Welcome to The Ageless Runner. I enjoy running and am committed to providing helpful tips, product reviews, training insights, and commentaries about all aspects of running. Runners of every age will find something useful here, and I’ll give added insight to running as we grow older . So whether you're over 40, 50, or even 70 you can keep running. Subscribe today!
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Thank you so much. I'm 68. I did some sprinting all out after a long run. I got injured. I went to the physio. I learned that I needed to do more strength training. Injuries are part of the journey. Thank you for your helpful advice. God bless you richly.
Good advice. An active recovery rest day can always be mobility and core work, and your legs are still getting a rest. At 70 and 40 years of running I have 'pledged' to do more mobility. So I follow Chris Dorner on RU-vid and her follow-along classes make it soooooo much easier. 10 mins to 30 mins, just switch on the screen and do it. I'm doing 5 days a week before running and weights sessions, and it really really helps. Thanks Ralph for making us oldies feel were 'still in the game' 👍🙏
More good tips Ralph. Good video. I'm doing more of number 3 as I get older. I'm 66 now and have been running for 50+ years. I struggle with my strength work just due to finding time as I watch grandkids 4 days a week and I have a long run and an interval day each week. I'm just this week begining a new trial of doing a 15 minute session 3 days a week. Keep up the good work.
I also struggle getting strength work, but my intentions are good! I hope your 15min/3-day sessions work for you. Thanks for the positive feedback! I appreciate it!
Resistance bands have worked wonders for me in implementing a strength training regimen that's quick, simple & effective, particularly if you're pressed for time. Make it easy, convenient, you can roll up a resistance band in the palm of your hand (so it can travel with you & you can use them anywhere really).
I'm 80yo soon and despite prostate cancer I feel well. 5 years ago I ran a 5k in 37 minutes with no formal training and stopped running altogether after that. I now want to beat that time for charity and think I can do it. These tips are great thanks. A training schedule on paper would be ideal if there is one for older seniors.
Kudos to you for running as you approach 80! I am also a PC survivor and love running. I’ve not come across any training plans for seniors on the internet, but you might check out this Jeff Galloway book: www.amazon.com/Running-Until-Youre-100-Lifelong/dp/1782551654/
Thanks, Wally, for contributing on this topic. I have some subscribers who eat keto and carnivore, and some like you, who do not eat meat. So how we fuel our bodies is a very individual preference thing. Thanks for watching the video!
I'm just catching up on your series Ralph. Great job. It fits in with where I'm at now I'm my training. I've been a RWR advocate and 80/20 advocate for several years now. I primarily do a 2 min/30 sec ratio, which works well for me. I struggle to get my easy runs slow enough but I'm working at it. Great job.
You sound like my twin… I also do a 2min run/30 sec walk and struggle to keep my long runs slow enough to keep my heart rate down. I’m glad you like the series! Thanks for the feedback!
Matt Fitzgerald wrote a book called "80/20 Running" that really delves into why 80/20 is the best way to go with running. Detailed with workouts at the end. Very good read.
In the 80s when I started running, we talked about LSD being the secret to success. We weren't a bunch of hippies promoting psychedelics....it stood for Long Slow Distance. Think Arthur Lydiard was behind this idea- but I could have 'disremembered' that.😂
Thank you so much I bought a Fenix 6s And noticed the sweat rate How did your long running monitor go over the months… Did the garmin get better over time?? Or did you continue using your own methods Thank you greatly appreciated your time JamesSwinnerton
The Fenix series of watches look awesome! I may upgrade from my Forerunner 245 someday. :-) I have not done any additional sweat rate testing, other than what I did to make this video.
On my Forerunner 245, I get a message that my HRM is connected. When that happens, then the heart rate displayed on the watch is from the monitor. Note that with my Garmin watch, the HRM only connects when you're using an activity, e.g., running, cycling, etc.
Excellent reminder. I am lying on the sofa after a hard 10km and nodding to everything you say. I had a recovery whey protein drink straight after the race, trying to not feel too fussy and precious among the other local french runners. Come to think of it, they were tucking into ham baguettes as traditional small rural town post- event food. Maybe they know a thing or too - plus siestas are not frowned upon (as in the UK) but parr of the culture here. Vive la siesta😂 keep the videos coming Ralph❤
Thanks, Jo. A ham baguette sounds like good post run food! I'm glad to hear you're getting some protein to help the muscle recovery. Thanks for contributing!
So true, we've been underestimating how much protein us older runners needfully years.. Every day, after a run or gym I have porridge made with water and a tablespoon dried milk, with a banana, whey protein trickled over made to syrup consistency, tablespoon home made peanut butter (I.e no sugar and lo salt), ground flax seeds and topped off with a plain lo fat yoghurt. I adore this late post -exercise breakfast. But your video made me check, and I realised I should have 2 scoops of whey protein not one....duh! Which then makes 30gms protein. Oh and I have about 20 almonds, which comes to an extra 5 gms. No idea how much protein the other ingredients add, I just know it's yummy😂. But you have reminded me how important protein is - and its quite tricky using normal food alone, to get enough. Thanks for the video.👍
Your post-exercise breakfast sounds yummy and so nutritious. Thanks for sharing it! I also use whey protein powder (and bars) to help meet my daily protein goals. It helps a lot. Thanks for commenting, Jo!
