Advice from middle-aged endurance athletes

[BillCobit]

I'm 45, had my mitral valve repaired in Jan '02. My naive expectation was that stopping severe leakage would translate to immediate boost in performance. I know better now. I can't complain: I'm back on my bike, doing triathlon (badly) and training for a bike tour at the end of summer.

My doc has given me the go-ahead to do whatever I feel like, just "don't overdo it." I'm fairly gutless, so I my intensity level is self-limiting. But beyond not "overedoing it," I'm not exactly sure how to go about training. I've had some great feedback and shared anecdotal experience from a few internet pen pals, but would like to hear from some others.

Any advice? Any warnings? Any training recommendations? I'm really keen to sustain my active lifestyle and improve my performance. Some of my goals include moving from sprint distance tri up to olympic distance, and doing a marathon one of these next few years.

Thanks for any help or experience you can share.

Bill

 

[Perrster]

Just do it

Just do it

Bill,

Your internet pen pal here, PerryA.

Les Barrett and I are planning to meet at his hotel after the Chicago Marathon this fall. (He's in it-I ain't!). He's staying in town a few days past the event. Any chance you can trip over to Chicago and make our little zipper club meeting?

vr.comer's...Les Barrett is "Powered by St. Jude" as many of us are. This will be his second or third year in the Chicago Marathon. Wow!

Bill, I think your accomplishments are outstanding. Keep it up and keep us apprised of your progress. Sorry I can't add much content to the advice or training recommendations you requested. Hey, if it feels good, just keep doing it!