It's My birthday, But I'm Not Celebrating.

Today was my birthday.  I don’t usually make a big deal out of birthdays.  I’m also not someone who laments reaching a big milestone, like 40 or 50.  I actually like it when I move into a new age group.

When I turned 40, I discovered age group awards.  At first, they seemed kind of random.  In a small enough race, I might place in my age group with a less-than-stellar effort.  In a large race, I could have the race of my life and still not come close.  Still, it was cool to know that I could occasionally compete for an award.  Then I turned 45, and something miraculous happened.  Suddenly, I could qualify for Boston.

Before turning 45, I needed to run a marathon in 3:20 to qualify for Boston.  I couldn’t do it.  I was finding it increasingly difficult just to break 3:30.  After turning 45, 3:30 was good enough.  That was the same year that I lost 15 pounds and started cross-training by riding a bike on my non-running days.  Later that year, I broke 3:20 for the first time in years.  Breaking 3:30 became almost automatic.  I qualified for Boston in almost every race.

The same year I turned 50, the BAA changed the qualifying standards.  Instead of seeing the standard for my age group ease to 3:35, I still had to break 3:30.  That’s OK.  I could still do it.  For five more years, I broke 3:30 fairly consistently.

Now I’m 55.  Suddenly, 3:40 is good enough.  Ironically, the extra 10 minutes probably won’t help.  I haven’t broken five hours since September.  I expect to improve, but I’m not sure if I’ll get under 3:40 again.

Last year, I was running with injuries.  I had to take time off to heal.  Then I discovered how much my form had degraded.  After months of avoiding using my hips to reduce the shock on my adductors, all the muscles around my hips got weak.  When I started physical therapy, I discovered I couldn’t stand on one leg without losing my balance.  I’m also out of shape.  I’m simultaneously trying to rebuild weak muscles, re-learn proper running form, and improve my fitness.  Progress is slow.

A few weeks ago, I finally improved enough for my physical therapist to give me some new exercises.  They kicked my butt (literary, as I’m trying to strengthen my glutes).  Now my hips are always sore.  One day I’ll be sore from doing my exercises.  The next day, I’ll be sore from running.  I know I’m gradually regaining some strength, but I hurt almost all the time.

Prior to the Boston Marathon, I took a couple days off.  I didn’t just take a break from running; I also took a break from my exercises.  By race day, I felt better.  After the race, however, I felt beat up.

Now I’m back to alternating between running days and PT days.  I’m also back to always feeling sore.  Running isn’t fun right now, so I have to remain hopeful that it’ll get better.  I keep hitting the PT hard, because I know I have months of work ahead of me.

It’s going to be a long time before I can train as hard as I used to.  Even then, it’ll take months to regain my previous fitness level.  I haven’t run anything close to my old race pace in at least a year.  Mileage alone isn’t a substitute for running fast.  Right now, I just can’t move that fast, even briefly.

There are several pieces that all have to fall into place before I can run faster.  Right now, it’s hard to imagine regaining my old form, but I’m trying to remain hopeful.

For years, I seemed to defy the effects of aging.  I kept getting older, but my marathons times were about the same.  Then suddenly, I slowed down by two hours.  Did age finally catch up with me, or are my problems temporary?  I don’t honestly know, but moving into a new age group isn’t as comforting as it used to be.

I Refuse to Slow Down with Age

I’m old.  OK, I’m not really old, but I am past my prime as a runner.  I set most of my PRs when I was 30 or 31.  I probably could have improved upon them for a few more years, but I let myself get out of shape during those years.  I’ve still set PRs at ultra distances, but only because I had never run these distances when I was younger.

This happens to all runners at some point in their lives.  We realize that the effects of aging have caught up with us and we aren’t going to set PRs anymore.  Most people accept this willingly.  I’m not giving up without a fight.

I’ve read that we reach our physical peaks at about 30.  After that, it’s possible to keep improving for about five more years with increased training.  Then the downward slide begins.

There’s a reason why the Boston Marathon has different qualifying standards for different age groups.  It’s the same reason that races have age group awards.  People who are past their prime can’t be expected to run as fast as their younger counterparts.

There are three basic reasons why people slow down with age.  The first one is physiological.  It’s been known for decades that aerobic capacity begins to decline by the time you’re in your 40s.  More recently, I read an article in Marathon & Beyond that identified 10 different ways that our bodies change as we get older.  Each one contributes to gradual decreases in athletic performance.  We don’t all slow down at the same rate, but we all slow down.

Of course, there are ways to resist the pull of Father Time.  You can compensate, at least partially, by training harder.  If you already train like an elite athlete, there might not be anything else you can do.  Most of us, however, still have room for improvement in our training methods.

I’ve worked hard to keep from slowing down.  I train harder, and in some ways I train smarter.  I’m more experienced than I was in my 20s and 30s.  It’s like swimming upstream, though.  I have to work harder and harder just to run the same times.

Most people don’t do that.  Once they realize they can no longer equal their past PRs, much less improve upon them, they lose the incentive to train as hard as they use to.  That’s the second reason people slow down with age.  They’re not only past their physical peak; they’re also not training as hard.

The third reason follows directly from the second one.  If you’re not training as hard, do you really have any incentive to race as hard as you used to?  Few people are going to dig deep and push through pain and fatigue to shave off a few seconds, when they know they aren’t in peak shape.  What’s the point?  Why push until it hurts to save a few seconds when you’ve already conceded 30 minutes by not training as hard?

I’ve slowed down a little, but I’m not throwing in the towel.  I still train hard.  If anything, I train harder now.  I’m sure there’s still room for improvement.  I’ve never done the 100 mile training weeks that many elite athletes run.  I also still race hard.  I might not fight for every second in every race, but when I’m able to run a fast time, I go for it.

I will slow down with age, but I won’t go softly into the night.  I’ll have to be dragged kicking and screaming.  I’m old, but I’m also stubborn.  I refuse to slow down any more than I have to.  When I was younger, I rarely qualified for Boston.  Now I do it more often than not.  Persistence pays off.