Seems inevitable, no? Even though my practice times seem to be pretty consistent with intervals I was able to hold 5 to 7 years ago (mid to early
30's), now that I am 40, my races just seem to get slower. Its an odd scenario to be in. As an age grouper and into college, the older you got, the more you trained, the faster you swam. Now, it seems, mother nature is kicking things in reverse. While I still love to train, I'm finding less incentive to compete.
Anyone else come to this conclusion?
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Former Member
Good points on the "injury free" importance -- that may rank number 1 out of all factors.
I am really not sold on the max heart rate decline notion. I believe that this is also very much a factor of training to reach your max heart rates. All the Age minus 40 or whatever lists seem rather silly (just a personal opinion - no hard facts). How often does a typical 55 year old approach maximum heart rate vs. a 15 year old ? You lose it if you don't use it -- would love to know the max heart rates of some of the top sprinters in the older age groups.
Good points on the "injury free" importance -- that may rank number 1 out of all factors.
I am really not sold on the max heart rate decline notion. I believe that this is also very much a factor of training to reach your max heart rates. All the Age minus 40 or whatever lists seem rather silly (just a personal opinion - no hard facts). How often does a typical 55 year old approach maximum heart rate vs. a 15 year old ? You lose it if you don't use it -- would love to know the max heart rates of some of the top sprinters in the older age groups.
