Training 10/25-10/31

 10/25- Perhaps a glimmer of hope.  2 miles in 19:17 (9:38 pace) with a nice negative split (9:47-9:30).  If I had time to go another half mile, I would have been in the 24s, which is 5 minutes better than yesterday.  This was done on just a lick of residue and no other pills.

PM- Wanted to assess my tolerance.  Did the first 2 laps at Montreat in 6:17 then took a 1/4 teaspoon and was significantly BETTER with a 2:46 lap.  Why the difference?  I hope it is because my system is finally tolerating this stuff.  It is possible but unlikely that caffeine impacts my tolerance.  I was caffeine free for 2 days but took some tonight.  We'll see how I respond to it.

Distance=3.0

10/26- Once again, I took 1/4 of a teaspoon after doing so last evening as well.  I continue to improve.  Time was down to 17:16 (8:38 pace),  Long way to go but this is real progress.  

Distance=2.0

10/27- AM- On no pills at all, I opened with a not horrible 2:33 at Montreat (7:39 pace).  Took another 1/4 teaspoon of the Fulvic Acid.  Hoped for a modest improvement down to the 2:25 range.  Finished with a 2:17 (6:51 pace).  I don't like that a single dose has this much impact but it does beat the alternative.  Added a cool.

PM- Another 2 miler on Lakeshore.  My time is down to 16-flat (8:00 pace).  This was my first time under 17 minutes since starting the Fulvic Acid and I nearly broke 16.  Splits were 7:56-8:04.  Things are starting to look up but my condition did begin to deteriorate shortly after getting home.  It appears that I can get by without all my other pills EXCEPT for Thym-Adren.  That's still acceptable.  I think I am very close to being able to make it through a long weekend without any treatments.  No adrenal spike please.

Distance=3.0

10/28- Planned rest day.  No signs of collapse.

10/29- AM- 1 lap opener after NO Fulvic Acid yesterday.  I was actually slightly BETTER on the opener with a 2:29.9 (7:29 pace).  Half lap cool.  Nasty weather this afternoon so I am questionable.

PM- Not a collapse but disappointing.  1.5 miles in 13:41 (9:07 pace).  Slight negative split.

Distance=2.0

10/30- Unplanned rest day.   Unable to run

10/31- 1 mile in 10:37.  OUCH!  More to come in a separate post

Distance=1.0

-11 miles

Training 10/18-10/24

Verdict on the Fulvic Acid:

It appears to have eliminated the sensitivity to B12 and Taurine BUT it has SPIKED the adrenals and caused severe intolerance to caffeine.  I also need to add that I NEED the Fulvic Acid.  I can go one day without it but ABSOLUTELY NO MORE! Split decision so far.   

10/18- 1 mile in 12:20.  OUCH!

Distance=1.0

10/19- AM 2 miles in 20:40 (10:20 pace) with splits of 10:47-9:53.  BIG improvement.

PM- 2 miles again in 17:20 (8:40 pace) with splits of 8:47-8:33.  Didn't feel anywhere close to normal but improvement has been rapid.  Soon, I will level off however.

Distance=4.0

10/20- Good news and bad news.  It appears that I have plateaued already.  Repeated the 2 mile distance and managed only a 17-flat (8:30 pace).  MINUS 10 is not enough to be considered significant and I was almost all out at the end in an attempt to break that barrier.  Felt essentially no different from yesterday.  I figured that my best chance to improve would be to tinker with the Fulvic Acid and Thym-Adren.  Did not run but felt no difference on extra Thym-Adren.  Extra Fulvic Acid made things WORSE.  Probably detox and I just need to cut the dose.  

PM- Opened with a 76 second half lap then fared no better on extra Thym-Adren.  In fact, I was slower but a fraction of a second.  If the adrenal spike is gone, that could be YUGE!  That leaves me with just 1 thing that there is a critical NEED, which is the Fulvic Acid.  Just don't get stupid with caffeine.  Tomorrow is BIG and I just hope I can get in 1 lap in the rain.  

