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Renowned running authority, coach, and best-selling author Pete Pfitzinger teams with Philip Latter, senior writer for Running Times, in this must-have training guide for the most popular race distances, including the 5K, 10K, and half marathon.
Faster Road Racing: 5K to Half Marathon presents easy-to-follow programs proven to give you an edge in your next race. You’ll discover detailed plans for race-specific distances as well as expert advice on balancing training and recovery, cross-training, nutrition, tapering, and training over age 40. And for serious runners who compete in numerous races throughout the year, Pfitzinger’s multi-race, multi-distance training plans are invaluable.
Faster Road Racing is your all-inclusive resource on running your fastest at distances of 5K, 8K to 10K, 15K to 10 miles, and the half marathon.
Part I: Training Components
Chapter 1 Elements of Training
Chapter 2 Balancing Training and Recovery
Chapter 3 Supplementary Training
Chapter 4 The Well-Fed Runner’s Diet
Chapter 5 Considerations for Masters Runners
Chapter 6 Tapering for Peak Performance
Part II: Training for Peak Performance
Chapter 7 Following the Schedules
Chapter 8 Base Training
Chapter 9 Training for 5K Races
Chapter 10 Training for 8K to 10K Races
Chapter 11 Training for 15K and 10-Mile Races
Chapter 12 Training for the Half Marathon
Chapter 13 Training for Multiple Race Distances
Pete Pfitzinger, the top American finisher in the 1984 and 1988 Olympic marathons, is a respected coach, exercise physiologist, and administrator of high-performance sport. He established himself as one of the best marathoners in U.S. history by outkicking Alberto Salazar to win the 1984 U.S. Olympic Trials. That same year he received the DeCelle Award for America’s best distance runner and was named Runner of the Year by the Road Runners Club of America. He is also a two-time winner of the San Francisco Marathon and finished third in the 1987 New York City Marathon. He is a member of the Road Runners Club of America’s Hall of Fame.
Although best known as a marathoner, Pfitzinger was highly successful at shorter distances with personal bests of 22:46 for 5 miles, 28:41 for 10K, 43:37 for 15K, and 1:03:14 for the half marathon. He won national championships at 15K and 30K and held the American record for 20 miles. As a coach, Pfitzinger has more than 30 years’ experience helping runners achieve their personal goals, whether it’s completing their first 5K or competing with distinction on the world stage. He is currently responsible for coaching, athlete development, and performance planning as a general manager for High Performance Sport New Zealand, supporting over 400 Olympic-level and emerging international athletes.
Pfitzinger is also a successful author, having written Road Racing for Serious Runners (1998), Advanced Marathoning (2001), and Advanced Marathoning, Second Edition (2009), all from Human Kinetics. He was a senior writer for Running Times from 1997 to 2008 and author of the magazine’s most popular column, “The Pfitzinger Lab Report.”
Pfitzinger is a graduate of Cornell University (BSc, MBA) and the University of Massachusetts (MSc exercise science). He and his wife, New Zealand track Olympian Christine Pfitzinger, live in New Zealand with their two daughters, Annika and Katrina.
Philip Latter is a senior writer for Running Times and the head cross country coach at Swain County High School in North Carolina. He has also been the head cross country coach at Radford University in Virginia and the lead assistant at Fort Collins High School in Colorado, where he helped guide the Lambkins to three Nike Cross Nationals appearances. In addition to Running Times, his writing has appeared in Runner’s World and on RunnersWorld.com and ESPNRise.com.
A runner for more than 15 years, Latter set four school records at the University of North Carolina at Asheville and was a five-time All-Big South runner and a two-time member of the All-Academic team. He holds PRs of 4:01 (1500 meters), 8:32 (3000 meters), 14:47 (5000 meters), 31:24 (10,000 meters), and 1:12:11 (half marathon).
Latter lives in Bryson City, North Carolina, with his wife, Macy, and two daughters, Aspen and Willow. He continues to train seriously for road races of all distances, mostly on the trails of the Great Smoky Mountain National Park, which sits exactly one mile from his doorstep.
“If you want to train for road races with equal parts ambition and intelligence, this is your book.”
Scott Douglas-- Senior Content Editor, Runner’s World
“Serious runners have been relying on Pete Pfitzinger since the 1990s for practical training and racing advice. In Faster Road Racing, Pfitzinger and Phil Latter draw on science, elite examples, and personal experiences as runners and coaches to provide everything runners need to take their racing to a new level.”
Jonathan Beverly-- Editor in Chief, Running Times
Three types of Masters Athletes
Not all masters runners are created alike. Because of differences in training background and motivation, some masters athletes experience a period of record-setting racing while others struggle to ward off a steady decline.
Types of Masters Athletes
Not all masters runners are created alike. Because of differences in training background and motivation, some masters athletes experience a period of record-setting racing while others struggle to ward off a steady decline. A separate group is just happy to be lacing up the flats again, thrilled that the sport they quit has something to offer them again.
Figuring out what type of masters athlete you are is more than just semantics. It gives you the best chance to set appropriate goals and better adapt to the effects of aging. The following are three categories that embody the bulk of competitive masters runners.
Serious Lifetime Runners
Runners who have seriously pursued their sport since their youth often continue to compete into middle age and beyond. These runners have experienced all the highs and lows running has to offer and continue to push their physical limits. Decades of training have given them an enviable aerobic background and a firm understanding of where they fit in the running hierarchy.
In many ways the aging process is hardest on this group because its effects are most visible. Assuming consistent training and a normal progression, most serious lifetime runners recorded their PRs in distances of 5K and up from the ages of 25 to 35, saw a small drop in performance through their 40s, and then followed that with a more accelerated slowing thereafter. If they are to find continued meaning in the competitive side of the sport, most serious lifetime runners need to shift their focus to age-group racing and age-graded performances (discussed later in this chapter).
That's not to say that lifetime runners can't succeed at the highest level as masters. Haile Gebrselassie, the former world record holder in the 5,000 and 10,000 meters and marathon, immediately set masters world records in the 10K and 10-mile after turning 40. American legend Joan Benoit Samuelson has kept up superior racing even longer, winning gold at the 1984 Olympic marathon as a 27-year-old, then running in her eighth Olympic Trials marathon in 2008 as a 50-year-old.
Legendary Bill Rodgers: Aging Gracefully
http://www.humankinetics.com/AcuCustom/Sitename/DAM/133/E6202_790417085_ebook_Main.jpg
AP Photo
Bill Rodgers, the legendary four-time winner of both the Boston Marathon and New York City Marathon, remained remarkably successful through his 40s and 50s. He still holds three U.S. records for 45- to 49-year-olds in the 8K (24:41), 15K (48:00), and half marathon (1:08:05). In addition, he once held the masters world record in the 10K with a time of 29:47.
As with many aging runners, Rodgers' path to masters glory has not been all smooth sailing. At the age of 56 he had his first major injury, breaking his right tibia, and at age 60 he was diagnosed with prostate cancer. Undeterred, Rodgers returned to the Falmouth Road Race at the age of 65 and won his age group - 40 years after winning the race outright. "These two ‘injuries' have provided me with good excuses for why I'm not as fast as some others my age," he says with his characteristic charm.
Rodgers still travels to 25 to 30 races per year in his longtime inspirational role to legions of younger runners but is more selective about how often he competes. "Seriously, I still like to race, but find I'm content to race less often now," he says. "I have run a half marathon this year in 1:44 and 10K in 47 minutes. Occasionally I can win my age group."
Rodgers conservatively guesses he's run close to 175,000 miles (280,000 km). "The tough thing for me is [the effect of] so many miles on my body after nearly 50 years as a runner," he says. To maintain his fitness, Rodgers still runs six days a week (although he believes he should only be running half that), runs on trails as much as possible, and hits the pool and lifts weights weekly. "I do some stretching but should do more," he says. "Overall I feel I need to do more cross-training. I also take naps probably three days a week for recovery, and have a deep-muscle massage every two weeks or so."
The one thing that doesn't seem to be in the cards is retirement. As Rodgers says, "It's still great to be a runner!"
New-to-the-Sport Masters Runners
Runners who begin training for the first time after the age of 40 often believe they have found the fountain of youth. In a short time they lose weight, improve their cholesterol profiles, and get fitter and faster from week to week while most of their peers are slowing and packing on the pounds.
As their love for the sport increases, new-to-the-sport masters runners are able to increase their training volume, improving their aerobic fitness. As their neuromuscular and cardiovascular systems adapt, these runners often seem to reverse the effects of aging by setting personal bests. When combined with the lack of accumulated wear and tear on their muscles, tendons, and joints, runners in this category often enjoy a five- to eight-year window in which they continue to set lifetime personal bests.
Kathy Martin
http://www.humankinetics.com/AcuCustom/Sitename/DAM/133/E6202_dsc_9845_ebook_Main.jpg
John Keklak
PRs since age 40: mile 5:14, 5K 17:23, 8K 28:57, 10K 36:31, half marathon 1:22:24
Age-group world records and American records at distances from 800 meters to 50K
There is inspiration. Then there's inspiration! Kathy Martin is the latter. It's hard to talk about her career without resorting to italics and exclamation points. Who, after all, goes from struggling to run around the block at age 30 to holding multiple age-group records at almost every conceivable distance? And who does it while working 60 to 70 hours a week as a real estate agent in high-demand Long Island, New York?
A relative latecomer to the sport, Martin didn't go for her first run until she was 30. Tagging along with her soon-to-be husband, Martin lasted all of 10 minutes before she was completely out of breath. "That was a huge ‘A-ha!' moment when I realized if I could not run a mile at 30, I would probably not be walking by the time I was 60," she says. "So I started running." After winning her first race, Martin flirted with the sport for more than a decade, taking time off to have a child and start her real estate career. But once she was introduced to masters track competitions, everything changed. "I like the rhythm of the roads, but the track distances are shorter and faster," she says. "I love that feeling as well. I love the variety that each provides."
Martin clearly loves variety. After turning 60 in 2011, she immediately went on a tear. She set American age-group records in the half marathon and marathon and won national championships in everything from the 1,500 meters to the 10,000 meters. She added world indoor records in the 1,500 meters and 3,000 meters. Perhaps most impressively, when she set the 50K American record for the 60 to 64 age group, her timed splits for 20K, 25K, and 30K were all American records as well.
That incredible range is the product of consistent training that touches on all the energy systems. While her mileage varies greatly depending on her race focus, Martin generally runs seven days per week on the roads and trails. Her husband, Chuck Gross, plans her training and includes a steady diet of lactate threshold runs, hill repeats, lots of V\od\O2max intervals, and a weekly long run. When preparing for shorter track races, Martin likes to include 1-minute pickups during her general aerobic runs to keep her legs feeling fast. Yoga, stretching, plyometrics, and weightlifting have all contributed to keeping her healthy and chasing records.
"I truly believe we need a posse of help as we age," she says. "So many runners I meet think they can just train through injuries. You can and need to incorporate into your training whatever is necessary to compete at a high level." In Martin's case this posse includes a chiropractor, physical therapist, massage therapist, and personal trainer to help with cross-training. She also pays extra attention to her nutrition and hydration compared to when she was younger.
Martin has one last bit of advice that she believes allows her to train at such a high level despite being in her 60s. It is simple, is available to all, and, not surprisingly, has an exclamation mark punctuating its end. The secret? "Keep it fun!" she says.
Born-Again Masters Runners
Careers. Families. Other interests. The reasons high school and college runners give up the sport during their primes are as diverse as the runners themselves. So, too, are the reasons for picking the sport back up after turning 40. Many born-again masters runners begin running again for health purposes, only to find the old competitive flame still burning as their fitness increases.
Born-again masters runners share many attributes with the other two groups. Like their new-to-the-sport friends, runners in this category often experience a period of rapid aerobic development and sustained period of improved performances. Those gains may have a different context, however, because born-again runners have a deeper background in the sport from their younger days. And as runners like Pete Magill (profiled at the end of this chapter) show, some born-again masters runners can turn in world-class performances upon returning to the sport, regardless of how long a hiatus they took.
Learn more about Faster Road Racing.
Training for an 8K or 10K race
Three training schedules are provided to prepare you to race your best at 8K or 10K. Each training schedule is twelve weeks in duration. Simply select the schedule that starts closest to your current training mileage.
Training Schedules for 8K and 10K Races
Three training schedules are provided to prepare you to race your best at 8K or 10K. Each training schedule is twelve weeks in duration. Simply select the schedule that starts closest to your current training mileage.
Training for Races of 8K to 10K: 30 to 42 Miles per Week
This schedule is for runners who have been training 25 to 35 miles per week. If you have been running fewer than 25 miles per week, you should follow the base-training schedule in chapter 8 for building up to 30 miles per week before attempting this schedule. The schedule starts at 30 miles per week and gradually builds up to 42 miles with three weeks to go before your goal race. The training then tapers so you are fit and refreshed for race day.
Training for Races of 8K to 10K: 45 to 57 Miles per Week
This schedule is for runners who have been training 40 to 50 miles per week. If you have been running fewer than 40 miles per week, follow the base-training schedule in chapter 8 for building up to 45 miles per week before attempting this schedule. This schedule starts at 45 miles per week and gradually builds up to 57 miles with three weeks to go before your goal race. The training then tapers so you are fit and refreshed for race day.
Training for Races of 8K to 10K: 60 to 76 Miles per Week
This schedule is for runners who have been training 55 to 65 miles per week. If you have been running fewer than 55 miles per week, follow the base-training schedule in chapter 8 for building up to 60 miles per week before attempting this schedule. This schedule starts at 60 miles per week and gradually builds up to 76 miles with three weeks to go before your goal race. The training then tapers so you are fit and refreshed for race day.
http://www.humankinetics.com/AcuCustom/Sitename/DAM/133/E6202_501567a_ebook_Main.png
Learn more about Faster Road Racing.
After the race…
Each of the schedules includes a week after your key race for recovery and a transition into full training for your next race. During the recovery week, the running is easy to allow your muscles to recover and loosen up from your supreme race effort.
After the Race
Each of the schedules includes a week after your key race for recovery and a transition into full training for your next race. During the recovery week, the running is easy to allow your muscles to recover and loosen up from your supreme race effort. The only effort is a set of strides on Saturday, to stretch your legs and help them feel normal again. If you have raced 15K or longer, you may need an extra several days or even another week to fully recover. You will find two-week recovery schedules in chapters 10 and 11.
Continuing Your Season
After your goal race, the question is what to do next. The schedules in this chapter will get you back racing on the roads almost immediately. After 10 weeks of diligent training, you will be fit and can continue to race successfully over a range of distances. This is a great opportunity to show your fitness at distances from 5K through the half marathon. With careful planning, you can repeatedly race at close to your best. Appendix B shows equivalent race performances from 5K through the half marathon to help you compare performances between race distances and set goals for your upcoming races. The following guidelines will assist you in repeatedly racing successfully:
- Select your races wisely.
- Prepare specifically for your next race.
- Taper just enough for each race.
- Recover quickly from each race.
- Maintain your aerobic base.
- Know when you have had enough.
1. Select Your Races Wisely
In choosing your races, balance the desire to race frequently with your passion to race well. Too much racing and too little training can quickly compromise your performances. When you select your races, try to cluster two or three races together with several weeks for training between clusters. This will provide plenty of racing opportunities but also allow adequate training time between clusters. For example, you could race a 5K, 10K, and 15K in close succession and then devote three or four weeks to training to top up your aerobic base with higher mileage and longer endurance runs. By alternating clusters of races with several weeks of solid training, you can race frequently but also maintain your fitness across a long racing season.
