Training Archives * Senior Triathletes

Best Pre-Run Warmup Approach For Senior Triathletes

Terry VanderWert on December 4, 2024

Image of older runner warming up for a run using dynamic stretching

A pre-run warmup becomes more important with each birthday. A combination of dynamic stretching and foam rolling provides what you need for safer and better quality run training.

Background

During a recent conversation with Dr. George Eversaul, developer of AquaStretch™ therapy, I mentioned my tight hips. I told him that I was looking for a way to loosen them. In response, he told me that the first thing I should try is stretching and foam rolling before running.

It surprised me to hear him say this. I needed no convincing to stretch after running. I am also a proponent of foam rolling, having solved an IT band problem by foam rolling many years ago.

However, I had convinced myself that stretching before running needed to be gentle, especially when the running muscles were “cold”. For most runs, I have migrated to skipping the warmup. Still, George’s comment caused me to do some research on the best way to warmup before a run, especially if it would improve my running performance, prevent injury, or both.

This post is what I learned through this research.

What Is The Purpose Of Pre-Run Warmup?

As with many so-called “givens”, conventional wisdom about pre-run warmup has changed dramatically over time. According to a post on the Marathon Handbook website titled How To Warm Up For Runners + A Complete Warm-Up Routine, pre-run advice has gone from static stretching to no stretching, then no warmup to, more recently, pre-run warmup as a must-do. Sports medicine research, such as that summarized in “Warm-up or stretch as preparation for sprint performance?” published in the Journal of Science and Medicine in Sport (JSMS), supports this advice.

Static stretching is no longer advised. Why? As the JSMS article referenced in the previous paragraph showed, there appears to be no benefit. In fact, holding stretches for 30 or more seconds before the muscles are warmed up may reduce performance by decreasing muscle strength and stability. Static stretches of “cold” muscles may also increase the risk of injury, including strains, during the run.

Before heading out on a training run, sports medicine professionals and physical therapists, recommend a 10-15 minute warmup routine. The challenge is to find a routine that does not compromise muscle strength or performance.

Warmups that are now recommended have the following main goals:

activate, elongate, and reduce tightness of the muscles involved in running,
prepare joints for moving,
increase blood flow to increase core temperature and the temperature of the muscles required for running,
stimulate the nervous system.

Because of the natural decline in flexibility and muscle elasticity that occurs with age, warming up before a run is even more important for older athletes.

Best Practices for Older Athletes

Searching Google for best pre-run warmup for “older athletes” will get you a generous number of sites to peruse. However, these generally miss an important practice for older athletes, especially those with limited mobility or flexibility in parts of the body engaged in running.

The following approach is especially important for older runners.

Get Your Heart Rate Up, Gradually

Whether through a brisk walk, doing a few jumping jacks, jogging in place, or pedaling a stationary bike, start with 5 to 10 minutes of light aerobic activity. This will raise your heart rate and core temperature gradually and, in doing so, increase blood flow to your muscles. This makes the muscles more pliable and ready for the next steps. I have also found that this is a good way to produce a little moisture on my skin so my heart rate monitor is more accurate and consistent.

Foam Roll Tight Areas

For many older athletes, foam rolling tight muscles can further improve pre-run mobility.

A major cause of tight muscles is myofascial adhesions, connections that form between the fascia, or outer wrapping, of adjacent muscles and other tissue. As explained to me by a physical therapist, tightness is like trying to slide two similar materials across each other while the two materials stick together at points along their surfaces.

By releasing myofascial adhesions, foam rolling after light aerobic activity offers the following benefits:

Improves range of motion: According to the author of “A PT’s Guide to Foam Rolling for Runners“, studies have documented improved hip extension and knee flexion when foam rolling is combined with dynamic stretching.
Increases blood flow: Along with the aerobic warmup, foam rolling further prepares muscles for physical activity. Increased blood flow aids in muscle relaxation, which can reduce the risk of injury.
Reduces tightness: Tight muscles caused by myofascial adhesions may force our body to compensate during the run. These unnatural patterns can overuse other muscles. By providing myofascial release, foam rolling can help reduce the risk of injury caused by compensation.
Activates the nervous system: The pressure from foam rolling activates neural receptors, which can relax muscles and optimize their response to dynamic movements

Foam rolling is simple. Place the foam roller against a hard surface, such as floor or wall, and place the tight area of your body against the foam roller. Lean into it and slowly roll across the tight area in both directions. If you are able, hold the position directly over the tight area for a few seconds, then repeat the process until the tightness has reduced.

