Running after 50 & Beyond: Masters Running Tips

You can run or even start running at any age. Master’s runners just need to pay attention to the “little things” like warming up, nutrition, strength training, and sleep to off-set age-related changes such as the decline of tissue elasticity, mobility, and muscle mass. Read on to learn how to run after the age of 50.

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If you want to get me fired up, start talking about the limitations of age when it comes to running. I refuse to let age as a boundary or an excuse for not getting faster. Indeed, I vehemently believe that running after 40, running after 50, and beyond is not only possible—it’s possible to get fitter and faster even when “over the hill.”

I think I am so passionate about this subject of masters running because my dream to run a 2:40-something marathon happened right as I was cresting 40. Unfortunately, I had two major injuries at this time. And many people joked that I got injured because I was now “over the hill.”

I bit my tongue. I got “injured” because I was taking risks, challenging myself, and pushing my body to become stronger and faster than it ever has been. I didn’t get injured sitting on the couch. I got hurt because I was running 100 miles a week while also raising young kids and working full-time from home with them.

Get me fired up by also telling me that running is bad for your knees (WRONG) and bad for your body (WRONG again). Haters gonna hate. Maybe because they can’t or they won’t.

Truly, running is the gift that keeps on giving for the body and the mind—regardless of age.

Benefits of Running at an Older Age

Some mental health benefits for older runners include:

• Better mental acuity
• Better memory
• Less stress and anxiety
• Better sleep

Some physical health benefits for older runners include:

• Lower disability rates
• Better balance (less falls)
• Stronger bones
• Fewer diseases
• Stronger cardiovascular system
• Better overall health metrics like weight, heart rate, blood pressure, cholesterol, BMI, and more.

That said, running after 40 and running after 50 and beyond will look different than those running at the age of 25, for example. My goal with this article is to set master’s runners up for success so they can keep on chasing the dream!

What are the main differences in running between younger and older runners?

There are differences between those running at a young age and those running after 40 or running after 50, and so forth. I regularly raced and trained with those in their 20s. One weekend, a competitor at the age of 25 beat me. I later learned she was out late the night before partying. That’s something we older runners can’t get away with.

Older runners must pay attention to the details that keep us healthy all-around including mobility, strength training, nutrition, sleep, and recovery. That’s because our rate of recovery is diminished. We just don’t “bounce back” as quickly as our younger selves—literally and figuratively.

Specifically, research shows that the main differences between younger and older runners includes:

• The decline of tissue elasticity, mobility, and muscle mass
• An increase in the need for recovery time
• A need for a larger focus on speed to enhance the diminishing recruitment of fast-twitch muscle fibers

How to start running after 50:

Yes, you can start running at 50 and beyond. Running is a high-impact sport, but it is one you can ease into. If you are new to running, you may even have an advantage as running for years can limit muscle strength and flexibility, studies show.

If you want to start running after 40 or start running after 50, begin with the following tips.

• Talk to your doctor to make sure he or she doesn’t have any concerns.
• Go to a running store and get fitted for proper running shoes.
• Buy proper sweat-wicking running gear to keep you comfortable.
• Become comfortable with 30-minute walks before running.
• Download a run/walk plan like mine where you gradually elongate the run intervals.
• Do your running on nonconsecutive days.
• Gradually increase your weekly distance.
• Be sure to warm-up, cool-down, and do mobility exercises.
• Cross-train on non-running days.
• Strength train on run days.

Here are 9 training tips for runners over 50

1. Never skip the warm-up and cool-down.

Your warm-up and cool-down become crucial as a master’s runner. Gone are the days where you can roll out of bed and start your run. Set aside 5 to 10 minutes to do some light dynamic stretching, mobility, and foam rolling before your run.

When you’re done with your run, allow your body to recover by jogging easy for one to two miles and then doing some light stretching and foam rolling. Be sure to refuel as well.

2. Focus on speed.

Running after 40 and running after 50 most often means decreasing the volume of miles you run as the extra mileage can increase your injury risk.

As Brad Hudson and Matt Fitzgerald note in their book, Run Faster, older runners do quality over quantity to minimize “the negative effects of repetitive impact on tissues elasticity in (the) legs.”

What does this mean? Older runners have a need for SPEED. Why? Older runners should run fast for two main reasons:

• You lose speed as you age as fast-twitch muscle fibers atrophy.
• Physiological adaptations happen more slowly as we get old. So it takes longer to get fitter or faster. I have noticed this. It may take longer, but it still happens. Patience, grasshopper.

A lot of older runners are afraid to go fast but if you don’t use it, you lose it.

High-intensity workouts include hill repeats, VO2 max intervals, threshold workouts, progression runs, and race pace intervals, for example.

3. Run strides regularly.

Running strides are a quick and easy way to increase improve overall running economy (how much energy—oxygen–you use to run) by improving areas such as muscle fiber recruitment and running form.