Distance=2.5

10/21- Another split decision.  I opened with a Rocket 88 half lap at Montreat (8:48 pace) then improved only to 85 on Thym-Adren (8:30 pace).  Enough to be considered significant but just barely.  The adrenal spike may not be completely gone but it has diminished SO FAR!  

PM- 1 mile junk run at Veteran's Park for something different.  Finished in 9:17 then took another little bit of Fulvic Acid and was NOTICEABLY WORSE!  I'll be okay if I don't take it tomorrow but if I don't take it Saturday, I'm in trouble.  It may be that I only desperately need 1 treatment but 1 is enough to make me miserable.

Distance=1.5

10/22- I expected to wake up feeling rough tomorrow after a day off the Fulvic Acid.  Nope, it hit me this afternoon.  That's right.  I flipped from too much to not enough is LESS than 24 hours.  NOT ACCEPTABLE!  1 mile in 10:35.  1st half in 5:50 then after just a TRACE, I was down to 4:45.  MINUS 2:10 per mile!  WOW!

Distance=1.0

10/23- 1 mile in 12:27.  Just 3 hours later, I was much better with an 84 second half lap at Montreat BUT just licking the residue on the spoon took me down again.  Managed only a 97 after that.  Only good news is that caffeine appears to be tolerated.  Hope there is no withdrawal or spike tomorrow.

Distance=1.5

10/24- Only somewhat better on a lower dose.  2.5 miles in 29:40 (11:52 pace) with BAD splits.  Once again, I was better within a few hours but this time, I needed the stuff again by late afternoon.  

PM- Opened with a 1:45 split then improved to 1:30 after licking the residue.  Fared no better on the Thym-Adren so nearly 30 hours after my last serving of caffeine, no adrenal spike.  Added a short cool

Distance=3.5

-15 miles on the week

Blue Ridge Road Trip

 10/8- Drove from Birmingham to Augusta to see the Pfinsy Nature Preserve.  It would have been nice at sunrise but it was too overcast.  Lake and swamp scenery with lots of Spanish moss.

From Augusta, I took Hwy 28 across the border to South Carolina and saw some nice palm trees.  I stopped at Clemson and snapped a couple pictures on campus.  Lunch was at one of my old stomping grounds called the Walhalla Steakhouse Cafeteria.  

I continued north on Hwy 28 through a corner of Georgia into Highlands, North Carolina.  It's a nice mountain town and at over 4,000 feet elevation, foliage was not quite at peak but I still saw some reds and yellows.  Next stop was the Great Smoky Mountain National Park and the highest point in Tennessee at Clingman's Dome, which I saw just at sunset.  It was colorful at the top of the mountain but the trees down below were mostly green with a few red spots here and there.  After a sit down dinner, I had a bit of an adventure finding a hotel.  I got one just south of Asheville only because of a cancellation.  In the end, it worked out fine as I actually go to see more of the Blue Ridge Parkway. 

 

The Blue Ridge Parkway was EPIC.  There was some patchy fog on the way up but that meant clouds below the mountains.  AWESOME!  No other words.

Last pic stolen from internet.  This is how it looks at peak foliage.

The next night, I was back in South Carolina but did see Whitewater Falls, Caesar's Head and Devil's Fork State Park.  I headed back to Alabama on Monday and stopped at Brasstown Bald (GA's highest mountain) and Martin Luther King NP, where a nice view of the Atlanta skyline was nearby.

Training 10/11-10/17

 10/11- Forced rest day.  NASTY adrenal spike.

10/12- Intervals.  Opener in 1:42.  Closer in 1:28.  Rocket 88.  Added some junk

Distance-1.0

10/13- Adrenal spike is slowly going down.  Splits this time were 93-81.  Real workout was just as awful as expected.  1.5 miles in 16:23 (10:55 pace).  OUCH!  Should be better tomorrow but not by much.

Distance=2.0

10/14- Got about what I expected.  Felt noticeably better and it was reflected in my time but I still have a LONG way to go.  This adrenal spike has lasted longer than previous ones.  2 miles in 19:40 (9:50 pace) with a last mile under 9:40.

Distance=2.0

10/15- Repeated the 2 mile distance for consistency and my time is down to 17:52 (8:56 pace).

