Been looking at the fall off between 50 and 55 recently, articles, race results podcasts etc.
It’s quite dramatic in some cases, I’m certainly feeling it this year.
Some good articles that help, it really is
“ Who slows down the slowest”
One guy ( not on here ) seems to be getting faster and faster, he’s not late to the party … ( EPO ) or just better training, diet, equpt etc.
The very little I know of him it’s much much more likely to be the latter
I’m feeling it for sure. TBH, I think I lose the mental battle these days a lot easier than I used to.
Minds still about 18… hence my choice in cars!
Body thinks I should be getting my pension this week… struggled TBH.
There’s certainly a few that buck the trend or at least slow down less, technology does help but that is available to most depending on your budget really. Skinsuits, aero testing, trainers.
Chickenboy is going really well and training very hard, also know someone local who’s got a Kona slot and he’s in M55 but turning out sub 10’s in some races.
I’m a bit like you @FatPom some days I lose the mental battle easier to keep flogging myself, work and life stress really doesn’t help. But then I’ll get a decent run, nice weather, no injuries etc. and just feel a lot better.
@Mungo2 haha, yes my brain is definitely detached from other parts of my body!
Not sure that I was ever that good in the first place 
That is key for me, start with a low bar then not too far to drop 
Knees no longer happy at 57 - until I can just pick tri/fell-runners knees off the shelf at Tesco and have them fitted in store (ouch!), this Scotland 50 miler in May passing near to my house may be the last for a while 
@Mungo2 I’m so glad you’ve posted that. I no longer feel as bad as I have been. I know you can’t keep going and going, the older you get, but it’s been a fairly dramatic decline for me.
I was around 50-51 years old, I was probably the best shape I had been in for years. Now just about hitting 55 and have slowed right down, especially when it comes to running. It doesn’t matter if I’m consistent, mix it up, I just cannot get anywhere near the times I was running only 3 or 4 years ago.
Hate getting old, but I’m out there, still trying.
wait till you hit 60 and then see the decline get steeper. I was OK in my late 50’s still but as soon as I hit 60, it was like someone had flipped the switch to OFF.
as long as you’re out there doing something that has to be good
Is it a case of miles on the clock, rather than the age of the car?
If we’ve been training for competition for the last 30+yrs are we going to struggle to stay fast more than someone who has merely been training for 10-15yrs?
I’m guessing its genetics, and not prior load to a large extent… I know a 75 year old who is out there doing great rides, and didn’t start until he was 60.
Saying that, I’m a believer in the ‘use it or lose it’ school of thought, as it just seems intuitively obvious to me.
I think it’s more to do with the brain saying “enough”. If you stay fit and active you can keep going out there doing stuff and if needed competing against others - just look at how many age groupers there are competing in the 60+ age groups and some of them pretty nippy still. Some of these people have been at it for a very long time but are still motivated to challenge themselves and measure themselves against others of a similar age.
But I also think for many - and probably me included - it’s the constant grind of exercising and competing that’s now got me in my dotage and I’ve largely switched off. I’ve been competing in various sports since a teenager, and completing personal challenges like Ironman, climbing mountains, skiing steep runs, etc for over 50 years and at 68 my brain is now saying “time to kick back and relax my son”. This doesn’t stop me wanting to keep fit and active - that’s probably too far ingrained in my psyche - but the desire to compete and challenge myself has gone (apart from the rowing challenge I have this year!).
a nice dog walk on a sunny morning is something to enjoy for what it is rather than thinking I’m missing a training session.
Totally agree @fatbuddha . One more full distance in me this year, and then I will exercise to keep fit and active, rather than challenging myself year after year.
My training buddy is I think 51, maybe nearly 52 and he still seems to be improving. When I asked him, he puts improvement down to consistency, he runs 6 or 7 days per week year round.
He has increased volume over last couple of years from about 80km per week, to about 100-120km per week. He recently bought a treadmill and runs on it before work, previously was doing everything outside I think.
I get the impression he was a good track runner back in the day, took a long break, and picked it up again in his 40s. He has a runners build and seems not to pick up injuries easily.
He’s targeting a half marathon PB of 1.15 later in the year 
. Just a n=1 but it motivates me to think that father time could perhaps be held off a little longer.
