4 CRITICAL Things Runners Over 50 Are NEVER Told 

As Nicky mentioned in the video you can grab your seat in our upcoming Faster Beyond 50 Masterclass here: coachparry.com/tyib-Faster-Beyond-50

1. Strength training will benefit your running 2. Walking is not a sign of weakness 3. Running is not bad for your knees 4. The importance of bone health 5. Impact of recovery

63 year old ultramarathon runner here. I’ve done a couple of 100 milers since turning 55 and many other ultras. I agree with everything here. I run no more than three times a week and I do two to three 1 hr resistance training sessions weekly. The most important factors for me are adequate recovery (rest day from running after every run),always stretching after a workout, allowing myself to run slowly, and consistent training load.

Cut running to four days a week? Still too much! I’m 66 and I run one, maybe two times a week. The best thing I ever did was cut back on running and start using a Total Gym for resistance training-three days a week. I’ve definitely gained muscle mass over the last several years and I wish I’d started decades ago because it aids in all things athletic and everyday life. I still do a long jog once a week. This week I did 16 km. I don’t really care about speed anymore. As I get fitter, my speed improves a bit, but running after speed at my age defeats the purpose of exercise, increasing the danger of injury. I also walk or walk/jog several days a week. It’s enjoyable and is easier to maintain compliance.

I am in my 60’s and still running marathons with training blocks hitting 160km per week. My concession to ageing is much easier running but I still do a threshold session once a week and a long run (usually 32-35km) on Sunday. Agree on the strength training and head off to the gym a few times a week and do chinups and various body weight exercises. I ran my marathon PB of 2:57 at age 56 and recently ran a hilly half marathon in 1:28. The easy running is the key. I operate under the belief you can train hard or you can race hard but you can’t do both. I choose to race hard.

I'm 70 years old and run a daily 10k mountain trail run at my home here in Califonia, averaging 42 - 45 minutes. I was a bit faster a few years ago, but I'm recovering from major spine surgery now so won't be back to speed for a few years. NBD I've been training for competition for 45 years, so this is just a speed bump. My enjoyment now is seeing my Eagles, Deer, Coyotes, Mountain Lions and Rattlesnakes. I'll return to Lydiard training in earnest later. But for now the totality of Creation is more than enough entertainment! Alex Ratelle's age group records can wait. Have a nice day!

Hello, I am a woman aged 81 with 174 Parkruns done and dusted, never had an injury, but I never push myself too much, and always want to get faster my average time is 45 min every week PB 42.10 have you any tips for me, especially breathing as II r battle with every week. I love you videos, keep up the good work.

As a 60 year old and running 10k x hill training, 10k easy run, strength training, spinning session, hill repeats and a long run on a Saturday. I’m running pb’s again (only running since 47 years ago but without anything else but running) I’m currently training for my last marathon in 4 weeks time and are doing good!

Great advice, as always. Thank you. I've only added in strength training this year, at age 56. It's been a game changer for me. My recovery time is so much quicker now and I'm not getting any niggly injuries, so far at least. So far, I'm only throwing in one main strength session (40 minutes) a week and then 3 additional, short, simple hip mobility sessions (about 10 minutes each). Oh and of course, I'm now also warming up (5 mins dynamic stretching, 1km slow jog to start) and cooling down (1km slow jog) properly. Something I never used to do but all of these things have massively improved my overall running, recovery and mobility. AND unbelievably, I'm still within the realms of hitting PB's. Not sure how much longer for but I'll enjoy it while I can :)

This is one of the reasons I became a triathlete. I can train almost every day, but the low impact cycling and swimming helps me avoid injury.

Another excellent video, thanks to Shona and the team !

Very good advice, and these tips are also applicable to us in our mid-40s.

I’m 63 and started running 5 months ago completing couch to 5k and now running 3 x 5k per week. Its lovely to read all these positive messages on this channel from mature runners - I don’t feel alone or think I’m too old! I’m searching for a yoga run retreat in the uk or Europe for 2024 - it’s always been on my bucket list. 🏃‍♀️💪

Thank you for this information

brilliant content, thank you.

