On 9/21/2018 3:35 PM, wrote:
In another month I'll be 74.

I got a copy of Joe Friel's "Fast Over 50". The story on fitness isn't very encouraging nor is it very accurate at least in my case.

Well, I note that the title isn't "Fast over 70."

50 years old? Hell, that's a little kid! When I was in high school, I
wouldn't have even talked to those people! ;-)

He is saying that in order to retain as much of your fitness as long as possible you should be doing intervals. Well, I was never able to do sprint intervals and instead use a sort of power training - I climb. A lot. I'm retired and I'm riding four days a week which leaves three days of rest and relaxation. I also climb three of the four riding days and ride one day out of each week with the old and slow crowd as recovery.

I think one of the beneficial effects of bicycling is that if you're
doing it in any enthusiastic manner, the intervals are built in. Well,
unless you live in pancake land. Around here, you're bound to climb
hills, often short and relatively steep ones, unless you choose your
route very carefully.

I was in my best shape back when I was commuting to work, climbing out
of the valley to get home and always trying to do it fast; and
especially when my daughter was young and riding on the back of the
tandem. There were many, many times I barely made it to the top of a
hill, while she was cheerfully singing in the back seat. (On one
week-long trip, I actually made it a rule: "No singing on uphills!")

In those days, I really did stress my legs and lungs to near their
limits, which seems to be what's necessary to build strength. But age
and its maladies have removed that particular fire from my belly. My
thigh muscles look nothing like they used to! I can still finish at or
near the front of most club rides, but that's mostly because of my
careful choice of club rides.


We are not racers and building racing fitness in people over 50 is dangerous. Overtraining is extremely easy to do over that edge because it is human nature to think that to improve you work harder at it.

I have one friend who greatly overextended on one ride. He was trying to
keep up with a much younger, faster group on a long ride. He woke up
after falling unconscious on the floor of his home. It took every ounce
of his will to get to the phone to call 911. Apparently it was some sort
of kidney failure triggered by extreme overexertion. He nearly died.

There's a reason 70-year-olds don't compete in the Tour.


--
- Frank Krygowski