2. Prepare Specifically for Your Next Race
The specific preparation required for your next race depends on the distance of your next race and the emphasis of your recent training. This chapter offers balanced preparation to race from 5K through the half marathon. To fine-tune your preparation for a 5K or 10K, you can simply include several V\od\O2max workouts (or, in the case of a 15K, 10 mile, or half marathon, add a few lactate threshold sessions and endurance runs). You can also simply jump into the appropriate training schedule for that distance.
3. Taper Just Enough for Each Race
As you saw in chapter 6, a thorough taper allows your body to fully recover so you can race your best. Too many thorough tapers too close together, however, can lead to a loss of fitness during the course of your racing season. To race optimally over multiple races, you need to abbreviate your taper for all but the most important races. Chapter 6 describes a four-day mini-taper for less important races and a one-week taper for moderately important races. Make sure to save the full two-week taper for a few key races per year.
4. Recover Quickly From Each Race
To repeatedly race successfully, you will benefit from learning to recover quickly from your races so you can return to full training quickly. One key is to hold back during the first three days after your race when your muscles and tendons are stiff and least resilient. After three days, if you do not have particularly tight muscles threatening to become an injury, you can start to safely increase your mileage. Other suggestions for speeding recovery are provided in chapter 2. How quickly to ramp up your training depends on the distance you have raced; longer races require longer recovery before you get back to full training.
5. Maintain Your Aerobic Base
The most important factor in racing repeatedly at a high level across a long season is to maintain your aerobic base. When you taper, race, and recover repeatedly, your mileage begins to slip. This is not a problem for one or two races, but across several races you may find that your training volume has been reduced for a prolonged period and your aerobic fitness is eroding.
To avoid losing your aerobic base and the associated reduction in racing performance, you need to find ways to maintain your training mileage between races. The following are strategies for maintaining mileage during your racing season:
- Increase the duration of your warm-up and cool-down before and after V\od\O2max workouts, lactate threshold sessions, speed workouts, and races.
- Add a few miles to your endurance runs and general aerobic runs.
- Add an easy recovery run on days with a V\od\O2max workout or speed session.
6. Know When You Have Had Enough
The final consideration in designing your racing schedule is maintaining your hunger to race. Racing too often eventually leads to a lack of desire and lackluster performances. Only you can judge when another race is one too many.
Learn more about Faster Road Racing.
Three types of Masters Athletes
Not all masters runners are created alike. Because of differences in training background and motivation, some masters athletes experience a period of record-setting racing while others struggle to ward off a steady decline.
Types of Masters Athletes
Not all masters runners are created alike. Because of differences in training background and motivation, some masters athletes experience a period of record-setting racing while others struggle to ward off a steady decline. A separate group is just happy to be lacing up the flats again, thrilled that the sport they quit has something to offer them again.
Figuring out what type of masters athlete you are is more than just semantics. It gives you the best chance to set appropriate goals and better adapt to the effects of aging. The following are three categories that embody the bulk of competitive masters runners.
Serious Lifetime Runners
Runners who have seriously pursued their sport since their youth often continue to compete into middle age and beyond. These runners have experienced all the highs and lows running has to offer and continue to push their physical limits. Decades of training have given them an enviable aerobic background and a firm understanding of where they fit in the running hierarchy.
In many ways the aging process is hardest on this group because its effects are most visible. Assuming consistent training and a normal progression, most serious lifetime runners recorded their PRs in distances of 5K and up from the ages of 25 to 35, saw a small drop in performance through their 40s, and then followed that with a more accelerated slowing thereafter. If they are to find continued meaning in the competitive side of the sport, most serious lifetime runners need to shift their focus to age-group racing and age-graded performances (discussed later in this chapter).
That's not to say that lifetime runners can't succeed at the highest level as masters. Haile Gebrselassie, the former world record holder in the 5,000 and 10,000 meters and marathon, immediately set masters world records in the 10K and 10-mile after turning 40. American legend Joan Benoit Samuelson has kept up superior racing even longer, winning gold at the 1984 Olympic marathon as a 27-year-old, then running in her eighth Olympic Trials marathon in 2008 as a 50-year-old.
Legendary Bill Rodgers: Aging Gracefully
http://www.humankinetics.com/AcuCustom/Sitename/DAM/133/E6202_790417085_ebook_Main.jpg
AP Photo
Bill Rodgers, the legendary four-time winner of both the Boston Marathon and New York City Marathon, remained remarkably successful through his 40s and 50s. He still holds three U.S. records for 45- to 49-year-olds in the 8K (24:41), 15K (48:00), and half marathon (1:08:05). In addition, he once held the masters world record in the 10K with a time of 29:47.
As with many aging runners, Rodgers' path to masters glory has not been all smooth sailing. At the age of 56 he had his first major injury, breaking his right tibia, and at age 60 he was diagnosed with prostate cancer. Undeterred, Rodgers returned to the Falmouth Road Race at the age of 65 and won his age group - 40 years after winning the race outright. "These two ‘injuries' have provided me with good excuses for why I'm not as fast as some others my age," he says with his characteristic charm.
Rodgers still travels to 25 to 30 races per year in his longtime inspirational role to legions of younger runners but is more selective about how often he competes. "Seriously, I still like to race, but find I'm content to race less often now," he says. "I have run a half marathon this year in 1:44 and 10K in 47 minutes. Occasionally I can win my age group."
Rodgers conservatively guesses he's run close to 175,000 miles (280,000 km). "The tough thing for me is [the effect of] so many miles on my body after nearly 50 years as a runner," he says. To maintain his fitness, Rodgers still runs six days a week (although he believes he should only be running half that), runs on trails as much as possible, and hits the pool and lifts weights weekly. "I do some stretching but should do more," he says. "Overall I feel I need to do more cross-training. I also take naps probably three days a week for recovery, and have a deep-muscle massage every two weeks or so."
The one thing that doesn't seem to be in the cards is retirement. As Rodgers says, "It's still great to be a runner!"
New-to-the-Sport Masters Runners
Runners who begin training for the first time after the age of 40 often believe they have found the fountain of youth. In a short time they lose weight, improve their cholesterol profiles, and get fitter and faster from week to week while most of their peers are slowing and packing on the pounds.
As their love for the sport increases, new-to-the-sport masters runners are able to increase their training volume, improving their aerobic fitness. As their neuromuscular and cardiovascular systems adapt, these runners often seem to reverse the effects of aging by setting personal bests. When combined with the lack of accumulated wear and tear on their muscles, tendons, and joints, runners in this category often enjoy a five- to eight-year window in which they continue to set lifetime personal bests.
Kathy Martin
http://www.humankinetics.com/AcuCustom/Sitename/DAM/133/E6202_dsc_9845_ebook_Main.jpg
John Keklak
PRs since age 40: mile 5:14, 5K 17:23, 8K 28:57, 10K 36:31, half marathon 1:22:24
Age-group world records and American records at distances from 800 meters to 50K
There is inspiration. Then there's inspiration! Kathy Martin is the latter. It's hard to talk about her career without resorting to italics and exclamation points. Who, after all, goes from struggling to run around the block at age 30 to holding multiple age-group records at almost every conceivable distance? And who does it while working 60 to 70 hours a week as a real estate agent in high-demand Long Island, New York?
A relative latecomer to the sport, Martin didn't go for her first run until she was 30. Tagging along with her soon-to-be husband, Martin lasted all of 10 minutes before she was completely out of breath. "That was a huge ‘A-ha!' moment when I realized if I could not run a mile at 30, I would probably not be walking by the time I was 60," she says. "So I started running." After winning her first race, Martin flirted with the sport for more than a decade, taking time off to have a child and start her real estate career. But once she was introduced to masters track competitions, everything changed. "I like the rhythm of the roads, but the track distances are shorter and faster," she says. "I love that feeling as well. I love the variety that each provides."
Martin clearly loves variety. After turning 60 in 2011, she immediately went on a tear. She set American age-group records in the half marathon and marathon and won national championships in everything from the 1,500 meters to the 10,000 meters. She added world indoor records in the 1,500 meters and 3,000 meters. Perhaps most impressively, when she set the 50K American record for the 60 to 64 age group, her timed splits for 20K, 25K, and 30K were all American records as well.
That incredible range is the product of consistent training that touches on all the energy systems. While her mileage varies greatly depending on her race focus, Martin generally runs seven days per week on the roads and trails. Her husband, Chuck Gross, plans her training and includes a steady diet of lactate threshold runs, hill repeats, lots of V\od\O2max intervals, and a weekly long run. When preparing for shorter track races, Martin likes to include 1-minute pickups during her general aerobic runs to keep her legs feeling fast. Yoga, stretching, plyometrics, and weightlifting have all contributed to keeping her healthy and chasing records.
"I truly believe we need a posse of help as we age," she says. "So many runners I meet think they can just train through injuries. You can and need to incorporate into your training whatever is necessary to compete at a high level." In Martin's case this posse includes a chiropractor, physical therapist, massage therapist, and personal trainer to help with cross-training. She also pays extra attention to her nutrition and hydration compared to when she was younger.
Martin has one last bit of advice that she believes allows her to train at such a high level despite being in her 60s. It is simple, is available to all, and, not surprisingly, has an exclamation mark punctuating its end. The secret? "Keep it fun!" she says.
Born-Again Masters Runners
Careers. Families. Other interests. The reasons high school and college runners give up the sport during their primes are as diverse as the runners themselves. So, too, are the reasons for picking the sport back up after turning 40. Many born-again masters runners begin running again for health purposes, only to find the old competitive flame still burning as their fitness increases.
Born-again masters runners share many attributes with the other two groups. Like their new-to-the-sport friends, runners in this category often experience a period of rapid aerobic development and sustained period of improved performances. Those gains may have a different context, however, because born-again runners have a deeper background in the sport from their younger days. And as runners like Pete Magill (profiled at the end of this chapter) show, some born-again masters runners can turn in world-class performances upon returning to the sport, regardless of how long a hiatus they took.
Learn more about Faster Road Racing.
Training for an 8K or 10K race
Three training schedules are provided to prepare you to race your best at 8K or 10K. Each training schedule is twelve weeks in duration. Simply select the schedule that starts closest to your current training mileage.
Training Schedules for 8K and 10K Races
Three training schedules are provided to prepare you to race your best at 8K or 10K. Each training schedule is twelve weeks in duration. Simply select the schedule that starts closest to your current training mileage.
Training for Races of 8K to 10K: 30 to 42 Miles per Week
This schedule is for runners who have been training 25 to 35 miles per week. If you have been running fewer than 25 miles per week, you should follow the base-training schedule in chapter 8 for building up to 30 miles per week before attempting this schedule. The schedule starts at 30 miles per week and gradually builds up to 42 miles with three weeks to go before your goal race. The training then tapers so you are fit and refreshed for race day.
Training for Races of 8K to 10K: 45 to 57 Miles per Week
This schedule is for runners who have been training 40 to 50 miles per week. If you have been running fewer than 40 miles per week, follow the base-training schedule in chapter 8 for building up to 45 miles per week before attempting this schedule. This schedule starts at 45 miles per week and gradually builds up to 57 miles with three weeks to go before your goal race. The training then tapers so you are fit and refreshed for race day.
Training for Races of 8K to 10K: 60 to 76 Miles per Week
This schedule is for runners who have been training 55 to 65 miles per week. If you have been running fewer than 55 miles per week, follow the base-training schedule in chapter 8 for building up to 60 miles per week before attempting this schedule. This schedule starts at 60 miles per week and gradually builds up to 76 miles with three weeks to go before your goal race. The training then tapers so you are fit and refreshed for race day.
http://www.humankinetics.com/AcuCustom/Sitename/DAM/133/E6202_501567a_ebook_Main.png
Learn more about Faster Road Racing.
After the race…
Each of the schedules includes a week after your key race for recovery and a transition into full training for your next race. During the recovery week, the running is easy to allow your muscles to recover and loosen up from your supreme race effort.
After the Race
Each of the schedules includes a week after your key race for recovery and a transition into full training for your next race. During the recovery week, the running is easy to allow your muscles to recover and loosen up from your supreme race effort. The only effort is a set of strides on Saturday, to stretch your legs and help them feel normal again. If you have raced 15K or longer, you may need an extra several days or even another week to fully recover. You will find two-week recovery schedules in chapters 10 and 11.
Continuing Your Season
After your goal race, the question is what to do next. The schedules in this chapter will get you back racing on the roads almost immediately. After 10 weeks of diligent training, you will be fit and can continue to race successfully over a range of distances. This is a great opportunity to show your fitness at distances from 5K through the half marathon. With careful planning, you can repeatedly race at close to your best. Appendix B shows equivalent race performances from 5K through the half marathon to help you compare performances between race distances and set goals for your upcoming races. The following guidelines will assist you in repeatedly racing successfully:
- Select your races wisely.
- Prepare specifically for your next race.
- Taper just enough for each race.
- Recover quickly from each race.
- Maintain your aerobic base.
- Know when you have had enough.
1. Select Your Races Wisely
In choosing your races, balance the desire to race frequently with your passion to race well. Too much racing and too little training can quickly compromise your performances. When you select your races, try to cluster two or three races together with several weeks for training between clusters. This will provide plenty of racing opportunities but also allow adequate training time between clusters. For example, you could race a 5K, 10K, and 15K in close succession and then devote three or four weeks to training to top up your aerobic base with higher mileage and longer endurance runs. By alternating clusters of races with several weeks of solid training, you can race frequently but also maintain your fitness across a long racing season.
2. Prepare Specifically for Your Next Race
The specific preparation required for your next race depends on the distance of your next race and the emphasis of your recent training. This chapter offers balanced preparation to race from 5K through the half marathon. To fine-tune your preparation for a 5K or 10K, you can simply include several V\od\O2max workouts (or, in the case of a 15K, 10 mile, or half marathon, add a few lactate threshold sessions and endurance runs). You can also simply jump into the appropriate training schedule for that distance.
3. Taper Just Enough for Each Race
As you saw in chapter 6, a thorough taper allows your body to fully recover so you can race your best. Too many thorough tapers too close together, however, can lead to a loss of fitness during the course of your racing season. To race optimally over multiple races, you need to abbreviate your taper for all but the most important races. Chapter 6 describes a four-day mini-taper for less important races and a one-week taper for moderately important races. Make sure to save the full two-week taper for a few key races per year.
4. Recover Quickly From Each Race
To repeatedly race successfully, you will benefit from learning to recover quickly from your races so you can return to full training quickly. One key is to hold back during the first three days after your race when your muscles and tendons are stiff and least resilient. After three days, if you do not have particularly tight muscles threatening to become an injury, you can start to safely increase your mileage. Other suggestions for speeding recovery are provided in chapter 2. How quickly to ramp up your training depends on the distance you have raced; longer races require longer recovery before you get back to full training.
5. Maintain Your Aerobic Base
The most important factor in racing repeatedly at a high level across a long season is to maintain your aerobic base. When you taper, race, and recover repeatedly, your mileage begins to slip. This is not a problem for one or two races, but across several races you may find that your training volume has been reduced for a prolonged period and your aerobic fitness is eroding.
To avoid losing your aerobic base and the associated reduction in racing performance, you need to find ways to maintain your training mileage between races. The following are strategies for maintaining mileage during your racing season:
- Increase the duration of your warm-up and cool-down before and after V\od\O2max workouts, lactate threshold sessions, speed workouts, and races.
- Add a few miles to your endurance runs and general aerobic runs.
- Add an easy recovery run on days with a V\od\O2max workout or speed session.
6. Know When You Have Had Enough
The final consideration in designing your racing schedule is maintaining your hunger to race. Racing too often eventually leads to a lack of desire and lackluster performances. Only you can judge when another race is one too many.