No not excellent advice… whole food plant based eating is the way to go Actually building muscle does not require protein nor does it require more protein, weight training builds muscle - you create muscle tissue by exercising Quote from Doctor Brooke Goldner, she cured herself of lupus and has helped many people eat a whole food plant based diet get off meat, dairy ,oil, sugars, and reduce salt I’m 64yo & drink green smoothies all the way. I hv so much energy. Never been stronger, healthier. No counting calories, no worries about enough protein… whole food plant based baby that’s the truth, that’s the way. Google it. Doctors don’t get proper nutrition education , research yourself. Check out Dr Brooke Goldner Goodbye Lupus and Dr Michael Greger at Nutrition Facts
Hi Ralph. I successfully completed my duathlon event today. Since it took me 2 hours, and was quite strenuous, I took extra energy gels and drank diluted Gatorade. Your video is a good reminder to increase my protein intake today as well. Thanks for the information!
@janetpaul8029 .congrats on completing your duathlon! A wonderful accomplishment. Yes, get plenty of protein to help muscle repair. Thanks for the update. I was actually wondering how it went for you during my run this morning.
Hi Ralph! I am enjoying this series. The video couldn't have come at a better time for me. I am in my "taper' week this week for a duathlon this Saturday. Your tip regarding protein is spot on! Are you still training for a trail race? (I think that is what you said you were doing)
Thank you for a great video! I like the idea of not only physically, but also mentally decompressing after a harder run. We run for stress relief but also need to de-stress after a run. 😅
I love the tip about taking a little protein before bed. I have an insane schedule, so my eating, and definitely my protein intake, isn't ideal. I'll start this immediately!
Thanks for this review. Need to get a running vest and maybe get some sports gels. Here in NZ if you are going hiking in the backcountry you can use a PLB (personal locator beacon) which does not allow communication but is an SOS locator device. No subscription needed.
Great message. So many athletes (especially young ones) have the attitude that you need to be going beast mode 24/7 to get max results. As I've gotten older, I've learned how important recovery is, and I no longer feel shame for taking time off to rest when needed.
You make a good point about the "beast mode" attitude! Perhaps it's an offshoot of the "no pain, no gain" mentality. Thanks for contributing on this topic.
Thanks for commenting. For clarity, this series is about running longer (endurance) and not about increasing pace (faster). Thanks also for watching the video!
It has been a long journey for me to accept this. But it has really hit home for me in the last few years. I was diagnosed last year on my 67th birthday with the autoimmune disease ankylosing spondylitis that erodes my spine and then overcompensates for that in the healing process by fusing the vertebrae and SI joints. It also causes enthesitis in my knees and achilles insertions causing painful inflammation that mimics injuries. Now that I know and am on two scary immune suppressing medications, I am still experiencing pain but at generally lower levels and have not had a severe flare in 9 months. But whether it is backcountry skiing--my main passion in life--or running, which is a close second, I have had to recognize how much more time I need to recover from everything I do than I have been used to taking for all of my life. Before my diagnosis I was having a brutally hard time doing ski trips with several consecutive days of touring, climbing up to 5000 feet a day and skiing deep powder all over Hokkaido where I live. Now, I understand and this past season I never did back to back days. I hope I can get strong enough to get back to that because I still have lots of visitors, high level very accomplished skiers, who come to ski tour with me. After the snow melts I start running. Cycling kills my spine but I can enjoy swimming in the sea. This year I started out running two days a week in April. As I improved, I started adding a third day some weeks. And recently, after five months of good training, I started to test the waters of 3-4 days a week. That brought me to a screeching halt the last several days with extreme fatigue and inflammation in my knees and spine. I have never been a great sleeper because of the chronic pain I have lived with for decades. But I am much better than I was let's say ten to twenty years ago. I can get between 6 and 7 hours more often than not. And I really can tell the next day or several days when I do not get more than 6 hours. My rheumatologist says the only reason my spine has not already fused is my active lifestyle and he strongly encourages me to keep at it. I am pretty certain my father had this disease too, though the diagnosis was extremely uncommon in his day. I've always been super motivated to stay fit and climb hard, ski at the highest levels, and run moderate to high mileage. The skiing ability is still there but my zone 2 running has slowed to barely walking speed. However, I can still sprint 100s and 200s on the track decently fast. The volume is way down and the recovery has had to increase a lot. Today was my fourth consecutive day of rest and while the hottest weather of the year seems to be breaking, I will not run again tomorrow. My goal is not to lose too much fitness between now and December and I realize I need to take more recovery time at certain ties to be able to continue to train right through. Last year at this time my achilles was so bad I needed a wheelchair to get through Haneda Airport. I'm much better now and on the right path with my reduced volume and increased recovery time. Thank you for this great video. I'm subscribed and will continue following your excellent contributions. ⛷
Looking at the comments I see you did it in 13 hours or so. I did a 44.5km walking on a trail only a few months ago in a bit under 10.5 hours, so your time does seem slow!; however guess the slippery mud would slow you down a lot.
