Runner/cyclist debating complete change of fitness goals - help!

Your experience is so similar to many folks I know. Most in the group of roughly 20 folks I train with (45-65yrs old) have come from a "running first" background. At least 5 Boston Marathon finishers and a dozen Ironman finishers in the mix, many of whom have shifted to trail running (100 mile trail races are in vogue these days: Western States 100, Leadville 100, Wasatch, etc.)

A common theme among the group is that we are all active at SOMETHING 5-6 days/week, with the specific focus shifting based on season, injuries, a new destination race that pops up, the need for a marathon or triathlon qualifying time, etc.

At 64 yrs old, and as a frequently injured, mediocre runner (1:55:00 Half Marathon, 23:30 5k) my primary focus has been triathlon over the last 6-7 years. The multisport aspect is challenging, yet less pounding than say Marathon training. The other benefit is that the significant training volume in multisport brings such good aerobic fitness that my run volume doesn't need to be very high in order to maintain it.

Regarding swimming - You are EXACTLY in the sweet spot for starting a multisport pursuit. Almost everyone starting out has one strong discipline and a particular weakness. You are experienced in 2 of the 3 disciplines. Swimming takes practice to achieve good form, but is very doable and also a low/no impact workout. I've come to really enjoy swim workouts on the days following a long run or bike.

And regarding cycling, one of the most fun parts for me is cycling with my friends during a triathlon build. There are many strong cyclists among the triathlon crowd. My suggestion is to find a triathlon club and join a weekly ride as a way to find out if it is a fit.

Finally, strength sessions are key to injury prevention, so it's not an all or nothing approach for me. I do more strength work in the winter (with a trainer) but maintain a once per week routine all season long.

clairenotready wrote: »

@sijomial that's a good point, I suppose I'm just lazy. Somehow signing up to easy, long group rides which involve coffee, cake and chat seems easier than short intense sessions! How do you motivate yourself to get out there on your own - or do you have a ride buddy? I definitely train better in company!

Nah - not lazy at all. Lazy would be sofa surfing not riding!
I'm a bit unusual in that I prefer lone wolf riding for most of my rides as I get to choose when, where, how long, how fast.....

I'm not an early bird rider at all which rules out a lot of club / social rides. As I'm retired I can go out in the middle of the day when I perform at my best and the temperature is more stable. (Raynaud's can make cold rides a real pain.)
Indoor training on a bike is harder as I don't enjoy it but I also can see worthwhile fitness benefits from the more structured and controlled indoor training, I've always been good at training whatever sport has been my focus.

I've always been very self-competitive and with cycling there's always a challenge if you want one: pace, distance, Strava PR's, monster hills, FTP score.....

Having events in the diary also gives me a focus and a deadline. Four weeks to go my Ride London-Essex century, hence the charity cycling top in my picture. But I've used that event focus to build my fitness steadily since January.

clairenotready wrote: »

@Djproulx I think I love you. I mean. Not literally.. but a full Ironman has been a dream for years, but not realistic. But 70.3.. that gets me excited!

Can't tell you how helpful it was just to hear you reflecting my situation back to me. I really appreciate you taking the time to do that.. thank you!

How to make an old dude blush, lol!!

I’ve done lots of tri’s including 7 HIM distance and 2 full IMs. The 70.3 is the best! Big crowds, lots of energy, very supportive atmosphere.
And no rush for 140.6 distance. I waited and did my first at 60 yrs old.

Look forward to hearing more.

This would be a sharp turn, but have you considered paddle sports? Are there options to try, near you?

I'm a rower (boats when I can, machines only when I must) - the long, skinny boats like in the Olympics, but mine is much slower, since I'm W 60-69 lwt competitive class.

Some of our best new rowers are the cyclists, because it exploits their leg strength and balance . . . but gives them more core and upper body. Still, that's not an option everywhere. (I've learned that even here, where it is an option, the average person doesn't realize it, because it's underfunded for publicity, and niche. In my club, one need not own a boat, can use the club's boats after taking a learn-to-row class. Annual membership has been $275, full season, the last few years.)

There are other paddle sports, though, more accessible, at varied price points, but the options still may not be all that well-publicized: Canoeing, kayaking, stand-up paddleboard, maybe others. In places with lakes/rivers, there may be rentals (kind of expensive, usually), classes, a used-boat market, end of season sales, free or cheap try-out events, etc. For rowing, certainly, and I think some of the others, there are camps that enable "learn to", that are reasonable as a vacation. In recent years, an all-inclusive week at a good rowing camp, with elite-level coaching, can cost less (all inclusive), than just the hotel part of a city vacation of similar duration.

These may not be for you, but they're less-visible options, can be athletically very challenging, more competitions available than the average person realizes, low impact but all potentially high intensity . . . and mostly outdoors.

On the Winter side of things, ditto for cross-country skiing.