Learn more about Faster Road Racing.
Three types of Masters Athletes
Not all masters runners are created alike. Because of differences in training background and motivation, some masters athletes experience a period of record-setting racing while others struggle to ward off a steady decline.
Types of Masters Athletes
Not all masters runners are created alike. Because of differences in training background and motivation, some masters athletes experience a period of record-setting racing while others struggle to ward off a steady decline. A separate group is just happy to be lacing up the flats again, thrilled that the sport they quit has something to offer them again.
Figuring out what type of masters athlete you are is more than just semantics. It gives you the best chance to set appropriate goals and better adapt to the effects of aging. The following are three categories that embody the bulk of competitive masters runners.
Serious Lifetime Runners
Runners who have seriously pursued their sport since their youth often continue to compete into middle age and beyond. These runners have experienced all the highs and lows running has to offer and continue to push their physical limits. Decades of training have given them an enviable aerobic background and a firm understanding of where they fit in the running hierarchy.
In many ways the aging process is hardest on this group because its effects are most visible. Assuming consistent training and a normal progression, most serious lifetime runners recorded their PRs in distances of 5K and up from the ages of 25 to 35, saw a small drop in performance through their 40s, and then followed that with a more accelerated slowing thereafter. If they are to find continued meaning in the competitive side of the sport, most serious lifetime runners need to shift their focus to age-group racing and age-graded performances (discussed later in this chapter).
That's not to say that lifetime runners can't succeed at the highest level as masters. Haile Gebrselassie, the former world record holder in the 5,000 and 10,000 meters and marathon, immediately set masters world records in the 10K and 10-mile after turning 40. American legend Joan Benoit Samuelson has kept up superior racing even longer, winning gold at the 1984 Olympic marathon as a 27-year-old, then running in her eighth Olympic Trials marathon in 2008 as a 50-year-old.
Legendary Bill Rodgers: Aging Gracefully
http://www.humankinetics.com/AcuCustom/Sitename/DAM/133/E6202_790417085_ebook_Main.jpg
AP Photo
Bill Rodgers, the legendary four-time winner of both the Boston Marathon and New York City Marathon, remained remarkably successful through his 40s and 50s. He still holds three U.S. records for 45- to 49-year-olds in the 8K (24:41), 15K (48:00), and half marathon (1:08:05). In addition, he once held the masters world record in the 10K with a time of 29:47.
As with many aging runners, Rodgers' path to masters glory has not been all smooth sailing. At the age of 56 he had his first major injury, breaking his right tibia, and at age 60 he was diagnosed with prostate cancer. Undeterred, Rodgers returned to the Falmouth Road Race at the age of 65 and won his age group - 40 years after winning the race outright. "These two ‘injuries' have provided me with good excuses for why I'm not as fast as some others my age," he says with his characteristic charm.
Rodgers still travels to 25 to 30 races per year in his longtime inspirational role to legions of younger runners but is more selective about how often he competes. "Seriously, I still like to race, but find I'm content to race less often now," he says. "I have run a half marathon this year in 1:44 and 10K in 47 minutes. Occasionally I can win my age group."
Rodgers conservatively guesses he's run close to 175,000 miles (280,000 km). "The tough thing for me is [the effect of] so many miles on my body after nearly 50 years as a runner," he says. To maintain his fitness, Rodgers still runs six days a week (although he believes he should only be running half that), runs on trails as much as possible, and hits the pool and lifts weights weekly. "I do some stretching but should do more," he says. "Overall I feel I need to do more cross-training. I also take naps probably three days a week for recovery, and have a deep-muscle massage every two weeks or so."
The one thing that doesn't seem to be in the cards is retirement. As Rodgers says, "It's still great to be a runner!"
New-to-the-Sport Masters Runners
Runners who begin training for the first time after the age of 40 often believe they have found the fountain of youth. In a short time they lose weight, improve their cholesterol profiles, and get fitter and faster from week to week while most of their peers are slowing and packing on the pounds.
As their love for the sport increases, new-to-the-sport masters runners are able to increase their training volume, improving their aerobic fitness. As their neuromuscular and cardiovascular systems adapt, these runners often seem to reverse the effects of aging by setting personal bests. When combined with the lack of accumulated wear and tear on their muscles, tendons, and joints, runners in this category often enjoy a five- to eight-year window in which they continue to set lifetime personal bests.
Kathy Martin
http://www.humankinetics.com/AcuCustom/Sitename/DAM/133/E6202_dsc_9845_ebook_Main.jpg
John Keklak
PRs since age 40: mile 5:14, 5K 17:23, 8K 28:57, 10K 36:31, half marathon 1:22:24
Age-group world records and American records at distances from 800 meters to 50K
There is inspiration. Then there's inspiration! Kathy Martin is the latter. It's hard to talk about her career without resorting to italics and exclamation points. Who, after all, goes from struggling to run around the block at age 30 to holding multiple age-group records at almost every conceivable distance? And who does it while working 60 to 70 hours a week as a real estate agent in high-demand Long Island, New York?
A relative latecomer to the sport, Martin didn't go for her first run until she was 30. Tagging along with her soon-to-be husband, Martin lasted all of 10 minutes before she was completely out of breath. "That was a huge ‘A-ha!' moment when I realized if I could not run a mile at 30, I would probably not be walking by the time I was 60," she says. "So I started running." After winning her first race, Martin flirted with the sport for more than a decade, taking time off to have a child and start her real estate career. But once she was introduced to masters track competitions, everything changed. "I like the rhythm of the roads, but the track distances are shorter and faster," she says. "I love that feeling as well. I love the variety that each provides."
Martin clearly loves variety. After turning 60 in 2011, she immediately went on a tear. She set American age-group records in the half marathon and marathon and won national championships in everything from the 1,500 meters to the 10,000 meters. She added world indoor records in the 1,500 meters and 3,000 meters. Perhaps most impressively, when she set the 50K American record for the 60 to 64 age group, her timed splits for 20K, 25K, and 30K were all American records as well.
That incredible range is the product of consistent training that touches on all the energy systems. While her mileage varies greatly depending on her race focus, Martin generally runs seven days per week on the roads and trails. Her husband, Chuck Gross, plans her training and includes a steady diet of lactate threshold runs, hill repeats, lots of V\od\O2max intervals, and a weekly long run. When preparing for shorter track races, Martin likes to include 1-minute pickups during her general aerobic runs to keep her legs feeling fast. Yoga, stretching, plyometrics, and weightlifting have all contributed to keeping her healthy and chasing records.
"I truly believe we need a posse of help as we age," she says. "So many runners I meet think they can just train through injuries. You can and need to incorporate into your training whatever is necessary to compete at a high level." In Martin's case this posse includes a chiropractor, physical therapist, massage therapist, and personal trainer to help with cross-training. She also pays extra attention to her nutrition and hydration compared to when she was younger.
Martin has one last bit of advice that she believes allows her to train at such a high level despite being in her 60s. It is simple, is available to all, and, not surprisingly, has an exclamation mark punctuating its end. The secret? "Keep it fun!" she says.
Born-Again Masters Runners
Careers. Families. Other interests. The reasons high school and college runners give up the sport during their primes are as diverse as the runners themselves. So, too, are the reasons for picking the sport back up after turning 40. Many born-again masters runners begin running again for health purposes, only to find the old competitive flame still burning as their fitness increases.
Born-again masters runners share many attributes with the other two groups. Like their new-to-the-sport friends, runners in this category often experience a period of rapid aerobic development and sustained period of improved performances. Those gains may have a different context, however, because born-again runners have a deeper background in the sport from their younger days. And as runners like Pete Magill (profiled at the end of this chapter) show, some born-again masters runners can turn in world-class performances upon returning to the sport, regardless of how long a hiatus they took.
Learn more about Faster Road Racing.
Training for an 8K or 10K race
Three training schedules are provided to prepare you to race your best at 8K or 10K. Each training schedule is twelve weeks in duration. Simply select the schedule that starts closest to your current training mileage.
Training Schedules for 8K and 10K Races
Three training schedules are provided to prepare you to race your best at 8K or 10K. Each training schedule is twelve weeks in duration. Simply select the schedule that starts closest to your current training mileage.
Training for Races of 8K to 10K: 30 to 42 Miles per Week
This schedule is for runners who have been training 25 to 35 miles per week. If you have been running fewer than 25 miles per week, you should follow the base-training schedule in chapter 8 for building up to 30 miles per week before attempting this schedule. The schedule starts at 30 miles per week and gradually builds up to 42 miles with three weeks to go before your goal race. The training then tapers so you are fit and refreshed for race day.
Training for Races of 8K to 10K: 45 to 57 Miles per Week
This schedule is for runners who have been training 40 to 50 miles per week. If you have been running fewer than 40 miles per week, follow the base-training schedule in chapter 8 for building up to 45 miles per week before attempting this schedule. This schedule starts at 45 miles per week and gradually builds up to 57 miles with three weeks to go before your goal race. The training then tapers so you are fit and refreshed for race day.
Training for Races of 8K to 10K: 60 to 76 Miles per Week
This schedule is for runners who have been training 55 to 65 miles per week. If you have been running fewer than 55 miles per week, follow the base-training schedule in chapter 8 for building up to 60 miles per week before attempting this schedule. This schedule starts at 60 miles per week and gradually builds up to 76 miles with three weeks to go before your goal race. The training then tapers so you are fit and refreshed for race day.
http://www.humankinetics.com/AcuCustom/Sitename/DAM/133/E6202_501567a_ebook_Main.png
Learn more about Faster Road Racing.
After the race…
Each of the schedules includes a week after your key race for recovery and a transition into full training for your next race. During the recovery week, the running is easy to allow your muscles to recover and loosen up from your supreme race effort.
After the Race
Each of the schedules includes a week after your key race for recovery and a transition into full training for your next race. During the recovery week, the running is easy to allow your muscles to recover and loosen up from your supreme race effort. The only effort is a set of strides on Saturday, to stretch your legs and help them feel normal again. If you have raced 15K or longer, you may need an extra several days or even another week to fully recover. You will find two-week recovery schedules in chapters 10 and 11.
Continuing Your Season
After your goal race, the question is what to do next. The schedules in this chapter will get you back racing on the roads almost immediately. After 10 weeks of diligent training, you will be fit and can continue to race successfully over a range of distances. This is a great opportunity to show your fitness at distances from 5K through the half marathon. With careful planning, you can repeatedly race at close to your best. Appendix B shows equivalent race performances from 5K through the half marathon to help you compare performances between race distances and set goals for your upcoming races. The following guidelines will assist you in repeatedly racing successfully:
- Select your races wisely.
- Prepare specifically for your next race.
- Taper just enough for each race.
- Recover quickly from each race.
- Maintain your aerobic base.
- Know when you have had enough.
1. Select Your Races Wisely
In choosing your races, balance the desire to race frequently with your passion to race well. Too much racing and too little training can quickly compromise your performances. When you select your races, try to cluster two or three races together with several weeks for training between clusters. This will provide plenty of racing opportunities but also allow adequate training time between clusters. For example, you could race a 5K, 10K, and 15K in close succession and then devote three or four weeks to training to top up your aerobic base with higher mileage and longer endurance runs. By alternating clusters of races with several weeks of solid training, you can race frequently but also maintain your fitness across a long racing season.
2. Prepare Specifically for Your Next Race
The specific preparation required for your next race depends on the distance of your next race and the emphasis of your recent training. This chapter offers balanced preparation to race from 5K through the half marathon. To fine-tune your preparation for a 5K or 10K, you can simply include several V\od\O2max workouts (or, in the case of a 15K, 10 mile, or half marathon, add a few lactate threshold sessions and endurance runs). You can also simply jump into the appropriate training schedule for that distance.
3. Taper Just Enough for Each Race
As you saw in chapter 6, a thorough taper allows your body to fully recover so you can race your best. Too many thorough tapers too close together, however, can lead to a loss of fitness during the course of your racing season. To race optimally over multiple races, you need to abbreviate your taper for all but the most important races. Chapter 6 describes a four-day mini-taper for less important races and a one-week taper for moderately important races. Make sure to save the full two-week taper for a few key races per year.
4. Recover Quickly From Each Race
To repeatedly race successfully, you will benefit from learning to recover quickly from your races so you can return to full training quickly. One key is to hold back during the first three days after your race when your muscles and tendons are stiff and least resilient. After three days, if you do not have particularly tight muscles threatening to become an injury, you can start to safely increase your mileage. Other suggestions for speeding recovery are provided in chapter 2. How quickly to ramp up your training depends on the distance you have raced; longer races require longer recovery before you get back to full training.
5. Maintain Your Aerobic Base
The most important factor in racing repeatedly at a high level across a long season is to maintain your aerobic base. When you taper, race, and recover repeatedly, your mileage begins to slip. This is not a problem for one or two races, but across several races you may find that your training volume has been reduced for a prolonged period and your aerobic fitness is eroding.
To avoid losing your aerobic base and the associated reduction in racing performance, you need to find ways to maintain your training mileage between races. The following are strategies for maintaining mileage during your racing season:
- Increase the duration of your warm-up and cool-down before and after V\od\O2max workouts, lactate threshold sessions, speed workouts, and races.
- Add a few miles to your endurance runs and general aerobic runs.
- Add an easy recovery run on days with a V\od\O2max workout or speed session.
6. Know When You Have Had Enough
The final consideration in designing your racing schedule is maintaining your hunger to race. Racing too often eventually leads to a lack of desire and lackluster performances. Only you can judge when another race is one too many.
Learn more about Faster Road Racing.
Three types of Masters Athletes
Not all masters runners are created alike. Because of differences in training background and motivation, some masters athletes experience a period of record-setting racing while others struggle to ward off a steady decline.
Types of Masters Athletes
Not all masters runners are created alike. Because of differences in training background and motivation, some masters athletes experience a period of record-setting racing while others struggle to ward off a steady decline. A separate group is just happy to be lacing up the flats again, thrilled that the sport they quit has something to offer them again.
Figuring out what type of masters athlete you are is more than just semantics. It gives you the best chance to set appropriate goals and better adapt to the effects of aging. The following are three categories that embody the bulk of competitive masters runners.
Serious Lifetime Runners
Runners who have seriously pursued their sport since their youth often continue to compete into middle age and beyond. These runners have experienced all the highs and lows running has to offer and continue to push their physical limits. Decades of training have given them an enviable aerobic background and a firm understanding of where they fit in the running hierarchy.
In many ways the aging process is hardest on this group because its effects are most visible. Assuming consistent training and a normal progression, most serious lifetime runners recorded their PRs in distances of 5K and up from the ages of 25 to 35, saw a small drop in performance through their 40s, and then followed that with a more accelerated slowing thereafter. If they are to find continued meaning in the competitive side of the sport, most serious lifetime runners need to shift their focus to age-group racing and age-graded performances (discussed later in this chapter).
That's not to say that lifetime runners can't succeed at the highest level as masters. Haile Gebrselassie, the former world record holder in the 5,000 and 10,000 meters and marathon, immediately set masters world records in the 10K and 10-mile after turning 40. American legend Joan Benoit Samuelson has kept up superior racing even longer, winning gold at the 1984 Olympic marathon as a 27-year-old, then running in her eighth Olympic Trials marathon in 2008 as a 50-year-old.
Legendary Bill Rodgers: Aging Gracefully
http://www.humankinetics.com/AcuCustom/Sitename/DAM/133/E6202_790417085_ebook_Main.jpg
AP Photo
Bill Rodgers, the legendary four-time winner of both the Boston Marathon and New York City Marathon, remained remarkably successful through his 40s and 50s. He still holds three U.S. records for 45- to 49-year-olds in the 8K (24:41), 15K (48:00), and half marathon (1:08:05). In addition, he once held the masters world record in the 10K with a time of 29:47.
