Masters Comeback!

Contemplating yet another Masters comeback.
In my mid 30’s while still running open meets, I had great visions of performing well when I, Jimson Lee, turned 40.
The Canadian Masters record was tied at 50.10 and I had just run 50.44 at age 34 after a 4 year lay-off.
All my non-running friends at work thought I was nuts to be actually looking forward to my 40th birthday.
No need for mid life crisis… track is life.

Those dreams disappeared pretty fast, so I started a new set of goals after researching Masters Track more seriously.

I was getting close to my “Theoretical Attrition Goals” a few months before turning 40 (23.54, 37.11, 52.63 for the 200-300-400), but I was hampered by a nagging Achilles injury time and time again.

Also adding more fuel to the disappointment was the 2003 WMA was moved back from Sept (Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia) to early July in Puerto Rico making me 39.9 years old and ineligible. Back then Masters was only M40. M35 need not apply.

No need for sympathy. Fellow Canadian David Lee Provo took center stage (though we would have had an awesome relay team). Not taking anything away from David, but my ex-McGill teammate Allan Tissenbaum would have been in the mix for the medals.

Salvaging a frustrating season, I ended up finishing 2nd to David at the Canadian Masters Championships in the 200 meters on a bad Achilles (23.73 wind –2.1) in August as my Masters debut. I knew I had one good race in me before I reinjured it again, in which I did.

Moral of the story: Records look soft at a distance. The records at the next age group always seem attainable, but attrition rate does not lie once you get there.

Fast Forward to M50

Fast forward 10 years and now I’m approaching 50.

Once again, I am not depressed as I have something to look forward to. Also being in Italy, I have several top guys to chase down (as well as Dutch guys, too) (Enrico and Eric, are you reading this?)

The question is, what?

What goals can I expect?

I’ve always said for a 400 meter man, add 4 seconds to your open PR to get a M40 goal, then it’s 2 seconds every 5 years. For the 200m, add 2 seconds to your open PR to get a M40 goal, then one second every 5 years.

Below is a chart (left side). I am highlighting 22 & 48 which is very close to my 21.98 and 48.36 open PRs:

One can also use WMA age grade tables (Excel sheet here) and get similar goals (see table, right side)

It’s pretty obvious that World class sprinters in the open category will always have an edge when they turn Masters. Names like Willie Gault or Bill Collins are familiar names in Masters circles.

So there you have it.

My goals will be 26 and 56 at M50 and in a perfect injury-free world, 25.53 and 55.06.

I won’t bother checking how these times rank at the WMA Championships because there is the additional element of surviving the rounds.

SIDENOTE: WMA 2013 is scheduled for early July and once again, I’ll be 49.9 years old. However, the World Masters Games (WMG) are in Torino starting August 2, 2013 AND it’s an easy train ride away. Check back in 3 years!

Masters Track is like a Car: It’s Mileage, not Age that Matters – Part 1

This is Part 1 of a 3 part series. Part 1 talks about being injury prone. Part 2 talks about expectations. Part 3 are my top recommendations.

This post is dedicated to anyone over 40 35 trying to make a comeback in Masters Track, but it also applies to everyone of all ages who wants to begin Track and Field, or any sport for that matter!

I get a lot of email from readers asking for advice on making a comeback, especially the sprints. However, the thought of a sedentary 50 year old male weighing 90kg (~200 lbs.) running a 400 meters or doing triple jump scares the heck out of me.

Since I like to ramble (and that’s what old guys like to do, by the way), here are some pointers and recommendations for your training plan.

The Injury Bug

The number one setback you will incur is injuries. There are several books on injuries and how to prevent them, but I’ll try to summarize it here.

The most common reason for getting injured is the old cliché, and that is doing too much, too fast, too soon.

