Can I run faster in my late 50s?

by Ros
(UK)

I'm a 59 year old female, occasional park runner with a time of around 38-40 minutes, which I cannot improve on. Whenever I try to run faster I struggle to regulate my breathing and either have to slow back to my default pace or take a walk break. At school I finished last in sprints, middle and longer distance running so am I being unrealistic in hoping to run just a bit faster at my age or should I just accept my naturally slow pace?

I'm a 59 year old female, occasional park runner with a time of around 38-40 minutes, which I cannot improve on. Whenever I try to run faster I struggle to regulate my breathing and either have to slow back to my default pace or take a walk break. At school I finished last in sprints, middle and longer distance running so am I being unrealistic in hoping to run just a bit faster at my age or should I just accept my naturally slow pace?

Nicole's reply:
Hi Ros, thanks for the great question.

You are not alone in thinking that with age, we slow down. However, in terms of whether you personally can get faster, there are lots of ifs and buts here and lots of different factors to consider.

As we age our bodies change. We tend to lose muscle, we might gain more fat, there is a decrease in bone density (particular in women after the menopause), sleep and diet might not be optimal. All these could contribute to your slowing down. However, the good news is that there are often things that you can do to help counteract the loss of running speed and perhaps even give you a kick too.

Here are a few things to think about:

The later in life that you started running, or in fact doing any physical sport, the more likely that you still have some improvement in you. I started in my late 40's having been really un-sporty in my younger days. Quite quickly I made huge progress as I was starting from the bottom. I got personal bests for about 8 years and then gradually that has stagnated.

Consider following a 5km training program that is suited to masters runners (i.e. your age) and your experience. Very importantly make sure that you get lots of recovery time which we need as we get older. I know you said that you have difficulty picking up the pace, but maybe you are going about it in the wrong way and that is where a training program could help.

Don't forget strength training. I groan each week when I have to do it but I know that if I don't, then I'm risking losing more muscle mass and risking getting injured. Find a short program that you'll stick to and make it a twice weekly routine.

Look at your diet and sleep. Eat real, natural foods where you can and keep up the protein. Many people struggle sleeping as they get older so find ways that work for you that give you at least 7 hours sleep a night.

A final thing to think about is are you happy running at the pace you are at right now? Does it matter that others are faster than you? The fact you are out there running is already great and you are a "runner" no matter what speed you are doing. I decided a couple of years ago that I had stopped enjoying trying to get a personal best especially as I knew it probably wasn't going to happen. Now I just try and maintain the same speed that I was a year ago. I am still a runner but just a slower one compared to a few years ago.

I hope that helps and do let me know you get on.