As with many aging runners, Rodgers' path to masters glory has not been all smooth sailing. At the age of 56 he had his first major injury, breaking his right tibia, and at age 60 he was diagnosed with prostate cancer. Undeterred, Rodgers returned to the Falmouth Road Race at the age of 65 and won his age group - 40 years after winning the race outright. "These two ‘injuries' have provided me with good excuses for why I'm not as fast as some others my age," he says with his characteristic charm.
Rodgers still travels to 25 to 30 races per year in his longtime inspirational role to legions of younger runners but is more selective about how often he competes. "Seriously, I still like to race, but find I'm content to race less often now," he says. "I have run a half marathon this year in 1:44 and 10K in 47 minutes. Occasionally I can win my age group."
Rodgers conservatively guesses he's run close to 175,000 miles (280,000 km). "The tough thing for me is [the effect of] so many miles on my body after nearly 50 years as a runner," he says. To maintain his fitness, Rodgers still runs six days a week (although he believes he should only be running half that), runs on trails as much as possible, and hits the pool and lifts weights weekly. "I do some stretching but should do more," he says. "Overall I feel I need to do more cross-training. I also take naps probably three days a week for recovery, and have a deep-muscle massage every two weeks or so."
The one thing that doesn't seem to be in the cards is retirement. As Rodgers says, "It's still great to be a runner!"
New-to-the-Sport Masters Runners
Runners who begin training for the first time after the age of 40 often believe they have found the fountain of youth. In a short time they lose weight, improve their cholesterol profiles, and get fitter and faster from week to week while most of their peers are slowing and packing on the pounds.
As their love for the sport increases, new-to-the-sport masters runners are able to increase their training volume, improving their aerobic fitness. As their neuromuscular and cardiovascular systems adapt, these runners often seem to reverse the effects of aging by setting personal bests. When combined with the lack of accumulated wear and tear on their muscles, tendons, and joints, runners in this category often enjoy a five- to eight-year window in which they continue to set lifetime personal bests.
Kathy Martin
http://www.humankinetics.com/AcuCustom/Sitename/DAM/133/E6202_dsc_9845_ebook_Main.jpg
John Keklak
PRs since age 40: mile 5:14, 5K 17:23, 8K 28:57, 10K 36:31, half marathon 1:22:24
Age-group world records and American records at distances from 800 meters to 50K
There is inspiration. Then there's inspiration! Kathy Martin is the latter. It's hard to talk about her career without resorting to italics and exclamation points. Who, after all, goes from struggling to run around the block at age 30 to holding multiple age-group records at almost every conceivable distance? And who does it while working 60 to 70 hours a week as a real estate agent in high-demand Long Island, New York?
A relative latecomer to the sport, Martin didn't go for her first run until she was 30. Tagging along with her soon-to-be husband, Martin lasted all of 10 minutes before she was completely out of breath. "That was a huge ‘A-ha!' moment when I realized if I could not run a mile at 30, I would probably not be walking by the time I was 60," she says. "So I started running." After winning her first race, Martin flirted with the sport for more than a decade, taking time off to have a child and start her real estate career. But once she was introduced to masters track competitions, everything changed. "I like the rhythm of the roads, but the track distances are shorter and faster," she says. "I love that feeling as well. I love the variety that each provides."
Martin clearly loves variety. After turning 60 in 2011, she immediately went on a tear. She set American age-group records in the half marathon and marathon and won national championships in everything from the 1,500 meters to the 10,000 meters. She added world indoor records in the 1,500 meters and 3,000 meters. Perhaps most impressively, when she set the 50K American record for the 60 to 64 age group, her timed splits for 20K, 25K, and 30K were all American records as well.
That incredible range is the product of consistent training that touches on all the energy systems. While her mileage varies greatly depending on her race focus, Martin generally runs seven days per week on the roads and trails. Her husband, Chuck Gross, plans her training and includes a steady diet of lactate threshold runs, hill repeats, lots of V\od\O2max intervals, and a weekly long run. When preparing for shorter track races, Martin likes to include 1-minute pickups during her general aerobic runs to keep her legs feeling fast. Yoga, stretching, plyometrics, and weightlifting have all contributed to keeping her healthy and chasing records.
"I truly believe we need a posse of help as we age," she says. "So many runners I meet think they can just train through injuries. You can and need to incorporate into your training whatever is necessary to compete at a high level." In Martin's case this posse includes a chiropractor, physical therapist, massage therapist, and personal trainer to help with cross-training. She also pays extra attention to her nutrition and hydration compared to when she was younger.
Martin has one last bit of advice that she believes allows her to train at such a high level despite being in her 60s. It is simple, is available to all, and, not surprisingly, has an exclamation mark punctuating its end. The secret? "Keep it fun!" she says.
Born-Again Masters Runners
Careers. Families. Other interests. The reasons high school and college runners give up the sport during their primes are as diverse as the runners themselves. So, too, are the reasons for picking the sport back up after turning 40. Many born-again masters runners begin running again for health purposes, only to find the old competitive flame still burning as their fitness increases.
Born-again masters runners share many attributes with the other two groups. Like their new-to-the-sport friends, runners in this category often experience a period of rapid aerobic development and sustained period of improved performances. Those gains may have a different context, however, because born-again runners have a deeper background in the sport from their younger days. And as runners like Pete Magill (profiled at the end of this chapter) show, some born-again masters runners can turn in world-class performances upon returning to the sport, regardless of how long a hiatus they took.
Learn more about Faster Road Racing.
Training for an 8K or 10K race
Three training schedules are provided to prepare you to race your best at 8K or 10K. Each training schedule is twelve weeks in duration. Simply select the schedule that starts closest to your current training mileage.
Training Schedules for 8K and 10K Races
Three training schedules are provided to prepare you to race your best at 8K or 10K. Each training schedule is twelve weeks in duration. Simply select the schedule that starts closest to your current training mileage.
Training for Races of 8K to 10K: 30 to 42 Miles per Week
This schedule is for runners who have been training 25 to 35 miles per week. If you have been running fewer than 25 miles per week, you should follow the base-training schedule in chapter 8 for building up to 30 miles per week before attempting this schedule. The schedule starts at 30 miles per week and gradually builds up to 42 miles with three weeks to go before your goal race. The training then tapers so you are fit and refreshed for race day.
Training for Races of 8K to 10K: 45 to 57 Miles per Week
This schedule is for runners who have been training 40 to 50 miles per week. If you have been running fewer than 40 miles per week, follow the base-training schedule in chapter 8 for building up to 45 miles per week before attempting this schedule. This schedule starts at 45 miles per week and gradually builds up to 57 miles with three weeks to go before your goal race. The training then tapers so you are fit and refreshed for race day.
Training for Races of 8K to 10K: 60 to 76 Miles per Week
This schedule is for runners who have been training 55 to 65 miles per week. If you have been running fewer than 55 miles per week, follow the base-training schedule in chapter 8 for building up to 60 miles per week before attempting this schedule. This schedule starts at 60 miles per week and gradually builds up to 76 miles with three weeks to go before your goal race. The training then tapers so you are fit and refreshed for race day.
http://www.humankinetics.com/AcuCustom/Sitename/DAM/133/E6202_501567a_ebook_Main.png
Learn more about Faster Road Racing.
After the race…
Each of the schedules includes a week after your key race for recovery and a transition into full training for your next race. During the recovery week, the running is easy to allow your muscles to recover and loosen up from your supreme race effort.
After the Race
Each of the schedules includes a week after your key race for recovery and a transition into full training for your next race. During the recovery week, the running is easy to allow your muscles to recover and loosen up from your supreme race effort. The only effort is a set of strides on Saturday, to stretch your legs and help them feel normal again. If you have raced 15K or longer, you may need an extra several days or even another week to fully recover. You will find two-week recovery schedules in chapters 10 and 11.
Continuing Your Season
After your goal race, the question is what to do next. The schedules in this chapter will get you back racing on the roads almost immediately. After 10 weeks of diligent training, you will be fit and can continue to race successfully over a range of distances. This is a great opportunity to show your fitness at distances from 5K through the half marathon. With careful planning, you can repeatedly race at close to your best. Appendix B shows equivalent race performances from 5K through the half marathon to help you compare performances between race distances and set goals for your upcoming races. The following guidelines will assist you in repeatedly racing successfully:
- Select your races wisely.
- Prepare specifically for your next race.
- Taper just enough for each race.
- Recover quickly from each race.
- Maintain your aerobic base.
- Know when you have had enough.
1. Select Your Races Wisely
In choosing your races, balance the desire to race frequently with your passion to race well. Too much racing and too little training can quickly compromise your performances. When you select your races, try to cluster two or three races together with several weeks for training between clusters. This will provide plenty of racing opportunities but also allow adequate training time between clusters. For example, you could race a 5K, 10K, and 15K in close succession and then devote three or four weeks to training to top up your aerobic base with higher mileage and longer endurance runs. By alternating clusters of races with several weeks of solid training, you can race frequently but also maintain your fitness across a long racing season.
2. Prepare Specifically for Your Next Race
The specific preparation required for your next race depends on the distance of your next race and the emphasis of your recent training. This chapter offers balanced preparation to race from 5K through the half marathon. To fine-tune your preparation for a 5K or 10K, you can simply include several V\od\O2max workouts (or, in the case of a 15K, 10 mile, or half marathon, add a few lactate threshold sessions and endurance runs). You can also simply jump into the appropriate training schedule for that distance.
3. Taper Just Enough for Each Race
As you saw in chapter 6, a thorough taper allows your body to fully recover so you can race your best. Too many thorough tapers too close together, however, can lead to a loss of fitness during the course of your racing season. To race optimally over multiple races, you need to abbreviate your taper for all but the most important races. Chapter 6 describes a four-day mini-taper for less important races and a one-week taper for moderately important races. Make sure to save the full two-week taper for a few key races per year.
4. Recover Quickly From Each Race
To repeatedly race successfully, you will benefit from learning to recover quickly from your races so you can return to full training quickly. One key is to hold back during the first three days after your race when your muscles and tendons are stiff and least resilient. After three days, if you do not have particularly tight muscles threatening to become an injury, you can start to safely increase your mileage. Other suggestions for speeding recovery are provided in chapter 2. How quickly to ramp up your training depends on the distance you have raced; longer races require longer recovery before you get back to full training.
5. Maintain Your Aerobic Base
The most important factor in racing repeatedly at a high level across a long season is to maintain your aerobic base. When you taper, race, and recover repeatedly, your mileage begins to slip. This is not a problem for one or two races, but across several races you may find that your training volume has been reduced for a prolonged period and your aerobic fitness is eroding.
To avoid losing your aerobic base and the associated reduction in racing performance, you need to find ways to maintain your training mileage between races. The following are strategies for maintaining mileage during your racing season:
- Increase the duration of your warm-up and cool-down before and after V\od\O2max workouts, lactate threshold sessions, speed workouts, and races.
- Add a few miles to your endurance runs and general aerobic runs.
- Add an easy recovery run on days with a V\od\O2max workout or speed session.
6. Know When You Have Had Enough
The final consideration in designing your racing schedule is maintaining your hunger to race. Racing too often eventually leads to a lack of desire and lackluster performances. Only you can judge when another race is one too many.
Learn more about Faster Road Racing.
Three types of Masters Athletes
Not all masters runners are created alike. Because of differences in training background and motivation, some masters athletes experience a period of record-setting racing while others struggle to ward off a steady decline.
Types of Masters Athletes
Not all masters runners are created alike. Because of differences in training background and motivation, some masters athletes experience a period of record-setting racing while others struggle to ward off a steady decline. A separate group is just happy to be lacing up the flats again, thrilled that the sport they quit has something to offer them again.
Figuring out what type of masters athlete you are is more than just semantics. It gives you the best chance to set appropriate goals and better adapt to the effects of aging. The following are three categories that embody the bulk of competitive masters runners.
Serious Lifetime Runners
Runners who have seriously pursued their sport since their youth often continue to compete into middle age and beyond. These runners have experienced all the highs and lows running has to offer and continue to push their physical limits. Decades of training have given them an enviable aerobic background and a firm understanding of where they fit in the running hierarchy.
In many ways the aging process is hardest on this group because its effects are most visible. Assuming consistent training and a normal progression, most serious lifetime runners recorded their PRs in distances of 5K and up from the ages of 25 to 35, saw a small drop in performance through their 40s, and then followed that with a more accelerated slowing thereafter. If they are to find continued meaning in the competitive side of the sport, most serious lifetime runners need to shift their focus to age-group racing and age-graded performances (discussed later in this chapter).
That's not to say that lifetime runners can't succeed at the highest level as masters. Haile Gebrselassie, the former world record holder in the 5,000 and 10,000 meters and marathon, immediately set masters world records in the 10K and 10-mile after turning 40. American legend Joan Benoit Samuelson has kept up superior racing even longer, winning gold at the 1984 Olympic marathon as a 27-year-old, then running in her eighth Olympic Trials marathon in 2008 as a 50-year-old.
Legendary Bill Rodgers: Aging Gracefully
http://www.humankinetics.com/AcuCustom/Sitename/DAM/133/E6202_790417085_ebook_Main.jpg
AP Photo
Bill Rodgers, the legendary four-time winner of both the Boston Marathon and New York City Marathon, remained remarkably successful through his 40s and 50s. He still holds three U.S. records for 45- to 49-year-olds in the 8K (24:41), 15K (48:00), and half marathon (1:08:05). In addition, he once held the masters world record in the 10K with a time of 29:47.
As with many aging runners, Rodgers' path to masters glory has not been all smooth sailing. At the age of 56 he had his first major injury, breaking his right tibia, and at age 60 he was diagnosed with prostate cancer. Undeterred, Rodgers returned to the Falmouth Road Race at the age of 65 and won his age group - 40 years after winning the race outright. "These two ‘injuries' have provided me with good excuses for why I'm not as fast as some others my age," he says with his characteristic charm.
Rodgers still travels to 25 to 30 races per year in his longtime inspirational role to legions of younger runners but is more selective about how often he competes. "Seriously, I still like to race, but find I'm content to race less often now," he says. "I have run a half marathon this year in 1:44 and 10K in 47 minutes. Occasionally I can win my age group."
Rodgers conservatively guesses he's run close to 175,000 miles (280,000 km). "The tough thing for me is [the effect of] so many miles on my body after nearly 50 years as a runner," he says. To maintain his fitness, Rodgers still runs six days a week (although he believes he should only be running half that), runs on trails as much as possible, and hits the pool and lifts weights weekly. "I do some stretching but should do more," he says. "Overall I feel I need to do more cross-training. I also take naps probably three days a week for recovery, and have a deep-muscle massage every two weeks or so."
The one thing that doesn't seem to be in the cards is retirement. As Rodgers says, "It's still great to be a runner!"
New-to-the-Sport Masters Runners
Runners who begin training for the first time after the age of 40 often believe they have found the fountain of youth. In a short time they lose weight, improve their cholesterol profiles, and get fitter and faster from week to week while most of their peers are slowing and packing on the pounds.
As their love for the sport increases, new-to-the-sport masters runners are able to increase their training volume, improving their aerobic fitness. As their neuromuscular and cardiovascular systems adapt, these runners often seem to reverse the effects of aging by setting personal bests. When combined with the lack of accumulated wear and tear on their muscles, tendons, and joints, runners in this category often enjoy a five- to eight-year window in which they continue to set lifetime personal bests.
