Learn from my mistakes - Over 50, injury prone, want to run sub 4 marathon

alexanderomahon

Will do meno

InTheTrees

I'm in a similar (but different!) place;

52 years old. 11.8stone (165lbs). Up until last August I was doing 5K, five or 6 times a week and taking about 26 minutes. Then over the period of a couple of weeks I started upping the distance (blame the nice summer) and switched from pavement to uneven terrain. After about a week my left Achilles got sore and over the course of a week got worse and I stopped.
The injury wasnt bad, maybe 1.5 out of ten, more ache than pain, it was a very mild strain, but I've learned to take these things seriously and so I started babying it. After about a month the ache left my achilles and moved to the (lower?) achilles area in the arch of the foot and its progressively faded away from there.
All well and good. The rehab running is my issue now. I have no desire to go any further than 10k. My goal is to get to a place where I can run for around an hour five or six times a week. No marathons for me.
So I'm doing a basic rehab, running on the treadmill every third day, very gentle (its only a small amount of effort greater than a beginners c25k), the first week is no more than 2 miles total, second week about 2.5, its really slow and gentle (i'm only going a little faster than trotting) and if there's any hint of even a mild ache I stop and wait until its completely gone +2days.

Its slow and a little frustrating but its also a product of age I believe, we just have to be more careful and in addition its an issue thats never going to go away. Dealing with the deterioration of the body is a very sobering thing but also extremely satisfying as you come to terms with how the body ages.

InTheTrees

Laois_Man wrote: »

So it seems to me that you're training runs are too fast, too often and I think this may be contributing to your injuries (because I think it has to mine also)

This was my thought too. Possibly even the sole (pardon the pun) reason.

alexanderomahon

InTheTrees wrote: »

Dealing with the deterioration of the body is a very sobering thing but also extremely satisfying as you come to terms with how the body ages.

Is this Wisdom or defeatism. I hope defeatism but suspect wisdom

InTheTrees

alexanderomahon wrote: »

Is this Wisdom or defeatism. I hope defeatism but suspect wisdom

Wisdom I'm afraid...

pgmcpq

InTheTrees wrote: »

Wisdom I'm afraid...

I'd have to disagree. I'm 50 in a couple of weeks ( yeah just a kid ). I do agree that you need to thinks a little differently but I don't buy into the deterioration of the body - especially as I know two 80+ runners (one of whom I shared a couple of miles with this morning)

I know I cannot skip a warmup or a post run stretch without consequences -e.g before a 5k race I would do a 2 miles warmup (and actually this was suggested by my then 79 year old buddy). I do a lot of running on packed earth in the last couple of years and avoid concretely like the plague ( ...still nothing unique to older runners here), do core work, and (try to) keep the weight in check.

And yes - injury rehab seems to take longer (but when did it ever go quickly ?).

If you decide that deterioration is inevitable ... then it's fairly certain that what will result. After all younger people never get injured do they .

Bah ... kids today .

ecoli

pgmcpq wrote: »

I'd have to disagree. I'm 50 in a couple of weeks ( yeah just a kid ). I do agree that you need to thinks a little differently but I don't buy into the deterioration of the body - especially as I know two 80+ runners (one of whom I shared a couple of miles with this morning)

I know I cannot skip a warmup or a post run stretch without consequences -e.g before a 5k race I would do a 2 miles warmup (and actually this was suggested by my then 79 year old buddy). I do a lot of running on packed earth in the last couple of years and avoid concretely like the plague ( ...still nothing unique to older runners here), do core work, and (try to) keep the weight in check.

And yes - injury rehab seems to take longer (but when did it ever go quickly ?).

If you decide that deterioration is inevitable ... then it's fairly certain that what will result. After all younger people never get injured do they .

Bah ... kids today .

Have to agree with this coaching a 50+ runner who has managed to PB in their last two marathons taking it down by more than 18 min. Yes there are bumps and niggles which need to be managed but its about being smarter with your training - this should be a philosophy no matter what age you are

InTheTrees

pgmcpq wrote: »

I'd have to disagree. I'm 50 in a couple of weeks ( yeah just a kid ). I do agree that you need to thinks a little differently but I don't buy into the deterioration of the body - especially as I know two 80+ runners (one of whom I shared a couple of miles with this morning)

Perhaps I shouldn't have used such a negative word as "deteriorate".

But you only have to look at a heart rate chart to see that our bodies...age... with advancing years. Or look at race times.

(And I hope also to be running into my 80's.)

alexanderomahon

Just booked my place on The Champions Everywhere course on running injury free.
http://www.championseverywhere.com/running_workshop

In preparation for the course I have been advised to try and follow the squatting and jumping exercises from vivobarefoot.com

http://www.vivobarefoot.com/eu/learn/the-skill-of-movement/walk-before-you-can-run