40+ers... how bad is it... really... if you are athletic? (Page 5)

KSH - 2010-10-21 8:30 AM So menopause is sounding like complete h@ll. I know I should be thankful to be alive... but dang getting old is like rolling a rock downhill. And for women it really seems to suck because we have that whole menopause thing!

McFuzz - 2010-10-21 9:25 AM



Keep in mind that men have to deal with menopausal women...

KSH - 2010-10-21 11:08 AM Not if they get a younger model.

dutchie7 - 2010-12-13 6:56 AM

Life is not a dress rehearsal, many would agree! I logged on to this site to find how age and menopause affected women who do triathlon.
Yes I have just begun triathlons and as a tri newbie have completed three since September this year! Each triathlon is a little further in distance.
The hardest part for me was the run. As a young student we were not given races longer than 200m as we were supposed to grow up and have children. Perhaps they thought it would affect our possibilities of childbearing. I must say it worked as I have seven children.
About July this year I made up my mind to do the Tri Pink. I began training for running and gradually increased the distance till I knew I could run three km. without stopping.
Fortunately I had bought a road bike with the proceeds of my mother's will as one of the last things she said was "I am sorry I never had the money to buy you a new bike!"
After a lifetime of tapering I have also done the annual 100km ride for charity from Brisbane to the Gold Coast three years running, on one occasion I did it with two weeks training, so I knew the ride was conquerable!
As a teenager I swam competively but I was not at the elite level.  I knew I could swim but being an asthmatic and having spent years supervising my children, I was VERY out of condition. My kick is virtually non existent. I got back in the pool could barely swim 15 metres.
My family have encouraged me in my pursuit. Some children have achieved highly in athletic/triathlons and instead of me offering them encouragement the tables were turned. My youngest son ,14 said as I left for the ,Tri Pink " Mum promise me one thing, you won't walk!" I promised and I didn't. I was so elated on finishing my last three Triathlons. I challenged myself and I did it. On reflection I paced myself but I completed with some energy in reserve. I intend to keep training and become stronger and fitter.
Yes I have my eleventh grand child on the way! I work full time and have three teenage children and a husband at home. I turned 58 last month but "Why WALK if you can RUN????" I for one, have too much to live for and I have worked hard for it. I intend to prove Hippocrates correct! But one must also consider that it is not only the exercise but the mind that keeps us young! Live life to the fullest and you should have no regrets!

Hot Runner - 2010-12-13 7:46 AM

I'm 41 (sigh) and recently got back to semi-serious training and racing after turning forty. I've been running since age 10, and never really quit or burned out--life just kind of got in the way. In my late teens and early 20's, I trained like a maniac and was a speed demon:  2:43 marathon, 1:16 half, 35:00 10K.  Not anymore!

At some points I was running as little as 4-5 miles, maybe twice a week. My guess is that about 15+ years of pretty minimal training (and living in Beijing for a decade)  have had more effect than aging. Endurance, once I built it back up, is no more a struggle than in my twenties.  My main struggle has been improving speed, and getting back to racing, in terms of figuring out pacing and realistic goals.

My speed is not what it was, but I have improved my HM time by 13 minutes from age 36 (when I ran one on a bare minimum of training after almost a decade of recreational jogging), despite rarely running more than 4 days/35 miles a week.  I can do any workout I did in my twenties, it's just going to be slower. It also seems to take me longer to recover--one reason I started tri training.  I think you just listen to your body more, train smarter, and find a balance that works for you. In my recent races, many of the top overall women are in their forties and even a few in their early fifties--I think we do have an advantage with mental strength and experience, esp.at longer distances.

At any rate, I plan to keep running and tri-ing. I want to stay healthy and strong, and be that 80 year old lady jogging along happily in the local 10K.

Stephen T - 2010-12-13 9:39 AM

Not sure if anyone mentioned this (thread was a bit too long for me to go through), but Dave Scott took 2nd at Kona at age 40 and 5th at age 42.

KSH - 2010-10-06 9:16 AM So last night I'm having dinner with 3 ladies I use to work with. Respectively they are 42, 43, and 52. They all let me know that once I hit 40, it all does to h@ll and my body will start to fall apart! While I won't disclose my age, I will say that I am in the 36-40 age group. Now mind you, one of the ladies (43 years old) is completely unhealthy. Never works out... and is about 80 pounds overweight. The other lady (42 years old) is a healthy thin, and maybe works out 3 days a week and doesn't do anything too strenuous as far as a workout. The 52 year old is the healiest of the three. She runs 4 miles every other day, has done a half marathon recently, swims, etc. But even she commented that things that didn't make you sore before (aka: walking a 12 pound dog pulling a leash), will make you sore for weeks. I will say that all 3 said that once you hit 40 you get a tummy pooch that will NOT go away no matter what you do. It got me thinking... and worried! I'm getting closer to 40 and I fear it all falling to pieces! But then I look at the 40-45 age group of women at tri's, and they are the fastest age group! So are the men! Gosh, men seem to keep getting faster till they are 50! Then I became hopeful... that my active lifestyle and training for tri's will keep that all from happening. But will it? So to the 40+ers... will it all fall apart and become a lot harder to exercise and recover when I am 40+? Or will it stay about the same with some minor issues because I am already very active and healthy? Hhhuuuummmmm.....