"The goals posts move." This 'truth of life' was something I first read about in Steve Peters Book 'The Chimp Paradox.' The older we get the more 'true' and relevant this particular statement becomes.
Whilst we can't stop getting older we can adapt our approach to training to match the 'new' goal posts. This is in fact vital if we want to stay motivated to train and healthy enough to do so.
So what are reasonable and meaningful goals as masters athletes? Here are some goals that we have developed with some of the older athletes we have worked with.
Fastest known times (FKT's) over permanent courses can be a great way to keep focussed. You can check out the website here to see what courses are available and what the current times are: https://fastestknowntime.com/
For some people strava segments can feel a bit too competitive and make even your easy training sessions seem quite stressful. However they do provide a set loop/stretch which you can compare yourself with so you absolutely know if you are getting faster (regardless of how you may or may not compare to others). Strava will also give your age related results.
Zwift racing can be a great way to test yourself with people of a similar ability as you enter races based on your current abilities (watts per kg). This also provides the added enjoyment of tactics which can be a new or existing challenge depending on your experience.
Developing more personal goals can also be fun and engaging. You can develop:
Whilst it's nice to get out and enjoy the training; having some goals to work towards keep up interested and help us see that we are making progress; making those goals reachable and engaging for you is what will keep you going out again and again.
Ultra endurance can be a great alternative for masters athletes as we tend to retain endurance fitness and have the added advantage of experience and wisdom which mean we can get better at pacing in the long game.
It's not for everyone, but if you love training and don't want to stop competing, long endurance events can help you discover how far or long you can go and allow you to be competitive for a while longer.
If you are not sure how to manage your training around your travel you can book a free 20 minute consultation with no commitment to see how we can help you.