About twenty years ago, I gained about thirty pounds, which changed my life trajectory in a positive way.

Gaining thirty-something pounds around the time I turned thirty was the best thing that could have happened to me. I was never a person who (previous to this weight gain) worried about her weight. Growing up, I was naturally thin despite my lack of athleticism and poor diet. As many young people do, I survived on a fast food diet, and exercise was a four-letter word. I was more interested in makeup and fashion than personal records and finish lines.

Then, as often happens, my lifestyle caught up with me. I transitioned from a retail manager, where I spent fifty hours a week on my feet, to an office job where I spent those same hours on my butt.

It's not hard to figure out what happened. As my lifestyle changed with age, so did my waistline. And the girl who loved buying clothes now loved to buy handbags and shoes because I didn't feel comfortable in my skin anymore. It felt inevitable; this is what happens with age, right? We slow down; we gain weight. Not so fast. At the time, I knew little to nothing about exercise, nutrition, and how to be healthy, but I started with what felt like an excellent first step. I started running.

I started running to lose weight, but I found so much more. I set out to change my body, but instead, I changed my whole life. I discovered physical and mental strength, a community, and a purpose. I would have happily continued my life in a thin but unhealthy body if I had never gained those thirty pounds. I never would have discovered how to fuel my body, how to move in a way that benefited my physical and mental health, and discovered my passion for helping people find the same.

Twenty years later, my perspective on running has changed quite a bit. Gone are the days when I had the mindset of running more and eating less to be as thin as possible. My younger body was different (not better) than my body today. In many ways, I am more fit at (almost) fifty than I was at thirty or forty. It all began with gaining those extra thirty pounds.

My journey included getting certified as a running coach, personal trainer, and health coach, and it continues with a goal of lifelong learning. I have learned so much about active aging, running, and strength training through education, trial and error, and through the eyes and experiences of my clients.

MASTER RUNNER

I love the term master runner. Master sounds like an expert or someone with much experience, but in the context of running, it means a runner over 40 (in some cases, over 35), even if they just began three days ago. So when I tell my non-runner friends that I placed third in the masters division, it sounds to their uninformed ears like I was third of the best of the best, but it means I was third among old ladies.

I joke about calling myself an old lady, but I don't mean it disparagingly. It's not an insult. I am proud of who I am and becoming with age, experience, and wisdom. I've always felt like an old lady at heart, and I grow into my true self as I age. I certainly don't see myself limited by age or use age as a reason or excuse not to pursue my dreams, athletically or otherwise.

We may slow down (literally and figuratively) a bit as our age advances, but it doesn't mean we can't continue to learn and grow in our sport. While there may be some obstacles to overcome and challenges along the way, there are some advantages to being a runner over 40.

Perspective

I watched a rerun of Friends on TV where the characters remembered their thirtieth birthday and were humorously upset about getting old. Of course, the idea of thirty feeling old is laughable at fifty (maybe that was the joke I didn't get twenty-five years ago). But this perspective allows me to see that a seventy-year-old would think the same thoughts about me, at fifty, calling myself an old lady. It's all about perspective, and as we age, we gain clarity that may not have been available to us at a younger age.

Learning to love the process, not the outcome, focusing on longevity, not necessarily performance, and using fitness as an opportunity to grow, not shrink, are all perspective shifts that make running into your 40s, 50s, 60s, and beyond a rewarding and healthy experience!

PERSEVERING (or stubborn)

Chances are, if you've lived on this earth for three or four decades or more, you've had plenty of opportunities to overcome some of life's obstacles. Using those experiences is sometimes the fuel we need to overcome the challenges of running. We don't get knocked out so quickly because we've been through tough shit before and can use the skills we developed to persevere through the ups and downs of endurance training.

Self-ConfidenT

Lastly, I don't know about you, but as I get older, I lean towards doing what makes me happy and fulfilled, with less concern about what other people think. After decades of trying to fit in, I realized that being true to myself leads to more fulfillment. D'uh, right? Can I travel back in time to explain this to my twenty-year-old self? No, I wouldn't haven't listened. You have to live it. This wisdom usually comes with age and serves us in all areas of our lives, especially as we pursue health and fitness goals.

When I was young, I assumed all older people wished they could be young again, like me. Oh boy, was I wrong! As I grew older, my life (and emotions) became more stable; I became more self-assured and gained wisdom and confidence. If you are reading this, you likely know all this. Of course, being young has its benefits, but I wouldn't trade my gray hairs and wrinkles to live the uncertain-turbulent years of youth again.