Distance=2.0

10/16- Increased the distance to 3 miles but took a step backward.  Really faded on the back half and finished with a time over 31 minutes.  I did consume one energy drink yesterday as a test and I failed it.  I don't like this.  Yes, I should have no problem quitting those suckers when my chemistry is level but one occasional slip up should not do this much damage.

Distance=3.5

10/17-  Half mile junk run was all that I could do.

Distance=0.5

-9 miles on the week

Fulvic Acid Revisited

 I seemed to be improving on the B12 plus Taurine and it may have actually knocked out the inexplicable negative reactions so why not leave well enough alone?  Simple, my reactions to just ONE pill were still too great.  Eventually, the adrenal spike would calm down as would the need for Taurine.  However, the extreme need for B12 was probably NOT going away.  Even after a full 6 weeks on it plus the Intrinsic Factor, a missed dose was still costing me over 60 seconds per mile.  Needless to say, if I ever had to go an entire weekend without it, I will be miserable.  

GREAT news was that the Fulvic Acid appears to have knocked out the extreme need for B12 as I fared NO better after taking it last week.  Bad news is that I had a detox reaction to the Fulvic Acid.  Surprised?  Not at all.    Any time a new pill is a factor, this is exactly what happens.  Eventually, my system does adjust to the new pill then the adrenals spike.  That's what happened once again.  

I initially planned to lay off the Fulvic Acid until this week but after just ONE day off it, I was AWFUL.  My time for a lap on the opener was a pitiful 3:04 (9:12 pace).  I took just a TRACE of Fulvic Acid and expected to see maybe 30-40 seconds better per mile.  NOPE!  It was a FULL 2 MINUTES BETTER with a 2:24 (7:12 pace).  The moment of truth came when I would take a MUCH larger dose.  I hoped to at least maintain the form but was fearful of a collapse.  MUCH to my relief, I showed continued improvement with a 2:08 (6:24 pace).  However, the good feeling was short-lived as the adrenals spiked again.

Today, I opened with a 1:42 half lap (10:12 pace).  I was actually slightly WORSE on the Fulvic Acid with a 1:44 but it was actually only 1.5 seconds worse so that's not significant.  With a stacked deck of B12 and Taurine, I would fare NO better.  I did get back down to 1:42 but no faster.  The only thing that did help was Thym-Adren but even that was no sudden miracle.  3 of those pills got me down to 1:24 (8:24 pace).  I expect that the adrenal spike will calm down by the end of the week.  IN THEORY, I AM IN THE CLEAR AFTER THAT!  I WILL NOT GET MY HOPES UP!

B12, Antioxidants and Fulvic Acid For Sensitivity

 Excellent news last week.  Since starting the Taurine, I have been able to tolerate the Lysine.  This is the same stuff that triggered a reaction just 7 days earlier.  I’m not sure if it was the Taurine or the B12 reserve because extra B12 afterwards did indeed mitigate much of the ill-effects.  At any rate last week, I opened with a 92 second half lap at Montreat then actually improved to 90 after taking 2 Lysine pills.  That’s not a significant improvement but all I wanted was no collapse. 

I have considered the possibility that free radicals and inflammation have played a role in the sensitivity.  Though it is possible, addressing that issue would not have been enough without the B12.  I ordered a couple new antioxidant and anti-inflammation supplements but they turned out to be non-factors.  In a 2 mile run, I was 2 seconds slower on the back half after taking the Cytokine Suppress.  Non-factor for sure.  I will keep it in my cabinet because it may be useful in fighting COVID.  You don't want a Cytokine Storm. 

The rest of the workout last week's workout was interesting as well.  I improved from 90 to 78 after taking the B12 and Intrinsic Factor.  That is BIG!  In terms of pace per mile, it’s a MINUS 72 so it remains a game changer and must be taken every day.  No need to test myself on additional doses because I knew it would not matter.  The biggest surprise was the lack of reaction to Thym-Adren.  I did the back half of the lap in 79, marginally WORSE but not enough to be significant.  I can’t quit that stuff but suppose I forget to pack it on a long weekend trip, I probably won’t notice.  In order to declare myself stable, I need that to be the case with ALL of my pills.  As expected, the reaction to Taurine remains significant.  I improved all the way to 62 seconds on 2,000 mg, which equates to a MINUS 96.  That gap will diminish in a few days. 