@@TheAgelessRunner Can relate to the mud part; did the Rakiura track in NZ and the middle part was steep steps and very muddy and slowed me right down. FWIW have avoided blisters completely by using hikers wool and Gurney Goo.
Man, I can only run 5k at the moment, but am gonna do a 55k day in the next few weeks - walking only! Will be a long road to jogging 50k! (But am 70 next year).
Hi, that’s all nice and everything until you have to work 2+ jobs and then you know everything goes through and try to all. Everybody needs to try to remember to try to rest anyways.
I suppose resting is like most other things we aspire to do... try our best and hope it works out! Thanks, Todd, for watching the video and commenting. I appreciate it.
I work 7 days a week between 2 physical jobs, about 60-65 hours a week, while training for ultras. I've learned to prioritize, and do the best I can with what I've got that day. Flexibility with my training, and acceptance of my limitations, are the only way for me to get things done while still enjoying it. (Life is hard enough without forcing myself to do a hobby I don't actually enjoy! 😂) Best wishes!
I appreciate the concrete tips on how many days to rest after a long or hard run. It’s rare for me to get sore after a longer run (my long runs aren’t that long though), but I might get sore after harder intervals which will naturally make me want to rest. The really tough thing for me is the soreness after strength training. That might last three days and it’s a struggle to deal with if I’m supposed to be doing it regularly and also keep a good running schedule.
Balancing running and strength training is challenging for me, too. Like you, I usually am not sore after running, but will have some soreness after the gym. Generally that happens if I haven't been there in over a week, or if I increase the weight of an exercise. However, if I strength train once or twice a week and make no changes in the weights, then I'm usually not sore.
I always include at least one recovery day each week. It used to be a set day, but I’ve learned that the best measure of when to take a recovery day is when my body tells me to recover.
I wonder if the fact that the test subjects being "heel strikers" plays a big factor in the study. Would be interesting if they do another study with the same methodology looking at forefoot or midfoot strikers.
I used to do 1 minute running against 30 seconds of walking but righ now since I am starting back over again after major set backs I think I will try out your 1:1 ratio with 15 seconds running and walking and we go from there. I have already scheduled two 5ks, one in november and one in december 2024 and a 10k for the end of february 2025, we will see :)
1:1 is great ratio for starting out, whether as a beginner or after an extended break. I hope it works well for you. Have fun with those races! Thanks for sharing!
I believe you can start to run at any age. I was 62. There are many 80 year old runners who view my videos. With that said, I do advise that you get an OK from your doctor or health care provider before starting to run or exercise. Be safe. Thanks for watching the video!
Hello and thanks for your stream. During these hot summer days, my running is currently inside an air conditioned room with a treadmill. Not the same as intense outside road running, but better than nothing. Hopefully one day you can do a stream on the proper use of a treadmill for older distance road runners. Thanks
Running on a treadmill is certainly not as much fun as outside, so Kudos to you for doing it. Thanks for the video suggestion. I'll keep it in mind for the future. Thanks for watching the video and commenting!
I am always thinking of new ways to motivate myself (I.e. cheer myself on as I usually train on my own). It's not really 'pain', that would be over- dramatic😅 but it's more than uncomfortable...is there a word for this🤔 Anyway.....sometimes I dedicate the last two hardest intervals to a friend or coach, and even imagine what they say. An ex-coach was Sardinian and I can hear her saying "fokus" in a strong Italian accent😂. Or our club coach always shouting at me to relax my shoulders! It's amazing what you can imagine that really helps you squeeze out that last bit of effort💪
Salam runner. Saya 50 tahun Saya pakai bahasa ya, karena bahasa adalah easy language. I'm 50 y.o, I ran twice a week 10k. Saya lari 10km dua kali seminggu kadang 3x seminggu.
Appreciating this numerical, experimental approach. It puts some numbers to questions we had only theoretical suggestions for, until now. Thank you! I might even try something similar myself (when fitness allows) - it'd be interesting to see how consistent the results are. And obviously the more data points the better an idea one will get of factors such as degree of variability etc...
Hello Ralph. Love your videos. I'm in my sixties and just started running a few years ago. Done several half marathons and just one full marathon. Always look forward to your videos as I am always learning something from you.
Thank you so much for the positive feedback! I appreciate it! Kudos to you for completing those races. It's such a satisfying accomplishment. Happy running!
@@TheAgelessRunner OK, 4:1 would seem to be my sweet spot also; 30 secs walk, 2 min run. What I want to do now is to increase the pace of the run segments. Any tips on that?
@alandmcleod5988 yeah... 4:1 works well for me. My only tip for increasing run pace is to do it gradually. Another thought is to decrease ratio a little while you work on faster pace. Thanks for watching the video and commenting!
