TRAINING AND INJURY PREVENTION FOR THE MASTER'S ATHLETE

I have been longing to share some of my personal perspectives on training for the masters athlete for quite some time, but sometimes it’s just hard to find the time! Well…with the New Year getting rolling, I have finally found the time.

First…note the photo of two great friends and highly successful, multi-time masters+ world champions at Oly distance to Ironman, Cherie Gruenfeld and Ellen Hart. I am also no spring chicken, entering the 50-54 age group this year, I am definitely recognizing the differences between training at the age of 30 and now at the age of 50. As a perennial Kona competitor striving to get faster and faster with age, I go through a tremendous amount of experimentation to make myself a better athlete. Some “Ah hah! moments are what I wish to share with the SmartTriathlonTraining athletes.

One thing that has become extremely apparent to me as a masters athlete is that success in triathlon is all about recovery, recovery, recovery! How I accomplish that is primarily with incorporating good nutrition, supplements and recovery modalities that I know work for me. In addition to those staples, it’s important for the masters athlete to take a bit longer to recover from key workouts, to prioritize good sleep in both quality and quantity, to shorten the running mileage a tad from the earlier years, and to consider the role of shoes and cushioning in running recovery. For me, the discovery of Hoka One One shoes made a world of difference in my ability to withstand longer and more frequent run training, and even to recover from an episode of plantar fasciitis induced by long hours at work in flat, unsupportive shoes. Now, the cushioned, minimal drop shoe is en vogue and is made by just about every major shoe brand. I know from experience that Hokas do not work for everyone, so find that perfect shoe that works for you and absorbs enough impact to reduce trauma to the body. Of course, good sleep is also key for recovery and stage III (deep or slow wave) sleep is when most of the beneficial effects of physiologic HGH release occurs to help repair and restore the muscles.

Nutrition and supplements: It’s no secret that nutrition is an essential component of recovery. I

discovered a few years back that a magical meal consisting of a very sweet, very high calorie margarita combined with unlimited chips and salsa followed by some delicious chicken enchiladas with rice and beans was the only way for me to get in enough calories after a 6-hour Ironman training day to prepare me for my long run the next day! Now I am not advocating margaritas on your big training days by any means, but this particular margarita no doubt caused a substantial insulin spike that set me up to replenish my glycogen with all of the food that followed. The take home message here is, a bit of insulin from high glycemic foods after a monster day is not a bad thing, followed by plenty of calories with high quality protein included. Do not skimp on the protein! On that note, my absolute favorite supplement for recovery is a combination of branch chain amino acids and glutamine. The version I use is called “Platinum Power” but you can find BCAA’s and glutamine in any health or grocery store. This particular supplement has helped my recovery more than any other food or protein powder. The other key supplement I like to include, especially in the winter months is vitamin D. You can never go wrong with vitamin D! We bundle up enough in the winter that we are lacking in the sun exposure we need to create our own vitamin D, so a little supplementation is a good thing!

Recovery modalities: The most cost effective recovery modality I use is the basic foam roller. In fact, I will sometimes use it as a method to warm up and activate my muscles before a session. I have also integrated the use of a super roller called the hyperice vyper massager that uses both pressure and vibration to get results. It’s almost as good as a visit to the massage therapist. Speaking of massage, I feel that regular massage is integral to maintaining healthy tissues in any athlete. It can be a bit pricey, but 2 massages per month is a requirement for me during peak training and I have been known to go weekly if I can pull it off with my on call schedule. A good therapist will find your problems before you even know they exist! My other two favorite muscle recovery modalities that will unfortunately cost you a few bucks are electrical muscle stimulation (e.g. Compex) and compression boots (e.g. Normatec). I have been using electrical muscle stimulation for over a year now in the recovery mode (and occasionally in the strength mode…but be prepared to get sore!), and it has without a doubt improved my quadriceps and hamstring recovery from long or intense training days, allowing me to put in a quality effort the next day. Although I do not own a set of compression boots, I have tried them and also feel they likely can make a significant impact on recovery of your legs after races or hard training efforts. If you have the financial means, investing in one or more of these gadgets may prove rewarding for your recovery and overall race performance.

Last but not least, I am a huge believer in strength training for the masters athlete. Injuries of the calves and hamstrings seem to be extremely common in the older athlete; so specific attention to those muscles as well as the glutes is key for injury prevention. Regular stretching as well as strengthening seem to help me the most with keeping the posterior muscles happy. I have even adopted doing a set or two of calf raises after almost every run, just to stay on top of my calf strength. A good and gradual warmup prior to every workout session with some muscle activation techniques is also recommended.

In good health…Diana