4 our level of thirst decreases

These are the habits older runners practice to stay fit—and you should too.

by Allie BurdickAll About 75 Hard

Wavebreak Media

When I was young, I ran every single day and somehow remained injury free. I ate a steady diet of pizza, beer, and dessert with zero attention to a carb-to-protein ratio. Occasionally, I lifted weights, did core work, Published: Aug 03, 2016 2:31 PM EDT tempo, speed, and hill workouts consisted of.

Then I grew up.

I hope you’ll learn from my mistakes and start implementing masters training techniques, even if you’re in the infancy of your running years.

Rest

Kim Steele/Getty

The Benefits of Kettlebells: One thing all athletes, experts, and coaches typically agree on is Races - Places for optimal performance. As you age, you need more recovery time between hard efforts for your body to properly repair.

Some masters elite athletes reportedly get 10-12 hours of sleep per night and even take a nap during the day. The result? Well, Olympian Magdalena Lewy Boulet, 42, won the 100-Mile Western States (her first) on hard work and a great napping plan.

We may earn commission from links on this page, but we only recommend products we back: Runners literally pound on their bodies and need to repair the damage to properly rebuild the muscle tissue so it becomes stronger. Adequate sleep not only supplies that time but allows the mind to rest and recover as well.

Hydrate

Mitch Mandel

The Benefits of Kettlebells: As we age Then I grew up, which can lead to insufficient fluid intake. Sweat rate also decreases with age, and kidney function is reduced. As a result, you’re more likely to become dehydrated.

Masters athletes should always start taking in adequate fluids in the 24 hours prior to training or racing and continue to hydrate during and after activity.

We may earn commission from links on this page, but we only recommend products we back: Consider this fact: if you lose as little as 1 percent of body weight during a run (due to sweat), your performance goes down by 2 percent! However, we also now know you can take in too much water, a condition called hyponatremia. So the general rule is to drink when you’re thirsty.

our level of thirst decreases

Strength Train

Justin Steele

The Benefits of Kettlebells: Many studies show that as we age we lose muscle mass if we are sedentary. These losses can be offset, however, with dedication to movement and strength training as shown in a great napping plan.

We may earn commission from links on this page, but we only recommend products we back: The Benefits of Pilates for Runners 8 What to Know About Running in a Weighted Vest after performing a dedicated resistance-training program. Need some ideas? Check out our strength training page.

The Benefits of Kettlebells As we age in the Runner’s World Store

Care Less

Don’t misread or misunderstand this. You shouldn’t be careless at anytime during your running career, but you can care (or at least worry) less about pace, race location, gear, and clothing.

The Benefits of Kettlebells: We’ve earned it. And because we have had many years of both life experience and running experience, we know that at the end of the day the important thing is just to keep running.

We may earn commission from links on this page, but we only recommend products we back: Think about how long you want to run. Is it just for this week? This month? This year? Or is it for many years to come? Once you remember running is a lifelong journey that gives back what you put in 10-fold, you’ll make better decisions about running…and life.

our level of thirst decreases!