For more information on foam rolling, checkout Become a More Flexible Senior Triathlete By Foam Rolling.

Dynamic Stretches Round Out a Warmup

The warmup concludes with one or more dynamic stretches. These are controlled, movement-based stretches that mimic the motions of running.

Examples include:

Leg swings: Swing your legs front-to-back and side-to-side to open up the hip flexors and hamstrings.
Forward lunges with a twist to engage the core.
Side lunges to activate inner and outer thighs.
Inchworms: A full-body stretch that also targets hamstrings and core.
Butt kicks and high knees: These help activate your quads and glutes, promoting good form and balance during running.
Leg kicks: Stand with feet apart with knees straight and stretch the right hand to the left foot, holding the position for two seconds, then repeat this with the opposite hand and foot.

Resources for Dynamic Stretching:

After completing dynamic stretches, consider easing into your run, running at an easy pace for the first five minutes. Gradually increase the intensity throughout this period. This primes your body for sustained effort while minimizing injury risk.

Conclusion

Older runners and triathletes will benefit from a pre-run warmup that includes light aerobic activity, foam rolling, and dynamic stretching. After increasing our heart rate and beginning to warm our running muscles, foam rolling relieves excess tension to improve flexibility. Dynamic stretches round out the warmup by activating the running muscles.

Skipping a pre-run warmup is a “no-no” if you want to avoid injury.

How Do You Warmup Before A Run?

Please let us know how you warmup for your run? What have you learned along the way?

Comments: Please note that I review all comments before they are posted. You will be notified by email when your comment is approved. Even if you do not submit a comment, you may subscribe to be notified when a comment is published.

How Important Is Mental Toughness For Triathlon?

Terry VanderWert on November 20, 2024

brain pictured inside human head to illustrate the mental part of triathlon

I chuckle each time I hear the wisdom attributed to baseball’s Yogi Berra: “Baseball is 90 per cent mental. The other half is physical.” As a former baseball player, I can attest to the importance of a strong mental component to the game. I just don’t get his math.

Since taking up golf about three years ago, I have also learned of the mental component to the game. I like what golfer Bobby Jones said: “In golf, the most important distance is the five inches between the ears.” A similar quote of Jones is, “The object of golf is to beat someone. Make sure that someone is not yourself.” Both speak clearly of a mental component to the game.

Is there a mental component to endurance sports like triathlon, duathlon, and aquabike?

That’s the question I explore in this post.

Our Mind Contributes to Physical Endurance

Dr, Samuele Marcora appears to be the foremost expert on the relationship between the mind and endurance sports performance. He is widely cited in articles and posts on mental toughness in endurance sports.

In Mental fatigue impairs physical performance in humans, Dr. Marcora and his colleagues documented the effect of mental fatigue on physical performance. They claimed that their research provided “experimental evidence that mental fatigue limits exercise tolerance in humans.” They also concluded that these limits came through a higher perceived difficulty, rather than physical effects related to the cardiovascular, respiratory and muscular functions.

In his article titled “Quitter”, Matt Fitzgerald, author of RUN: The Mind-Body Method of Running by Feel, writes of another of Marcora’s tests, this involving ten members of a university rugby team. Team members were told to ride at 90 percent of their personal VO2 max power until exhaustion. On average, they rode about 12 minutes at 242 watts. Then, after supposedly being exhausted, they were immediately told to ride as fast as possible for five seconds. Their average power was now 731 watts.

The researchers’ conclusion was that the mind in addition to the body dictates an athlete’s performance.

Mental Toughness Can Be Trained For Triathlon

The good news is that we can increase the mental component of endurance sports through our training. Following are two approaches I found while preparing this post.

Training With An Attitude

TriDot Head of Coach Development and senior triathlete, Kurt Madden told me, “I find it really intriguing that we spend so much time on the physical aspect of training. But the mind can work with you or against you.”

In an effort to incorporate the mental component in triathlon training, Kurt has identifed four factors he uses to help triathletes achieve amazing results, no matter their age or gender. These factors come from a combination of Kurt’s experience as a 45+ year ultra distance endurance athlete and his study of sports psychology.

• The “grit” factor

In Grit: The Power of Passion and Perseverance, Angela Duckworth develops the “hypothesis that what really drives success is not ‘genius’ but a unique combination of passion and long-term perseverance.” Some people can look at any challenge, embrace it, and push through related pain. This “grit” can come from early life experiences, such as a difficult family situation, or from a “learn it as you go” approach.

