Starting to run at 50 is not a chimera. Running is a lifelong sport, there is no minimum age to start running and it is possible to keep running as long as you can put one foot in front of the other, grow up, mature, set personal records and hopefully break them again and again.
Even if you've never had the urge to put on a pair of running shoes before, reading this article may inspire you with the motivating story of Deena Kastor the 42-year-old athlete who decided to run the Chicago Marathon again, the race she won in 2005; her goal era run the 42K faster than any American woman 40 years old or older. And she did it! With a time of 2:27:47 seconds she shaved almost a minute off the old mark that was set.
The experience of more than 20 years accumulating kilometers and winning races has allowed her to learn great lessons about this sport, now that she is married, a mother and a businesswoman, she recognizes that her career as a runner has taught her everything about what success in all areas of life. That's why she shares the wisdom she has acquired with the purpose of inspiring everyone regardless of age and to remember that any effort is worth it and that the only thing you may need is to put on those Running shoes and start running.
You will always find people who will question your decision to run. In the case of Deena, her grandmother, she would take the floor every time she saw her to tell her "That's enough, that's enough! Put on some weight, watch your knees!" although today she remembers those comments with a smile. She recognizes that they are part of the reason many people feel too intimidated to start running .
Is there a surefire antidote?
The answer is Yes! Join a running group, where you will find like-minded, potentially lifelong friends to guide your training and offer support. Or, go and watch a marathon or other big road race. "As people watch it unfold, they realize that so many with different abilities, sizes and weights or types of people, are out there representing the sport so beautifully in different ways," Kastor says. "If you can put one foot in front of the other, you can certainly accomplish this."
Throughout her running career, Deena has placed a high priority on recovery. Before, when running era her full-time job and she logged training weeks of up to 225 kilometers, she would take a 4-hour nap in the afternoon, then rest in her bed for another 10 hours of sleep each night. Now she runs less, partly because, like so many other women runners she has to balance her training with family and work. So she focuses on making her downtime truly relaxing and restorative, a message she believes could benefit any ambitious woman.
My libre with the family is very relaxed, it's very important to have mental and physical rest."
Good nutrition has remained an essential component of Deena's life over the years. For her, eating right doesn't mean banning treats from her diet - after all, she is a famous and excellent gourmet pastry chef. Instead, she supports her training by maintaining a diet high in fresh foods and whole grains which allows her to treat herself to special indulgences occasionally. "If I want a piece of chocolate cake, it's going to be something I made or something from a high-quality bakery, not something that comes in a box," she says.
It's not the quantity or bingeing that's important, it's the quality that's essential."
She also adjusts her diet to match her mileage. "When I'm not training for a marathon, I'm not as hungry, so I'll eat lighter food," she references. "When I'm in heavy training, I'm eating more." With this strategy, she ensures she has enough energy to build on her workouts, but avoids weight gain that could slow her progress.
To feed yourself and fill yourself with the energy needed to develop physical and sports activities, it is necessary to consider how long and intense a workout will be, as well as what type. It's all a matter of planning, balance, and balancing the ideal amount of food, depending on whether you are a person who likes to walk, an occasional runner, or a complete fanatic.
The energy of positivity, and finding joy in training plays an important role. "Science has shown the physiological effects that positivity and negativity have on the body, and the results are truly remarkable."
You can reap the rewards on a small scale during a difficult situation in a race: "Just putting a smile on your face or stepping out of your thoughts for a moment and looking at the signs and messages from people watching you run and getting a smile from them releases endorphins that are great for helping you with performance."
You have to surround yourself with people and activities that make you happy, and then you will dramatically increase your chances of crossing any finish line. "Instead of thinking that success will make you happy, I think it's the opposite, if you're enjoying your life, and you enjoy the activities you're doing, that makes you successful," Kastor says.
Sure, the time he had waiting for him to beat at the Chicago Marathon era 2:28:40, a few minutes slower than his fastest time ever of 2:19:36. However, Kastor says he hasn't lost the competitive drive he felt early in his career. "It's ambitious to chase records and the fact that I still have the desire to do it, it's exciting for me," she says. "Because it's out of my reach, it makes me really focus and focus on the little details to make it a reality."
That constant effort helps her achieve better results in her other pursuits, including her role as mother of a 4-year-old daughter, Piper, and president of a running group called the Mammoth Track Club. "I think running teaches me to be a better person," she says, and she firmly believes it can do the same for you.
When you have a day when you don't feel like running or exercising, but you do it anyway, remember how you've pushed yourself; the more you practice looking deep in your mind and heart for that inner energy, the easier it is to call on that strength when faced with a traffic jam, a family fight, or a crisis at work.
In life when you're having a bad day, but you keep your mental commitment and you manage to get through that and still be a good mother and a good wife and a good ambassador for the community is very rewarding," she says. "I wouldn't have it if it wasn't for this sport."
Like Kastor, other professional runners who have accumulated miles and years of experience recognize that it's important to accept that things change, that even if you don't have the same conditions or results as you did 10 or 15 years ago, you always have to look ahead and aim to be the best within your age range.
It isimportant toevaluate the results in relation to the workouts and the effort made, as well as to take care of the time allocated for recovery and cross-training.
Experts recommend warming up carefully before running and stretching afterwards, to protect muscles that are less elastic and more prone to injury. You also need to increase your weight training, to compensate for the decrease in muscle mass.
Each new stage of life and being part of a new age group in a race represents the opportunity to create new marks and compete for different awards as you enter it. Declining performance with age is not predestined. For example, with proper training the rate of decline in aerobic capacity can be cut in half, to about 5 in a decade, or even less.
Getting older running provides the opportunity to reinvent yourself each season, wipe the slate clean and start over. You have to ignore the voices that say "you're too old to do it" and just keep doing it.
Age brings problems; but it also brings solutions. For every disadvantage there is an advantage. For every measurable loss there is an incalculable gain." George Sheehan "Personal Best" 1989
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