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Mon Aug 15, 2011 1:40 am

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Hi folks :D
great to be here - thx to all !

The topic is : I like to start a comeback to track for sprint events
Born in ' 58- I was a middledistance runner running 1:59 the 800m and 2:36 the 1000m at the age of 17 ...and canceled sports then ... started my first comeback after Achilles surgery at the age of 32 ... set personal bests at M 39\ 100m / 11:32 and M 40 60m indoor 7:20
switched then to cycling for 10 years doing time trials and when managing to accomplish an average speed of 41km / hour on 20 k I felt the strong desire to go back to track ... :wink:
Then I was optimistic being totaly fit in cycling to acomplish my goals within some month

but :shock: ! it is hard, very hard :( I realize :roll: Power came back quickly .. bench press 100 kg for example - stamia is good too ...but running is not so easy .....

In feel I have potential within me but there are muscle strains in my calves and having tight calves so sometimes I cannot run at all - I am a little desperate sometimes ....but only sometimes :wink:

I have the strange feeling that cycling has compromised all my muscles ....and their coordination o :?

and here finaly comes my question :" did somebody change from cycling to track and what experiences did you make ?"
yes nearly forgotten - I am on the comebacktrip since 9 month and I would be very thankful for any tip from you folks.

best wishes and may you all have a very good time
JJ



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Tue Aug 16, 2011 4:44 pm

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Joined: Sun Jul 18, 2010 10:37 am
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Location: Strongstown PA

Can't answer the cycling question, but can tell you to be patient. You are asking your body to do somthing different so it will take some time to get into sprinting shape. Your older now so response time will be slower. I was 57 years old weighed 234lbs in April 2010. Hadn't competed for 40 years. I just got done competing at the nationals in Berea Ohio. I now weight 185 and ran the 100, 200, and Long Jump.

I had a lot of aches and pains getting into shape. There were days I couldn't run because of leg cramps and pain. I would take 3 to 4 days off. At times I thought I would never get back in shape and be able to compete but I stuck with it and now can run pretty much pain free.

There is a lot of great information on the internet about training for Masters.

I'm now looking foward to the indoor season.

Take your time it will get better Good Luck Tom T.



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Wed Aug 17, 2011 11:17 am

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tankertom wrote:
Can't answer the cycling question, but can tell you to be patient. You are asking your body to do somthing different so it will take some time to get into sprinting shape. Your older now so response time will be slower. I was 57 years old weighed 234lbs in April 2010. Hadn't competed for 40 years.
Take your time it will get better Good Luck Tom T.


Great story Tom ! loosing so much weight ! competing after 40 years ... sounds like a superhero story - realy great !

Yes being patient that is what I would give as an advice too to someone who is asking me - but being patient telling that to your own brain is sometimes not so easy :-)

escaping the training schedule by taking some days for rest may be a good idea ....

for me it would be very interesting how many days of regeneration do you folks give your body ? whole weeks off or only several days as a routine or spontaneous just when you have the feeling your body needs a litte rest ?

thx for the opportunity to share.

Best wishes JJ



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Wed Aug 17, 2011 5:05 pm

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Location: Strongstown PA

Hi J J,

I was told by lot of masters sprinters that it takes about 3 yrs to peek after you start training. I would say 3 to 4 days rest is the most I took when I was dealing with pain. I remember several times when I tried to run and just couldn't do it. I would get upset and go home depressed. The most important thing to remember is that you cannot train at all if you push too hard and injure yourself.

I also got some great advice from the 65 to 69 100, and 200 meter world record holder. If your a sprinter only do sprint workouts. Long distance running and sprinting doesn't work for most people. I used to mix up my workouts sprint training on time 2 miles the next. I only do sprint training now 400m max distance. I also do a lot of plyometrics.

Keep training, be patient, don't injure yourself. It will work out.

Tom T.



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Fri Aug 19, 2011 5:42 am

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tankertom wrote:
Hi J J,
I only do sprint training now 400m max distance. I also do a lot of plyometrics.
Tom T.


Hi Tom, hi folks,

thx great advice that all makes sense to me. But there is another question :oops:
how do you mix your gym work with sprint training - when I was M40 I did much with body- strenght ..
do You think strenght development should play the same role in workout composition as in younger years or do you think there is the danger to become to much injury prone by going that part of the winding road ?
So it would perhaps be more intelligent to do more plyometrics and coordination drills ?

Stupid question- sorry- but I have never been so old bevore :mrgreen: as today M 52

older - slower - tougher - thats the plan :wink:

cu JJ



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Fri Aug 19, 2011 4:46 pm

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Location: Strongstown PA

Great question JJ that is one that I could use help with. I hit the weight room two times a week, I do a whole body workout. I'm not going crazy with heavy weights I use moderate weight. I like to do leg work the day after I do my sprinting and plyometric drills. I like my legs to be fresh when I do my running. Lifting the day before running made me feel sluggish. I take a days rest after two days work. Somtimes I sneak in a light running workout the third day and then rest a day. I let my body dictate when I go three days in a row. Keep in mind that I'm a beginner so things keep changing for me all the time.

The more advanced runners workout 6 days a week, with one rest day. Of course that's the world class guys, most of those guys are retired and have the time.

Some guys do weights and run on the same day.