Kathy Martin
http://www.humankinetics.com/AcuCustom/Sitename/DAM/133/E6202_dsc_9845_ebook_Main.jpg
John Keklak
PRs since age 40: mile 5:14, 5K 17:23, 8K 28:57, 10K 36:31, half marathon 1:22:24
Age-group world records and American records at distances from 800 meters to 50K
There is inspiration. Then there's inspiration! Kathy Martin is the latter. It's hard to talk about her career without resorting to italics and exclamation points. Who, after all, goes from struggling to run around the block at age 30 to holding multiple age-group records at almost every conceivable distance? And who does it while working 60 to 70 hours a week as a real estate agent in high-demand Long Island, New York?
A relative latecomer to the sport, Martin didn't go for her first run until she was 30. Tagging along with her soon-to-be husband, Martin lasted all of 10 minutes before she was completely out of breath. "That was a huge ‘A-ha!' moment when I realized if I could not run a mile at 30, I would probably not be walking by the time I was 60," she says. "So I started running." After winning her first race, Martin flirted with the sport for more than a decade, taking time off to have a child and start her real estate career. But once she was introduced to masters track competitions, everything changed. "I like the rhythm of the roads, but the track distances are shorter and faster," she says. "I love that feeling as well. I love the variety that each provides."
Martin clearly loves variety. After turning 60 in 2011, she immediately went on a tear. She set American age-group records in the half marathon and marathon and won national championships in everything from the 1,500 meters to the 10,000 meters. She added world indoor records in the 1,500 meters and 3,000 meters. Perhaps most impressively, when she set the 50K American record for the 60 to 64 age group, her timed splits for 20K, 25K, and 30K were all American records as well.
That incredible range is the product of consistent training that touches on all the energy systems. While her mileage varies greatly depending on her race focus, Martin generally runs seven days per week on the roads and trails. Her husband, Chuck Gross, plans her training and includes a steady diet of lactate threshold runs, hill repeats, lots of V\od\O2max intervals, and a weekly long run. When preparing for shorter track races, Martin likes to include 1-minute pickups during her general aerobic runs to keep her legs feeling fast. Yoga, stretching, plyometrics, and weightlifting have all contributed to keeping her healthy and chasing records.
"I truly believe we need a posse of help as we age," she says. "So many runners I meet think they can just train through injuries. You can and need to incorporate into your training whatever is necessary to compete at a high level." In Martin's case this posse includes a chiropractor, physical therapist, massage therapist, and personal trainer to help with cross-training. She also pays extra attention to her nutrition and hydration compared to when she was younger.
Martin has one last bit of advice that she believes allows her to train at such a high level despite being in her 60s. It is simple, is available to all, and, not surprisingly, has an exclamation mark punctuating its end. The secret? "Keep it fun!" she says.
Born-Again Masters Runners
Careers. Families. Other interests. The reasons high school and college runners give up the sport during their primes are as diverse as the runners themselves. So, too, are the reasons for picking the sport back up after turning 40. Many born-again masters runners begin running again for health purposes, only to find the old competitive flame still burning as their fitness increases.
Born-again masters runners share many attributes with the other two groups. Like their new-to-the-sport friends, runners in this category often experience a period of rapid aerobic development and sustained period of improved performances. Those gains may have a different context, however, because born-again runners have a deeper background in the sport from their younger days. And as runners like Pete Magill (profiled at the end of this chapter) show, some born-again masters runners can turn in world-class performances upon returning to the sport, regardless of how long a hiatus they took.
Learn more about Faster Road Racing.
Training for an 8K or 10K race
Three training schedules are provided to prepare you to race your best at 8K or 10K. Each training schedule is twelve weeks in duration. Simply select the schedule that starts closest to your current training mileage.
Training Schedules for 8K and 10K Races
Three training schedules are provided to prepare you to race your best at 8K or 10K. Each training schedule is twelve weeks in duration. Simply select the schedule that starts closest to your current training mileage.
Training for Races of 8K to 10K: 30 to 42 Miles per Week
This schedule is for runners who have been training 25 to 35 miles per week. If you have been running fewer than 25 miles per week, you should follow the base-training schedule in chapter 8 for building up to 30 miles per week before attempting this schedule. The schedule starts at 30 miles per week and gradually builds up to 42 miles with three weeks to go before your goal race. The training then tapers so you are fit and refreshed for race day.
Training for Races of 8K to 10K: 45 to 57 Miles per Week
This schedule is for runners who have been training 40 to 50 miles per week. If you have been running fewer than 40 miles per week, follow the base-training schedule in chapter 8 for building up to 45 miles per week before attempting this schedule. This schedule starts at 45 miles per week and gradually builds up to 57 miles with three weeks to go before your goal race. The training then tapers so you are fit and refreshed for race day.
Training for Races of 8K to 10K: 60 to 76 Miles per Week
This schedule is for runners who have been training 55 to 65 miles per week. If you have been running fewer than 55 miles per week, follow the base-training schedule in chapter 8 for building up to 60 miles per week before attempting this schedule. This schedule starts at 60 miles per week and gradually builds up to 76 miles with three weeks to go before your goal race. The training then tapers so you are fit and refreshed for race day.
http://www.humankinetics.com/AcuCustom/Sitename/DAM/133/E6202_501567a_ebook_Main.png
Learn more about Faster Road Racing.
After the race…
Each of the schedules includes a week after your key race for recovery and a transition into full training for your next race. During the recovery week, the running is easy to allow your muscles to recover and loosen up from your supreme race effort.
After the Race
Each of the schedules includes a week after your key race for recovery and a transition into full training for your next race. During the recovery week, the running is easy to allow your muscles to recover and loosen up from your supreme race effort. The only effort is a set of strides on Saturday, to stretch your legs and help them feel normal again. If you have raced 15K or longer, you may need an extra several days or even another week to fully recover. You will find two-week recovery schedules in chapters 10 and 11.
Continuing Your Season
After your goal race, the question is what to do next. The schedules in this chapter will get you back racing on the roads almost immediately. After 10 weeks of diligent training, you will be fit and can continue to race successfully over a range of distances. This is a great opportunity to show your fitness at distances from 5K through the half marathon. With careful planning, you can repeatedly race at close to your best. Appendix B shows equivalent race performances from 5K through the half marathon to help you compare performances between race distances and set goals for your upcoming races. The following guidelines will assist you in repeatedly racing successfully:
- Select your races wisely.
- Prepare specifically for your next race.
- Taper just enough for each race.
- Recover quickly from each race.
- Maintain your aerobic base.
- Know when you have had enough.
1. Select Your Races Wisely
In choosing your races, balance the desire to race frequently with your passion to race well. Too much racing and too little training can quickly compromise your performances. When you select your races, try to cluster two or three races together with several weeks for training between clusters. This will provide plenty of racing opportunities but also allow adequate training time between clusters. For example, you could race a 5K, 10K, and 15K in close succession and then devote three or four weeks to training to top up your aerobic base with higher mileage and longer endurance runs. By alternating clusters of races with several weeks of solid training, you can race frequently but also maintain your fitness across a long racing season.
2. Prepare Specifically for Your Next Race
The specific preparation required for your next race depends on the distance of your next race and the emphasis of your recent training. This chapter offers balanced preparation to race from 5K through the half marathon. To fine-tune your preparation for a 5K or 10K, you can simply include several V\od\O2max workouts (or, in the case of a 15K, 10 mile, or half marathon, add a few lactate threshold sessions and endurance runs). You can also simply jump into the appropriate training schedule for that distance.
3. Taper Just Enough for Each Race
As you saw in chapter 6, a thorough taper allows your body to fully recover so you can race your best. Too many thorough tapers too close together, however, can lead to a loss of fitness during the course of your racing season. To race optimally over multiple races, you need to abbreviate your taper for all but the most important races. Chapter 6 describes a four-day mini-taper for less important races and a one-week taper for moderately important races. Make sure to save the full two-week taper for a few key races per year.
4. Recover Quickly From Each Race
To repeatedly race successfully, you will benefit from learning to recover quickly from your races so you can return to full training quickly. One key is to hold back during the first three days after your race when your muscles and tendons are stiff and least resilient. After three days, if you do not have particularly tight muscles threatening to become an injury, you can start to safely increase your mileage. Other suggestions for speeding recovery are provided in chapter 2. How quickly to ramp up your training depends on the distance you have raced; longer races require longer recovery before you get back to full training.
5. Maintain Your Aerobic Base
The most important factor in racing repeatedly at a high level across a long season is to maintain your aerobic base. When you taper, race, and recover repeatedly, your mileage begins to slip. This is not a problem for one or two races, but across several races you may find that your training volume has been reduced for a prolonged period and your aerobic fitness is eroding.
To avoid losing your aerobic base and the associated reduction in racing performance, you need to find ways to maintain your training mileage between races. The following are strategies for maintaining mileage during your racing season:
- Increase the duration of your warm-up and cool-down before and after V\od\O2max workouts, lactate threshold sessions, speed workouts, and races.
- Add a few miles to your endurance runs and general aerobic runs.
- Add an easy recovery run on days with a V\od\O2max workout or speed session.
6. Know When You Have Had Enough
The final consideration in designing your racing schedule is maintaining your hunger to race. Racing too often eventually leads to a lack of desire and lackluster performances. Only you can judge when another race is one too many.
Learn more about Faster Road Racing.
Three types of Masters Athletes
Not all masters runners are created alike. Because of differences in training background and motivation, some masters athletes experience a period of record-setting racing while others struggle to ward off a steady decline.
Types of Masters Athletes
Not all masters runners are created alike. Because of differences in training background and motivation, some masters athletes experience a period of record-setting racing while others struggle to ward off a steady decline. A separate group is just happy to be lacing up the flats again, thrilled that the sport they quit has something to offer them again.
Figuring out what type of masters athlete you are is more than just semantics. It gives you the best chance to set appropriate goals and better adapt to the effects of aging. The following are three categories that embody the bulk of competitive masters runners.
Serious Lifetime Runners
Runners who have seriously pursued their sport since their youth often continue to compete into middle age and beyond. These runners have experienced all the highs and lows running has to offer and continue to push their physical limits. Decades of training have given them an enviable aerobic background and a firm understanding of where they fit in the running hierarchy.
In many ways the aging process is hardest on this group because its effects are most visible. Assuming consistent training and a normal progression, most serious lifetime runners recorded their PRs in distances of 5K and up from the ages of 25 to 35, saw a small drop in performance through their 40s, and then followed that with a more accelerated slowing thereafter. If they are to find continued meaning in the competitive side of the sport, most serious lifetime runners need to shift their focus to age-group racing and age-graded performances (discussed later in this chapter).
That's not to say that lifetime runners can't succeed at the highest level as masters. Haile Gebrselassie, the former world record holder in the 5,000 and 10,000 meters and marathon, immediately set masters world records in the 10K and 10-mile after turning 40. American legend Joan Benoit Samuelson has kept up superior racing even longer, winning gold at the 1984 Olympic marathon as a 27-year-old, then running in her eighth Olympic Trials marathon in 2008 as a 50-year-old.
Legendary Bill Rodgers: Aging Gracefully
http://www.humankinetics.com/AcuCustom/Sitename/DAM/133/E6202_790417085_ebook_Main.jpg
AP Photo
Bill Rodgers, the legendary four-time winner of both the Boston Marathon and New York City Marathon, remained remarkably successful through his 40s and 50s. He still holds three U.S. records for 45- to 49-year-olds in the 8K (24:41), 15K (48:00), and half marathon (1:08:05). In addition, he once held the masters world record in the 10K with a time of 29:47.
As with many aging runners, Rodgers' path to masters glory has not been all smooth sailing. At the age of 56 he had his first major injury, breaking his right tibia, and at age 60 he was diagnosed with prostate cancer. Undeterred, Rodgers returned to the Falmouth Road Race at the age of 65 and won his age group - 40 years after winning the race outright. "These two ‘injuries' have provided me with good excuses for why I'm not as fast as some others my age," he says with his characteristic charm.
Rodgers still travels to 25 to 30 races per year in his longtime inspirational role to legions of younger runners but is more selective about how often he competes. "Seriously, I still like to race, but find I'm content to race less often now," he says. "I have run a half marathon this year in 1:44 and 10K in 47 minutes. Occasionally I can win my age group."
Rodgers conservatively guesses he's run close to 175,000 miles (280,000 km). "The tough thing for me is [the effect of] so many miles on my body after nearly 50 years as a runner," he says. To maintain his fitness, Rodgers still runs six days a week (although he believes he should only be running half that), runs on trails as much as possible, and hits the pool and lifts weights weekly. "I do some stretching but should do more," he says. "Overall I feel I need to do more cross-training. I also take naps probably three days a week for recovery, and have a deep-muscle massage every two weeks or so."
The one thing that doesn't seem to be in the cards is retirement. As Rodgers says, "It's still great to be a runner!"
New-to-the-Sport Masters Runners
Runners who begin training for the first time after the age of 40 often believe they have found the fountain of youth. In a short time they lose weight, improve their cholesterol profiles, and get fitter and faster from week to week while most of their peers are slowing and packing on the pounds.
As their love for the sport increases, new-to-the-sport masters runners are able to increase their training volume, improving their aerobic fitness. As their neuromuscular and cardiovascular systems adapt, these runners often seem to reverse the effects of aging by setting personal bests. When combined with the lack of accumulated wear and tear on their muscles, tendons, and joints, runners in this category often enjoy a five- to eight-year window in which they continue to set lifetime personal bests.
Kathy Martin
http://www.humankinetics.com/AcuCustom/Sitename/DAM/133/E6202_dsc_9845_ebook_Main.jpg
John Keklak
PRs since age 40: mile 5:14, 5K 17:23, 8K 28:57, 10K 36:31, half marathon 1:22:24
Age-group world records and American records at distances from 800 meters to 50K
There is inspiration. Then there's inspiration! Kathy Martin is the latter. It's hard to talk about her career without resorting to italics and exclamation points. Who, after all, goes from struggling to run around the block at age 30 to holding multiple age-group records at almost every conceivable distance? And who does it while working 60 to 70 hours a week as a real estate agent in high-demand Long Island, New York?
A relative latecomer to the sport, Martin didn't go for her first run until she was 30. Tagging along with her soon-to-be husband, Martin lasted all of 10 minutes before she was completely out of breath. "That was a huge ‘A-ha!' moment when I realized if I could not run a mile at 30, I would probably not be walking by the time I was 60," she says. "So I started running." After winning her first race, Martin flirted with the sport for more than a decade, taking time off to have a child and start her real estate career. But once she was introduced to masters track competitions, everything changed. "I like the rhythm of the roads, but the track distances are shorter and faster," she says. "I love that feeling as well. I love the variety that each provides."
Martin clearly loves variety. After turning 60 in 2011, she immediately went on a tear. She set American age-group records in the half marathon and marathon and won national championships in everything from the 1,500 meters to the 10,000 meters. She added world indoor records in the 1,500 meters and 3,000 meters. Perhaps most impressively, when she set the 50K American record for the 60 to 64 age group, her timed splits for 20K, 25K, and 30K were all American records as well.
That incredible range is the product of consistent training that touches on all the energy systems. While her mileage varies greatly depending on her race focus, Martin generally runs seven days per week on the roads and trails. Her husband, Chuck Gross, plans her training and includes a steady diet of lactate threshold runs, hill repeats, lots of V\od\O2max intervals, and a weekly long run. When preparing for shorter track races, Martin likes to include 1-minute pickups during her general aerobic runs to keep her legs feeling fast. Yoga, stretching, plyometrics, and weightlifting have all contributed to keeping her healthy and chasing records.
"I truly believe we need a posse of help as we age," she says. "So many runners I meet think they can just train through injuries. You can and need to incorporate into your training whatever is necessary to compete at a high level." In Martin's case this posse includes a chiropractor, physical therapist, massage therapist, and personal trainer to help with cross-training. She also pays extra attention to her nutrition and hydration compared to when she was younger.
