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At the end of the day, every single person is different, and you still have to learn to listen to your body to find the mix that is best for you. I will go into what does need changing in just a bit, but for now, keep that in mind. There really isn’t as much that you need to change as you might think.
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Regardless of what the goals are for your running, there is one question that comes up over and over.Įvery time I have an older runner on my podcast this comes up, and every time I hear a version of the same answer. We all go through waves of wanting to take it serious, give it our best, and see what we are capable of, and other periods where we just want to be out there for the joy of it, the stress relief, the friendships. As with runners of every stage of life, there are different goals. Well, let’s break masters running down a little bit. Yes, of course these are fantastic things to celebrate and possibly achieve, but does it have to be about being the fastest you have ever been? The reality is, at some point our bodies WILL slow down or be able to handle less.Ī 3:04 in the marathon aged 62 may be an incredible feat for Joan Benoit Samuelson, but it is a long way from her personal best of 2:21. It doesn’t even have to be about running your best time ever, either. Or the legendary Ed Whitlock running a 3:56 aged 85 or Jeannie Rice running 3:35 aged 71. But then there are other examples, like Michael Capiraso, the CEO and President of the New York Road runners who ran a PR of 3:48 in the New York Marathon (while handling the stress of organizing the event!) at age 56. There are so many examples of this, and of course here, most of what I have shared is at the top level, and you may believe that for you, those kind of times were never really on the cards, at your peak or not. Bill Rogers still winning age group awards well into his 70s.Joan Benoit Samuelson running a 3:04 in the marathon aged 61.Meb Keflezighi running 1:02 for a half marathon a few weeks after his 40th birthday.Bernard Lagat has broken multiple masters world records since turning 40.Pete Magill became the oldest American to break 15:00 for 5K at age 49.Krista Duchene finished 3rd at Boston in 2018.Roberta Groner finished 6th in the marathon world championships aged 41.Deena Kastor running a masters world record in the half marathon of 1:09.Multiple women in their 40s running under 2:30 for a marathon.These runners have since proved otherwise: Before these men and women started to break down barriers, the age of 30 was seen as the beginning of the end, when things were on the decline, and fast. We are seeing unprecedented numbers of older runners not just running well, but running faster than ever.
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First being, that the rules are changing around masters running. I also do have a few things to say before we get on to the actual advice here.
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Amanda Loudin, Jonathan Beverly, and Alex Hutchinson all gave helpful advice, and I want to thank them for their time. I may only be in my 30s, and yes, that does mean I am not yet at the stage where I am having to experience a lot of the protests from my body that will come with age, or changes that occur in the fourth decade and beyond, but I have learned a lot from other friends who are masters runners through the podcast, and just general conversation to learn.