• Intention to be successful

Kurt has observed that “those people that do better mentally in longer events have the intention to be successful.” Those with this attitude not only believe they will be successful, but take action to ensure that they succeed.

“Intention” builds on enthusiasm, or positive attitudes, and on grit. Kurt encourages athletes with an intention to be successful to spot their “short term wins”. These wins confirm the success of their actions, producing the biochemical (hormonal) changes in our bodies that almost guarantee success.

• Willingness to be uncomfortable

While speaking with me for the post titled How To Slow Age-Related Drop in Running Performance, Kurt cited the tendency for older athletes to avoid being uncomfortable. However, to increase mental toughness, it is necessary to embrace some discomfort.

“When we are uncomfortable, there is a good thing that happens: we grow.”

Kurt has learned that one way to train our mind to embrace discomfort is to force ourself to go a little beyond where we think we need to stop. Relax, embrace the current discomfort, and go a little further.

• Staying “in the moment”

In introducing this factor, Kurt referred to The Mindful Athlete: Secrets to Pure Performance, a book written by George Mumford whom Michael Jordan credits “with transforming his on-court leadership of the [Chicago] Bulls.”

“Staying in the moment” avoids fretting about what has happened and forecasting too far ahead as to what could happen. Winning athletes include in their arsenal an ability to brush off mistakes or other failures and focus on doing what they know they are capable of.

Training While Mentally Fatigued

In “Brain Endurance Training Improves Dynamic Calisthenic Exercise and Benefits Novel Exercise”, published in the Journal of Strength and Conditioning Research, researchers Neil Dalloway et al, provide background on Brain Endurance Training (BET), at least partly based on Dr. Marcora’s research. The authors begin with the fundamental assumption that “perceived exertion is a limiting factor in endurance exercise.” By creating mental fatigue on top of the fatigue from physical training, the athlete adapts to performing under a higher level of fatigue and therefore a higher level of perceived exertion.

This allows the athlete to perform under stress, that is, conditions of mental fatigue. However, the real goal is for their endurance performance to be increased when the mental fatigue component is no longer present, such as on race day. According to the article’s authors, BET has been demonstrated to improve performance in cycling, running, and other activities requiring muscular endurance.

Cognitive Training Tools

Soma Technologies is a company which provides products following this approach. The company’s website says, “We Monitor Cognition, We Analyse Fatigue, We Optimize Performance.” The company also claims, “Soma has been proven to create psycho-physiological changes in the brain, enabling athletes to perform at higher levels with less perceived effort and make better decisions under fatigue.”

As I was preparing this post, I received an email from Soma, introducing their guide, “How to Design A Cognitive Training Plan.” This document is for coaches who want to incorporate mental toughness training into their athletes’ plan.

When reading through the guide, it surprised me to see the melding of mental (cognitive) and physical loading. For example, you may be aware of words such as periodization and progressive overload from triathlon training manuals. But did you know that there is a mental toughness equivalent to these? And, just as there are different components to comprehensive swim, bike, or run training programs, there are different components to cognitive endurance training.

Eating Your Way To Mental Toughness

Learning that mental toughness is connected to how we fuel our bodies shouldn’t have surprised me. Physical training, nutrition and hydration, and rest and recovery are deeply intertwined.

In a Fast Talk Labs podcast titled “The Role of Nutrition in Optimizing Mental Performance,” Dr. Kate Kresge explained the relationship between nutrition and mental performance in endurance athletes. She began by emphasizing the need for good blood flow to the frontal lobe of the brain, which is crucial for mental performance and toughness.

Adequate blood flow supports the brain’s ability to produce neurotransmitters like dopamine and adrenaline. These neurotransmitters are vital for the proper functioning of the brain’s frontal lobe, which governs key aspects of mental toughness, such as focus, decision-making, and resilience.

The adrenal glands, located above the kidneys, produce adrenaline, while dopamine is primarily synthesized within the brain. Notably, adrenaline can also be derived from dopamine. The production of these critical neurotransmitters requires three key nutrients: tyrosine (an amino acid), vitamin B6, and vitamin C.

