First, let’s describe what running over 50 is NOT. It’s probably not going to involve running with the elites. It’s probably not going to allow for sub 5 minute miles, 35 minute 10k’s or marathons in less than 3 hours. It may not facilitate faster leaps out of bed in the morning, boundless energy lasting all day or the return of the endurance you had as a 20 year old. But, take note that everything on that list had a qualifier. Because any of them are possible. Maybe some, or all of them are your goals. That’s great. Just don’t let unrealistic expectations deter you from starting to run.
So, what about it? You’re 50, or close to 50, or well over 50. Maybe (probably) you would like to make a more shallow footprint in the sand at the beach. After a flight of stairs, you breathe faster than you should and at your last annual check-up, your doctor not so subtly suggested that elevated blood pressure, glucose and cholesterol are all related to weight. Those jeans keep shrinking after each wash and it’s such a relief to loosen that collar on the way home from work. You try to watch your diet and if you just had the time and energy you would go to the gym. But running? Get serious—not at your age. Besides, you may have hated running in gym class or the Army. Your friends will make fun of you, neighbors will roll their eyes and embarrassment is not your idea of a fun day. As it that wasn’t enough, everyone knows of at least 1 case where some guy dropped dead while running.

If you’re still reading, and in agreement with most of the previous points, let me tell you why you may want to start running—at your age. There is no other aerobic exercise that will burn more calories in less time than running. Each mile is worth approximately 100 calories immediately, with some residual burning effect lasting well after you’ve stopped. Unlike purchasing an expensive gym membership, or the newest treadmill or exercise equipment, running does not involve great expense. Buy a good pair of shoes for around $75, and you’re on your way. The feeling that you will have when you finish running is one that will last and keep you coming back. You should have learned by this time in your life that what people think or say about you is only partially dictated by what you do. In other words, people will talk about you regardless of what you do, so why not do something positive for yourself?

Don’t stop reading this and start running. Instead, why not start walking short distances and make that doctor’s appointment you’ve been putting off. Once you have the OK from Doc, start integrating some very slow, intermittent running into your walks. Take a few weeks to transition from all walking, to some running and eventually to MOSTLY running. Don’t be discouraged if you need to take walk breaks. You SHOULD be taking walk breaks. It may be a couple months before you are running the majority of the time. That’s alright. The 2 most important things about your running are that you 1) Start and 2) Continue. Times, distances and even frequency are irrelevant. You should set goals, but don’t be too hard on yourself. You’ve waited 50 years to start; if you miss a few days, it doesn’t matter. In a short amount of time, you’ll learn the runner’s secret: it’s not running we love, it’s the after-running feeling we love.

Running down hill, variable terrain, tough climbs, and uneven footing; these are the ingredients of trail running. They demand lateral agility and responsiveness that one might lack from the more predictable strides of road running. The key to the requisite lithe footwork of trail running is a strong and supple core because the abdominal and lower back muscles are the essential centerpiece of the gyroscope that allows for balance and resilience. The core forms the foundation for posture, back support, and stability, and assists in absorbing the impact of descents. More and more runners are using Russian Kettlebells as part of their cross training and the following exercise is one that will develop your core as well as your legs.

Kettlebell thrusters are simply one of the best compound Russian Kettlebell exercises you can do, if your goal is to build a strong core and work your whole body. In addition, the cardio vascular component of this exercise complex is flat out amazing. The kettlebell thruster is a full body workout. If you employ the correct levels of tension, remember to inhale at the bottom and sharply exhale at the top you will tax every muscle of your being and raise your heart rate to lung searing levels. If you are a kettlebell rookie, then you need to use the right size bell. Most women will start with either the 8 kilo or 12 kilo and most men the 16 kilo.