I love the running through the forest montage with Shona and I'm a person that has an acute left knee issue and running has improved it in the way that we strength train the muscles supporting it, motion is healing

This great. I’ll soon be in this age bracket and I’ve yet to see any other programs that take age into consideration. Will be checking out your programs soon.

thanks at 62, i have lost 93 pounds in 10 months by walking 4 miles a day and lifting weight, and i am starting to work some running into my workouts can only run 30 seconds at a time, due to being a smoker some 20 years ago, and i am still at 227 pounds at 6 feet, so still kind of big, my only problem is my head seems to vibrate alot when i run, and lose my breath really easy.

I’m 76. I learned a lot from this. Thanks,😊 Coach

Not me. As I got older I realized the value of longevity and staying uninjured. My days of winning races overall are long gone. Walking is big, challenge is how fat I go before walking and not speed.

I'm 52 years old. I was an amateur athlete for 28 years and during these years I acquired good habits such as not smoking, not drinking alcoholic drinks or soft drinks and being careful with my diet. I do weight training because over time we lose muscle mass. Fact: Good running performance and injury prevention require strong, flexible muscles. I run 18 to 19 kilometers twice a week. We have two ages, chronological and mental. We decide which one will predominate in our lives. I already chose.

57 yo here and I am a certified triathlon coach as well as an amateur triathlete and runner. Great advice! Only three small comments... - the majority of studies relating weight lifting and running performance focus more on strength than in hypertrophy work but I thing that above 50 we need to pay attention to both for the reasons you very well stated so the gym programs should reflect it - my N=1 experience (and some athletes I coach feel the same however to a smaller extent) is pointing to an unbelievable increase in recovery capacity when lifting consistently heavy weights namely squats and deadlifts - I do not know why but I speculate that dormant Type II muscle fibers get recruited and therefore they adapt and gain fatigue resistance so when they are called after long or intense running load they reply much better - this hypothesis is somehow supported by the fact that I was a sprinter when I was in my teens - I never found any solid scientific evidence of strength training being injury preventive for running even if mechanistically it makes a lot of sense, specially in aging athletes, but given the two above points, why challenge the idea? It was the first time I came across you guys! Given the great info, I subscribed your channel! Keep on the great work!

Thanks for all that. Well done.

I'm 53. I do no more than 3 runs per week. None longer than a half marathon.i weight train twice per week and play ultimate frisbee twice a week. The cross training plus a mostly carnivore diet has kept me injury free the past 15 years.

Brilliant!

Recently started Run Walk method, and enabling me to continue with slight injury but still with good times. I’m 69, in great health. I’m a WFPB lifestyle

Very realistic points.thanks

Great information. I continue to have issues with really severe leg cramps around mile 19-20. Increased hydration and nutrition but happened again last month. Trying to qualify for Boston. Came up 2 minutes short in March of '23 even with the severe cramps.

Some good advice here. I damaged my calf, and I'm now set back 8 months of progress. Run / Walk has been the way to keep the volume decent without doing further damage as it all recovers.

Durban in the back... love it... Comrades is my favourite race in the world...

I like thr touch of Moses Mabhida Stadium at the walking section. Reminds me of all the walks I took during Comrades 😅

The one downside of this video is the very poor sound quality - it makes it very difficult to listen to and prevents Google from accurately providing a transcript. My hearing is not very good so I rely on subtitles and I guess listeners without English as a first language or listeners who are used to a different accent will also rely on subtitles. But when the words in the subtitles are wrong, as they often are in this video, they make the instruction meaningless.

I appreciate the comment about Osteoporosis as both my parents had it, and I know strength training gets more important for all seniors past 50, 60+. And doing weights also helps my running faster, as I have a weaker left side.

Thank-you. I'm a 71yr old male. An MD I had when I was thirty something, told me NOT to run, 'it's bad on my knees.' He couldn't have been more wrong. I was just getting interested in running cause my employer, much older than me, a Fin, was big into running. I get a little twinge on the inside of my left knee from time to time but I never feel it running. I like doing planks and 90ºx90º hip leg stretches.

Muito bom. Obrigado

I run twice, 5km and 10 km( on treadmill) 2 spinning session and 2 session of strength training every week. ( that may sound too much but I have been doing this for years. Just One day off. I run marathon in my younger years, now in my mid fifties , I like short distances and take a safety to the treadmill instead of running outside, just like spinning. I enjoy walking my dog few time a dag. I have been bless with a really healthy body!

