Comments for Running for Fitness

Comment on Conversion to Kindle format by Andrew Turner

Andrew Turner — Wed, 22 Feb 2012 07:21:28 +0000

Just started to read the bit about older bodies in the book as I am one of them and would like to point out that the incredible Mr Whitlock nis not Canadian he is British through and through. He has lived most of his life in Canada however but his early athletic career was in England.
I love the website!!!

Comment on Older runners by Ron Ayre

Ron Ayre — Tue, 21 Feb 2012 18:21:36 +0000

Richard,
Your ambition to run the 1/2Marathon is most commendable; and is doable if things go exactly as planned.
If your race is at the end of May you have at most 13 weeks to prepare. You need to get your once a week long run up to a minimum of 11 miles by at least 2 weeks before the race.
Week 1 3mls
2 4
3 4
4 5
5 5
6 7
7 7
8 9
9 9
10 10
11 11
12 9
13 1/2M
If this is possible for you, then the 1/2M can be achieved.
If not, then you should plan for a 1/2M some 1 to 2 months later in the year.
Let us know how you feel about this plan

RonA

Comment on Older runners by Ginny

Ginny — Tue, 21 Feb 2012 15:05:56 +0000

Good for you! I ran my first marathon 2 weeks before my 60th birthday!

Only advice I have is don’t try to increase mileage too quickly. A 1/2 marathon in May might be a bit ambitious, but if you don’t overdo you can do it! Are you following a training plan for the half marathon? It is a good idea to do that. I followed a plan on runnersworld.com for my halfs and my full…it is free. Good luck.

Ginny

Comment on Older runners by Richard

Richard — Tue, 21 Feb 2012 05:40:25 +0000

Great string for a novice 60 something runner like myself. I started on a treadmill 3 months ago and couldn’t run 1/2 mile despite endlessly hiking in the hills. Running is just different than walking! But I slowly got hooked and found the distances got easier and easier. Now with 3 miles getting easier Both on the treadmill and outside am hoping to run a slow half marathon in may and am going to stretch the mileage each week. Any words of advice would be great.

Comment on Older runners by Vic

Vic — Wed, 15 Feb 2012 18:08:06 +0000

Thanks Ginny, for the nice words, and Ron that’s great on your long time running!
It seems many of us are looking for like minded runners and especially “older” runners. Well, I just found a great website that I joined a few weeks ago. They have all kinds of support and advice for runners and athletes of all ages.
They were all so supportive when I did my recent Half Marathon, I felt like a rock star. Seems they love us geezers. LOL.
Anyway, it’s http://www.sparkpeople.com if you are interested. my name is BOILHAM on that blog. You can see my blog about my HM if you are interested, or just go there and visit without joining. If you join, ask me to be a “friend”. Regards, Vic

Comment on Older runners by Ron Ayre

Ron Ayre — Tue, 14 Feb 2012 20:53:27 +0000

Hi All,
I have just discovered this site; it is a great resource for us older runners, whether new to the sport or old hands.
I am 70 years old and have been a runner since age 15, so I have a lot of miles on my bones, at least 65,000 by my count.
No serious injuries so far and still able to run every day, logging about 2000 miles a year.
I am very interested in hearing how other runners of a similar age are doing; what kind of training you are doing; enthusiasm for racing etc.
I will follow this site and hope to hear opinions from all sides.

Comment on Older runners by ginny Bess

ginny Bess — Tue, 14 Feb 2012 19:34:55 +0000

Oh my gosh, I think that is a great time! The fastest I have run a half is 2:54, but I was never very speedy, I have no allusions as to doing any better than that in the future. Good job!

ginny

Comment on Older runners by Vic

Vic — Tue, 14 Feb 2012 18:32:13 +0000

Well, I did finish my half marathon. According to those calculators that give an estimate on other races when you plug in numbers or races you have done, I should have run a Half Marathon in 2:15. My actual time was 02:21:28 and I think that’s okay, since I just started running last September.
As Mike posted earlier, what we lack in muscle we gain in determination . I will continue to run and hope to be able to improve on that time.
“GO GEEZERS!”