Taurine needs to be taken regardless of whether it helps with the sensitivity or not.  However, it alone or even the “master anti-oxidant” Glutathione did NOT resolve the sensitivity in the past AND I have reacted badly to both in the past as well.  The overall gap of 92/62 represented a full THREE MINUTES PER MILE!!  

In what was no surprise, once my body adjusted to the Taurine, the adrenals SPIKED something awful and though I didn't react as much to the Taurine, I needed Thym-Adren BIG!.  The Fulvic Acid did arrive on Monday and I had planned to  wait on it until the adrenal spike went down by the end of the week.  Ultimately, the curiosity got the best of me.  The reaction was immediately negative with the usual stiff muscles but my mood actually improved a bit and I had a funny dream too.  

Today's workout:

Opened with an 85.7 then fared NO BETTER on Intrinsic Factor and B12.  Even Taurine and Thym-Adren together brought me no lower than a 79.9.  That's a gap of just 35 seconds per mile so the adrenal spike has diminished already.  That gap is enough to be considered significant but not a night a day difference.  That's a LOT better than the 3 minute gap last week.  The "real workout" was but short due to rain but I did manage a 7:56 Mile.  

I do believe that the Fulvic Acid has reduced the sensitivity but I am slow because of a detox reaction.  I'll lay off it for a few days then try to increase it gradually.  

All I ever wanted out of this was a stable cocktail, no extreme dependence on any pill and at least adequate energy every day.  If the current trends continue, the only thing I lack is the adequate energy, which could return in time.  I MAY have a reason to hope but I will not even begin to believe until I am relapse-free for a month.  

If I am forced to take the vackseen, I feel better about my chances to come away unscathed now but I still choose not to take it.  Let's Go Brandon!  

My Outlook and Prognosis

 It has been 9 days since my most recent adrenal spike.  I showed steady improvement for the first 5 days but have since plateaued.  Running nearly all out, I managed only 26:30 for 3 miles.  My gut feeling is that with my present course of action, even with steady training at 30+ MPW, I can do no better than 25 minutes.  Add another minute to that for a full 5K and I’m 26-flat at best.  Most telling of all is the way that I feel.  I’m sluggish, lethargic, and really don’t enjoy it anymore.  It feels more like a chore. 

There is really only one piece of good news, but it is important.  When it comes to the must take pills of Thym-Adren, Intrinsic Factor and B12, the dosage does not seem to matter.  Regardless of whether I take 2 or 4 pills, my performances will be essentially the same.  In the past, there was a sweet spot in which I had to take X# of pills per day.  If I deviated from the sweet spot in either direction for just 1 day, my performances would suffer significantly.  Let’s hope that’s over for good.   

Bad news is that I am still extremely dependent on all 3.  Suppose that I went a weekend without any pills and tried to run on Monday morning.  I bet that I would be over 30 for 3 miles.  Worse than that, even with a reserve of B12 in my system, I still reacted VERY BADLY to an amino acid called Lysine.  I took it as a precaution for immune support ahead of a weekend trip.   Just 2 pills triggered the same old reactions.  Body tightened up immediately and the fatigue/malaise increased significantly.  Extra B12 did indeed mitigate some of the ill-effects but it was not enough. 

Where to go from here:

I have just 1 option on the alternative front.  That is fulvic acid.  Supposedly, it improves Intrinsic Factor.  I don’t have much hope, but I figure it’s worth a try.  Nothing to lose.  I do have some friends in the alternative medicine community who swear by it.     

Yes, I have decided to see a “real doctor” for several reasons.  First, I want to at least try to get a medical exemption for the vackseen.  When it comes to B-12, my dosage of pills does not matter but what about injections?  Are injections more effective than the pills?  I am not sure.  Perhaps most pressing is that I cannot stop the inexplicable reactions to benign supplements.  I want to know what is causing that and what can be done about it.  I don’t think it is an allergy, but I do suspect other autoimmune issues.  The prognosis for that does not look good.  Supposedly, the treatment can be as bad as the disease.  Suppressing the immune system during a pandemic is not a very attractive choice. 