The first part of the exercise is to use a “clean” to lift the Kettlebell. You will start with the kettlebell in front of your feet like the point of a triangle. The first move is a hike pass through your legs, near your crotch and above the knee. Keeping your arm loose, the KB is lifted with your hip thrust. Keep your elbow in and quickly flip your elbow under when the bell has almost reached your shoulder. Do not pull with your arm or try and cheat curl it up to your shoulder! The power is from your hip thrust. Move your hand through the handle. Don’t move the kettlebell around your hand. Once you are in this racked position keep the elbow tight against your rib cage with full upper and lower body tension and a happy, relaxed face. You do not support the kettlebell with a shrugged shoulder or by pushing up the arm. Instead, relax the shoulder girdle and let the force of the kettlebell pass to your ribcage, stomach and hips. You need to have your elbow as low as you can. The Kettlebell will be just off center of your chin for men and just to the side of your chin for women to protect the breast area. When returning the Kettlebell to the bottom position, after the set of thrusters, keep your arm very loose. Swing it back between your legs and don’t try to stem the tide of the kettlebell momentum. Then let it swing forward just a little bit and then place it on the deck.
Once you have the kettlebell racked into position, then find your ideal stance right around your feet at shoulder width. Keep your heels planted and you should be able to wiggle your toes. Track your feet with your knees. Push your hips back as if sitting and go as deep as you can. Keep your core under tension and your lower spine straight. Ideally your hamstrings rest on your calves. Next, drive through with your heels and press the kettlebell overhead without raising your shoulder up to your ear. Keep your whole body tight. Lower the kettlebell back into the rack position by pulling it down, not by dropping it. Re-squat and repeat. Work for thirty seconds on one side, set the kettlebell down, rest for thirty seconds and then go to the opposite side for thirty seconds. Try for 9 minutes. As you get fitter you will be able to work more and rest less.

This one exercise workout will develop your core and balance like no other. In addition, you will be building metabolic lean muscle that will want to feast on your fat. If you can last for a full nine minutes, without any rest, but just switching from right side to left side, then you are tough as nails. A full nine minutes means never letting the kettlebell touch the deck. Most of you will not be able to do the nine minutes without using the rest periods. The goal is to work more and rest less each time you the workout. Good luck!

Runner’s Question: If you set the elevation on your treadmill higher, or run up hills in the neighborhood, will it burn more calories than just running on flat ground?

Is it a better work out to just run up elevated land? (Like if you would set your treadmill to a high elevation)

Thanks!

Add your two cents! Answer this question (or check out the other answers) in the comments section below.

Note: This post isn’t about me, but I found it to be very inspirational, and therefore was compelled to share it with all of you.

In my late 30s, I was still running decent times and breaking 16 minutes for 5 kilometers, but had not been doing any serious marathon training. As my 40th birthday approached, I decided to give the marathon a shot, just to see how fast I could go.

It turns out that I was fortunate enough to stumble onto a routine that worked extremely well, and I ran the following times after my 40th birthday:

2 hr 38 min Disney World Marathon 94

2 hr 34 min Boston Marathon 94

2 hr 38 min Disney World Marthon 95

2 hr 37 min Fox Cities Marathon 96

2 hr 39 min Disney World Marathon 97

Here is a general outline of what I was doing, as best as I can recall. The focus was always on 3 key workouts per week during the build-up phase, the long runs, the tempo run, and the short interval workout or 5 kilometer race.

Sun long run. I ran up to 17 or 18 miles at 7 minutes per mile pace

Mon easy recovery. Maybe 5 miles at a very relaxed pace.

Tues medium long run. 10 miles at an easy pace.

Wed easy recovery. Same as Monday

Thurs tempo run 45 min to 60 min at a fast pace

Fri easy run up to 1 hour

Sat intervals, between 4 and 6×800 meters very hard, sub 2:30s or 5K race

Here is the twist. Six weeks before my marathon, I upped the medium long run to another long run, so I was doing 2×17 mile runs just 2 days apart. I found that I could handle the workouts and recover faster than running 20-22 mile runs. So I tried to do 8 two hour runs in a 4 week time period.

Here is another twist. As much as possible, I did one or both long runs off the road. I felt my legs could recover quicker after a trail run than running on asphalt, especially after 2 long hours of pounding.

I followed the 2 long runs per week routine for 4 weeks. After that, I did not do anything over 90 minutes, and only once or twice at an easy pace.

Two weeks out from race day I did 2 or 3 tempo runs each week for 5-6 miles, which I felt would prepare me physically and mentally for 6 minute per mile pace without tearing me down.

According to one of those Race Time Predictor formulas, a 16 minute time for 5 kilometers means you are capable of a 2 hour 36 minute marathon, while a 16:20 predicts 2 hours 39 minutes. I believe most runners must have that kind of speed over 5 kilometers in order to break 2 hours and 40 minutes for 26.2 miles.

If you can do that and follow this training program, I know you can do it. I did five times in a row!

There are seven common “facts” about boosting metabolism, burning calories and losing weight. Some are true. Some are not. Today, I will tell you which to believe and which to avoid—and where to save your money.

Your metabolism is the engine that runs your fat-burning machine. More specifically, it’s the rate at which you burn calories every day. Children have a much faster metabolism while they grow, but a person’s metabolic rate declines with age, and even more so in sedentary individuals. If your metabolism has slowed with age, you’ll find it much more difficult to burn body fat with your workouts and diet.

