Running through the Ages

Submitted by Tony Mangan

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Whether you’re a beginner or a master, your body’s strengths, weaknesses, and nutritional needs change as the decades come and go. Here’s a guide for running (and feeling) your best at every stage of life.

By Dimity McDowell, Runner’s World

We runners love numbers. Whether it’s our pace, finishing times, or resting heart rate, we view figures as a sign of our progress, our accomplishments, our dedication to the sport. So it’s no surprise that many of us struggle with one number that increases each year, regardless of how hard we train: our age. But thanks to all the health benefits that running brings, you don’t need to sweat each time a candle is added to your cake.

“There’s a big difference between biological age (how old your body says you are) and chronological age (how old the calendar says you are),” says Steven Hawkins, Ph.D., professor of exercise science at California Lutheran University. “The biological ages of runners are at least 10 years younger than their chronological ones, and the gap widens with time.”

To ensure that you keep that biological clock fooled, we present a decade-by-decade look at the life span of a runner, filled with advice from doctors, trainers, nutritionists, and amazing runners who define peak performance:

The Teens

The 20s

The 30s

The 40s

The 50s

The 60s

The 70s and beyond

Provided by Runner’s World