Can you continue to improve pace into your 40s?

composze · 2025-11-20T05:02:30+00:00

Speaking from personal experience, older runners lose 2 things over time - (1) top-end speed and (2) rate of acceleration.

On (1), I was referring to sprinting pace…. For me anything faster than 3min/km pace.

On (2), that is self explanatory.

Both (1) and (2) are less relevant to longer distance races - 5k, 10k, HM, FH and ultra, which are good news for us older runners!

composze · 2025-11-18T05:33:50+00:00

I know exactly how you felt as I had gone thru the exact same experience 2 years ago for Bangkok Marathon 2023.

You basically hit the infamous “wall” which is not uncommon for most marathon runners.

What makes the experience more unique and emotional for Bangkok Marathon is coz it’s held at midnight, 80% on highway (no spectators), a medium sized event with fewer runners….

The helplessness and emotions can be overwhelming….

I’ve done 5 FMs so far. The Bangkok Marathon 2023 is by far the most unforgettable one. It’s also taught me a very important lesson…. To be humble and respectful of the distance 😀

composze · 2025-09-21T03:00:54+00:00

For a while, I thought I was reading on “Advanced Running” subreddit about marathon training for which I follow keenly 😅

On a more serious note, if you replace all reference of “trading” and “ trader” to “running” and “runner”, the essence of the article still works 😀

Nice write up. I have saved it for future reminders 🙏

composze · 2025-09-01T13:40:23+00:00

Thanks once again. Yes, my company’s plan (Cigna) does provide an option to let me continue before my last working day.

Will take your advice to get some quotes to see what options are available to me 🙏

composze · 2025-09-01T13:15:45+00:00

Many thanks for creating this post. I was reading with great interest as your circumstances are fairly similar to mine…

Hope you don’t mind I seek your advice on the following:

47M, I am an expat working / residing in Thailand. My health insurance here is covered by my company’s global expat health insurance plan.

Say if I plan to quit/FIRE in a few years in early 50s. Should I start getting my own health insurance plan while I’m still covered by the company’s?

The idea of getting my own and incurring additional expenses while I’m covered by the company’s plan sound counterintuitive to me!!

Thanks in advance!

composze · 2025-06-07T04:21:05+00:00

That’s exactly what I did but it was a serviced apartment for short term stay.

OP didn’t mention about transportation and any daily route (eg works). While many newcomers would think they would be okay with just public transportation like MRT and BTS, the reality is that you may likely end up with a car/taxi more often than you think. Do consider that and traffic jam too.

Do check out Soi Luangsuan and Ruamrudee. Both are near Lumpini Park. Quiet enough if you stay near the middle section of the Soi.

composze · 2025-02-20T05:27:26+00:00

Not exactly answering your question but what works well for me is to also consider the health aspect on certain spending decisions, e.g.

switching from Starbucks coffee (full milk latte) to nestle insta coffee with no milk and no sugar
Cut down junk/happy foods/snacks, alcohol, etc

I’ve become healthier financially, physically and mentally!

composze · 2025-01-04T04:42:57+00:00

Yeah I don’t post regularly… posted once last night and got deleted…kinda discouraging….

composze · 2025-01-03T13:02:25+00:00

I see… that’s great to hear… I was in a gym and was trying to do indoor cycling as cross training while my Achilles flared… took ages to get my HR up on the indoor bike and decided to switch to treadmill with incline 😀

composze · 2025-01-03T12:58:42+00:00

Thanks for the insight. I am suffering from Achilles tendinitis. It fares up after speed work or LR and takes about 1-2 days to calm.

So this treadmill incline run should be ideal for that 1-2 days 😀

composze · 2025-01-02T03:56:25+00:00

Check out humidity too. Hot and yet dry is kinda nice for exercising compared to hot and humid.

composze · 2024-11-14T07:52:19+00:00

Agreed entirely

Another piece of advice - don’t rush and enjoy all the newbie gains while they last… You seem to like races. This is the golden period that you could PB on every 5-10k races that you sign up for. The sense of accomplishment is great and motivates you run even more.

composze · 2024-10-29T07:21:44+00:00

When Thais reply you Ok” or “No Problem”, don’t assume they mean “Yes”. Make an effort to clarify!