AGE IS JUST A NUMBER

While following elite running, I noticed many female runners were in their mid to late thirties to early forties. These were not young women breaking records but women with more experience.

Elite women like Deena Kastor, who broke the US Masters record at the Chicago marathon at 2:27:46 at age 42 in 2015, or Des Linden, at 40, at the 2023 Chicago Marathon at 2:27:35, breaking Deena Kastor's record, prove it's possible to thrive over forty. Even though I will never be elite, I can lean into and be inspired by their successes, showing that running through midlife and beyond is possible. But what about those of us without non-elite genetics?

In midlife, most of us don't aim to break marathon records or go to the Olympics. Still, even non-elite runners like Jeannie Rice routinely churn out exceptional performances in the marathon distance.

Jeannie Rice has broken and set age-group records in the marathon well into her 70s. At 75, she ran at 3:33 at the Boston Marathon in 2023. While she can kick my ass at twenty years my senior, I look at her success as motivation that it is possible to set and achieve running goals well past forty, no matter what those goals look like.

Indeed, women like Deena, Des, and Jeannie have something special that perhaps (or clearly) I don't have, but it doesn't mean that if I can't perform at a high level, it is not worth performing at all. A mindset shift towards running for enjoyment and longevity will help you stay motivated long after your record-breaking days are behind you.

COMPARISON (TO YOUR OLD SELF) IS THE THIEF OF JOY

Running is a competitive sport against yourself. The problem is that we often compare our older selves to our younger ones. We are competing against the young person who had the time to run thirty miles a week before kids, before...life. Of course, as we age, our life's priorities naturally shift. Caring for our families, pursuing education and careers, and prioritizing sleep and well-being may override our once single-minded, focused dedication to athletics.

If you become discouraged and give up because there was a version of you in the past that was more fit or capable (or had more time), you are robbing yourself of your potential in the present. You only know what you are capable of once you try. If you focus on the past, it can lead to resenting to where you are now. You can control your effort and your attitude. Commit to doing your best with what you have now, and be curious about where it may lead you.

So, if you are frustrated that your mile time is less than when you were younger or can't quite find the time or energy to train for long distances, it doesn't mean your running career is over. A shift may be in order, perhaps to running for physical and mental health, community connections, or fun.

It's not to say that you can't try to break your records (because women like Jeannie Rice and many others prove it is possible), but to set goals that make sense for your current lifestyle. A mom with a full-time job, several toddlers, and a lack of sleep may not have the space in her life for eighteen-mile-long runs, but it doesn't mean that running can't be rewarding for her.

An empty-nester who finds more time on her hands may discover the joy of pursuing long-distance running goals again (if she finds joy in pursuing that type of goal).

It's normal for life fluctuations to reflect in our training. The healthy perspective is to be grateful because fitness is a lifelong endeavor and will naturally have ups and downs.

DIAL YOUR FITNESS UP AND DOWN

If we consider fitness a dial that can adjusted up or down, rather than an on-and-off switch, it can help us stay consistent over time. Sometimes, it makes sense to dial fitness way up and get after it, like when training for a race, and other times to dial it down to focus on life's other priorities. If we can avoid the on-and-off switch, we can stay consistent no matter what life throws at us.

One thing for sure is life is constantly changing, so your goals should vary depending on your current lifestyle, but almost nothing is forever. Sometimes, we take two steps back or two steps forward, but setting goals according to our current lifestyle, interests, and abilities sets us up for success, whatever that means in our current body!

Maybe, not that long ago, the phrase, women of a certain age, conjured up images of grandmas in their rocking chairs, old friends drinking wine during book club around the kitchen island, or the Golden Girls in their Florida home. That's okay; who doesn't love lifelong female friendships?

But being a runner of a certain age should be an image of a robust and confident runner in the best years of her life, aging actively to live her best life forward. With some planning, preparation, and a mindset shift, we can confidently be runners of a certain age!

In this series, I highlight the benefits of running over 40, how to stay healthy, prioritize longevity in the sport, and enjoy the miles along the way. Stay Tuned!

(I’d also like to note that this (Runners of a certain age) is the concept for my new book. I will blog to flesh out some ideas as I make my way through my first draft. Please reply or comment here if you have any concepts or questions you’d like me to cover in the book—this is very much a work in progress.)

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Questions? I’d love to help.

Coach Lea

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