My weight has been creeping up for years and now it is time to do something about it.  If you gain just 1 pound every 2 months, that adds up to 60 within 10 years.  Now that I am not running as much, I’m going to have to restrict my food portions like most everyone else.  My blood pressure has also been on the high side for the last couple of years.  I’m going to try a natural approach, but I may have to go on medication for that, especially if I am not running as much.  My cholesterol is still okay as is my blood sugar.    

Running:

Yes, I will still do occasional jogging but only to prevent myself from becoming more unhealthy.  However, when it comes to racing, I am retired for all intents and purposes.  The training log will be shut down effective January 2022.  Maybe I’ll jump into a couple of 5Ks and 10Ks, but I no longer have what it takes to run half marathons.  Sure, I knew that would happen eventually as Father Time is undefeated.  However, it was my expectation that it would not happen for another 20 years.  I know plenty of people who ran strong well into their 50s, but it seems unlikely that I am one of them.  I still do have one half marathon to go in Hawaii.  Who knows when or if I will be able to do it during COVID?   I will not take it seriously nor will I even attempt to run the whole way.  It will be a jog/walk ratio from the start, and I don’t care at all about my time.  Suppose that there is a miracle recovery, I still do have several USA races left on my bucket list plus several international options.  Here are a few of them:

Louisville, Kentucky

Fort Worth, Texas

Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania

Savannah, Georgia

Charleston, South Carolina

San Diego, California

Miami, Florida

BHM 13.1

Would I travel to any of those cities on a vacation then squeeze in a 5K or 10K?  Maybe.  Some major events do have a fun run the day before the main event.  

Training 9/27-10-3

 9/27- AM- Hated interval workout. 4 half lappers at Montreat plus a lap cool.  I know from yesterday that I am about 50 seconds per mile faster on Intrinsic Factor plus B12 versus going without pills.  Extra B12 did nothing.  What about extra Intrinsic Factor?  Not a significant gain.  I did a 78 with 2 pills and a 76 on 4 pills.  Encouraged that I was under 80 without Thym-Adren.

The Thym-Adren trial went similarly.  I improved bigly to a 65 on 2 of those pills then repeated the 65 on 4 pills.  I was slower by 1/10 of a second so that did essentially nothing.  That's good and bad.  Running nearly all out, I managed only a 6:30 pace for 1/6 of a mile.  That's a VERY low ceiling and the total gap with the Intrinsic B12 + Thym-Adren amounts to about 2 minutes/mile.  On no pills, my pace would have been more like 8:30 per mile.  That's still quite a sizable gap that shows no signs of closing.  The good news is that although I am dependent on both pills every day, the dosage does NOT seem to matter.  I'll perform about the same on mega doses as the low doses and I like that stability.  The rate of improvement will be slower than last week but MAYBE I can slowly work my way back to respectability. 

PM- As expected, the rate of improvement has slowed.  Did 3 miles on Lakeshore again and my time is down to 26:30 (8:50 pace) with very even splits.  Taking a booster B12 pill during the run did ABSOLUTELY NOTHING!  That's MINUS 35 per mile compared to last time but that was 4 days ago.  If I run it again tomorrow, I predict a similar time.  A plateau at this level is unacceptable.  I felt heavy and sluggish all day including during the run.  I can try Fulvic acid and see a real doctor.  I hope that he will prescribe B12 injections and rule out any other autoimmune disease.  The one that I am planning to see is a runner so he might have a modicum of understanding how I feel.

Distance=4.0 

9/28- Only had time for 2 miles this morning because I slept in a bit.  Finished in 17:08 (8:34 pace).  This confirms that I have plateaued.  If I had run 3 miles, my time probably would have been the same as yesterday, give or take a few seconds.  This is not good.