Thankfully he doesn’t mind slowing down to my pace when we run. I deploy every trick in the book including wearing cheat shoes, getting him to carry stuff, bring his dog on a lead, and answer complicated questions running uphill
These are his stats:
My experience is similar to many of those here. I am now 58 but for me the drop off was at 51.
In that year I ran a 9:57 3000m track, 17:45 offroad hilly parkrun and a 1:20 half at Berlin. Right now I’m not sure that I could break 1:35 for a half. So why?
Age. This must come into play, we get older and we are not as strong. We also can’t recover as well and get injured more easily. Our bodies are not what they were. Its obvious but perhaps we forget this.
Desire. I think that this has been mentioned above. When I trained hard I really trained hard and I enjoyed it in a perverse way. As I got to my mid fifties I could see my times slipping away; at this point my half was now 1:25 so I guess I ran more for fun rather than times
So what do you do about it?
Improvise. In my case that meant moving from running to triathlons in 2016 with my first Ironman in 2017. My running dropped to 3 runs a week and as I was looking for an 11hour time (3:35 marathon) then speed was irrelevant. Thus for me the injuries were less frequent (I still get injured but I would just jump on the bike in that situation) . Also I had no PBs for the pool, the bike or a triathlon so I suddenly had something to aim for again. You also have these 5 year age bands, I’m looking forward to competing against 60 year olds. I am also going to have a go at an ultra. I think the thing is to find an appropriate challenge and there are lots of them out there
Stop thinking about the past. At the start of each year I reset my records on the Garmin. As a consequence on Saturday I ran a 10k PB. Ok its my best in 2021 but as far as I am concerned it is my PB. This gives me back my motivation.
Strength and Conditioning. I think that this is really important unfortunately I do very little of it!!!
Compared to others of our age we are all in a very good place due to the training that we have all done. You just have to find the level and activity that makes you want to get off the sofa even if it is just for a short while 
I’ve posted before about this, I can probably run at 12 kph as “ easily” as I ever have, within reason.
It’s the top end speed that has gone… probably forever I guess.
We need to remember that it’s natural and normal to slow down quite literally over 50, there are lots of factors involved, testosterone loss, skeletal strength, recovery systems, blood, oxygen efficiency etc etc.
Basically it’s called old age.
It’s why we race in age groups, there are outliers but look at the results from 50-55 compared to 55-60.
In several races they are quite dramatic, lots of people seem to stop racing at 60, injury? CBA? Dead ?!
The old adage keep moving forward is all we can do, I’m finding I’m generally slower, especially with top end bike power, mine is now verging on crap.
Factors which seem to help include diet, adequate or rather more rest, regular thought out training, strength training, rest days, supplements and a common one is running every other day.
I’m mostly enjoying the journey still, but am having weeks we’re I loose motivation but still hit big hours on average, covid/ lockdown maybe?
I actually enjoy tough circuits more than anything these days … wether they gelp tri stuff I have no idea?!
In my mid 50’s, and i’m finding that my performance hasn’t dropped off to any huge extent, indeed with concerted training, i’m still improving. What I am finding however, is that my recovery time is much longer. I need to pay real attention to recovery, both in terms of time and quality, eg eat well, do lots of stretching and generally have to take care of myself with things like yoga.
My top end bike power is certainly lacking. Post spinal snap though I have been running some of my best times,up to the point of mid lockdown. My LD times are still fairly good but my 5km times have dropped off a cliff since lockdown.
Weight and motivation are bigger issues these days and they are both squarely within my power to do something about.
I’m 56 on Friday and am seriously tempted to sell my TT bike, just have a roadie, MTB and do the trail running events. And buy a moto. I’m very motivated by my marathon time last Dec but jeez, rolling out of bed for some hard running efforts just fills me with dread these days.
I fear that I might be falling into the ‘something is better than nothing’ way of thinking.
Did you race in your 30”s and are still hitting those times?!
Better knowledge? Equpt ? Nutrition?
EPO ?
Please help
no…didn’t really start racing until late 30’s early 40’s, bar a few half marathons in my 20’s…and my first tri was at 42
Some stuff I’m not close to the same times, mainly the shorter stuff, but my marathon PB was set at 50, and did run a sub 20 min 5k again for the first time in 20 years, aged 51.
I suspect a big part of it is more knowledge of how to train effectively, with a dose of support from just becoming a stubborn old bugger!
(and in fairness, our diet has improved beyond all recognition in recent years)