I believe everyone needs to let their body dictate when and how they workout, there is no correct way. After doing a lot of reading, everyone seems to do things a little different.

It seems to me that you are already in great shape so you just need to try different things and find out what works best for you. Just make sure you don't push to hard and injure
yourself. It's easy to do to much when your working out and feeling good. I have to talk to myself sometimes to stop even though my mind is telling me to do one more set or one more running drill.

I would love to hear from more experienced sprinters. There doesn't seem to be too much activity on this forum.



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Fri Aug 19, 2011 6:45 pm

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Location: Oxnard, CA

JJ, Tom,
One thing that worked for me this year was to prepare a written training plan. I picked my target meet (World Championships), and worked back from there. My job kept me on the road after the indoor nationals so I wasn't able to do any serious sprint/hurdle training until May. The treadmill was my main option while on travel, and although training for sprints on a treadmill is not an ideal situation, it's better than not doing anything at all.

My training plan was broken down into three, three week periods leading up to worlds. My plan was to work out 6 days per week; one day of speed work, one day of long hurdle work, one day of short hurdle work, and three days of strides. I alternated between the work days and strides. My stride days are striding 100 meters @ 70% or less, then walking 100 meters. I do this for 3 or 4 laps. As I get closer to my target meet, I will jog (slowly) instead of walking.

I took Saturdays off to cut my lawn and take care of the "Honey Do" list. I had about five different workouts that I scheduled during a three week period. At the end of each three week period, I would increase the intensity of the workouts for the next three weeks. I also looked at the calender for meets to run in and counted them as training/evaluation days.

I don't do a lot of weight training. I have a Total Gym at home that I use to do squats and pull ups. I was doing them 5 times per week in the morning before going to work. I started at three sets of 45 squats/7 pull ups and worked my way up to three sets of 70 squats//15 pull ups at the end of my 9 week training cycle.

I also do not do any static stretching prior to my workout or competition. I do a dynamic warm up where I start out with slow exercises/drills and work up to 80/90% strides at the end of my warm up. I do about 25-30 minutes of static stretching after the workout. I also believe in "If you feel a twinge in practice, stop, go home and put ice on it."

I was able to execute about 85% of my written plan this year. I also have my Masters Track & Field Goals posted next to my computer at home and at work. (I haven't met all of them, but I have 3 meets left this year). First on the list is "Stay Healthy" and second is "Workout as Scheduled".

This is what worked for me and may not fit either one of you, but you may be able to take some parts of it to throw in your Masters Track training toolkit.

Thad Wilson
M60



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Sat Aug 20, 2011 9:01 am

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Thad wrote:
JJ, Tom,
One thing that worked for me this year was to prepare a written training plan.

My training plan was broken down into three, three week periods leading up to worlds. My plan was to work out 6 days per week; one day of speed work, one day of long

I took Saturdays off to cut my lawn and take care of the "Honey Do" list.

I do about 25-30 minutes of static stretching after the workout. I also believe in "If you feel a twinge in practice, stop, go home and put ice on it."

First on the list is "Stay Healthy" and second is "Workout as Scheduled".

This is what worked for me and may not fit either one of you, but you may be able to take some parts of it to throw in your Masters Track training toolkit.

Thad Wilson
M60


Great Inspiration thx Thad

TSGI :wink: this comes in my toolkit first - I bend it a little bit so there is still room for that stretching advice which comes with the newest results of scientific research and the advice with the Honey to do list - having three daughters the youngest 18 month - I would say thats the most important point - yes it is :mrgreen:

If I may contribute an experiece I made in track but also in cycling " have courage to take more than several days off to give your body the chance to regenerate "

I remember when I was very young once I had not a perfect season and in autumn I took my rest period and did no ! workout at all for three weeks and had to compete then for our clubteam and set completely asthonishing a personal record for the 400 m 2 ! sec quicker than I ever did run bevore !

thx for conversation Thad, Tom, I appreciate that much - thx for reading folks ..

cu JJ



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Wed Nov 14, 2012 7:07 pm

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Just rereading stories and hope all are still going strong. I competed up to age 48 in the 400IH, 400m, and 200m. Had some knee operations and other physical problems and didn't seriously think about working out till this Spring when I found out that I had Prostate Cancer. Went to work to get in shape for the surgery. Started at 248 pounds and by riding the bike and doing Atkins I went down to 213 for the surgery May 29th. As I was walking during the recovery, I thought more seriously of getting back to the 60, 100, and 200. Have also been thinking of some of the field event, like shot and maybe the Jav. My strength is good as my last set on the Bench this past week was 8 reps at 225. I'm 65. My leg strength is pretty good, but I don't do squats anymore....just leg presses. Don't usually go above 405.

Most of the posts talk about taking it easy as our body's not what it used to be. I'm trying to follow that as much as I can, but I still like going hard. I'm looking forward to getting back to running again. I'm running on the Treadmill once or twice a week at 5% incline and getting up to 8-9mph for about 20-25 seconds. It's what I can do for now. I still ride the bike 3-4 times a week for 8-10 miles and the lift afterwards. My weight is hanging around 215-220. Need to watch what I eat more and maybe do more cardio. This has been a journey for me. I journal all my workouts and need to get back to recording what I eat.

I hope that all are still hard at it. Let me know what progress you have made. It's stories like I have read that keep many of us going.



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