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Over 50's club

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Flatlander Apr 2018 7:54am, 12 Apr 2018 1,105 posts	Quote Pin Flatlander For years/decades I've frequently advocated active recovery for myself, for exactly the reasons that Canute mentions in his first and last paragraphs. My active recoveries after running training sessions/races generally comprise easy cycling, gentle stretching/yoga, walking etc.
steve45 Apr 2018 2:58pm, 13 Apr 2018 2,488 posts	Quote Pin steve45 all key stuff here--of course active recovery is ideal, and something my sports physio always recommends which includes walking, a straightforward easy thing to implement. It can be difficult sometimes to identify exactly what we might be recovering from--for those who race and race at paces which are what true races are all about (fast for the individual) then it's obvious that recovery has to be in direct proportion to the distance as well as perceived effort. Other recoveries are more difficult to gauge-- efforts such as intervals and long runs are often counted as "hard runs" and need appropriate recovery. However there is also the subjective feeling of what a run has been like, even slow paced relatively short runs can feel hard and then an element of recovery from that must be considered. Frequently I feel the need to recover from something as low key as a steady 10k run and I suppose that's because I'm sixty nine! A study quoted in "The Lore of Running" (Manfredi et al. 1991)"" found that aging athletes are simply not able to train as hard and frequently as before. When exposed to the same training loads, the muscles of older subjects showed more severe damage than did those under thirty years of age."" Aging muscle must be treated with respect and recovery cannot be ignored. Flatlander and Canute--they are great recovery activities you mention.
IEB Apr 2018 8:10pm, 13 Apr 2018 First-time poster!!	Quote Pin IEB Age. Age. Age. I used to be so certain about active recovery, but not now. The active recovery can use up more energy than I have to spare. I am now in full reassessment of my training, after 40 years of running and 30 of triathlons. What worked 30 years ago just does not work now. Slow down in pace is not as great as slow down in recovery. I am finding the amount of time I need to recover leads to a dimunition in fitness. Just another challenge. I think the outcome is shorter events and slower events.
Sigh Apr 2018 8:59pm, 13 Apr 2018 1,533 posts	Quote Pin Sigh Welcome to Fetch, IEB! I've learnt the hard way when to rest and when to 'actively recover'; it's always a judgement call on the day, I don't always get it right, and when I get it wrong it leads to a longer rest period. That's yet to stop me pushing myself, but I may feel differently as I grow into my 50's properly.
Columba Apr 2018 9:30pm, 13 Apr 2018 15,336 posts	Quote Pin Columba Hello and welcome IEB. Time to recover, - yes, it takes ages. I ran a little run the day before yesterday, was flattened yesterday and not much better today. Hoping for another little run tomorrow.
Velociraptor Apr 2018 9:43pm, 13 Apr 2018 38,102 posts	Quote Pin Velociraptor I'm hoping that if my training mileage increases, my recovery time will improve. My legs were wiped out for four days after racing 10 miles on Sunday, but considering how little running I've done recently I think that's fair enough.
Dvorak Apr 2018 10:24am, 14 Apr 2018 15,834 posts	Quote Pin Dvorak Same here, V'rap. After my ten mile race off minimal training, recovery has been unusually slow. Don't thing a week of near inactivity following helped, (any thoughts of active recovery disappeared in the snow, all I did was stand at a couple of gigs). pArkrun the following Saturday was not an edifying spectacle. No parkrun today (car trouble) so will see if I can use the energy I'd normally have expended in some more useful way. Already had a walk and done a washing :-). Although that might be that for the day's sunshine.
Velociraptor Apr 2018 10:34am, 14 Apr 2018 38,104 posts	Quote Pin Velociraptor I skipped parkrun today too. Off to see what VP can do with a mile on the track, and to have a pop at getting back under 8 minutes myself. "Active recovery" this past week has just been walking and one comical attempt at a run on Wednesday. No evening sessions or weights. I'm planning to get back to short evening runs next week if I'm not completely wiped out by work.
Canute Apr 2018 11:01am, 14 Apr 2018 1,875 posts	Quote Pin Canute There is little doubt that recovery becomes slower with increasing age. In my experience, the main requirement is adjusting the intensity of active recovery, rather than complete rest. Complete rest promotes the formation of obstructive adhesions within the tissues at sites of recent damage. Walking is a useful way of decreasing the intensity of active recovery. The duration of activity also matters; several short walks in a day appear better for promoting recovery than one long walk. I am not training actively for racing at present. I mainly keep active for enjoyment and health. I do some aerobic activity every day, though sometimes this only consists only of cycling about 8-10 miles or walking a few miles. I think this is keeping me in better condition than when I had rest days – though it is certainly not maintaining me at anywhere near the level of fitness I had maintained throughout my 60’s.
hillstrider Apr 2018 11:36am, 14 Apr 2018 4,966 posts	Quote Pin hillstrider My active recovery is spin sessions Tuesday and Wednesday. I only started these sessions on the advice of my physio, to help my recovery from my knee injury last June. I've found them so beneficial, that I've decided to keep them up.