.
But most doctors, or people in general, don’t recognize “losing 1 minute/mile” as a symptom.
“It’s still faster than most middle age people.”
There are some unique physical issues associated with 50 year olds that train as much as 20 hrs/wk.
But that’s not a medical specialty.
I don’t even know how to find a doctor that might be able to explain what might be going on.
Comments and previous ideas restated:
Sleep - was good leading up to bad performances. But it’s not always good. My partner is not sleeping well. She can be very disruptive at night. It seems like my sleep is poor during recovery periods.
I have been taking Gabapentin 600 mg as sleep medicine for about 6 years. Perhaps, this causes some problem that I am unaware of- that has become pronounced.
Instability of heat and elevation- I have haphazardly been spending time in NM at 6000+ ft and in Tucson.
This back and forth between different (and sometimes radical environments) might be causing overtraining rather than adaptation to either stimula.
Summary:
I am working on getting a coach. It is undoubtedly true that my current homemade training regime is not working anymore.
I am worried, however, that unless I better understand the physiological problem- “better training” will do nothing to stop the slide.
My training formula has been stagnant.
1 tempo run per week 98% effort (before problem typical at 6:20 pace), 1 long run, several easy runs 6-8 miles.
I intend to do sprints. But often don’t. Intend to replace tempo with intervals for a season but don’t.
Same problem with cycling. Lots of commuting and travel.
So yeah…
You and Desertdude are right about this. But maybe not to the degree, or in the way you think.
Also no weights.
I was doing rock climbing. I think that’s good strength and mobility training.
But I am a wreckless person. The sport feels unwise for me.
My observation with weights is that many athletes that start doing weights- ultimately become fat, weak and inactive.
I know that’s sociology not physiology!!
Weights might be helpful as a supplement FOR activities.(Many lift weights AS a substitute for activity or as an excuse for inactivity).
I was a college swimmer in the early 90s. Weight training was really dumb back then.
It can still be really dumb.
Hopefully, a coach will help me find something appropriate.
the problem when people like you in general think of weight training is to be a bulky body builder. No, and if anything you can look at top runners who do weight training like femke bol (look at the circuit training AND the weight training she does) lots of asymetrical run movement focused work
It’s just that strength training always seemed a low priority.
Fun was a higher priority!
I have tried to organically integrate strength, explosivity, range of motion, etc. into my training through:
trail running, rock climbing, yoga, sprints, other swim strokes, plyometric stuff.
But I have been disorganized and inconsistent.
I suppose that’s actually normal.
Maybe weights are easier to be consistent with.
Especially, if I combine weights with swimming.
No one here can tell you if you’re having some medical problem. To be honest it just sounds like you are overtrained and also probably underestimating the impact of summer heat and elevation on your run paces. Being overtrained doesn’t mean you aren’t doing similar work to what has worked well for you prior, you just may not be able to absorb that work right now due to age, sleep, stressors, etc.
Not sure what races/goals you have remaining for this year, but if I were in a comparable situation I’d think about an offseason or unstructured training block at reduced load to try to reset.
I can see why this bothers you. While a 1:42 is very solid, a ten-minute loss would upset me too.
It looks like overtraining to me. You said you did a decent half in February. I’ll assume that means you were training in December and January, possibly November too. So you’ve been training for at least 10 months, often at a very high volume and much of it in high temperatures. I think your body is just telling you it needs a break.
You don’t talk too much about the rhythm of your training seasons, but I’d make sure to schedule an off-season where you surrender some fitness. During the season, be vigilant about including cutback weeks. I also think it can be helpful to take a mini-break mid season. For instance, I often train hard for an A race in June, after which I go light for a month before gearing up for a second A race in the fall.
I disagree. I’m 50 and if I slowed down ~1min/mi in the span of a few months I’d be losing my shit. I didn’t start until my late 30’s but I’m running faster than ever and I’m quite fast for my age. It’s odd that your running has been affected much more than swimming or biking. I’d lean more to the theory you just aren’t recovering well enough either due to the elevation, lack of sleep, or poor nutrition. Even if your training has gotten stale you shouldn’t be dropping off a cliff like this.
I missed the “span of a few months” part, sorry everyone
I’ve gotten too used to the “I’m not as fast as I used to be” threads which come up a lot, wherein people ask my they can’t perform as well as 10, 20 or so years ago