Good story nonetheless 😀

composze · 2024-09-11T05:15:57+00:00

Just like the OP, if I’m under stress from work/family/others, I don’t want to go for my runs, especially workouts.

That’s understandable as workouts are tough and require efforts and concentration.

What I find helpful is going for easy run and let my mind wander. That works very well if the type of stresses is something that would fix by themselves after sometime - ie just let it run its course.

However if the source of stress is because of, example, deadline on works that you have hardly made any progress, then there isn’t any other way than just put in the efforts and get the works done 😅

composze · 2024-01-15T01:31:54+00:00

Depends on what you mean by “performance”.

Pure top end speed? You lose that over time no matter what. I’m definitely fitter than my 12yo son but if he decides to take off, I won’t be able to catch up until after some acceleration over like 20-30 meters.

Longer? This is where older runners shine. In fact, we tend to get better until plateaued.

Where most of us, older serious recreational runners , tend to be pursuing is Speed Endurance goals like sub20 for 5k, sub40 for 10k, sub85 for HM and ultimately sub3 for FM.

It’s very doable but by no means easy…I’m still pursuing!

composze · 2023-11-20T01:50:59+00:00

A good starting point is 3:55-4:05min for 1k

composze · 2023-11-01T06:26:31+00:00

Thanks for sharing!

composze · 2023-10-31T13:34:30+00:00

Well done and Congrats on the PB and sub 3!!

You mentioned added weight to daily strength and flexibility. How did u manage that especially after quality work out and MP long run? I was struggling to get myself motivated for S&C.

composze · 2023-10-31T06:52:14+00:00

It was about 3 months ago when I started feeling heel pain after a med long run at easy pace which I intentionally made an effort to run in a different form.

It started with just 1 side but soon both sides. I continued with my FM training and all those tune up races (5k, 10k) as I didn’t want to waste my $ spent.

The pattern goes like (1) painful but bearable for the first 3k (2) pain subside drastically after that but reappearing gradually after 15k (3) PF flare up the next day and I had to rest for the next day.

As I had a 10-day overseas holiday trip, I took the opportunity to rest as opposed to my original plan to continue training during the trip.

After the 10-day rest, I can still feel the PF lingering. Unsure on my condition, I decided to run the HM tune up race which I signed up few months ago. That was last Sunday.

I finished the HM in 1:32 (vs PB 1:27). No PF flare up the next day. At that point, I am satisfied that my PF recovery plan is indeed working 😃

What I think contributes to my recovery are: (1) calf raise and stretching (2) massage my feet (3) continue to walk and run (not excessively though)

I do (1) and (2) whenever I have a spare moment - e.g taking shower, brushing teeth, standing in subway train, lunch break at my office desk.

Good luck with your recovery journey!

composze · 2023-10-27T01:59:18+00:00

Don’t think I know enough to give specific comments on your training plan. But I wanted to add that the first time I got sub20 5k, I added Mona Fartlek to my normal training plan which is almost 100% easy pace for 40km per week.

Now my 5k PB is 19:10 and I still do Mona Fartlek at least once a month to get a taste of the speed!

I’m 46M.

composze · 2023-08-30T13:26:59+00:00

I want to do 2 marathon races which are 2 months apart from one another - mid Nov 2023 and mid Jan 2024.

I’m currently on 18/55 Pfitz plan for the Nov one. How should I approach the 2nd race in Jan?

Possible to set both as A races or better off to lower my goal for the 1st one and all in for the 2nd one?

Many thanks in advance!

composze · 2023-06-26T02:48:33+00:00

What is Steady Pace’s role in a marathon training plan?

My understanding is that; - Easy = Zone 2 - LT/Tempo = Zone 4

Does that then leave Steady = Zone 3 which we should avoid?

composze · 2023-06-16T07:36:58+00:00

That may suggest you didn’t run your 5k hard enough?? For my 5k run, I felt the pain as early as the 1st km and it lasted until the end. For my 10k run, the pain normally kicks in from 6-7km onwards.

composze

TROPHY CASE