John Smith of HIS gave me 3 pointers (you can read my 2005 meeting here) and that is:

1. when you are tired (i.e overtraining)
2. when there is an imbalance
3. when the mind wants to do something the body doesn’t want to do

My personal stance on injuries (and I’ve had a lot) stems from two reasons:

1. too much repetitive pounding, twisting or force on muscles, tendons and joints
2. when you are compensating for a weak muscle

An example of too much pounding and twisting are Achilles injuries, and I’ve had my fair share. Having good ankle mobility and Achilles flexibility is one thing, but that cannot cure the high volume of pounding, twisting and force of sprinting. Think carpal tunnel syndrome in your wrist for computer people, and imagine your Achilles has 200,000 miles on them, and you can’t change the shock absorbers. You can ice, take Advil, and stretch all you want, but you’ll have to get those tendons stronger if you don’t want the soreness down the road.

It’s the same for shin splints. If you run the 800 meters and up, and you doubled your mileage from 40 miles per week to 80, that’s like going from 120 mpw to 240 mpw for the Elite guys! The body can only handle so much pounding.

As for compensating, Loren Seagrave once said, “Elite athletes are the best compensators in the world”. Read the article Hamstring Injuries, the Iliopsoas and Imbalances and you’ll get the idea.

Now that I’ve depressed the hell out of you, I’ll talk next about prevention and hopefully cure.

Masters Track is like a Car: It’s Mileage, not Age that Matters – Part 2

Considerations and Expectations

If you had world class speed as an open athlete, chances are you’ll do well in your age group. If you were a mediocre athlete back then, chance are you’ll be mediocre in the Masters.

There are exceptions to the attrition rule where “average” athletes have shown little attrition and become world class at the Masters level. (i.e. USA’s James Chinn, Canada’s Mike Sherar and Holland’s Eric Roeske are just a few examples).

And of course, how can we forget the amazing Troy Douglas or Merlene Ottey who were still competitive at 40?

If you want to know what to expect (with exceptions), I wrote an article about realistic goals from Open to Masters where I mentioned some basic formulas or using WMA Age Grade table (more on that below)

Using the car analogy, the real key is how much mileage you have in your body. Some people are born with a durable car, others are born with a delicate car (or sometimes lemon?). Over do it, and you end up with Achilles tendonitis, bad knees, or chronic hamstrings problems. What used to take 2 weeks to recover is now 8 weeks or several months. Sadly, you can’t change your shock absorbers at 100,000 kilometers or miles.

Your “total mileage” and realistic training volumes will determine how long you can run before getting injured (again). But if you take care of your car and change the oil often, you can have a 1999 Saturn SL1 with over 300,000 km and still runs smooth (heh heh). You won’t pick up any chicks on Robson street on a Saturday night, either.

So What Can You Expect?

It’s pretty obvious that World class sprinters in the open category will always have an edge when they turn Masters. Names like Jeff Laynes (who just turned 40), Willie Gault or Bill Collins are familiar in the Masters circles.

I’ve always said for a 400 meter man, add 4 seconds to your open PR to get a M40 goal, then it’s 2 seconds every 5 years. For the 200m, add 2 seconds to your open PR to get a M40 goal, then one second every 5 years.

Below is a chart using the left side as my basic attrition rates. I am highlighting 22 & 48 for 200/400 meters which is very close to my 21.98 and 48.36 open PRs.

You can also use the WMA age grade tables (Excel sheet here) and get similar goals (see table below, right side of chart) for your age group and events.

These are just general guidelines, and it would be great if you can prove me wrong with your Masters comeback.

Speed With the Masters

Speed decreases with age. That’s a fact of life. Check the World Records in different age groups if you don’t believe me.

I call it "The Law of Attrition".

I used a random sample of the 2007 WMA results in Ricionne, using the M40 – M65 5 year age groups as my sample pool:

• 100m 0.4 seconds attrition
• 200m 0.8 sec
• 400m 1.6 sec

If you really want to get depressed, you can look at this at an absolute level and estimate an attrition rate of almost one-tenth of a second per year for the 100 meters, or 0.35 seconds in a 400m every year!