Nutrient Sources:

Tyrosine: Meat, poultry, fish, almonds, peanuts, pumpkin seeds, sesame seeds, eggs, cheese
Vitamin B6: Beef liver, tuna, salmon, shrimp, potatoes, bananas
Vitamin C: Red, yellow, and green peppers, oranges, grapefruit, lemons, limes, kiwi fruit, broccoli

Electrolytes also play an essential role in facilitating the transport of these nutrients into cells, highlighting the interconnected nature of nutrition and physiology. If you find yourself struggling with mental toughness during training, consider focusing on adequate protein intake and maintaining proper electrolyte balance. According to Dr. Kresge, noticeable improvements can occur within a week.

What I Have Learned About Increasing Mental Toughness for Triathlon

It’s clear that there is a mental component to endurance sports, like triathlon, duathlon, and aquabike.

Those of you who know me, also know that I am an average triathlete having focused on sprint triathlons. I have not engaged specifically in mental endurance training because I have only recently learned about it. However, I relate to what I have heard and read about mental fatigue and mental toughness.

Over the years of triathlon training and racing, I believe I have sometimes struggled with the effects of mental fatigue, but also developed greater mental toughness.

For me, the quickest way to increase mental toughness has been being consistent in my training. Consistency builds confidence. When writing this, I was thinking of the triathlon swim.

I recall several races in which I became light-headed early in the swim, either through altitude or poor pacing. However, through plenty of pool and open water swims in different conditions, I had become confident in my ability to maintain calm and respond to the current situation without panicking. That’s a small example of mental toughness.

From what Dr. Kresge said, I plan to double-down on paying attention to nutrition and hydration.

What Works For You?

This has been a high level introduction to the subject. Is there a part of this you wish to learn more about? Please share your questions or requests below and I will work to get answers.

Please also share what you have learned about increasing mental toughness. What advice do you have for those new to triathlon training?

Affiliate Disclosure

This post was originally published on August 28, 2024. After hearing the interview with Dr. Kate Kresge, I added information about the roles of nutrition and hydration and republished it on November 20, 2024.

Strength Training for Senior Endurance Athletes

Terry VanderWert on September 23, 2024

I am constantly hearing about the importance of strength training for seniors, especially senior endurance athletes. And, I don’t think it’s just because I have become sensitized to its importance.

According to the authors of Muscle tissue changes with aging, “One of the most striking effects of age is the involuntary loss of muscle mass, strength, and function, termed sarcopenia. Muscle mass decreases approximately 3–8% per decade after the age of 30 and this rate of decline is even higher after the age of 60.”

Senior Triathletes coach Tony Washington shared about strength training and its importance to senior triathletes and other multi-sport endurance athletes. According to Tony, senior triathletes and other multi-sport endurance athletes should prioritize strength training as the fourth discipline in triathlon.

Strength Training for Senior Multisport Endurance Athletes

Since publishing my experience with triathlon icon Mark Allen’s strength training program, the post has been among the top most read on SeniorTriathletes.com.

This is not surprising, given the intrinsic loss of strength with age. There is plenty of evidence to show that we may not stop this decline, but we can absolutely slow it down through consistent strength training. This includes some strength training every day, according to Tony Washington.

For a sedate person, starting at about age 40, they can lose as much as a percent of strength per year.
Tony Washington

Before you leave thinking you don’t have time to go to the gym seven days a week, listen to Tony’s approach to strength training and how you can supplement visits to the gym or weight room with strength training while going about your day.

My Conversation with Tony Washington

Recording of my conversation with triathlon coach and senior triathlete Tony Washington

Milestones in our Conversation

If you don’t have time to listen to the entire conversation now, you can download it for later listening. You can also jump to a specific point within the conversation. Just remember, points later in the conversation often build on those Tony made earlier in it.

1:11 – Strength training is underappreciated in triathlon
3:07 – Key goal for strength training
5:15 – Ways strength training for seniors differs from that for our younger selves
8:25 – Three targets for strength training
13:37 – Changes in strength training for seniors as we age
18:41 – Differences in strength training between men and women
21:30 – Approaching strength training when transitioning from a single endurance sport to triathlon
24:55 – Influence of race distance on strength training
27:11 – Reader question about preventing injury when strength training for the bike
30:30 – Final advice: “Do some strength training every day.”

My Main Takeaway About Strength Training for Senior Triathletes

Strength training that improves stability, mobility, and strength is key to healthy aging and preventing injuries in triathlon. Fortunately, we can all find ways to include some strength training throughout our day.

What Do You Think?

How has Tony’s perspective changed your idea of strength training? What did you find most interesting or thought provoking?

Post your comments below. You may also get in touch with Tony Washington using the email address on his profile page.

