I Have Found the Fountain of Youth and It's In The Weight Room

A few weeks ago, I had lunch with a runner friend of mine, another woman who happens to be in my age group. We were talking about how much we are struggling with running paces that just a few years ago were easy for us. Getting older sucks for runners, especially women runners. The number of finishers in the women's' 50+ age groups drops dramatically, especially after age 55.

It is a well-known fact that endurance begins to decline after age 40 for both men and women. Stride length and speed decrease as well (source). Flexibility also decreases. But most importantly, muscle mass and strength decline. Women lose up to 30% of overall strength between the ages of 50 and 70. For women, decreases in estrogen and testosterone after menopause affects the ability to maintain muscle mass.

What if I don't want to slow down? What's an aging woman runner to do? Besides giving up on running? Is rocking in the rocking chair an endurance activity?

I refuse to accept the common wisdom that equates growing older with frailty and weakness. I'm not ready to call it quits and if you're reading this, you probably aren't ready to call it quits either. The good news is you can keep running into old age and maybe postpone or at least minimize some of the inevitable effects of aging. But you do have to change the way you train. Put on your running shoes and head to the weight room. Yep, strength training is the key to staying youthful.

As I entered my 50th decade, I was plagued with frequent running injuries. Frustrated, I spent more time sidelined than I did running. I realized that my regimen of mostly running with a little yoga on the side wasn't going to cut it anymore. Not yet ready to hang up my running shoes, I started working with a CrossFit coach on strengthening and conditioning. After a regular strength and conditioning regimen, I started seeing race times and paces I hadn't seen since my 30s. I also had a decline in injuries. It felt like I struck gold.

Or maybe I found the fountain of youth!

Trying to keep my hips even while lifting heavy on one side is a big challenge, both for strength and stability!

A recent study of a group of men and women showed that both sexes cannot rely on running alone to prevent loss of strength and recommended that all aging runners perform strength training as part of their regimen. My strength coaches have me do a lot of squats, lunges, and deadlifts, with variations of these basic moves. Core strengthening is a big component of my training as well, both for stability (keeping me upright and strong) and control.

These strict presses are great for posture as well as the core. You can't neglect the upper body. 

Choosing the right weight seems to be a source of controversy among runners. But most experts agree that runners who want to build strength and endurance should lift heavy weights at lower reps, ideally 6-10 reps. Lift using a weight that makes you feel fatigued on your final 2 reps. It should feel hard. Contrary to what you might think, the heavier weights will not bulk you up or slow you down. You aren't lifting heavy to bulk up. Instead of big muscles, you'll see improved running economy and faster times on the road. You will feel stronger. Trust me! Now when I run up a hill, I can feel my glutes engage as they push me forward. It's an amazing feeling!

The deadlift "cage"

When I first started working with a strength coach, I trained once a week for 30 minutes. I had people telling me that strength training once a week wasn't enough. Again, the goal here wasn't to build muscle but to strengthen the muscle I already had. You don't need to lift weights frequently to see changes. For runners looking to get stronger, experts recommend 30-60 minutes per week of strength training. I've since increased my frequency to twice weekly, with one strength session and one conditioning session each. The increased frequency in the gym resulted in me running my fastest races of 2017 at the end of the year. I'm not as fast as I used to be but I'm still able to kick it at the end of a race!

Don't count me out yet.

No old lady booty for me!

Besides improving running economy and endurance, benefits of strength training for older runners include improved posture and bone density, decreased injury, less falls, decreased body fat and more lean muscle mass, and more energy. The higher metabolism is nice--I like that all my clothes still fit and it's pretty sweet that people think that I'm younger than I am. Of course, when you are 55, that's all relative...

I don't know about you, but while I'm at the fountain of youth, I'd like fewer wrinkles too.

Strength training, yay or nay? What's your favorite thing? I like deadlifts. Have you seen the benefits of strength training in your runs?

I'm linking up with Tuesdays on the Run: Marcia, Erika, and Patti as well as Running Coaches' Corner: Debbie, Rachel, and Lora.