There has recently become a large, lucrative industry in boosting your metabolism. All sorts of powders, potions, pills, drinks and secret techniques have been promoted to raise your metabolic rate and help you burn fat. The trouble is, very few of these metabolism boosters actually work.

The good news is that you can increase your metabolism through exercise and fat-burning nutrition. Of course, that shouldn’t surprise you. Staying active, building muscle and eating the right foods in the right amounts help you keep your metabolism stoked.

I’ve examined the claims about seven popular metabolism boosters, from exercise to nutrition, to show you which ones work and which ones aren’t worth trying.

1. Strength training.

Claim: Boosts metabolism up to 10 percent after a training program.

Is it true? Yes.

And a recent study from the prestigious Journal of Applied Physiology showed strength training also doubled post-exercise fat burning. Any “expert” who says strength training doesn’t burn fat is living in the 1970′s. Strength training MUST be a part of your fat-blasting workout routine.

Focus on multi-muscle exercises, such as squats, pushups, rowing and standing single-leg exercises such as lunges. Strength-train three days per week, taking a day off between workouts. Do total body workouts each day, picking one lower body exercise, one upper body pushing exercise and one upper body pulling exercise to complete your workout.

2. Eating breakfast.

Claim: Breakfast boosts metabolism because it breaks your overnight fast.

Is it true? This is a tough one to prove.

However, research clearly shows that eating breakfast is associated with successful weight loss. So make it a habit to consume some protein, fiber and fruit (and even vegetables) at this time. This will keep your appetite in check till your next meal.

An omelet made of omega-3-enriched eggs, along with broccoli, mushrooms and peppers, is a high-fiber, high-protein breakfast that helps you get a lot closer to your recommended intake of vegetables for the day.

3. Green tea.

Claim: Burns an extra 80 calories per day

Is it true? Yes and no.

It has been shown to burn 80 calories per day in young men on the first day of supplementation. But will this effect last once your body gets used to it? I don’t think so.

After all, take a look at caffeine. You can find studies that show it increases metabolism as well. But really, is anyone losing fat with caffeine? The revolving doors at Starbucks say “No!”

Coffee is okay in moderate doses, and I recommend green tea to everyone for health reasons. But don’t expect rapid fat loss from green tea or green tea supplements. The only way you will lose fat with green tea is if you replace a 300-calorie Frappucino with an iced, unsweetened green tea.

4. Fat-burner pills.

Claim: Boost your metabolism big time!

Is it true? See the above comments on caffeine and green tea.

Most fat burners are simply caffeine pills with a few other ingredients thrown in. You’ll get an increase in mental energy, but that doesn’t mean it will boost metabolism or burn fat. So it doesn’t matter if the pills contain green tea extract, caffeine, CLA, Hoodia or any other “miracle ingredient.” Research hasn’t proven the effectiveness of these pills. Avoid them, and avoid the potential crash and burn from high caffeine pills.

5. Ice-cold water with lemon juice.

Claim: The body will burn calories warming up the water and the lemon juice also burns more fat.

Is it true? Nice in theory, short in practice.

Nobody is losing fat with ice-cold water. If it sounds too good to be true … you know the rest of the story.

6. Eating six small meals per day.

Claim: Boosts metabolism and can help control cholesterol.

Is it true? Yes.

And it’s simple and effective. Try to split your meals up into smaller meals that can be eaten over the course of the day. Start the day with breakfast and then snack every three to four hours until your day is done. Avoid buffets or gorging at any specific meal. You’ll have a steady state of mental alertness and your body will be a fat-burning machine.

7. Interval training.

Claim: Interval training causes a greater increase in post-exercise metabolism than regular cardio.

Is it true? Yes.

Interval training is simply a short bout of hard exercise followed by a short bout of easy exercise. This process is repeated about six times per workout (following a warm-up and preceding a cool-down). For example, you might speed walk (or run) for one minute and then walk at a slow pace for one minute.

A recent study from Australia found that an interval program led to more weight loss than a long, slow cardio training program. Other research has shown interval training results in greater fat burning during recovery from exercise. So while long, slow cardio training stops burning calories as soon as you step off the treadmill, interval training keeps your metabolism going and going and going.

Bottom line: Hard work and proper nutrition burn more calories and help you lose fat. On the other hand, magic pills and potions just don’t work… But that shouldn’t be a surprise to anyone!