This is the week that I am going to start focusing on the importance of rest days and incorporating one into each week of training. After googling where I should be at in my running, I found out that my pace decline is far more than what would be expected […]
Running Advice
38 posts
These strategies for running and longevity have worked for me for 59 years and counting. Start implementing them now for lifelong running and improved health span. Running for the Long Game: Strategies for Lifelong Performance and Longevity For many, running starts as a way to lose weight or hit a […]
The science of stress and running provides great insight for runners into how and in what ways stress impacts their workouts. Personally, it has a significant negative impacts in my heart rate, effort, and endurance. I am actively trying to lower it for many more reasons, too. The Runner’s Burden: […]
Trekking poles for runners have become almost universally accepted because of their benefits on so many levels. As an anniversary present to myself as I start my 59th year of running tomorrow (my first day of high school cross country practice was September 1st, 1966), I went to REI and […]
The benefits of doing two running workouts a day are significant, but there is also some injury and fatigue risk involved. I would like to run 1,000 miles this year, but with four months to go and only at 626 miles, that means that I have to average 22 miles […]
The benefits of fartlek for runners are significant. From the Swedish word for speed play, fartlek makes speed work fun. You don’t need a track to get faster. You just need to use your imagination and make a game out of your run and then start seeing the benefits of […]
Check out these homemade electrolyte drink recipes for runners to supply your body’s needs during long runs in the summer. It is a humid summer in Albuquerque with a better than usual monsoon season. With these ideas, you will definitely enjoy your run more – from beginning to end. Fuel […]
The importance of stretching for runners goes beyond just feeling good to reducing your risk of injury and increasing your range of motion. For most of my running career, spanning almost 59 years, I only did minimal if any stretching. Now I am paying the price, being tight and inflexible […]
Knowing the most important muscles for runners will help you to supplement your training with workouts to target these muscles. At the top of the list when you scroll down to read more, are the glutes and the core, and I am concentrating on each. I searched in Beachbody On […]
Altitude’s impacts on runners come not from having less oxygen, but less pressure, allowing all the oxygen molecules to spread out. I have lived at around 5,500′ (more than a mile) for close to 30 years, but I still feel the effect of the dispersed oxygen molecules when go into […]
Vests for trail runners and all long-distance running are a necessity. They carry your phone, food, water, and even first aid supplies. Even on my shortest runs, I wear my Ultimate Direction Scott Jurek even if it is only to carry my keys and conveniently carry my phone. I use […]
The best surfaces to run on are the ones that put the least stress on your joints and connective tissue, such as dirt and trails, but these are not always available. There are other surfaces to run on which have advantages and which will also fit into your training the […]
The benefits of drinking beet juice are considerable. From improved cardiovascular efficiency to enhanced endurance. Beets may not be glamorous but whether you eat them or drink beet juice they definitely pack a nutritional punch. Scroll down to learn more about how they are “unbeetable”! The Unbeetable Benefits of Drinking […]
Among the best performance supplements for runners are creatine, beetroot juice, caffeine, and beta-alanine, all of which I use, as well as high-quality protein for recovery and repair. Training 7 days a week at 74 isn’t easy, but if train sensibly, nourish my body properly and use these performance supplements, […]
Knowing the best gluten-free foods for runners is essential if we are experiencing the debilitating symptoms of gluten intolerance. Many of the foods that we are so accustomed to fueling with contain gluten, but we can no longer eat them. That means we need to turn to other foods and […]
Gluten intolerance in runners is very challenging, considering the amount of food and variety of foods required to fuel running workouts. I began to suspect that I was experiencing gluten intolerance when my running times began to slow substantially, I was very fatigued all the time, and I had muscle […]
The idea for the foam rolling vs The Stick post was born out of the need to ease my sore muscles and to wait on myofascial therapy. I learned about a myofascial therapist in Albuquerque this week, but I know that I can’t afford the $130.00 session right now. That’s […]
Hot weather running advice starts with common sense. Only you know your heat tolerance and whether you should run on very hot days. I don’t tolerate heat or humidity as well as I used to, so I simply start running as early as I can, and preferably before sunrise in […]
The value of running streaks cannot be underestimated. I ran my absolute best during the running streaks that I’ve had. At 74, my streak is to run and/or work out every day. In 2023, that was 363 days. In 2024, that was 365 days. I don’t know what 2025 has […]
HRV (heart rate variability) matters for runners because it provides insight into the state of your autonomic nervous system. I have been measuring HRV for about 9 years – ever since I became a Polar Ambassador and learned about it. I have been using the Elite HRV app and measuring […]
A secret weapon to running faster is strength training. Since we lose muscle mass as we age, regular strength training workouts will help us replace that lost muscle. For most of my running career, I relied on hard workouts, but I soon realized that if I wanted to improve or […]
Heart rate training and running is something that I have been doing for almost 39 years, starting with a Polar Vantage XL on August 5th, 1986. That is when I got the one thing that I wanted from the settlement money from a car accident. I have been with Polar […]
Fueling for ultrarunning workouts is a choice between whole foods and energy gels and bars or a combination of them. After 58 years of running and over 40 years as a distance runner always experimenting, I have found that whole foods work best for me. Scroll down to read about […]
The Tarahumara iskiate energy drink has been consumed by the people in the Copper Canyons of Chihuahua, Mexico for centuries. I found out about it the first time that I read “Born To Run” and know its benefits from years of drinking it. Scroll down to learn more about it […]
I discovered the power of Jeffing out of necessity. Running at 74 doesn’t come easily when the mind is willing but the body is not. I tried adapting the Japanese interval walking technique of walking easily for 3:00 and then fast walking for 3:00 but it didn’t adapt to running […]
“Finding Ultra” by Rich Roll is the book that I read that convinced me to become vegan and developed a passion in me for ultrarunning. I bought the Kindle version on Amazon and then got it on Audible. I am currently listening to it for the third time. Scroll down […]
How long age-wise can a person run? At 74, I don’t think that I am even close to stopping as long as I don’t put pressure on myself. I can’t run anywhere near as fast obviously, so I run for the joy of running and because I love running in […]
Using ChatGPT to create a training plan is not only easy but also interesting. Here is the plan that I got for a 20 mile week in answer to the request, “Create a training plan for a 74-year-old running 20 miles a week”. Staying Strong at 74: A 20-Mile-a-Week Running […]
Running and caffeine go hand in hand. The benefits include lower perceived effort, better pace maintenance, and delayed fatigue. Since blonde roast coffee generally has more caffeine per cup than darker roasts, that is my personal preference! The Surprising Relationship Between Caffeine & Running Performance 1. Why Runners Love Their Coffee Rapid […]
The benefits of collagen for runners are underrated but are becoming better understood as a training and recovery aid. I didn’t know what they were when I started using collagen, but I am convinced now of the benefits from my research and first-hand experience. The Vital Vitamins collagen is vegan, […]