I had a similar experience a few years ago. I was pretty into endurance cycling for a number of years and was training almost year 'round for centuries and half centuries. My issues were three fold...for one I was a little burned out on training and riding 100+ miles every week and it just wasn't as fun as it was when I started...it had become very redundant and a chore. Second, I had a lot of things changing in my life in regards to available time with my kids getting a little older and having homework and soccer practices and soccer games and archery tournaments and track and field, etc and I couldn't very well let my wife take care of all of that while I was off riding around on my bike. Third was that I had become increasingly injured. Never anything too serious, but constant little things that would come and go and then come back again over and over. At one point I felt that I was only really fully healthy for maybe a couple of weeks at a time.

There's a whole world in between being healthy and fit and being super fit and in 2019 I decided I just needed a break from all of the structure and rigors of actual training. I remained active but in a much more recreational capacity and branched out into a lot more MTB and cross-country riding and hiking. Of course, my fitness capacity decreased, but not to a level of being unhealthy or lacking in physical fitness altogether...I just couldn't go do 50 miles on the bike on a whim anymore. I took 2019, 2020, and 2021 off from doing any kind of event or structured training. I became a lot happier with what I was doing and enjoying more active recreation with my wife and my two boys and most importantly, I healed up.

For 2022 I've gotten back into some more structured training...to this point, namely in the weight room. But I actually just signed on for a sprint triathlon in early August and today is my first training day for that and I have a 14 week program set up. I figure a sprint is a very doable distance to get in shape for given where I'm at currently and also not a huge time suck training wise...depending on the week, it's about 5 hours on average with a couple of weeks being around 7 hours for everything (bike/run/swim/strength. Realistically, the other goings on in my life pretty much dictate 6-7 hours maximum plus I still want to have time to go hiking and whatnot with my family.

I may not be as fit as I was when I was specializing in one discipline, but I think I will be more well rounded...and I may not be as fit overall as when I was riding 50 miles just because it was Saturday...but ultimately I'll still be well ahead of gen pop and plenty healthy. At this point I don't know if I'll ever get back into 10+ hour weeks of training...certainly no time soon as life won't realistically allow for it. But I've also had the last couple of years to really reflect and my perceptions have changed and I think going forward I will be very content to maybe train and participate in one or two events per year and just spend the rest of my time just having fun and being active. I am looking forward to the challenge of training for my sprint, particularly as I haven't run in about 8 years...but I also kind of have a feeling that when 14 weeks is up I'll be pretty happy to just go hiking with my family.

Just enjoying the enthusiasm here based on new triathlon plans being formed.

With that said, here's a little 8 minute clip from IM Mont Tremblant in 2018. The first 2:30 is IM marketing, but after that, look at the people being interviewed on race morning and at the finish line. Notice the energy and smiles all around, even though many were nervous before the race started (including me). My favorite moments are near the end, where a 75 year old crosses the line and the last guy finishes after 6 previous failed attempts to make the cutoff. Mike Reilly, the Voice of Ironman, calls him and Ironman and the crowd loves it. I enjoyed seeing that guy out on the course multiple times that day. Even though he was suffering, he wore that smile for over 16 hours.

https://player.vimeo.com/video/285783628

littlegreenparrot1 wrote: »

Might be worth trying things that change the emphasis - triathlon or obstacle races for example.
Still outdoors but require more cross training which might help prevent the injuries.

What surface do you run on? If it's roads try trail running if you can. The varied terrain can be easier on the joints.

I've been a trail runner for years and am currently not feeling the love. I'm doing more Pilates and swimming, and hiking the long distances at the weekend. Next thing is to do some proper strength training and stop wimping out 😆

Ditto on the trail running. My knees are much less forgiving of too many miles on pavement versus dirt.

Definitely add in the strength training.. that adds strength fast and will improve the cycling and running (except in cases where you aren't recovered before the next ride/run). I found it made me much faster in both running and cycling. And much less fatigued versus distance done. Which may help prevent injuries resulting from form breaking down.

Personally, I like to keep the running in my schedule to not lose that conditioning, but when it comes to cumulative calorie burn, I find cycling to be the winner by a lot... If I don't push it excessively, then I can ride for hours potentially every day.. which, in my case, is definitely not remotely doable with running.

I've been in and am still in a similar situation. 2 things about your scenario stand out to me...

First -- You can't be injured.
If running results in injuries, you need to stop. Or at the very least dial it back and supplement with something will help with injury prevention.

Second -- Get back to loving the things you love.
If having certain goals take the fun out of it, change your goals/focus. Less time spent doing something you love is better than spending more time on something that feels like a chore/obligation.


And just as a footnote...
If you're heavier, less trained, and older than what you used to be, then you can't have the same standards/expectations as you had previously. I've been trying to come to terms with this for the last few years and it's crippling for my ego. But an 8minute mile running or a 20mph average cycling is no longer realistic for me. I can't judge myself based on what I used to do. If that's screwing with you, find a way to shift your perspective. Easier said than done, but IMO it can play a big role and shouldn't be overlooked.