When you become older, you must do more recuperation after training

"When you become older, you must do more recuperation after training and you are not doing the mileage that you were doing when you were young"

Quote from Tomescu-Dita of what it takes to become an Olympic champion at 38. She stunned the field in China by breaking away after half distance to become the event's oldest winner.
For the complete article please go here.

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Gary comments

It happens that Tomescu-Dita lives in Boulder, Colorado, the same city as my sister Lorraine, who won Olympic bronze in Barcelona when she was 39.  Lorraine was an inspiration to Tomescu-Dita that she was not too old to go for it at Beijing.  "I met her last year and I told her I am too old to win a gold medal, or a medal, at the Olympics," said Tomescu-Dita. "She said, 'You are not old.

This article discusses Paula Radcliffe's tendency to hammer out the miles in training and her less than favourable chances of winning the London Marathon after her recent run of injuries and poor performances.  Among those interviewed is one of the greatest female distance runners, Ingrid Christiansen.  As an aside I met Ingrid and her young family over a few days way back in about 1988.  I put together a lecture about exercise and pregnancy based on that and other experiences.  Here it is. Exercise and Pregnancy

As an athlete gets older the need for big training diminishes.  After about 8-10 years of continuous training any further gains in strength and endurance are negligible.  Further ramping up of training intensity and duration merely add to injury and illness risk for no real gain.  It is better to concentrate on recovery and competing smart.  This principle applies regardless of age after one has done 10 years of hard base training.  Please go here for my presentation notes that explain this in more detail:

Train to Win - Training the Lydiard Way

From about 40 years of age the body also needs progressively more recovery time between training and competition.  There needs to be much more attention to optimum nutrition, seeking to identify and correct subtle deficiencies.
The older athlete should not make the mistake of trying to do a young man's training schedule as so often happens when an aspiring older athlete hires some whiz-bang fitness specialist to design a training schedule.  The result may be short term gains for a huge amount of effort and cost at the risk of eventual chronic fatigue and injury - and consequent premature retirement.
The better approach is to concentrate on a training and competition programme that yields the best results for the least effort.
I have applied this principle to my own fitness and sporting competition and am delighted to be going as strong as ever at 55 years.

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Should I run two marathons within 10 days

"Hi Gary ' loved Lorraine's Book so did my wife. Just great! Have just finished Ironman (16hrs.07min) ( my second) in good nick. A friend wants me to do Rotorua Marathon with him early May - after 10 days will my body cope ok with training for another marathon ?

I'm 58 in good condition - not perfect though - do have some calf muscle issues both with bike and early running off the bike then it gets better. Have downloaded your Training Manual (58 pages) - thanks. In essence should I take on the Rotorua Marathon ? My running time for the marathon during IM was 6 hours 18min - half of it walking. Do enjoy slow jogging 8min per k."

David
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Gary Moller advises:
David, it is not a good idea to be pushing your body as hard as you are. Your age is such that running back-to-back marathons will result in irreparable joint arthritis in just a few years. We simply do not hear about the distance runners, Iron Men, etc who grind to a halt with ruined joints, muscles and suffering chronic fatigue - we are talking about health issues that can take a terrible toll on quality of life. Sadly, the popular sports magazines want you to hear of the stories of incredible physical feats and not the disasters of which there are plenty. I get to see some of these silent casualties. Sure, there are freakish individuals who are capable of super human feats - similar to the stories of the Centenarian who smoked since childhood. But these are the exceptions.

Lorraine, holds the unofficial world best for longevity as an internationally ranked running athlete. Few of those who competed against her lasted more than four or so years at or near the top. When you read her book, you will realise that she was able to take enormous punishment but eventually succummed, knowing when it was time to back off and retire - fortunately! She managed 28 years at or near the top by caring for her body, retiring with everything in perfect working order. We should learn the lessons that come from those who survive and those who fall by the way.

When there is wear, such as happens during running, the human body must have sufficient rest to allow repair and growing a little stronger. The more running etc that you do, the more rest you must have between. The older you get, the longer the rest between sessions. One of the most common training faults is old men and women being given a young person's training and competition schedule by a naive fitness expert. This is a recipe for disaster, including risking permanent harm.

Lorraine has some advice about recovery in this video interview.


Her general rule of thumb is: One day rest for every mile run. So, if you run a marathon, you should take about a month of gradual buildup back to full training and then take another 3-4 months before doing another marathon or Iron Man. Two to three marathons per year is about all your body should be subjected to. A similar formula can be applied to cycling. I work on the basis of a day of rest for every 5-10 miles raced. Cycling is so much easier on the body compared to running the pavements.

David, why not explore other forms of running? Your body thrives on variety. Get out of the grind of long, slow running. Try joining a running club and doing lots and lots of short 3-8km cross-country and road races. Go do some short course off-road triathlons and adventure runs. Team up with a friend and share the load - you do the run or the bike. This way you spare your legs while upping the intensity. Its exciting running and your occasional marathon and Iron Man will benefit because you will be fresher and faster over the longer distances.