Q&A: How a 40-something Triathlete Stays on Top
Karen Smyers was born at the tail end of the baby boom. But when the 45-year-old professional triathlete lines up each year at the start of the World Ironman Championship in Kona, Hawaii, she competes against gen X-ers and gen Y-ers. And she beats most of them in the race, which consists of a 2.4-mile swim, a 112-mile bike ride, and a 26.2-mile run. (In 2006, she was the 12th female overall, finishing in 9 hours, 39 minutes.)
In a sport that rewards heavy training and routinely leads to mental and physical burnout, she's kept going while raising two kids in Lincoln, Mass., with her husband, coaching other athletes–and planning her next race at Kona.
While the average boomer isn't training for the Ironman, Smyers's tips on training can help anyone trying to balance exercise and the rest of life. She spoke recently with Senior Editor Katherine Hobson about overexercising, balance, and beer.
Did you have a grand strategic plan for your career that involved pro racing at age 45?
Not at all. At first, I thought it was a hobby. At Princeton, I swam on the team and ran track. After college, it was the first time that I didn't have an organized team, and I didn't have an anchor without an athletic event in my life. A friend did triathlons, and we started training together. It was a lot of fun and a good way to meet people.
In 1984, I was an amateur, but at one race I would have won $500 if I had entered as an elite, so in 1985 I started racing pro. In 1989, the computer company where I worked went bankrupt, and I started doing triathlon full time. I saw that with sponsors and prize money I could make a living at it. Back then, I really thought I was in the prime of my career!
How have you changed your training as you've gotten older?
I don't want to do the same thing every year. There are certain workouts I need to do to get in Ironman shape, but I'm trying to find ways to change things so I don't get stale and hit a plateau. I've added in strength training, which I never really did since college. All the research says you've really got to do that as you get older. [View Smyers's weekly training schedule.]
Has your diet changed over the years?
I try to eat things as close to the source [as minimally processed] as possible and base my meals on good healthy food and lots of fruits and veggies. But my overall diet philosophy is all things in moderation except for beer and chocolate-chip cookies. Those are in excess.
Any dietary advice for active folks?
I think it is important to get a balance at every meal; make sure you get some protein and fat along with the carbohydrates that many athletes crave. For people who don't have a lot of time to cook, I recommend adding some fresh fruit or veggies to convenience food to enhance the nutritional value. You can add bananas and strawberries to your cereal, add fresh broccoli to red sauce, or some cut-up peppers and tomatoes to bagged salads.
You've taken time off over the years for happy reasons–having kids–and not-so-happy ones, like a bout with thyroid cancer, a bike-versus-18-wheeler crash, and an accident with a storm window. How did exercise help you bounce back?
Just a little walk was able to get me through many of my recoveries. After my two C-sections, walking helped my circulation and helped my digestive system get jump-started again. When recovering from my cancer surgeries, exercise helped me regain a sense of wellness and also confidence in my body. Cancer has a tendency to rob you of your feeling of control; seeing my body respond to exercise by getting stronger helped me regain that control. I wasn't "training" per se, I was merely exercising–getting the body moving and the heart rate elevated for a period of time. It is so important and is such a miracle cure for some things.
Have you ever trained so much that you got an overuse injury?
I wish I knew back in college, when I was on the swim team, what I know now about recovery and overtraining. I suffered from overtraining at times, but I haven't since the late 1980s–knock on wood. I've had no stress fractures, for example. I'm really careful about not getting overtrained, and I'm a big believer in a minimalist program. That's kept me in it so long. I totally train by feel. I have things on my schedule that I've planned, but I'll cut workouts short if I'm tired. I've developed my own instincts.
You also coach yourself. How does that translate to keeping your own life in balance?
The Ironman buildup is a burden on the family. Long training is a grind for me, so I keep it to a pretty quick buildup so I won't get sick of it. I train depending on how much my body can absorb while still staying fresh and excited about it. And I definitely can't fit in as much volume these days–not with two kids and coaching. I maintain quality, mostly cutting out those two-hour easy bike rides.
What's your advice for midlife athletes, especially those who haven't been doing sports all their lives?
It's never too late to start. The 60-plus age groups at the Ironman are filled with men and women who didn't even start running or biking until they were middle age! But start small (not with an Ironman) and with something that you enjoy. Find a friend to walk with; join an adult soccer or volleyball league. Sign up for classes at the gym. If you can combine a social element with the exercise component, people are more likely to enjoy it and stick with it. The great thing about just starting out is that you get to see improvement very quickly. Stick with it and feel yourself be transformed.
Do you think you'll retire from racing?
I don't see the word retire connected with my life!