Master athletes begin to lose maximum power output and maximum aerobic power after age 50. Small and consistent doses of top-end speed training such as strides and hill strides maintain their aerobic power and force production throughout that. I have seen this approach lead to PRs for runners in their 50s plus.

You run strides by finding a straight, flat, uninterrupted path and run increasingly fast over the course of about 100 meters, cresting close to top speed in the middle. Then slow on the back half to a stop. Fully recover in between to optimize form. Strides are about neuromuscular fitness, not cardiovascular fitness. So don’t rush them.

• Aim to do 4 by 100-meter strides two to three times a week after an easy run or before a speed workout.

Hills are also great strength builders for runners over 40 and runners over 50. For hill strides, find a moderate grade hill and increase speed over 50 meters so that you crest speed close to the top. Slow to a stop. Jog back down the hill

• Aim to do 4 by 50-meter strides one time a week in the place of one of your stride sessions after an easy run.

4. Incorporate explosive strength.

Strength training is really important for older runners. But the type of strength you have is just as important.

Research shows joint mobility and muscle strength decline with age, especially after age 50. This can impact running performance and increase injury risk

In women especially, hormonal shifts make it harder to build and keep muscle and the percentage of fast twitch muscles fibers decline. But you can work against this, according to Dr. Sims, by adding in more explosive strength training in addition to your basic strength training.

Explosive strength training includes:

• Hills (like hill strides or short hill sprints of 8-12 seconds)
• Plyometrics
• Fast reps where you go down slow and pop up fast (e.g. in a squat or lunge)
• And short, fast intervals (of 30-120 seconds)

Doing this kind of strength training improves the communication between your brain and muscles in which the brain tells more of your fast twitch muscles to work.

You can aim to do one of these sessions per week. Ensure these intense strength days are sandwiched between easy days. And if you feel fatigued by the time your next harder session comes around, consider adding more recovery or look at your nutrition. (Learn more about balancing lifting and running here.) 

5. Adopt a regular mobility routine.

Runners need full range of motion of their joints, aka mobility. Unfortunately, this range of motion decreases as we age. This is thrown in my face every day as my gymnast daughter jumps into splits and puts her legs behind her head, and I can barely touch my toes!

You can slow the process of decreased mobility by doing mobility routines that include moves like leg swings, scorpion, cobra, and hip circles. Check out my 5-minute mobility routine here. Doing a mobility routine that incorporates dynamic stretches before a run is never a bad idea.

6. Train on a different schedule.

Older runners will take longer to recover between hard workouts. For this reason, runners over 40 and runners over 50 may need to ditch the 7-day calendar and train on a 10 or 11 day “training week” instead.

Using a ten-day or so wheel to train may put your long run mid-week. To avoid this, you can alternate long runs every other week with the shorter long run being a 30 percent or so reduction in mileage, depending on where you are in the training cycle, pace, etc. For example, a marathoner over 60 may have long runs alternating with 10-12 milers on the weekend.

Older runners may also do less speed sessions. They may have only one run intensity day a week, rather than two speed days and a workout embedded in the long run. Older runners can supplement this intensity by doing harder cross-training sessions. This will improve their aerobic conditioning without putting them at risk for injury.

This is what sports dietitian and marathoner Megan Robinson does. “I am adding speed through cross-training, like pool running, cycling and swimming! It’s definitely a shift on how I usually train, but necessary to avoid continued injuries,” she shared.

7. Ramp up nutrition.

Our metabolism and nutrient absorption changes as we age, especially with hormonal shifts during menopause and perimenopause. For example, lower estrogen means we use less insulin to process glucose, making it a less optimal fuel.

• Using energy gels that contain some protein and fat can help, suggests former pro runner Neely Gracey. These energy gels could include Spring or Huma.
• Increase protein intake to counteract muscle loss from age (about 2 to 2.4 grams per kilogram of body weight).
• Also consider taking creatine like Momentous to improve body composition, mood, and injury Robinson recommends 5 grams for runners over 50 combined with strength training.
• Regularly include complex carbs, high-quality protein (lean meats and yogurt), and healthy omega-3 fat (fish and nuts), foods rich in calcium and vitamin D to keep your tissues and bones healthy and strong. 

8. Cross-train.

Runners over 50 may need to run less and run less intensity per week but they can still train their bodies the same amount of volume and intensity by supplementing with cross-training.

Cross-training on off-days or to supplement training on running days can help to improve mobility and improve your endurance. Cross-training activities such as the elliptical, pool running, and cycling are great because they biomechanically mimic running while working your heart and lungs.

9. SLOW down. 

The runs you do in between your speed workouts should be at an extra easy pace. This is active recovery that allows you to get fitter while also recovering in between sessions. Don’t look at your watch, just move. Running for time versus distance may help runners stay true to their easy pace. As a master’s athlete myself, I have noticed the pace variations are much wider. I can still run as fast but the easy pace is much easier because that is what the body needs. Check the ego!

Running after after 50 and beyond is not only possible, but it could also be the best running years of your life—and teach you to take care of yourself holistically!