I add regular rucking, weighted walks, to help maintain and build strength in addition to running and gym

I’m 66yo, “trail run/jog” 6k/day/365, do CrossFit 3d/w, not a fast runner but did a recent 10k in 59mins (I was pretty happy with that). When I trail run I find myself walking, not because I’m tired, more because I lose the motivation to run. I’m wondering if the CrossFit is wearing me out more than I think it is. I don’t do recovery days as the dog needs exercise and getting out on the trails keep me sane. I also jog outside in Texas and it’s def getting hot. I feel “lazy” if I think about missing a day. Oddly, it turns out my noon CrossFit is way better if I do a morning 6k run, I have more energy, even though I’ve burned some earlier.

At 59, I am careful now, because it's better to run a little slower and keep doing it than to get another case of plantar fasciitis or strain my hamstring. More rest after longer runs & hill training too.

I agree. It took me 7 months to get my hernia fixed and that whole time without any ST and now my running is a mess :(. The only thing now is to not damage the repair so getting back into ST will be slow.

A walk break helps me keep my (M60) heart rate down on easy runs, especially uphill.

My training cycle has moved from the seven-day cycle of my pre fifties. Nowadays, in my late fifties, I follow a ten day cycle. The active days are similar to the earlier days but now sandwich in more active & passive recovery days. I’m on the verge of revising to a 12 day cycle as I’m noticing the symptoms of insufficient recovery. The cycle isn’t a tyranny, it gets flexed such as just after an event. I’m still enjoying fell races so something is working 😂

Stop using the word running with jogging as it implies it is ok to run to hard. It isn’t. Running shouldn’t be done so often. A slow JOG is more important. Faster and speed are not so important.

Thanks for your content. My working life was minimum wage manual, had to carry the load of a man. I have family history of horrendous joint health, sister and mother had hip replacements. Grateful for job requirements for strength, worked in male dominated professions . Luckily didn't inherite my ancestor's joint health, or not, as it shows. Now 68, A1 from waist down. Joined a running club and run 5k three times a week. Started three years ago, did couch to 5k. I will be an old lady who can run a marathon but can't pick up a spoon. Fingers succumbing to arthritis like my Nan. Age is a number. Leg age 14, finger age 68. For me, mobility is key. Will take leg age over finger anytime. Want to improve my running, intend to burn off the younger ones at the bend. Being a pensioner is fab. Free bus pass, concessions at venues, cheap rail fares. Gets me to Sheffield cheaper than the petrol, free bus, free Supertram. Concessions at the Wednesday. Old age has given me reconnection to my heritage.

I’m 55 and I run 6 days a week. 2-3 miles Monday-Thursday, rest and lunch with my beautiful wife on Friday, 4.5 miles Saturday and Sunday. My yearly goal is 600 miles and I’m set to complete my 3rd year of this goal. I love running and don’t plan to stop anytime soon. I flat out hate strength training lol so I just run oh and ride my bicycle to and from work each day also. Take care.

At 61 what are the greatest things is usually in my age class there’s only so many people running. I got a good chance to get first second or third and that’s always nice didn’t do that in my 30s.

Thanks for the information - turning 64 this month ….. brain still thinks I’m in my 20’s ;-)

One of the advantages of starting running in my late 40s is that I don’t get frustrated at my slowing down with age - I’m still PB’ing in my mid fifties :) Only this summer just gone I PB’d a 5k (16:32)

I’ll be 64 in March. I have two Doberman pinchers and live in Arizona by some pretty good trails. Anyone that owns Dobermans know you need to run them and we run typically 6 to 7 days a week, 9 to 12 miles a day. I still add in speed work on Wednesday, a second long day on Fridays and my long runs on Sundays. This coming Sunday I’ll be running 19 miles. I don’t compete as much as I used to, but I’m not a bad age grouper, typically grabbing the first three spots. I have slowed down considerably, but that’s OK. I’m still able to run under 40 minutes for a 10K, but it is getting harder. Most of my runs are in zone two, at a pace between eight minute miles and 8:45 minute miles. My eating habits are horrible, love nachos, pizza and lots of beer. Perhaps that’s why my runs are getting harder in the mornings 😊

Proper strength training is the key to stronger bones and healthier skeletal muscle. This means loading your legs, pelvis and spine with progressively heavier weight which will cause your body to adapt to the heavier and heavier weight with higher bone density and muscle hypertrophy. By far the best method is barbell training using the “Starting Strength” method developed by Mark Rippatoe. 3 sets of 5 reps for low bar squat, overhead press and deadlift. Rest 48 hours for muscle recovery and adaptation. Then do 2nd workout adding 5 more lbs weight to squat, bench press instead of overhead press and 5 more lbs on deadlift. Repeat these 2 workouts with 48 hours rest after each workout and adding 5 lbs to the bar each workout. For the 1st workout start with just the weight of the bar, 45 lbs for men and 35 lbs for woman and go up 5 lbs from there on the 2nd workout. Cut way back on running and replace it with walking about 30 mins a day 1st thing in the morning before your first meal.

