https://www.newyorker.com/sports/sporting-scene/spiritual-life-long-distance-runner
https://pdfs.semanticscholar.org/e763/900f45df1feda0170b7765f6febf21ed6f24.pdf
I bought this book, Run for your Life - Jogging with Arthur Lydiard, in Brower's Book Shop in the early 2000's. A good book and the bonus of an inscription from the man himself.
The agony and the ecstasy - end of the 2019 Huntly Half Marathon, 1:48:16
Once I'd warmed up I felt not too bad and stuck with the 1:50 pace setter, getting ahead of him in the last couple of kms.
Hoka One One Steamy Huka Half Marathon, 7 July, 2019
Recent parkruns, 2019
Retrieved from:
https://www.runnersworld.com/uk/training/a775264/how-to-run-at-your-best-when-youre-65/
65-74
‘Humans are well adapted to run into late middle age,’ says Daniel Lieberman, an evolutionary biologist at Harvard University. He says our ancestors appear to have evolved to continue running or hunting well into today’s masters years. ‘Hunter-gatherers often live into their 70s or even 80s and they remain very active.'
Despite what Lieberman says about our distant ancestors’ staying power, this is an age where simply lining up at the start of a race is something most of your peers would never attempt. But if you’re careful and dedicated, it’s still possible to be good. One person who’s discovered this is running coach Mike Reif. ‘I’ve been running for over 55 years and [at 65] got motivated because of the new age group,’ he says. He lost weight and began running with the athletes he coaches. He also remembered his youth, when he was on a national championship team. ‘My mindset went back to that,’ he says. ‘If you can make that transition, you can get motivated at any age.’
It’s also useful to find a club. Reif’s club competes in competitions where masters events can have sizeable fields, even in the higher age groups.
Work on your stride length. Studying 78 men at the seven-mile mark of a marathon, researchers found the stride length of runners over 60 was 17 per cent shorter, on average, than those of 40-49-year olds. To lengthen your stride, stretch after every run, concentrating on your hamstrings, calves and lower back. In addition, try throwing some 10-15-second pickups (bursts of faster running) into your regular runs to stretch out your muscles.
It’s also increasingly important to pay attention to strength training. The average person steadily loses muscle mass after the age of 30 – this can mean a decline of 30-40 per cent by the age of 70. Just because you’re a runner, don’t think you’re immune to this fall-off.
It’s worth building some balance and coordination moves into your routine. Try the ‘flamingo’: stand on one leg for one minute, with a finger on the back of a chair to stabilise yourself. Then try it without finger support, and finally try it with your eyes closed.
Recovery and listening to your body is ever more important. Joe Kregal, a 70-year-old from Portland, Oregon, who can still run a 22:48 5K, monitors his body’s twinges and reacts accordingly. And he also believes in active recovery, like swimming and biking.
And most important of all, pay no heed to the naysayers. ‘Unless there’s something anatomically wrong with you, you can get some pretty good speed going,’ says Kregal. ‘The problem is that society wants to close you down. Don’t quit when people tell you to.’
Priorities
Find company: join a club and look for races with strong masters fields.
Define success on your own terms.
Train cautiously, recover well and listen to your body.
Focus on balance, coordination and flexibility.
Keep on running
It strengthens your joints and hips. In 2013 the US National Runners’ Health Study found runners have about a 20 per cent lower risk of osteoarthritis and hip replacement than walkers. It also found higher mileage runners (15-23 miles per week) have a 16 per cent lower risk of osteoarthritis than those who run fewer than eight miles per week.
Volunteer
People who go in the Parkrun are expected to volunteer from time to time for one of several roles. This morning I was the marshall, standing at the turn-around point. You certainly get another perspective, watching people whizzing and wheezing past. You admire their courage, whatever their speed. This was my fourth time as a volunteer.
First Parkrun of Spring, 2019, 7 September - my 64th run
24:02
I'd like to go under 24 minutes in the next few weeks (or months!).
14 September 2019
I did a 21.3 km run this morning. Aiming at the Hamilton Half Marathon in two weeks.
January 2020
Goals for January-February
Do a park run in under 24 minutes (again) before the end of February.
I've entered the new Expressway (between Taupiri and Ohinewai) half marathon on 15 February, 2020. Half marathon = 7 am start.
The ankle injury
I rolled over on my ankle in the Park in February after a runner in front of me pulled up suddenly to avoid a dog on a long leash coming the other way. Now I have the following exercises to do, from my physiotherapist, Graham.
13 April 2020
I went for my first run since the ankle injury. 11 km jogging around our neighbourhood during the lock-down.