Comment on Older runners by Jane Fritz

Jane Fritz — Sat, 11 Feb 2012 20:54:58 +0000

I also commend you for talking about older runners and what we need to be aware of, using a definition of older as 60+ instead of 40+. I have had to learn all of this by trial and error after starting long distance training for the first time at 63. All my well-meaning running friends and experienced trainers just have no idea about the increased need for recovery. And it is very difficult to find answers to questions about treating overuse injuries and biomechanical difficulties. Typically, the response is that at my age I shouldn’t expect to be able to run. I finally figured it all out for myself, using some good advice buried deep within various Internet postings. After several half marathons, my brother and I completed the NYC Marathon this past year, our first marathon and an absolutely unbelievable experience. Thank you for paying attention to running at this stage of life.

Comment on Older runners by Ginny Bess

Ginny Bess — Mon, 06 Feb 2012 19:37:02 +0000

Katherine

I have been running about 35 years. I never did longer distances until the last 4 years. I have done 10 half marathons now and 1 marathon.

Comment on Older runners by Katherine

Katherine — Mon, 06 Feb 2012 17:08:58 +0000

I am also running a lot slower than my earlier years and it really helps to know there are others out there finding this to be true. Keep up the training though. You inspire me to run farther.

Comment on Older runners by Katherine

Katherine — Mon, 06 Feb 2012 17:07:11 +0000

How long have you been running Ginny Bess?

Comment on Older runners by Ginny Bess

Ginny Bess — Mon, 06 Feb 2012 14:52:11 +0000

Phyllis, I like the term “elite athletes”! I have been getting a little down on myself the past couple of years because I run so darn slowly, but at age 62 I am still out there and planning on doing a few half marathons this season also.

As to the other poster about how many of us are there out there? There are quite a few still in the larger half marathons that I run in the age group 60-64, I have been placing in the upper third, so I guess I should feel pretty good. I have been experiencing some hip pain lately though, so I need to get that checked out, hope it is nothing serious.

Ginny

Comment on Older runners by Phyllis Karsten

Phyllis Karsten — Sat, 04 Feb 2012 17:38:04 +0000

I had to do a little educating of my orthopedist a couple of years ago. I wanted to find out why my mew hips ached so much. His response was, “Oh, you’re doing fine. You should see how some of my other patients your age are doing.”

That made me so mad. I informed him that I was NOT one of his other patients of my age. He lists himself as a sports physician and I expect him to treat me as one of his sports patients, not one of his geriatric patients. We now have a better relationship.

Like false teeth or new lenses to treat cataracts, artificial joints are not perfect substitutes for “original factory equipment”. And if they wear out, there is a limited number of times that they can be redone. So I have heeded the advise not to do too much running. I find that about 10% running in a 5K event, plus my super speed walking,will bring me in at the top of the Women over 70 age group.

So those of you who are noticing knee or other body problems that take longer to heal – take time to make sure they are sound before subjecting them to the stress of going full tilt. Make your body hold up as long as possible.. Some day you might have to modify your style or your expectations, but keep challenging yourself. Remember that at the age of this group age, we are elite athletes.

Comment on Older runners by Mary

Mary — Sat, 04 Feb 2012 15:39:02 +0000

I am inspired by every person who has commented on this thread. I am only 47, but was told by an orthopedic doctor, who I saw for knee pain that keeps developing whenever I try to get back into running, that I should find another way to stay fit. He said that “old people aren’t meant to run.” He actually said something like I should go to a marathon and see how few seniors are participating. My 50 year-old husband was told the same thing by another ortho doc.

I ran a couple of slow marathons, and a dozen or so halfs in my early 40s. I want to get back to it. I don’t care about time. My father ran fast marathons and tris into his 60s and is getting back into it in his mid 70s.

IMy point here is that there are medical doctors out there trying to dissuade wanna-be senior runners. I would like to see where these docs are getting their information. What are the real facts about running and age?