Yuck.

This is one reason why some masters athletes don’t bother showing up when they reach the tail end of their age group. Sure, injuries, scheduling and financial reasons also factor in the equation, but these statistics show just how difficult it is to compete with athletes even 4 years younger than oneself.

Some rare elite athletes like 40-year-old Troy Douglas of the Netherlands and 47-year-old Merlene Ottey of Slovenia (formerly of Jamaica) still competed at the elite level. Genetic freaks like Usain Bolt do exist.

You really have to forget your past if you want to run Masters Track. Muscles have a memory – if you sprinted before, the chances are you still "have it".

With the odd exception, the faster you were in your prime, the faster you’ll be as a Masters sprinter compared to other athletes. The law of attrition doesn’t lie. Of course, some Masters athletes like Holland’s Eric Roese or USA’s James Chinn could still run relatively close to their prime.

I get a chuckle when I hear good amateur golfers dreaming to join the Senior PGA tour when they turn 50. Sorry to break the news guys, but I think when Greg Norman or Tiger Woods turns 50, they’ll have the edge on you already.

Same with track. Bill Collins was an alternate in the 4×100m Olympic relay in 1972. And he just kept it up.

But I’m not here to discourage you. I believe in the "absolute" rule. It’s all about YOU improving relative to YOURSELF. No one else. Just you and the clock. If you win some medals, that’s bonus. The post-race beer taste just as good.

3 Considerations before Starting Masters Sprints

But seriously, in addition to the neuro-muscular facts of life, there are 3 important considerations for Masters sprinters for anyone contemplating a comeback:

1. Compare your fitness today to your peak in your Youth, College or Elite. Have you kept in good shape? How is your over-all fitness?
2. Flexibility usually decreases with age, unless you’ve been doing Yoga the last 10 years
3. Most people gain weight after College for a variety of reasons. Are you heavier than in your running prime? Sure, you may claim to be the same weight, but do you still have the same body composition in terms of muscle mass and fat?

By now, you’ve read hundreds of articles on this blog and other informative web sites. You may have purchased books and DVDs, too. You know WHAT to do, but HOW do you get there?

Focus on the Training Plan

Here are my 3 simple rules to consider in your training plan:

1. Maximize speed training
2. Maximize efficiency & technique
3. Avoid injury by monitoring your workouts in terms of speed and volume. Over-training is a natural reaction for the enthusiastic athlete.

Okay, those are just vague guidelines, so here are some helpful and specific tips:

1. Start with getting in shape, improve flexibility, and losing weight
2. The warm-up is even more important, as your body has to be ready when the gun goes off. Consider a dynamic warm-up over the traditional static stretching.
3. Instead of the traditional 3X per week hard workouts (with 1 rest day afterwards), consider 2X per week hard (2 easy or rest days after each hard workout)
4. Balance speed, speed endurance, and special endurance (see my article on the 6 types of workouts)
5. Train on grass surfaces (use old spikes with long needles) or simply use training flats
6. Spend more time (and money?) on recovery, regeneration, and staying loose and supple. Maybe incorporate Yoga? Since you have more money than in College (hopefully!), a good massage therapist cost $70-$90 an hour for a good session.
7. Alternate training methods: weight training and plyometrics. Weight training and dynamic Olympic lifts are great for CNS stimulus leading up to the big meets
8. Focus on technique, staying relaxed, reach top speed more efficiently more important
9. Really watch the diet and caloric intake, and if you must, consider extra supplements, including brain supplements like Tyrosine or Theanine.

Phil Campbell’s Summary

Phil Campbell’s summarized it best with his 4 tips on running a 40 yard dash:

1. Cover the First Ten Yards in 5.5 to 6 Steps in Perfect Acceleration Position
2. Stretching to Improve Range of Motion
3. Correct Technique, Especially when Squatting
4. Train for Explosiveness – Even in the Weight Room