Ramping Up The Mileage

After taking many years off of running, I started to get back into shape. My goal: Run another marathon. Injury after injury plagued my efforts. Finally I was able to get into shape enough to run a 1/2 marathon...and will continue my pursuit of the marathon this summer. I'm writing this post as a reminder of some of the lessons I've learned as a middle-age runner.

1. Increase mileage slowly. When I was in my 20s I learned an old running adage that you shouldn't increase the distance of your long run or your weekly mileage by more than 10% per week. At the time, I laughed at the advice. While it made some sense to slowly increase mileage, I found that the 10% rule could be broken if you were willing to put up with some sore muscles from time to time. Now in my 40s, I can only break the 10% rule if I want to flirt with a run-stopping injury. I love Hal Higdon's Training Schedule for the 1/2 marathon and the full marathon, but I would only recommend them for runners younger than me. If you look closely, they break the 10% rule! At the beginning, it may seem sissyish to increase your long run each week from 3.0 to 3.3 to 3.6 to 4.0, but in the end it is the best way I know of to keep from injury.
2. Rest Days are Important. When running has become a habit, a day without running is difficult. As an older runner, though, its important to remember that the body doesn't recover as quickly as a young buck's body. Rest days are essential to running without injury. Schedule them and guard them as diligently as you do your running times.
3. Stretching. As we age, the body loses flexibility. Therefore, stretching becomes essential to running longevity. Because I frequently squeeze my runs in before work, I usually don't do much stretching immediately before or after my runs. Instead, I take time to stretch before bed. It's become such a habit that it is almost like brushing my teeth.
4. Listen to Your Body. If you are like me, you've already planned out your running schedule. My plan lasts until October and includes increasing mileage, rest days and races leading up to a marathon. I will be a "slave" to that schedule, disciplining myself to get those runs in regardless. While that type of discipline is necessary to long distance running, it is equally important to listen to your body. An extra rest day here or there is not going to hoodwink my marathon plans, and my be the thing that prevents a season ending injury.
5. Eat Right. While its true that as my mileage ramps up I will be able to eat more, I still won't be able to down a whole bag of Oreos without finding evidence of it when I step on the scale. Here again the young bucks have an advantage because their faster metabolism allows them to eat more.
6. Enjoy Each Run. Over the past year I've attended quite a few funerals. Unfortunately, many of these funerals were for people my age. I think it is just a fluke, because 45 isn't that old. Yet I know that middle age means just that: I'm half-way done. That means that each run needs to be savored. Something new has to be seen, something fresh has to be thought of, a new song needs to be sung.