This post was originally published on April 18, 2023. I updated it on September 23, 2024 because of a keener sense of the importance of this topic for older athletes.

A 76-Year Old’s Perspective on Running Performance After 70

Jim Riley on July 19, 2024

Senior Triathletes Jim Riley with Julie Moss

Caption: Jim Riley with Julie Moss after the 2017 Oceanside IM70.3.

A 76-year-old triathlete shares his perspective and experience on advice given in another Senior Triathletes post for reducing a decline in running performance after 70.

Introduction: Setting the Stage

by Terry VanderWert, Editor, SeniorTriathletes.com

Last month, I published a post titled How To Slow Age-Related Drop in Running Performance. After reading that post, Jim Riley wrote me a long, personal email with his comments. His email ended with, “I felt I needed to respond for all those trying to be the very best for their age.”

I thought his perspective and detailed comments worthy of a dedicated post rather than a comment at the bottom of the post. Jim agreed to share his thoughts on age-related performance decline with our community.

In the post which prompted Jim’s comments, Coach Kurt Madden referred to an article in Triathlete magazine about the documented increased times with age. The May 14, 2024 article titled How Much Slower Will You Get As You “Age Up” in Triathlon? graphically presents Ironman 140.6 and Ironman 70.3 finish times and swim, bike, and run splits. Specific to running, this article documents slower Ironman times that begin in our late 20s or early 30s and progress with age.

What is less obvious but still represented in the data is that for some legs, including the run for both the IM140.6 and IM70.3, the rate of decline (slope of the graph) increases with age, especially for those in the 70s age groups.

With that introduction and background, here are Jim Riley’s remarks.

The 70s Are Different Than the Late-60s

by Jim Riley

I am in the same competitive mode as Kurt but seven years older. He is correct in everything he says [in How To Slow Age-Related Drop in Running Performance]. However, he is not 76, so cannot yet feel what happens from 69 to 76 even if you are doing everything he advocates.

Please tell your over-70 set to be very careful with running training. Trying to do what he suggests in getting uncomfortable with more Zone 3 and 4 training can result in a greater chance of injury and frustration.

My times for 70.3 distance events have declined every year since my comeback as a 69-year-old. Yet, I have never missed a podium finish.

I am still so frustrated to see my times slow even if I have gone to more strength, mobility, and core training, more Zone 2 on the bike, harder swim sessions, and even more zone 3 and 4 running, including running in the pool. Also, I am getting at least 100 grams of protein in a day — it’s very hard to get to 150,

The irony is that even with all this, performance declines occur more rapidly after 70, no matter what you do with nutrition or training.

The key in my humble opinion is to check winning times for those 65 to 69 (Kurt’s age group). Then, compare these to the 70 to 75 and the 75 to 79 age groups and see the decline. When Kurt was 65, he blew away all his competiton. Now, like I did as a 69 year old, he still makes the podium. But, he is no longer always first. That tells you something. The critical challenge is to tailor a plan for your age group and go from there.

Keys To Enjoying Fitness With Age After 70

Lower your expectations each and every year after 70, If you don’t, you may never be able to enjoy fitness into your 80s and 90s.

Also race more sparingly over 70 as recovery from racing takes more time. If you are determined to do a full Ironman, just try and enjoy it rather than checking your watch. If you focus on your time, you will be destined for disappointment.

Here are some specific steps I recommend:

Start slowly with each aspect of all areas of training, especially running.
Go to the gym more. Besides weights, get on the stair climber and elliptical to build strength without the pounding outside.
Do pull-ups and hang from a bar in a door jamb at home. These will help with swimming, biking, and running.
Incorporate mobility every day and more stretching and foam rolling. There are many great programs if you have a peleton
Add more protein every day. It is easy to get to 60 grams per day. But, you will need to take protein pills to get close to your body weight. Warning: with the pills comes farting issues, which can be annoying. Find a balance that works for you.

Then you can set a training program tailored to expectations, rather than one from coaches that are not your age. This is a problem for everyone over 70 as the decline is so much more significant.

Share Comments and Questions About Running Performance After 70

Several years ago, I cited an article about running for masters athletes. Once readers realized the article was written by a 40-year-old man, I quickly learned of the frustration, even anger, of older athletes, especially those over age 70, a group in which I now reside, being lumped together with athletes age 40 and above.

What has been your experience with running decline after 70? What are your thoughts on Jim’s comments? Or, maybe you have questions for Jim.

Post them in the Comments section below.

Category: Training