Martin has one last bit of advice that she believes allows her to train at such a high level despite being in her 60s. It is simple, is available to all, and, not surprisingly, has an exclamation mark punctuating its end. The secret? "Keep it fun!" she says.
Born-Again Masters Runners
Careers. Families. Other interests. The reasons high school and college runners give up the sport during their primes are as diverse as the runners themselves. So, too, are the reasons for picking the sport back up after turning 40. Many born-again masters runners begin running again for health purposes, only to find the old competitive flame still burning as their fitness increases.
Born-again masters runners share many attributes with the other two groups. Like their new-to-the-sport friends, runners in this category often experience a period of rapid aerobic development and sustained period of improved performances. Those gains may have a different context, however, because born-again runners have a deeper background in the sport from their younger days. And as runners like Pete Magill (profiled at the end of this chapter) show, some born-again masters runners can turn in world-class performances upon returning to the sport, regardless of how long a hiatus they took.
Learn more about Faster Road Racing.
Training for an 8K or 10K race
Three training schedules are provided to prepare you to race your best at 8K or 10K. Each training schedule is twelve weeks in duration. Simply select the schedule that starts closest to your current training mileage.
Training Schedules for 8K and 10K Races
Three training schedules are provided to prepare you to race your best at 8K or 10K. Each training schedule is twelve weeks in duration. Simply select the schedule that starts closest to your current training mileage.
Training for Races of 8K to 10K: 30 to 42 Miles per Week
This schedule is for runners who have been training 25 to 35 miles per week. If you have been running fewer than 25 miles per week, you should follow the base-training schedule in chapter 8 for building up to 30 miles per week before attempting this schedule. The schedule starts at 30 miles per week and gradually builds up to 42 miles with three weeks to go before your goal race. The training then tapers so you are fit and refreshed for race day.
Training for Races of 8K to 10K: 45 to 57 Miles per Week
This schedule is for runners who have been training 40 to 50 miles per week. If you have been running fewer than 40 miles per week, follow the base-training schedule in chapter 8 for building up to 45 miles per week before attempting this schedule. This schedule starts at 45 miles per week and gradually builds up to 57 miles with three weeks to go before your goal race. The training then tapers so you are fit and refreshed for race day.
Training for Races of 8K to 10K: 60 to 76 Miles per Week
This schedule is for runners who have been training 55 to 65 miles per week. If you have been running fewer than 55 miles per week, follow the base-training schedule in chapter 8 for building up to 60 miles per week before attempting this schedule. This schedule starts at 60 miles per week and gradually builds up to 76 miles with three weeks to go before your goal race. The training then tapers so you are fit and refreshed for race day.
http://www.humankinetics.com/AcuCustom/Sitename/DAM/133/E6202_501567a_ebook_Main.png
Learn more about Faster Road Racing.
After the race…
Each of the schedules includes a week after your key race for recovery and a transition into full training for your next race. During the recovery week, the running is easy to allow your muscles to recover and loosen up from your supreme race effort.
After the Race
Each of the schedules includes a week after your key race for recovery and a transition into full training for your next race. During the recovery week, the running is easy to allow your muscles to recover and loosen up from your supreme race effort. The only effort is a set of strides on Saturday, to stretch your legs and help them feel normal again. If you have raced 15K or longer, you may need an extra several days or even another week to fully recover. You will find two-week recovery schedules in chapters 10 and 11.
Continuing Your Season
After your goal race, the question is what to do next. The schedules in this chapter will get you back racing on the roads almost immediately. After 10 weeks of diligent training, you will be fit and can continue to race successfully over a range of distances. This is a great opportunity to show your fitness at distances from 5K through the half marathon. With careful planning, you can repeatedly race at close to your best. Appendix B shows equivalent race performances from 5K through the half marathon to help you compare performances between race distances and set goals for your upcoming races. The following guidelines will assist you in repeatedly racing successfully:
- Select your races wisely.
- Prepare specifically for your next race.
- Taper just enough for each race.
- Recover quickly from each race.
- Maintain your aerobic base.
- Know when you have had enough.
1. Select Your Races Wisely
In choosing your races, balance the desire to race frequently with your passion to race well. Too much racing and too little training can quickly compromise your performances. When you select your races, try to cluster two or three races together with several weeks for training between clusters. This will provide plenty of racing opportunities but also allow adequate training time between clusters. For example, you could race a 5K, 10K, and 15K in close succession and then devote three or four weeks to training to top up your aerobic base with higher mileage and longer endurance runs. By alternating clusters of races with several weeks of solid training, you can race frequently but also maintain your fitness across a long racing season.
2. Prepare Specifically for Your Next Race
The specific preparation required for your next race depends on the distance of your next race and the emphasis of your recent training. This chapter offers balanced preparation to race from 5K through the half marathon. To fine-tune your preparation for a 5K or 10K, you can simply include several V\od\O2max workouts (or, in the case of a 15K, 10 mile, or half marathon, add a few lactate threshold sessions and endurance runs). You can also simply jump into the appropriate training schedule for that distance.
3. Taper Just Enough for Each Race
As you saw in chapter 6, a thorough taper allows your body to fully recover so you can race your best. Too many thorough tapers too close together, however, can lead to a loss of fitness during the course of your racing season. To race optimally over multiple races, you need to abbreviate your taper for all but the most important races. Chapter 6 describes a four-day mini-taper for less important races and a one-week taper for moderately important races. Make sure to save the full two-week taper for a few key races per year.
4. Recover Quickly From Each Race
To repeatedly race successfully, you will benefit from learning to recover quickly from your races so you can return to full training quickly. One key is to hold back during the first three days after your race when your muscles and tendons are stiff and least resilient. After three days, if you do not have particularly tight muscles threatening to become an injury, you can start to safely increase your mileage. Other suggestions for speeding recovery are provided in chapter 2. How quickly to ramp up your training depends on the distance you have raced; longer races require longer recovery before you get back to full training.
5. Maintain Your Aerobic Base
The most important factor in racing repeatedly at a high level across a long season is to maintain your aerobic base. When you taper, race, and recover repeatedly, your mileage begins to slip. This is not a problem for one or two races, but across several races you may find that your training volume has been reduced for a prolonged period and your aerobic fitness is eroding.
To avoid losing your aerobic base and the associated reduction in racing performance, you need to find ways to maintain your training mileage between races. The following are strategies for maintaining mileage during your racing season:
- Increase the duration of your warm-up and cool-down before and after V\od\O2max workouts, lactate threshold sessions, speed workouts, and races.
- Add a few miles to your endurance runs and general aerobic runs.
- Add an easy recovery run on days with a V\od\O2max workout or speed session.
6. Know When You Have Had Enough
The final consideration in designing your racing schedule is maintaining your hunger to race. Racing too often eventually leads to a lack of desire and lackluster performances. Only you can judge when another race is one too many.
Learn more about Faster Road Racing.
Three types of Masters Athletes
Not all masters runners are created alike. Because of differences in training background and motivation, some masters athletes experience a period of record-setting racing while others struggle to ward off a steady decline.
Types of Masters Athletes
Not all masters runners are created alike. Because of differences in training background and motivation, some masters athletes experience a period of record-setting racing while others struggle to ward off a steady decline. A separate group is just happy to be lacing up the flats again, thrilled that the sport they quit has something to offer them again.
Figuring out what type of masters athlete you are is more than just semantics. It gives you the best chance to set appropriate goals and better adapt to the effects of aging. The following are three categories that embody the bulk of competitive masters runners.
Serious Lifetime Runners
Runners who have seriously pursued their sport since their youth often continue to compete into middle age and beyond. These runners have experienced all the highs and lows running has to offer and continue to push their physical limits. Decades of training have given them an enviable aerobic background and a firm understanding of where they fit in the running hierarchy.
In many ways the aging process is hardest on this group because its effects are most visible. Assuming consistent training and a normal progression, most serious lifetime runners recorded their PRs in distances of 5K and up from the ages of 25 to 35, saw a small drop in performance through their 40s, and then followed that with a more accelerated slowing thereafter. If they are to find continued meaning in the competitive side of the sport, most serious lifetime runners need to shift their focus to age-group racing and age-graded performances (discussed later in this chapter).
That's not to say that lifetime runners can't succeed at the highest level as masters. Haile Gebrselassie, the former world record holder in the 5,000 and 10,000 meters and marathon, immediately set masters world records in the 10K and 10-mile after turning 40. American legend Joan Benoit Samuelson has kept up superior racing even longer, winning gold at the 1984 Olympic marathon as a 27-year-old, then running in her eighth Olympic Trials marathon in 2008 as a 50-year-old.
Legendary Bill Rodgers: Aging Gracefully
http://www.humankinetics.com/AcuCustom/Sitename/DAM/133/E6202_790417085_ebook_Main.jpg
AP Photo
Bill Rodgers, the legendary four-time winner of both the Boston Marathon and New York City Marathon, remained remarkably successful through his 40s and 50s. He still holds three U.S. records for 45- to 49-year-olds in the 8K (24:41), 15K (48:00), and half marathon (1:08:05). In addition, he once held the masters world record in the 10K with a time of 29:47.
As with many aging runners, Rodgers' path to masters glory has not been all smooth sailing. At the age of 56 he had his first major injury, breaking his right tibia, and at age 60 he was diagnosed with prostate cancer. Undeterred, Rodgers returned to the Falmouth Road Race at the age of 65 and won his age group - 40 years after winning the race outright. "These two ‘injuries' have provided me with good excuses for why I'm not as fast as some others my age," he says with his characteristic charm.
Rodgers still travels to 25 to 30 races per year in his longtime inspirational role to legions of younger runners but is more selective about how often he competes. "Seriously, I still like to race, but find I'm content to race less often now," he says. "I have run a half marathon this year in 1:44 and 10K in 47 minutes. Occasionally I can win my age group."
Rodgers conservatively guesses he's run close to 175,000 miles (280,000 km). "The tough thing for me is [the effect of] so many miles on my body after nearly 50 years as a runner," he says. To maintain his fitness, Rodgers still runs six days a week (although he believes he should only be running half that), runs on trails as much as possible, and hits the pool and lifts weights weekly. "I do some stretching but should do more," he says. "Overall I feel I need to do more cross-training. I also take naps probably three days a week for recovery, and have a deep-muscle massage every two weeks or so."
The one thing that doesn't seem to be in the cards is retirement. As Rodgers says, "It's still great to be a runner!"
New-to-the-Sport Masters Runners
Runners who begin training for the first time after the age of 40 often believe they have found the fountain of youth. In a short time they lose weight, improve their cholesterol profiles, and get fitter and faster from week to week while most of their peers are slowing and packing on the pounds.
As their love for the sport increases, new-to-the-sport masters runners are able to increase their training volume, improving their aerobic fitness. As their neuromuscular and cardiovascular systems adapt, these runners often seem to reverse the effects of aging by setting personal bests. When combined with the lack of accumulated wear and tear on their muscles, tendons, and joints, runners in this category often enjoy a five- to eight-year window in which they continue to set lifetime personal bests.
Kathy Martin
http://www.humankinetics.com/AcuCustom/Sitename/DAM/133/E6202_dsc_9845_ebook_Main.jpg
John Keklak
PRs since age 40: mile 5:14, 5K 17:23, 8K 28:57, 10K 36:31, half marathon 1:22:24
Age-group world records and American records at distances from 800 meters to 50K
There is inspiration. Then there's inspiration! Kathy Martin is the latter. It's hard to talk about her career without resorting to italics and exclamation points. Who, after all, goes from struggling to run around the block at age 30 to holding multiple age-group records at almost every conceivable distance? And who does it while working 60 to 70 hours a week as a real estate agent in high-demand Long Island, New York?
A relative latecomer to the sport, Martin didn't go for her first run until she was 30. Tagging along with her soon-to-be husband, Martin lasted all of 10 minutes before she was completely out of breath. "That was a huge ‘A-ha!' moment when I realized if I could not run a mile at 30, I would probably not be walking by the time I was 60," she says. "So I started running." After winning her first race, Martin flirted with the sport for more than a decade, taking time off to have a child and start her real estate career. But once she was introduced to masters track competitions, everything changed. "I like the rhythm of the roads, but the track distances are shorter and faster," she says. "I love that feeling as well. I love the variety that each provides."
Martin clearly loves variety. After turning 60 in 2011, she immediately went on a tear. She set American age-group records in the half marathon and marathon and won national championships in everything from the 1,500 meters to the 10,000 meters. She added world indoor records in the 1,500 meters and 3,000 meters. Perhaps most impressively, when she set the 50K American record for the 60 to 64 age group, her timed splits for 20K, 25K, and 30K were all American records as well.
That incredible range is the product of consistent training that touches on all the energy systems. While her mileage varies greatly depending on her race focus, Martin generally runs seven days per week on the roads and trails. Her husband, Chuck Gross, plans her training and includes a steady diet of lactate threshold runs, hill repeats, lots of V\od\O2max intervals, and a weekly long run. When preparing for shorter track races, Martin likes to include 1-minute pickups during her general aerobic runs to keep her legs feeling fast. Yoga, stretching, plyometrics, and weightlifting have all contributed to keeping her healthy and chasing records.
"I truly believe we need a posse of help as we age," she says. "So many runners I meet think they can just train through injuries. You can and need to incorporate into your training whatever is necessary to compete at a high level." In Martin's case this posse includes a chiropractor, physical therapist, massage therapist, and personal trainer to help with cross-training. She also pays extra attention to her nutrition and hydration compared to when she was younger.
Martin has one last bit of advice that she believes allows her to train at such a high level despite being in her 60s. It is simple, is available to all, and, not surprisingly, has an exclamation mark punctuating its end. The secret? "Keep it fun!" she says.
Born-Again Masters Runners
Careers. Families. Other interests. The reasons high school and college runners give up the sport during their primes are as diverse as the runners themselves. So, too, are the reasons for picking the sport back up after turning 40. Many born-again masters runners begin running again for health purposes, only to find the old competitive flame still burning as their fitness increases.
Born-again masters runners share many attributes with the other two groups. Like their new-to-the-sport friends, runners in this category often experience a period of rapid aerobic development and sustained period of improved performances. Those gains may have a different context, however, because born-again runners have a deeper background in the sport from their younger days. And as runners like Pete Magill (profiled at the end of this chapter) show, some born-again masters runners can turn in world-class performances upon returning to the sport, regardless of how long a hiatus they took.
Learn more about Faster Road Racing.
Training for an 8K or 10K race
Three training schedules are provided to prepare you to race your best at 8K or 10K. Each training schedule is twelve weeks in duration. Simply select the schedule that starts closest to your current training mileage.
Training Schedules for 8K and 10K Races
Three training schedules are provided to prepare you to race your best at 8K or 10K. Each training schedule is twelve weeks in duration. Simply select the schedule that starts closest to your current training mileage.
Training for Races of 8K to 10K: 30 to 42 Miles per Week
This schedule is for runners who have been training 25 to 35 miles per week. If you have been running fewer than 25 miles per week, you should follow the base-training schedule in chapter 8 for building up to 30 miles per week before attempting this schedule. The schedule starts at 30 miles per week and gradually builds up to 42 miles with three weeks to go before your goal race. The training then tapers so you are fit and refreshed for race day.
Training for Races of 8K to 10K: 45 to 57 Miles per Week
This schedule is for runners who have been training 40 to 50 miles per week. If you have been running fewer than 40 miles per week, follow the base-training schedule in chapter 8 for building up to 45 miles per week before attempting this schedule. This schedule starts at 45 miles per week and gradually builds up to 57 miles with three weeks to go before your goal race. The training then tapers so you are fit and refreshed for race day.
