I turn 40 in Feb. This past year I had to stop running for 6 mos due to a torn patella tendon. All better now but I have bad ACL’ s in both knees as well. I want to limit my mileage to around 30-40mpw. I can do a 5k in 20:40 and a 10k in 44min. I want to get sub 20 and sub 42. Will this mileage suffice. How much tempo type runs if I am only running 5 days pw? I also have some power cranks that I have not ridden much lately but will be on them on the trainer 3-4 days per week for 45-1hr starting in December. Any advise is greatly appreciated. I know the PC’s help as I rode them alot last year and had some good runs on VERY low mileage. I just don’t have enough of a running background to know what type of improvement can be reasonably expected. The PC riding will probably be all the biking I have time for other than the occasional outside ride. Will be swimming 2-3 times pw.
Certainly need a little more info, but I would certainly think you could go sub 20, even close 19 with 40 mpw and biking with Power Cranks at age 40. There are a lot of “genetics” when you start getting down to 5K speed (not as much with longer races IMO). 5 runs/week is great. 1 long. 3 easy/moderate 1 tempo per week. Some 400 or 800 repeats on a track are great for leg speed as well. I like a 1 mile warmup easy on a track, run 400 just over race pace, then 400 easy, then 400 race, 400 easy, etc. do this 4 times (2 more miles), then a 1 mile cool down. Great 4 mile workout that should only take about 30 mins. Use a watch with a lap split. Keep track of your times. What you notice after a few of these (move on to 800 repeats, then mile repeats eventually) is that you fast laps will be pretty consistent and slowly get faster, but your recovery laps will start to get faster as you get used to speed. Eventually, your overal pace for the race with come down a lot.
Good luck!
Agree with rroof. Need a little more info about your mechanics and past to tell for sure.
Getting the time down on 40mpw is a great goal. Good challenge and yet very realistic. I used a similar training program that he described (went about 50-60mpw) for the first time I broke 18 mins and got down to 17:10. Keep it simple stupid! Long run, a couple aerobic base runs, and a tempo/track day.
For the track I did almost jsut like rroof perscribed only my “float” was 200, not 400. I ramped it up to a total of three miles on the track 400 effort/200 float. at first I was too eagar and saw my 400times get slower durring the workout but I was able to mamage the efforts better after a few weeks and just like he said, the 400 times got faster and were very consistant and the float got faster as well.
Other factors- I got the www.TPmassageball.com kit and worked it a TON! that, stuff is fantastic!!! I STRONGLY advise any athlete to get and use these things, espically if you’ve had bad injuries on the past.
Also, you need to find the proper shoes for you. What shoes do you or have you trained in?
Agree with the other 2: One question is: How big are you? It really does make a difference. Also: How much were you running when you ran a 44? … For most athletic 40-yr-olds a few months of 30 mile weeks plus cross training (ie- tri. training) should get them close to a 42-min. 10K. Five days a week is perfect: With a long run (1+ hour / 8+ miles) and 4 shorter runs, almost all easy (9-min. pace for you) as you build up: Strides will prep your muscles to run faster … Hills always help: Lots of people log brutal miles in the mountains, then do great on flat courses … Tempo should be 15-40 min. at a pace a bit slower than 10K pace (You know that) … Just make it a 4-8 month project and you will get there: Good luck!
Thanks for the reply. I am 5’9" 160 but get down to around 155 in the summer. My bad knees are basketball injuries, not running though now certainly affecting running. (no more B’ball says my ortho) I am pretty athletic but have only been on the endurance kick about 3 years. I want to break 2:17 at St Anthony’s next year and it will come down to the run. I have started running the stairs at the local high school once a week and have been actually averaging around 8:25’s for my regular runs. Is this too fast? I seem to recover ok but right now I am only running. My 10 miler lasy week was at 8:50. (Too fast?) I have been doing some tempo runsx3 miles @ 7:15 with 1 mile warm up & cool down and some mile repeats. I missed St. A’s with the bad knee last year but he previos did 2:24. My bike is good enough but I will need to run 42-43 to make the time.
Dave,
I had ACL/MCL reconstruction surgery on my left knee in '92, so know what you are dealing with. Key is, to monitor your adaptation to higher stress and be careful to work towards gradual improvement of your strength and propriaception. Not only do you need to build in to the tempo training and speed work to get the times you desire, but monitor the knees. You have to think outside the box a little on this. Might want to consider some propriaception training on a Rocker board. Do single leg stuff (Power Cranks) would be good, along with other modalities. Step ups, single leg squats (preferably on an unstable platform like the rocker board), and lunges with light weight or none at all. First get strong then get fast.
Good luck.
Thanks pdxjohn. Yeah I tore the patella tendon running on a torn Acl I didn’t know about in my right knee. Had ACl surgery in 1984 on the left. The right knee is not fixed. I will NOT do any speed work now less tha 800’s to a mile to limit the terminal extension forces. The tendon popped doing 200’s. I have done some one legged squats and lunges to stengthen but not recently. Sounds like I need to keep doing them eh? I was thinking jump sqats as well might help. I also think the stair running as long as I don’t over do it will help. I don’t think the tendon problem will ever go completely away as long as I keep running but as least I can get up from a squatted position now. Man that used to hurt! I still ice after some uns whether hurting or not.
Sounds like you are on the right rack: Being “regular” size shouldn’t hold you back. Is 8:20 to 9-min pace quite aerobic and comfortable? Does a 3-4 miler at that pace feel pretty easy? If so, that’s the pace you want to run most of the time. Tempo should feel a lot harder, of course … As everyone repeats time and again here, running faster off the bike also has lots to do with feeling great off the bike: If I had to choose between 120 mi. bike weeks / 25 mi. run weeks v. 80 mile bike weeks / 35 mi. run weeks, I would nearly always stick with the first option if Tri’s are the priority … Just from personal experience doing both.
What about some cross training on steppers and elliptical and water running, as well as doing some of your runs as bricks???