PM- Didn't plan to run this session but got the idea to try Taurine in an effort to reduce my blood pressure and improve my electrolyte balance.  Repeated the 2 mile and my time was down to 16:20 (8:10 pace).  MINUS 24.  Of note was that I was at 4:21 at the half mile mark then popped Taurine.  From that point on, I was doing sub-8 pace.  Perhaps, I finish under 16 if I took Taurine at the beginning.  That's not a miracle cure but clearly a significant step forward.  I may have a flicker of hope.

Distance=4.0

9/29- I've developed an insatiable need for Taurine.  Took 1000 mg in the morning and I knew before the workout that it wasn't nearly enough.  Clocked a pathetic 3:42 (11:06 pace) at Montreat.  I was less horrible on another 1000 and finished in 3:14 (9:42 pace).  Added a cool.  I know what is coming.  The need for Taurine will eventually diminish but an adrenal spike could hit when it does.

Distance=1.0

9/30- AM- Took extra Taurine and improved to 2:53 (8:39 pace) for 1 lap.  The real workout is going to be ugly.  

PM- 1.5 miles on Lakeshore in 15:10 (10:07 pace).  Two pieces of good news.  I tried some Lysine and the ill-effects were not as bad as last week.  Also, I had a pretty strong negative split with a last half mile @ 9:40 pace.  That usually means that I am improving.

Distance=2.0

As I predicted, my body adjusted to the Taurine and it was followed by an adrenal spike.  Able to do very little over the weekend.

Training 9/20-9/26

 NASTY ADRENAL SPIKE!  I upped the probiotics and have been drinking nothing but water.  This time, I have a different strategy to deal with the spike.  I will not attempt to knock it out by taking mega doses of Thym-Adren.  Rather, I will limit my dose to 2 pills and hope for gradual but steady improvement.  

9/20- Unplanned rest day.  Knocked out after work

9/21- AM Opener in 98.  2 pills brought me down only to an 88.  That's good and bad.  While 2 pills do yield significant improvement, it's not the night and day difference that I saw last week.  Again, that's good and bad.  I like the stability but I really should be better than THIS!  That's only an 8:48 pace for 1/6 of a mile.  I'd be well over 10 in a real workout.

PM- As expected, I was well over 10.  1.5 miles at Lakeshore in 16:14 (10:49 pace).  OUCH!  Still, I will resist the temptation to seek a quick fix.  Pace was pretty even.

Distance=2.0

9/22- AM- 3 miles on Lakeshore.  Finished in 30:15 (10:05 pace) with a slight negative split.  Again, I hoped for better than this but I'll take it.  MINUS 44 and I doubled the distance.  I'll shoot for the mid-9s tomorrow.  That's it for today.

Distance=3.0

9/23- Repeated the 3 mile distance and my time is down to 28:16 (9:25 pace).  Slightly better than expected.  Even pace.  Let's keep the momentum and don't get stupid this weekend.

Distance=3.0

9/24- Interesting.  Only 1 mile at Montreat.  Overall time of 9:28 was not important.  I did the first half without Thym-Adren and the 2nd half on the usual 2 pills.  Split were 4:53-4:35.  MINUS 36/mile.  While it is enough to be considered significant, that's not a night and day difference and I felt only slightly better on the back half.  Effort was on par with the standard issue 3 mile so figure on Lakeshore, this was worth a low-mid 27 for 3 miles.  The rate of improvement may be slowing already and that's not a good sign.  Again, stability is MOST important by FAR but I'd certainly like to be faster than this.

Distance=1.0

9/25- 1 mile junk run on a net downhill route.  Managed only an 8:20.  Not pleased.  I turned up the effort as well

Distance=1.0

9/26- Hated interval workout.  It seems as if I did get a significant benefit from B12 and Intrinsic Factor versus taking nothing  BUT additional doses did nothing.  I was actually slightly worse.  Also, upping the Thym-Adren from 2 pills to 4 yielded no significant benefit.  Good news is that I was no worse.

Distance=1.0

- 11 miles on the week

Rave: Professional Athletes Pushing 50 Years Old.

