Training Advice

• A Reality Check is appropriate here. Realize that you will not be able to maintain your elite level of training past age 50, so set realistic goals.

• Cross Train by participating in other activities you enjoy. Develop a balanced running fitness program that incorporates cardiovascular exercise, strength training and flexibility.

• Modify your endurance activities to accommodate your various aches and pains. If your hips are sore from Osteoarthritis, for example, do some swimming or cycling, or other low impact or non-weight bearing activities to supplement your running.

• Make sure you progress the exercise intensity and duration of your running at a slower pace than you did in your 20's and 30's. Use the 10 percent rule; when changing your activity level, increase it in increments of no more than 10 percent per week. Remember it takes longer for your musculo-skeletal system to adapt to rigorous exercise as you age - you're not a teenager anymore!

• Use a heart rate monitor to find your heart rate training zones. Establish your personal heart rate zone for low-intensity running (like a warm up), moderate intensity running (comfortable, but working quite hard), and high intensity running (cannot maintain this for more than 10 minutes).

• Interval training works extremely well with older runners. Work hard for a minute or two, and then back off your pace until you recover. Use how you feel as a gauge for when to start your next higher intensity burst.

Health Aspects of Running for Older Athletes

• Have a yearly physical check up by your physician. If you're taking up jogging or any endurance exercise, have a physician clear you for exercise.

• Get the best running shoes for cushioning and motion control that you can find - and make sure they feel comfortable on your feet.

• Maintain a healthy body weight as you age, and keep your body fat low.

• Listen to your body. Do not push past the point of pain, and likewise if you feel a strain or sudden muscle pain or tear, stop immediately.

• Start up a mild stretching program. Hold each stretch for 10-20 seconds and just make it a mild stretch that you can hold comfortably. It should not be a painful stretch.

• Always warm up before and cool down after your workouts.

• Always bear in mind that your ability to tolerate extreme heat and humidity are not as efficient as you age. Heat injury can kill!

• Your tolerance to cold conditions is also impaired, so wear more layers of breathable clothing to retain body heat when out running in the cold.

• Eliminate unhealthy habits now! This means stop smoking, cut out excessive alcohol consumption and overeating. Chances are that if you've been running for some time already, you won't have many, if any, unhealthy habits. This advice is aimed more at the person contemplating taking up running later in life.

Roy Stevenson has a master's degree in exercise physiology and coaching from Ohio University. He teaches exercise science at Seattle University in Washington State and has coached hundreds of serious and recreational runners and triathletes in the Seattle area.

As a freelance writer, Roy has over 200 articles on running, triathlons, sports, fitness and health published in over fifty regional, national and international magazines in the U.S.A, Canada, England, Scotland, Ireland, South Africa, Australia and New Zealand. To view some of Roy's running articles, please go to WWW.Roy-Stevenson.com

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