Forums >General Running>Is it age???
Giants Fan
Lately I have noticed my pace has slowed down from what it used to be...is it lack of mileage? is it age creeping in? Is there something form wise I could be doing wrong? I usually average 30-35 miles a week along with around 2 days of cross training and one day a week as rest. I am just frustrated. I am now running about 10 minute miles...feel that this all started when I was having hamstring pain. Any advice? Anyone else experience this as they age as runners? Thanks in advance!
"I think I've discovered the secret of life- you just hang around until you get used to it."
Charles Schulz
You don't have to get slower as you get older, at least not as you get into your 40s. (I guess I'll soon discover how much slowdown occurs in my 50s). I wonder if your setback with your hamstring has a lot to do with it. Maybe it's just taking your body a while to get fully back to normal. Those dang hamstrings can take weeks, in my experience, to get fully healed up.
That being said, there is one age-related thing (I think) that has happened to me the last few years. I cannot run the first couple of miles out the door like I used to. Now, once I am up to cruising speed, all fully warmed up, I'm running comfortably as fast as I was 10 years ago, but those first couple of miles I feel like I'm barely moving. It just takes longer to work out the kinks. So, if those first couple of miles are poisoning your average running pace for the whole run, then yeah, it could be age "slowing" you down. But on race day, just warm up real good, and then go out and run as fast as you want with those younger ladies. They got nothin' on you. :-)
- Joe
We are fragile creatures on collision with our judgment day.
Strides. Do them at least once a week, preferably 2-3x. Some fast running every now and then reminds your legs how to run fast. And maybe check your hemoglobin. Even if it's on the low end of normal, you can have low energy. There is no reason to run around feeling sluggish with low iron if you don't have to. I don't think you are that old, but who am I to say?
Also, too, I'm not sure what it's been like where you live but the last couple of weeks have been grotesquely humid around where I live and run. In addition to slowing down my average pace it makes me cranky and gives me diaper rash. So there's that.
Runners run
Interval Junkie --Nobby
#SummerSucks
2021 Goals: 50mpw 'cause there's nothing else to do
Last summer my speed totally disappeared. I ran PWs (personal worsts) in 8k, 10k and I was within a few seconds of a PW in a half marathon. My 5k time was 90 seconds slower than what I ran in March last year. I didn't know why I slowed down so much and I actually went to my doctor to get a stress test to check that my heart was okay. My friends were telling me that it was just that I was getting old. I am 58 now.
Well last fall I ran a 3:02 in the Twin Cities Marathon, my fourth best marathon and my best time in about 5 years. I think the problem last summer was a combination of getting old and the heat from the summer. This summer again I slowed down considerably from what I did in this spring, not quite as bad as last year but this summer was cooler than last summer. I am hoping I will be a little faster than last year at the Twin Cities this year.
I'm 58 and just started running 3 years ago and don't think I have reached my potential just yet. My endurance and times continue to improve. But having said that, my training this summer has been a struggle, not to mention discouraging, because of high heat and high humidity. I have been struggling to do my tempo runs at the pace I was capable of this past spring when we had temps consistently below 60F. I got curious about how heat and humidity affects pace and did a little research. What I found was this nifty calculator that can estimate how much the heat plays a role in pace. http://runnersconnect.net/training/tools/temperature-calculator/ I use that to predict my time at a particular temperature. I then use that "temperature-adjusted time" and plug it into another calculator (Jack Daniels calculator: http://www.runworks.com/calculator.html. that tells me what my training paces should be. It sounds a little complicated but it has made my training runs a lot less disappointing. As an example: My 10K time is 0:49:58 at 60F (8:02 pace). If I use that in the Jack Daniels calculator I get calculated training pace of 8:15 for tempo (threshold). If it "feels like" 85 degrees (temperature and humidity) My 10k time is calculated to be 0:51:50 (8:21 pace) from the temperature calculator. If I plug the 10k temperature-adjusted time of 0:51:50 into the Jack Daniels calculator I come up with tempo (threshold) pace of 8:28. Holding a ~8:30 pace over several miles in the heat/humidity has been hard for me, but not nearly as hard as trying to hold an ~8:15 pace. Using the temperature- adjusted paces has also made my long runs less taxing.
MTA: Silly me.... The Jack Daniels calculator http://www.runworks.com/calculator.html has an advanced feature where you can plug in temperature...
not bad for mile 25
Oh thanks, that's good to know!
#artbydmcbride
I thought gravity was increasing.....
KillJoyFuckStick
+1
You people have issues
Outside Lane
I am 54 and have been logging runs for about 12 years. I have slowed over past few years but think it's because of weight gain (+30 pounds) more than age. Gained weight after quitting smoking about 2 and a half years ago. I've also had trouble establishing consistent routine over past few years - not enough miles per week. I like to believe I can still turn it around again and want to still establish some new PRs as a non-smoker!
See how they run...
jfa
First of all, great avatar!
Hamstring problems really stink because they can take a while to get rid of. Summer heat is a big reason to slow down too.
I'm 55, have run consistently for over 8 years and 17,000 miles, but only got appreciably faster in the past couple of years.
Weight loss ( 15 -20 pounds) and running more made me faster. My last 2 marathon training periods have been the most miles training than any others. That resulted in faster race times.
That being said, everyone has to fit in their own training to their lives. Recognizing when you're injured then laying off until it's better is the way to go.
I'm 62 and still in Raging Against Aging mode. Still able to hit the occasional PR. Be advised, my running started at age 55.