I am mid 50s played sport till mid 30s, work halted exercise to mid 40s and that list decade has costed disproportionate amount on my health. Have bad arthritis in the genes but determined to run 3 times per week and try simple strength exercises daily. Still need to work till I am late 60s largely desk based and that is the issue!!

Ironic that turning 50 a few months ago inspired me to increase my strength training in order to be the best runner I can be

Im 57 I have been dealing with long covid over the last 2 years which has significantly reduced my milage per week Ive gone from 150km per week to walking and very light jogs 5-10 km per week Instead as I slowly recover ive upt my swims to around 10-15 km per week Much better for low impact while still getting a good cardio workout aswell as a good all over body strength session 😊👍🏊‍♂️

I always get achey knees when I add strength training to running, so I'm not so sure for me!

I’ve got lost with that example of the air ticket. The answer is “catch a train!”, obviously

What about rope jumping ? I can only run 1~2minutes and have to start walking.

Im 59 started to walk 10K Km/day three months ago, Recommend it.

At 71 I confirm all this so important

Do you think any of this applies to a 37 year old runner, comparing times and performance feels with when they were 23 - 28? Asking for a friend! ;D

I really don't get it. I'm 51 and bench heavy, deadlift heavy... and muscle mass loss is not inevitable if you train. My jogging is not great but I try to do it 3x a week. Not sure what to make of this video, am I an old man now or something?

52 here. still running swimming cycling and doing gym work. Look and feel great still. No Dad-bod for me. Going to age disgracefully 😁

I cant tell what she's saying @ 0:06 when she says, 'your ticket is to ????'. What is the word? I cant make it out cuz her accent is so thick.

Excellent advice. Muscle mass decline is only inevitable after 50 if you don’t continue to build muscle. I’m 63 and have more muscle mass and overall strength than I ever have. Of course we lose muscle mass if we don’t strength train.

It’s very important to take vitamin K2 (supplement) with your D3. K2 will take the calcium into your bones instead your soft tissues. There are a lot videos on RU-vid that discuss vitamin K2. Taking only D3 is not enough for strong bones.

You forgot a BIIIÌIG one. Protein. As you get older you don't really need carbs, only a tiny bit really. You need to look at 1 gram per LBS of bodyweight. Considering a chicken breast is only around 15 grams of protein ...... the powders are the only way. The other difficult one is to find a training schedule with the least amount of rest days. If you push too hard ..... then you have to compensate with rest days ..... and consistency goes out the window 😢😢

👌👌👌👌👌👌👌👌👌

00:10 my American ears do not understand what she says. "Your ticket is to rule" ? THe subtitles say "rule" What is she saying?

Don't run worst exercise in the world destroys your skeleton. And muscle tone

Wth was that analogy... what ?

Sorry, anything is bad if you do it too much. And running, the way most runners do it, is bad for their knees. Bad shoes, bad form, on artificially hard surfaces. Not how we evolved. Running is natural…but not how most people do it, where they do it, in the shoes they do it, and with the form they do it. Facts.

Think these guys have it wrong about muscle mass loss over 50. I reckon the muscle mass loss myth is really just cover for other health problems that many have accumulated through bad life choices.

1.That the original Marathon runner of Ancient Greece collapsed and died after running the 26 miles. 2.That the man who started the jogging craze collapsed and died while running. 3.That we were not designed to run endless miles for recreational reasons. 4.That strength training and weight lifting are superior for health maintenance.

This is all bollocks about strength training to reduce risks of injury. There are only two causes of injury 1. Trauma. 2. Over training. I've been running for 55 years and had only one injury caused by Trauma. I trained just as hard from 50 to 75 as I did before, but just did less mileage. A typical track session for me since 50 years of age would be 20 x 400 at best mile pace, with 100m jog recoveries. There are no preventions you can take against injury, such as stretching or warming up.

Waffle,,,I know of elderly natives who run young white guys into the ground