Training for Races of 8K to 10K: 60 to 76 Miles per Week
This schedule is for runners who have been training 55 to 65 miles per week. If you have been running fewer than 55 miles per week, follow the base-training schedule in chapter 8 for building up to 60 miles per week before attempting this schedule. This schedule starts at 60 miles per week and gradually builds up to 76 miles with three weeks to go before your goal race. The training then tapers so you are fit and refreshed for race day.
http://www.humankinetics.com/AcuCustom/Sitename/DAM/133/E6202_501567a_ebook_Main.png
Learn more about Faster Road Racing.
After the race…
Each of the schedules includes a week after your key race for recovery and a transition into full training for your next race. During the recovery week, the running is easy to allow your muscles to recover and loosen up from your supreme race effort.
After the Race
Each of the schedules includes a week after your key race for recovery and a transition into full training for your next race. During the recovery week, the running is easy to allow your muscles to recover and loosen up from your supreme race effort. The only effort is a set of strides on Saturday, to stretch your legs and help them feel normal again. If you have raced 15K or longer, you may need an extra several days or even another week to fully recover. You will find two-week recovery schedules in chapters 10 and 11.
Continuing Your Season
After your goal race, the question is what to do next. The schedules in this chapter will get you back racing on the roads almost immediately. After 10 weeks of diligent training, you will be fit and can continue to race successfully over a range of distances. This is a great opportunity to show your fitness at distances from 5K through the half marathon. With careful planning, you can repeatedly race at close to your best. Appendix B shows equivalent race performances from 5K through the half marathon to help you compare performances between race distances and set goals for your upcoming races. The following guidelines will assist you in repeatedly racing successfully:
- Select your races wisely.
- Prepare specifically for your next race.
- Taper just enough for each race.
- Recover quickly from each race.
- Maintain your aerobic base.
- Know when you have had enough.
1. Select Your Races Wisely
In choosing your races, balance the desire to race frequently with your passion to race well. Too much racing and too little training can quickly compromise your performances. When you select your races, try to cluster two or three races together with several weeks for training between clusters. This will provide plenty of racing opportunities but also allow adequate training time between clusters. For example, you could race a 5K, 10K, and 15K in close succession and then devote three or four weeks to training to top up your aerobic base with higher mileage and longer endurance runs. By alternating clusters of races with several weeks of solid training, you can race frequently but also maintain your fitness across a long racing season.
2. Prepare Specifically for Your Next Race
The specific preparation required for your next race depends on the distance of your next race and the emphasis of your recent training. This chapter offers balanced preparation to race from 5K through the half marathon. To fine-tune your preparation for a 5K or 10K, you can simply include several V\od\O2max workouts (or, in the case of a 15K, 10 mile, or half marathon, add a few lactate threshold sessions and endurance runs). You can also simply jump into the appropriate training schedule for that distance.
3. Taper Just Enough for Each Race
As you saw in chapter 6, a thorough taper allows your body to fully recover so you can race your best. Too many thorough tapers too close together, however, can lead to a loss of fitness during the course of your racing season. To race optimally over multiple races, you need to abbreviate your taper for all but the most important races. Chapter 6 describes a four-day mini-taper for less important races and a one-week taper for moderately important races. Make sure to save the full two-week taper for a few key races per year.
4. Recover Quickly From Each Race
To repeatedly race successfully, you will benefit from learning to recover quickly from your races so you can return to full training quickly. One key is to hold back during the first three days after your race when your muscles and tendons are stiff and least resilient. After three days, if you do not have particularly tight muscles threatening to become an injury, you can start to safely increase your mileage. Other suggestions for speeding recovery are provided in chapter 2. How quickly to ramp up your training depends on the distance you have raced; longer races require longer recovery before you get back to full training.
5. Maintain Your Aerobic Base
The most important factor in racing repeatedly at a high level across a long season is to maintain your aerobic base. When you taper, race, and recover repeatedly, your mileage begins to slip. This is not a problem for one or two races, but across several races you may find that your training volume has been reduced for a prolonged period and your aerobic fitness is eroding.
To avoid losing your aerobic base and the associated reduction in racing performance, you need to find ways to maintain your training mileage between races. The following are strategies for maintaining mileage during your racing season:
- Increase the duration of your warm-up and cool-down before and after V\od\O2max workouts, lactate threshold sessions, speed workouts, and races.
- Add a few miles to your endurance runs and general aerobic runs.
- Add an easy recovery run on days with a V\od\O2max workout or speed session.
6. Know When You Have Had Enough
The final consideration in designing your racing schedule is maintaining your hunger to race. Racing too often eventually leads to a lack of desire and lackluster performances. Only you can judge when another race is one too many.
Learn more about Faster Road Racing.
Three types of Masters Athletes
Not all masters runners are created alike. Because of differences in training background and motivation, some masters athletes experience a period of record-setting racing while others struggle to ward off a steady decline.
Types of Masters Athletes
Not all masters runners are created alike. Because of differences in training background and motivation, some masters athletes experience a period of record-setting racing while others struggle to ward off a steady decline. A separate group is just happy to be lacing up the flats again, thrilled that the sport they quit has something to offer them again.
Figuring out what type of masters athlete you are is more than just semantics. It gives you the best chance to set appropriate goals and better adapt to the effects of aging. The following are three categories that embody the bulk of competitive masters runners.
Serious Lifetime Runners
Runners who have seriously pursued their sport since their youth often continue to compete into middle age and beyond. These runners have experienced all the highs and lows running has to offer and continue to push their physical limits. Decades of training have given them an enviable aerobic background and a firm understanding of where they fit in the running hierarchy.
In many ways the aging process is hardest on this group because its effects are most visible. Assuming consistent training and a normal progression, most serious lifetime runners recorded their PRs in distances of 5K and up from the ages of 25 to 35, saw a small drop in performance through their 40s, and then followed that with a more accelerated slowing thereafter. If they are to find continued meaning in the competitive side of the sport, most serious lifetime runners need to shift their focus to age-group racing and age-graded performances (discussed later in this chapter).
That's not to say that lifetime runners can't succeed at the highest level as masters. Haile Gebrselassie, the former world record holder in the 5,000 and 10,000 meters and marathon, immediately set masters world records in the 10K and 10-mile after turning 40. American legend Joan Benoit Samuelson has kept up superior racing even longer, winning gold at the 1984 Olympic marathon as a 27-year-old, then running in her eighth Olympic Trials marathon in 2008 as a 50-year-old.
Legendary Bill Rodgers: Aging Gracefully
http://www.humankinetics.com/AcuCustom/Sitename/DAM/133/E6202_790417085_ebook_Main.jpg
AP Photo
Bill Rodgers, the legendary four-time winner of both the Boston Marathon and New York City Marathon, remained remarkably successful through his 40s and 50s. He still holds three U.S. records for 45- to 49-year-olds in the 8K (24:41), 15K (48:00), and half marathon (1:08:05). In addition, he once held the masters world record in the 10K with a time of 29:47.
As with many aging runners, Rodgers' path to masters glory has not been all smooth sailing. At the age of 56 he had his first major injury, breaking his right tibia, and at age 60 he was diagnosed with prostate cancer. Undeterred, Rodgers returned to the Falmouth Road Race at the age of 65 and won his age group - 40 years after winning the race outright. "These two ‘injuries' have provided me with good excuses for why I'm not as fast as some others my age," he says with his characteristic charm.
Rodgers still travels to 25 to 30 races per year in his longtime inspirational role to legions of younger runners but is more selective about how often he competes. "Seriously, I still like to race, but find I'm content to race less often now," he says. "I have run a half marathon this year in 1:44 and 10K in 47 minutes. Occasionally I can win my age group."
Rodgers conservatively guesses he's run close to 175,000 miles (280,000 km). "The tough thing for me is [the effect of] so many miles on my body after nearly 50 years as a runner," he says. To maintain his fitness, Rodgers still runs six days a week (although he believes he should only be running half that), runs on trails as much as possible, and hits the pool and lifts weights weekly. "I do some stretching but should do more," he says. "Overall I feel I need to do more cross-training. I also take naps probably three days a week for recovery, and have a deep-muscle massage every two weeks or so."
The one thing that doesn't seem to be in the cards is retirement. As Rodgers says, "It's still great to be a runner!"
New-to-the-Sport Masters Runners
Runners who begin training for the first time after the age of 40 often believe they have found the fountain of youth. In a short time they lose weight, improve their cholesterol profiles, and get fitter and faster from week to week while most of their peers are slowing and packing on the pounds.
As their love for the sport increases, new-to-the-sport masters runners are able to increase their training volume, improving their aerobic fitness. As their neuromuscular and cardiovascular systems adapt, these runners often seem to reverse the effects of aging by setting personal bests. When combined with the lack of accumulated wear and tear on their muscles, tendons, and joints, runners in this category often enjoy a five- to eight-year window in which they continue to set lifetime personal bests.
Kathy Martin
http://www.humankinetics.com/AcuCustom/Sitename/DAM/133/E6202_dsc_9845_ebook_Main.jpg
John Keklak
PRs since age 40: mile 5:14, 5K 17:23, 8K 28:57, 10K 36:31, half marathon 1:22:24
Age-group world records and American records at distances from 800 meters to 50K
There is inspiration. Then there's inspiration! Kathy Martin is the latter. It's hard to talk about her career without resorting to italics and exclamation points. Who, after all, goes from struggling to run around the block at age 30 to holding multiple age-group records at almost every conceivable distance? And who does it while working 60 to 70 hours a week as a real estate agent in high-demand Long Island, New York?
A relative latecomer to the sport, Martin didn't go for her first run until she was 30. Tagging along with her soon-to-be husband, Martin lasted all of 10 minutes before she was completely out of breath. "That was a huge ‘A-ha!' moment when I realized if I could not run a mile at 30, I would probably not be walking by the time I was 60," she says. "So I started running." After winning her first race, Martin flirted with the sport for more than a decade, taking time off to have a child and start her real estate career. But once she was introduced to masters track competitions, everything changed. "I like the rhythm of the roads, but the track distances are shorter and faster," she says. "I love that feeling as well. I love the variety that each provides."
Martin clearly loves variety. After turning 60 in 2011, she immediately went on a tear. She set American age-group records in the half marathon and marathon and won national championships in everything from the 1,500 meters to the 10,000 meters. She added world indoor records in the 1,500 meters and 3,000 meters. Perhaps most impressively, when she set the 50K American record for the 60 to 64 age group, her timed splits for 20K, 25K, and 30K were all American records as well.
That incredible range is the product of consistent training that touches on all the energy systems. While her mileage varies greatly depending on her race focus, Martin generally runs seven days per week on the roads and trails. Her husband, Chuck Gross, plans her training and includes a steady diet of lactate threshold runs, hill repeats, lots of V\od\O2max intervals, and a weekly long run. When preparing for shorter track races, Martin likes to include 1-minute pickups during her general aerobic runs to keep her legs feeling fast. Yoga, stretching, plyometrics, and weightlifting have all contributed to keeping her healthy and chasing records.
"I truly believe we need a posse of help as we age," she says. "So many runners I meet think they can just train through injuries. You can and need to incorporate into your training whatever is necessary to compete at a high level." In Martin's case this posse includes a chiropractor, physical therapist, massage therapist, and personal trainer to help with cross-training. She also pays extra attention to her nutrition and hydration compared to when she was younger.
Martin has one last bit of advice that she believes allows her to train at such a high level despite being in her 60s. It is simple, is available to all, and, not surprisingly, has an exclamation mark punctuating its end. The secret? "Keep it fun!" she says.
Born-Again Masters Runners
Careers. Families. Other interests. The reasons high school and college runners give up the sport during their primes are as diverse as the runners themselves. So, too, are the reasons for picking the sport back up after turning 40. Many born-again masters runners begin running again for health purposes, only to find the old competitive flame still burning as their fitness increases.
Born-again masters runners share many attributes with the other two groups. Like their new-to-the-sport friends, runners in this category often experience a period of rapid aerobic development and sustained period of improved performances. Those gains may have a different context, however, because born-again runners have a deeper background in the sport from their younger days. And as runners like Pete Magill (profiled at the end of this chapter) show, some born-again masters runners can turn in world-class performances upon returning to the sport, regardless of how long a hiatus they took.
Learn more about Faster Road Racing.
Training for an 8K or 10K race
Three training schedules are provided to prepare you to race your best at 8K or 10K. Each training schedule is twelve weeks in duration. Simply select the schedule that starts closest to your current training mileage.
Training Schedules for 8K and 10K Races
Three training schedules are provided to prepare you to race your best at 8K or 10K. Each training schedule is twelve weeks in duration. Simply select the schedule that starts closest to your current training mileage.
Training for Races of 8K to 10K: 30 to 42 Miles per Week
This schedule is for runners who have been training 25 to 35 miles per week. If you have been running fewer than 25 miles per week, you should follow the base-training schedule in chapter 8 for building up to 30 miles per week before attempting this schedule. The schedule starts at 30 miles per week and gradually builds up to 42 miles with three weeks to go before your goal race. The training then tapers so you are fit and refreshed for race day.
Training for Races of 8K to 10K: 45 to 57 Miles per Week
This schedule is for runners who have been training 40 to 50 miles per week. If you have been running fewer than 40 miles per week, follow the base-training schedule in chapter 8 for building up to 45 miles per week before attempting this schedule. This schedule starts at 45 miles per week and gradually builds up to 57 miles with three weeks to go before your goal race. The training then tapers so you are fit and refreshed for race day.
Training for Races of 8K to 10K: 60 to 76 Miles per Week
This schedule is for runners who have been training 55 to 65 miles per week. If you have been running fewer than 55 miles per week, follow the base-training schedule in chapter 8 for building up to 60 miles per week before attempting this schedule. This schedule starts at 60 miles per week and gradually builds up to 76 miles with three weeks to go before your goal race. The training then tapers so you are fit and refreshed for race day.
http://www.humankinetics.com/AcuCustom/Sitename/DAM/133/E6202_501567a_ebook_Main.png
Learn more about Faster Road Racing.
After the race…
Each of the schedules includes a week after your key race for recovery and a transition into full training for your next race. During the recovery week, the running is easy to allow your muscles to recover and loosen up from your supreme race effort.
After the Race
Each of the schedules includes a week after your key race for recovery and a transition into full training for your next race. During the recovery week, the running is easy to allow your muscles to recover and loosen up from your supreme race effort. The only effort is a set of strides on Saturday, to stretch your legs and help them feel normal again. If you have raced 15K or longer, you may need an extra several days or even another week to fully recover. You will find two-week recovery schedules in chapters 10 and 11.
Continuing Your Season
After your goal race, the question is what to do next. The schedules in this chapter will get you back racing on the roads almost immediately. After 10 weeks of diligent training, you will be fit and can continue to race successfully over a range of distances. This is a great opportunity to show your fitness at distances from 5K through the half marathon. With careful planning, you can repeatedly race at close to your best. Appendix B shows equivalent race performances from 5K through the half marathon to help you compare performances between race distances and set goals for your upcoming races. The following guidelines will assist you in repeatedly racing successfully:
- Select your races wisely.
- Prepare specifically for your next race.
- Taper just enough for each race.
- Recover quickly from each race.
- Maintain your aerobic base.
- Know when you have had enough.
