3 Tips for Aging Well as a Runner
How to keep putting in the miles for the long run
Those of us who aim to continue running for a lifetime can continue to enjoy the sport and aim for meaningful goals long after the PRs have stopped coming. My fastest times are decades in the past, but I still enjoy getting out to run six days a week and aiming to improve within my current age group times.
More importantly, I still feel fit and healthy enough to enjoy an active lifestyle in my fifties and do all of the things I want to do.
With that in mind, here are three things you can do to age well as a runner and continue to maintain motivation and enjoyment into middle age and beyond.
Balance your training
Too many of the same kinds of workouts, year after year, leave you with one-dimensional fitness and, very likely, a slew of chronic overuse injuries.
If all you do is long, slow distance running, you build great aerobic fitness, but lose range of motion and can often become the "one pace runner" who can chug along at a steady pace but has trouble changing gears to sprint for the finish or catch up to a group ahead of you.
Similarly, runners who emphasize intense training year-round can become stale and lose that important aerobic base, which allows them to handle longer races better and recover well between workouts.
The way to avoid this and prolong your running longevity is to add variety to your workouts. There's a place in every training program for interval training, long runs, tempo runs, hill reps, and, at least as importantly, fun runs with your friends while in deep conversation.
All of these types of sessions contribute to your overall fitness and fulfillment as a runner.
Another advantage of adding variety is that it keeps you fresh mentally. Hammering away at the same types of training is guaranteed to leave you feeling stale after a while. Finding new ways to experience running can leave you feeling refreshed and breathe new life into your running.
Run a variety of distances and events
Focusing too much on one type of event, such as the marathon, stagnates your progress. Instead, try aiming for a marathon in the spring, cross country races in the fall, 5–10ks in the summer, and indoor track in the winter, or whatever variation appeals to you.
It doesn't have to be this exact mix of course, but mixing up your race distances can help build endurance or speed for your ideal events. All pace ranges and types of training build fitness in different ways and the variety keeps you strong, fast, and motivated when your key races come around.
Don't be afraid to take a breather
Another aspect of balance in your training is the need to incorporate rest and recovery along with the hard training. It's impossible to continue training hard for long stretches of time without a break, both physically and mentally. There's a time to train hard and a time to rest. Runners who stay in the game for years come to understand this sooner or later.
It's almost like your training becomes an extended interval workout, with regular periods of effort and recovery, repeated over and over. These recovery periods give your body a chance to heal and refresh your mind, allowing you to give your best effort when it comes time to train hard again.
I've had many seasons of rest and recovery over the years. After many years of hard training in high school and university, I gradually wound down my training, ran a couple of road races, hobbled my way through a marathon at 24, and then pretty much took the next seven years off.
When I returned to running in my early 30s, I had a bit of a renaissance and put in the hardest training of my life for a few more years. I ran my lifetime best marathon and half marathon along the way.
By the time I hit 40, I could tell I was getting past my prime and began to gradually ease off again. Then when I hit 50, I discovered masters track and started putting in the speedwork and intervals necessary to do well in those events again.
I'm sure at some point I'll start to hit a plateau and ease back on the running again for a while, and that's ok. Follow your motivation and energy in each season of your life and don't be afraid to take a step back and reinvent yourself from time to time.
By challenging yourself in different ways, changing up your training, and learning to take a step back and reinvent yourself every so often, you can keep your running fresh and enjoyable throughout your lifetime.