Comment on Drinking while running by Do you drink water when you run? « The girl that runs

Do you drink water when you run? « The girl that runs — Thu, 26 Jan 2012 06:14:40 +0000

[...] the Running for Fitness website there is a great article on water and running that you might be interested in [...]

Comment on The evolution of runners by bart

bart — Thu, 26 Jan 2012 03:20:35 +0000

Ok, so I have been a runner for 40 years. Everything ever been written on the subject always talks about how good it is for your overall health and especially your heart. Lately, I have been reading about new evidence that refutes this completely and says that running long distances can actually be bad for the heart and cause damage. It says you should be doing short, interval type running for the fast twitch muscles. This is from the Mercola health website. So, what do you think about all this?

Comment on Older runners by Phyllis Karsten

Phyllis Karsten — Fri, 20 Jan 2012 21:13:05 +0000

The smart phone ap is called Cardio Trainer. It tracks your route on a map and shows the time splits every mile. While you are running it shows a read out with Time, Distance, Calories, and Pace. There is another page where you can review you stats that also includes the number of steps taken and total climb. Another page has a graph of your speed over the time of your run. This is sort of useful in letting you see if you have been keeping a consistent pace. After you finish your run and save the information there is a display of your history where you can compare your various workouts.

I like to hold the cell phone in my hand as I’m going so I can check to see my pace. I don’t pay any attention to the calories as that is an estimate based on your input of weight and the GPS data about distance and total climb. I think that if you exercise, the calories will take care of themselves.

At the time I downloaded (uploaded?) mine, CardioTrainer was only available on Android phones, but they indicated they were working on making it available on iPhones.

Right now I’m stuck inside waiting for a repair man to come and get my washer door to unlock. It rained a little last night and today is a nice brisk, cloudy day – idea for working up a nice sweat. – Just one of life’s smaller frustrations.

Comment on Older runners by Katherine

Katherine — Fri, 20 Jan 2012 20:50:46 +0000

Thank you Phyllis.
I enjoyed hearing about your excitement about your relatively new road work! Amazing. What is the ap called on your smart phone? Does it give you anything besides distance? Is it Google maps? I am not as interested in races at this time. I would like to increase my distance in a sane way – like 1 mile a week. I enjoy running in the cold weather. I feel like I can breathe deeper. It is just encouraging to see that other senior women are out there.

Comment on Older runners by Phyllis Karsten

Phyllis Karsten — Fri, 20 Jan 2012 20:09:27 +0000

Hello Katherine – You came back to running at age 64, which is considered close to “retirement age”. So you are definitely in the seniors category. However, it looks like you did some running all along. My activity profile was more like Wayne’s – did some hiking, trained Border Collie sheep dogs, and puttered around in the garden, but never did any program of fitness. Way back in High School and College, played on all sport activities. I did a lot of recreational bicycling trips, but never competitively, no training. However I’ve always enjoyed being challenged.

Fast forward to last year (at age 86) when a year’s worth of adjustments to my eating habits didn’t take off a single pound, I decided I needed to move more. I discovered this great ap for my smart phone that uses a GPS to track my distance and time. I could compete against myself on a walk around my neighborhood. I posted a couple of the results from the ap onto Facebook where a friend saw them and encouraged me to do a 5K run/walk. I came in third in the Over 70 woman’s catagory, and now I’m hooked.

I don’t grumble about how slow I’ve become – maybe its because I don’t have a record that I need to live up to. I just look at my first 5 K event where I just barely came in under an hour, and compare that with my New Years 5 K run where I came in at 46:33 and celebrate my improvement.

I look forward to maybe doing a 10 K later this year. But I will be realistic about how doable that will be. In which case I’ll stick with blowing away the 70 year old competition as that is the highest age group in most of the local races. Due to the artificial hip joints, I do mainly speed walking, with less than 10% jogging.

I try to get in two or three tours of my neighborhood each week. I don’t have a training partner, but use that GPS ap to give me feedback on how I’m doing on this 3 1/2 mile neighborhood route, which includes a good mile and a half of gradual uphill.