1. Select Your Races Wisely
In choosing your races, balance the desire to race frequently with your passion to race well. Too much racing and too little training can quickly compromise your performances. When you select your races, try to cluster two or three races together with several weeks for training between clusters. This will provide plenty of racing opportunities but also allow adequate training time between clusters. For example, you could race a 5K, 10K, and 15K in close succession and then devote three or four weeks to training to top up your aerobic base with higher mileage and longer endurance runs. By alternating clusters of races with several weeks of solid training, you can race frequently but also maintain your fitness across a long racing season.
2. Prepare Specifically for Your Next Race
The specific preparation required for your next race depends on the distance of your next race and the emphasis of your recent training. This chapter offers balanced preparation to race from 5K through the half marathon. To fine-tune your preparation for a 5K or 10K, you can simply include several V\od\O2max workouts (or, in the case of a 15K, 10 mile, or half marathon, add a few lactate threshold sessions and endurance runs). You can also simply jump into the appropriate training schedule for that distance.
3. Taper Just Enough for Each Race
As you saw in chapter 6, a thorough taper allows your body to fully recover so you can race your best. Too many thorough tapers too close together, however, can lead to a loss of fitness during the course of your racing season. To race optimally over multiple races, you need to abbreviate your taper for all but the most important races. Chapter 6 describes a four-day mini-taper for less important races and a one-week taper for moderately important races. Make sure to save the full two-week taper for a few key races per year.
4. Recover Quickly From Each Race
To repeatedly race successfully, you will benefit from learning to recover quickly from your races so you can return to full training quickly. One key is to hold back during the first three days after your race when your muscles and tendons are stiff and least resilient. After three days, if you do not have particularly tight muscles threatening to become an injury, you can start to safely increase your mileage. Other suggestions for speeding recovery are provided in chapter 2. How quickly to ramp up your training depends on the distance you have raced; longer races require longer recovery before you get back to full training.
5. Maintain Your Aerobic Base
The most important factor in racing repeatedly at a high level across a long season is to maintain your aerobic base. When you taper, race, and recover repeatedly, your mileage begins to slip. This is not a problem for one or two races, but across several races you may find that your training volume has been reduced for a prolonged period and your aerobic fitness is eroding.
To avoid losing your aerobic base and the associated reduction in racing performance, you need to find ways to maintain your training mileage between races. The following are strategies for maintaining mileage during your racing season:
- Increase the duration of your warm-up and cool-down before and after V\od\O2max workouts, lactate threshold sessions, speed workouts, and races.
- Add a few miles to your endurance runs and general aerobic runs.
- Add an easy recovery run on days with a V\od\O2max workout or speed session.
6. Know When You Have Had Enough
The final consideration in designing your racing schedule is maintaining your hunger to race. Racing too often eventually leads to a lack of desire and lackluster performances. Only you can judge when another race is one too many.
Learn more about Faster Road Racing.
Three types of Masters Athletes
Not all masters runners are created alike. Because of differences in training background and motivation, some masters athletes experience a period of record-setting racing while others struggle to ward off a steady decline.
Types of Masters Athletes
Not all masters runners are created alike. Because of differences in training background and motivation, some masters athletes experience a period of record-setting racing while others struggle to ward off a steady decline. A separate group is just happy to be lacing up the flats again, thrilled that the sport they quit has something to offer them again.
Figuring out what type of masters athlete you are is more than just semantics. It gives you the best chance to set appropriate goals and better adapt to the effects of aging. The following are three categories that embody the bulk of competitive masters runners.
Serious Lifetime Runners
Runners who have seriously pursued their sport since their youth often continue to compete into middle age and beyond. These runners have experienced all the highs and lows running has to offer and continue to push their physical limits. Decades of training have given them an enviable aerobic background and a firm understanding of where they fit in the running hierarchy.
In many ways the aging process is hardest on this group because its effects are most visible. Assuming consistent training and a normal progression, most serious lifetime runners recorded their PRs in distances of 5K and up from the ages of 25 to 35, saw a small drop in performance through their 40s, and then followed that with a more accelerated slowing thereafter. If they are to find continued meaning in the competitive side of the sport, most serious lifetime runners need to shift their focus to age-group racing and age-graded performances (discussed later in this chapter).
That's not to say that lifetime runners can't succeed at the highest level as masters. Haile Gebrselassie, the former world record holder in the 5,000 and 10,000 meters and marathon, immediately set masters world records in the 10K and 10-mile after turning 40. American legend Joan Benoit Samuelson has kept up superior racing even longer, winning gold at the 1984 Olympic marathon as a 27-year-old, then running in her eighth Olympic Trials marathon in 2008 as a 50-year-old.
Legendary Bill Rodgers: Aging Gracefully
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Bill Rodgers, the legendary four-time winner of both the Boston Marathon and New York City Marathon, remained remarkably successful through his 40s and 50s. He still holds three U.S. records for 45- to 49-year-olds in the 8K (24:41), 15K (48:00), and half marathon (1:08:05). In addition, he once held the masters world record in the 10K with a time of 29:47.
As with many aging runners, Rodgers' path to masters glory has not been all smooth sailing. At the age of 56 he had his first major injury, breaking his right tibia, and at age 60 he was diagnosed with prostate cancer. Undeterred, Rodgers returned to the Falmouth Road Race at the age of 65 and won his age group - 40 years after winning the race outright. "These two ‘injuries' have provided me with good excuses for why I'm not as fast as some others my age," he says with his characteristic charm.
Rodgers still travels to 25 to 30 races per year in his longtime inspirational role to legions of younger runners but is more selective about how often he competes. "Seriously, I still like to race, but find I'm content to race less often now," he says. "I have run a half marathon this year in 1:44 and 10K in 47 minutes. Occasionally I can win my age group."
Rodgers conservatively guesses he's run close to 175,000 miles (280,000 km). "The tough thing for me is [the effect of] so many miles on my body after nearly 50 years as a runner," he says. To maintain his fitness, Rodgers still runs six days a week (although he believes he should only be running half that), runs on trails as much as possible, and hits the pool and lifts weights weekly. "I do some stretching but should do more," he says. "Overall I feel I need to do more cross-training. I also take naps probably three days a week for recovery, and have a deep-muscle massage every two weeks or so."
The one thing that doesn't seem to be in the cards is retirement. As Rodgers says, "It's still great to be a runner!"
New-to-the-Sport Masters Runners
Runners who begin training for the first time after the age of 40 often believe they have found the fountain of youth. In a short time they lose weight, improve their cholesterol profiles, and get fitter and faster from week to week while most of their peers are slowing and packing on the pounds.
As their love for the sport increases, new-to-the-sport masters runners are able to increase their training volume, improving their aerobic fitness. As their neuromuscular and cardiovascular systems adapt, these runners often seem to reverse the effects of aging by setting personal bests. When combined with the lack of accumulated wear and tear on their muscles, tendons, and joints, runners in this category often enjoy a five- to eight-year window in which they continue to set lifetime personal bests.
Kathy Martin
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John Keklak
PRs since age 40: mile 5:14, 5K 17:23, 8K 28:57, 10K 36:31, half marathon 1:22:24
Age-group world records and American records at distances from 800 meters to 50K
There is inspiration. Then there's inspiration! Kathy Martin is the latter. It's hard to talk about her career without resorting to italics and exclamation points. Who, after all, goes from struggling to run around the block at age 30 to holding multiple age-group records at almost every conceivable distance? And who does it while working 60 to 70 hours a week as a real estate agent in high-demand Long Island, New York?
A relative latecomer to the sport, Martin didn't go for her first run until she was 30. Tagging along with her soon-to-be husband, Martin lasted all of 10 minutes before she was completely out of breath. "That was a huge ‘A-ha!' moment when I realized if I could not run a mile at 30, I would probably not be walking by the time I was 60," she says. "So I started running." After winning her first race, Martin flirted with the sport for more than a decade, taking time off to have a child and start her real estate career. But once she was introduced to masters track competitions, everything changed. "I like the rhythm of the roads, but the track distances are shorter and faster," she says. "I love that feeling as well. I love the variety that each provides."
Martin clearly loves variety. After turning 60 in 2011, she immediately went on a tear. She set American age-group records in the half marathon and marathon and won national championships in everything from the 1,500 meters to the 10,000 meters. She added world indoor records in the 1,500 meters and 3,000 meters. Perhaps most impressively, when she set the 50K American record for the 60 to 64 age group, her timed splits for 20K, 25K, and 30K were all American records as well.
That incredible range is the product of consistent training that touches on all the energy systems. While her mileage varies greatly depending on her race focus, Martin generally runs seven days per week on the roads and trails. Her husband, Chuck Gross, plans her training and includes a steady diet of lactate threshold runs, hill repeats, lots of V\od\O2max intervals, and a weekly long run. When preparing for shorter track races, Martin likes to include 1-minute pickups during her general aerobic runs to keep her legs feeling fast. Yoga, stretching, plyometrics, and weightlifting have all contributed to keeping her healthy and chasing records.
"I truly believe we need a posse of help as we age," she says. "So many runners I meet think they can just train through injuries. You can and need to incorporate into your training whatever is necessary to compete at a high level." In Martin's case this posse includes a chiropractor, physical therapist, massage therapist, and personal trainer to help with cross-training. She also pays extra attention to her nutrition and hydration compared to when she was younger.
Martin has one last bit of advice that she believes allows her to train at such a high level despite being in her 60s. It is simple, is available to all, and, not surprisingly, has an exclamation mark punctuating its end. The secret? "Keep it fun!" she says.
Born-Again Masters Runners
Careers. Families. Other interests. The reasons high school and college runners give up the sport during their primes are as diverse as the runners themselves. So, too, are the reasons for picking the sport back up after turning 40. Many born-again masters runners begin running again for health purposes, only to find the old competitive flame still burning as their fitness increases.
Born-again masters runners share many attributes with the other two groups. Like their new-to-the-sport friends, runners in this category often experience a period of rapid aerobic development and sustained period of improved performances. Those gains may have a different context, however, because born-again runners have a deeper background in the sport from their younger days. And as runners like Pete Magill (profiled at the end of this chapter) show, some born-again masters runners can turn in world-class performances upon returning to the sport, regardless of how long a hiatus they took.
Learn more about Faster Road Racing.
Training for an 8K or 10K race
Three training schedules are provided to prepare you to race your best at 8K or 10K. Each training schedule is twelve weeks in duration. Simply select the schedule that starts closest to your current training mileage.
Training Schedules for 8K and 10K Races
Three training schedules are provided to prepare you to race your best at 8K or 10K. Each training schedule is twelve weeks in duration. Simply select the schedule that starts closest to your current training mileage.
Training for Races of 8K to 10K: 30 to 42 Miles per Week
This schedule is for runners who have been training 25 to 35 miles per week. If you have been running fewer than 25 miles per week, you should follow the base-training schedule in chapter 8 for building up to 30 miles per week before attempting this schedule. The schedule starts at 30 miles per week and gradually builds up to 42 miles with three weeks to go before your goal race. The training then tapers so you are fit and refreshed for race day.
Training for Races of 8K to 10K: 45 to 57 Miles per Week
This schedule is for runners who have been training 40 to 50 miles per week. If you have been running fewer than 40 miles per week, follow the base-training schedule in chapter 8 for building up to 45 miles per week before attempting this schedule. This schedule starts at 45 miles per week and gradually builds up to 57 miles with three weeks to go before your goal race. The training then tapers so you are fit and refreshed for race day.
Training for Races of 8K to 10K: 60 to 76 Miles per Week
This schedule is for runners who have been training 55 to 65 miles per week. If you have been running fewer than 55 miles per week, follow the base-training schedule in chapter 8 for building up to 60 miles per week before attempting this schedule. This schedule starts at 60 miles per week and gradually builds up to 76 miles with three weeks to go before your goal race. The training then tapers so you are fit and refreshed for race day.
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Learn more about Faster Road Racing.
After the race…
Each of the schedules includes a week after your key race for recovery and a transition into full training for your next race. During the recovery week, the running is easy to allow your muscles to recover and loosen up from your supreme race effort.
After the Race
Each of the schedules includes a week after your key race for recovery and a transition into full training for your next race. During the recovery week, the running is easy to allow your muscles to recover and loosen up from your supreme race effort. The only effort is a set of strides on Saturday, to stretch your legs and help them feel normal again. If you have raced 15K or longer, you may need an extra several days or even another week to fully recover. You will find two-week recovery schedules in chapters 10 and 11.
Continuing Your Season
After your goal race, the question is what to do next. The schedules in this chapter will get you back racing on the roads almost immediately. After 10 weeks of diligent training, you will be fit and can continue to race successfully over a range of distances. This is a great opportunity to show your fitness at distances from 5K through the half marathon. With careful planning, you can repeatedly race at close to your best. Appendix B shows equivalent race performances from 5K through the half marathon to help you compare performances between race distances and set goals for your upcoming races. The following guidelines will assist you in repeatedly racing successfully:
- Select your races wisely.
- Prepare specifically for your next race.
- Taper just enough for each race.
- Recover quickly from each race.
- Maintain your aerobic base.
- Know when you have had enough.
1. Select Your Races Wisely
In choosing your races, balance the desire to race frequently with your passion to race well. Too much racing and too little training can quickly compromise your performances. When you select your races, try to cluster two or three races together with several weeks for training between clusters. This will provide plenty of racing opportunities but also allow adequate training time between clusters. For example, you could race a 5K, 10K, and 15K in close succession and then devote three or four weeks to training to top up your aerobic base with higher mileage and longer endurance runs. By alternating clusters of races with several weeks of solid training, you can race frequently but also maintain your fitness across a long racing season.
2. Prepare Specifically for Your Next Race
The specific preparation required for your next race depends on the distance of your next race and the emphasis of your recent training. This chapter offers balanced preparation to race from 5K through the half marathon. To fine-tune your preparation for a 5K or 10K, you can simply include several V\od\O2max workouts (or, in the case of a 15K, 10 mile, or half marathon, add a few lactate threshold sessions and endurance runs). You can also simply jump into the appropriate training schedule for that distance.
3. Taper Just Enough for Each Race
As you saw in chapter 6, a thorough taper allows your body to fully recover so you can race your best. Too many thorough tapers too close together, however, can lead to a loss of fitness during the course of your racing season. To race optimally over multiple races, you need to abbreviate your taper for all but the most important races. Chapter 6 describes a four-day mini-taper for less important races and a one-week taper for moderately important races. Make sure to save the full two-week taper for a few key races per year.
4. Recover Quickly From Each Race
To repeatedly race successfully, you will benefit from learning to recover quickly from your races so you can return to full training quickly. One key is to hold back during the first three days after your race when your muscles and tendons are stiff and least resilient. After three days, if you do not have particularly tight muscles threatening to become an injury, you can start to safely increase your mileage. Other suggestions for speeding recovery are provided in chapter 2. How quickly to ramp up your training depends on the distance you have raced; longer races require longer recovery before you get back to full training.
5. Maintain Your Aerobic Base
The most important factor in racing repeatedly at a high level across a long season is to maintain your aerobic base. When you taper, race, and recover repeatedly, your mileage begins to slip. This is not a problem for one or two races, but across several races you may find that your training volume has been reduced for a prolonged period and your aerobic fitness is eroding.
To avoid losing your aerobic base and the associated reduction in racing performance, you need to find ways to maintain your training mileage between races. The following are strategies for maintaining mileage during your racing season:
- Increase the duration of your warm-up and cool-down before and after V\od\O2max workouts, lactate threshold sessions, speed workouts, and races.
- Add a few miles to your endurance runs and general aerobic runs.
- Add an easy recovery run on days with a V\od\O2max workout or speed session.
6. Know When You Have Had Enough
The final consideration in designing your racing schedule is maintaining your hunger to race. Racing too often eventually leads to a lack of desire and lackluster performances. Only you can judge when another race is one too many.
Learn more about Faster Road Racing.
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