Some conditioning questions for an older athlete

[lodgling]

For downhills, you need eccentric muscle training. I suggest leg blasters or quadzillas. https://mtntactical.com/exercises/mnt110-leg-blaster/

[madbuck]

Everybody who has run down trails knows, the easiest way to get faster is to run a moderate speed downhill, and then
trip over a rock unexpectedly such that your legs forcibly run at a Superman speed faster than you were capable of so you don't crash into the ground!
.....

Seriously, good general advice above so I'll try not to be redundant. But, you didn't say you had muscle (e.g., quad) soreness, or other pains from mechanical issues, so I don't know if strengthening or even corrective exercises would give you the best gains, although both are useful ideas especially as we age. Unless -- can you elaborate on how you feel when going downhill? Do you feel stiff? Unstable? That can help with suggestions. Or just "slower?"

SInce you mentioned endurance and flat speed, I think that's a good place to look. If you are at 6 days but no longer/endurance efforts, it sounds like 4-5 days with a longer effort could be beneficial at the same amount of time. But also, since routes around here typically start with an ascent obviously, I wonder if you might be pushing the ascent a bit hard (perhaps to try to keep up with younger self or other goals, definitely understand that!), especially if you think weight is at least somewhat of a difference compared to the past, such that your downhill suffers because, necessarily, it comes after you're already fatigued? I'd look at your heart rate or RPE split between uphill and downhill to see if you're pushing uphill too hard. Second, downhill running is more about technique and confidence which you know already, so if you want to run downhill, you've got to find some deliberate downhill running. That may mean "inverted" routes starting from the top, or just taking the uphill much more easily and focusing on downhill. Our proprioception changes a bit as we age as well so we can't hit those quick and precise steps and automatic adjustments like we used to. But, since you also mentioned slowing in the flats, another easy and obvious suggestion would be sustained efforts on more rolling hills or flats, possibly on a bike instead.

Lastly, good for you for continuing to go after it! Give yourself some grace for being generally strong, fast, and healthy, I assume, as well as enthusiastic, compared to the general population.

[LarryM]

Thanks guys, more good suggestions. Still working on putting together a program.

I did do a running with poles test today, the same roughly half mile rocky hill once with, once without poles. The times were virtually identical. But it's a single data point, the hill was probably not an ideal test, and there were confounding factors. And maybe it just means I need more practice with poles.

[Rollie Free]

Throwing this out.

Are you sure you're 100 healthy?
I ask because I was getting older but a very active person physically. Not a runner exclusiviely but in several different pursuits health wise. My physical conditioning and performance was dragging the last few years despite greater effort and time put in. I thought maybe I was overdoing it so I cut back a bit and it seemed worse yet.
Maybe three/four years ago I was in the best shape of my life overall. Then my strength level started decreasing and some bizarre things happened to me out on the trail. I fell and concussed myself once despite it being on a flat trail. Got lost and confused several times on an outing despite it not being that hard a trail to navigate and had to spend the night on vertical terrain.
My family said something was wrong, that type of thing wasn't me.
Several months later I had a series of seizures that has taken me on quite a different journey physically. I can no longer do the physical things I enjoyed.

Maybe you've already covered that base with the medical people and you can't get tested to eternity but don't accept 'getting older' to explain too much.

[Jorts]

Throwing this out.

Are you sure you're 100 healthy?
I ask because I was getting older but a very active person physically. Not a runner exclusiviely but in several different pursuits health wise. My physical conditioning and performance was dragging the last few years despite greater effort and time put in. I thought maybe I was overdoing it so I cut back a bit and it seemed worse yet.
Maybe three/four years ago I was in the best shape of my life overall. Then my strength level started decreasing and some bizarre things happened to me out on the trail. I fell and concussed myself once despite it being on a flat trail. Got lost and confused several times on an outing despite it not being that hard a trail to navigate and had to spend the night on vertical terrain.
My family said something was wrong, that type of thing wasn't me.
Several months later I had a series of seizures that has taken me on quite a different journey physically. I can no longer do the physical things I enjoyed.

Maybe you've already covered that base with the medical people and you can't get tested to eternity but don't accept 'getting older' to explain too much.

Jeez man. Sorry to hear that. Hope you find relief and can start enjoying the mountains again.

[SchralpTheGnar]

Every day is chest day

[Wentzl]

I will throw this out there just for kicks.

I am 62 and been taking meds for high blood pressure. I noticed my stamina was for s**t and felt dizzy and nearly fainted on a couple hikes earlier this year. I was worried about what was happening. I stopped taking the pills and within a week a total transformation. Stamina back, feinting spells over. I am a month off the pills I had been taking daily for about a year.

So a choice to make, pills or mountains?

[XterraRob]

I will throw this out there just for kicks.

I am 62 and been taking meds for high blood pressure. I noticed my stamina was for s**t and felt dizzy and nearly fainted on a couple hikes earlier this year. I was worried about what was happening. I stopped taking the pills and within a week a total transformation. Stamina back, feinting spells over. I am a month off the pills I had been taking daily for about a year.

So a choice to make, pills or mountains?

Have you looked into N-acetyl cysteine (NAC)?

It helped my mom get off blood pressure meds, and has other benefits too.