 Tom Brady is now in his age-44 NFL season and has said that he’d like to play until the age of 50.  I would not bet against him especially given today’s rules and style of play.  It’s easier now for quarterbacks to last with all the protections against late hits and the short passing West Coast offense that is now predominant throughout the league.  Nevertheless, I salute Brady for his longevity, and he has long surpassed Joe Montana as the GOAT.  To my knowledge, there is only one player in any of the 4 major sports that managed to stay on a team’s roster over the long haul up until age 50. 

Satchel Paige was still an effective relief pitcher when he retired at age 46.  He did make a cameo at age 58 and incredibly hurled 3 scoreless innings.  Minnie Minoso came up to bat 8 times as a publicity stunt at age 54 and managed 1 soft single.  I do believe that some of the all-time greats could have at least held their own over scattered appearances up until age 50.  However, when taking on the grind of an entire season, their bodies could not hold up.

Let’s take a look at the ones who came the closest to doing it:

George Blanda was a placekicker for the Oakland Raiders until his age 48 season and was also the 3^rd string quarterback.  A look at his stats revealed that he threw only 3 passes in his last season and had only been used sparingly as QB for the last several years.  He did see fairly significant action in his age 43 and 44 seasons.  His numbers were not bad for the era.  He completed over 50 percent of his passes and had as many touchdowns as interceptions.  Good enough to be a starter past 45?  Doubtful. 

Julio Franco was a solid platoon player through his mid-late 40s.  He hit .275 with an .800 OPS at the age of 46.  The latter was slightly better than the league average albeit in a part-time role.  He managed to last 2 more seasons but never again approached that level of production.  He did hit a home run at age 48, which is pretty impressive.  Rumor has it that he may actually have been older than his listed age because that was common among Latin players at the time.  They claimed to be 16 to give the appearance of being a better prospect but were actually 18.  If Franco was 2 years older than his claim, he made it to 50.    

Jamie Moyer could never be considered an all-time great starting pitcher, but he did last until his age 49 season and was actually effective until age 47-48.  Even in his last season, he managed a 2-5 record with an ERA of 5.70.  That’s well below league average but not terrible for Colorado and its thin air.  I was rooting for him to last 1 more season.  I do believe that he could have been a serviceable change of pace relief pitcher.  He had a great changeup and did well especially against young hitters who struggled against off speed stuff.  Unfortunately, because of the 3-batter minimum, specialist relief pitchers are becoming a dying breed.  I do believe Nolan Ryan could have remained effective if his workload was limited to 60-80 innings per year.  Then again, if you’ve had a Hall of Fame career, do you really want to go out like that?  More on that subject later.

The one player that made and stayed on a roster was hockey’s Gordie Howe at the age of 51.  Howe did play hockey as a professional throughout much of his 40s but most of that time was spent in a minor/independent league with his 2 sons.  This was before I was born, so I never got to see him play but according to the stat sheets, he was no pushover.  He appeared in all 80 games and scored 15 goals with 26 assists.  Not bad.  Could this have been done after playing in the NHL for several years prior to this season?  Not so sure.    

 

Of course, everyone wants to be like John Elway and go out on top with a Super Bowl, but those cases are extremely rare.  Most all-time great players who go on much beyond age 40 are below average at the end of their careers.  The most recent exception that I can think of is David Ortiz, who led the league in OPS at age 40.  He wisely went out like that.  I recall Charles Barkley saying something to this effect after signing with a new team late in his career: “I don’t think I am a great player anymore, but I do believe that I am a very good player who can help this team win some games.”  That’s how I would want to go out. 

IMO, Rickey Henderson is an example of what not to do.  He played until age 44 but did not bat above .250 after his age 40 season.  He still drew quite a few walks and remained a threat to steal.  Because of this, he was still a serviceable 4^th outfielder until the end.  Still, if it were me, once I am no longer an above-average starter, I would rather retire than hang on as a shadow of my former self.  I might play one more year beyond that but only if I am on the cusp of a major milestone.   To his credit, Albert Pujols has been decent since being signed by the Dodgers but was below average the last 3 years.  Miguel Cabrera will probably fall just short of 3,000 hits this season.  I hope he plays one more year then retires even though he has another 2 years on his contract.