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Running: The Fountain of Youth

Yes, you read it right. I have found the fountain of youth. No, I don’t have any expensive potions to sell you, and I won’t encourage you to get anything pumped into your body. I won’t even tell you to take supplements.

Running is the fountain of youth, and I have proof!

First, there is me. Yep, me. I am 60 years old. Last year, I did one ultra marathon (32 miles through the woods), one marathon, nine half marathons, and two sprint triathlons. Despite the fact that I have been known to wear my super socks, which I like to say give me super powers, the fact is that I am just healthy due to these three things:

I spend lots of time socializing with family and friends.
I eat a healthy diet, not perfect, but definitely, healthy.
I am very active, averaging an hour a day of exercise for as long as I can remember.

Recently, I went to the dermatologist. Being outside a lot, I am careful to get my skin checked often. The doctor asked, “So, what medications are you on?”

I said, “None.”

She turned to her nurse and said, with a knowing smile, “See, it’s all lifestyle.”

A few years back, I was rushed to the ER when I fell down a flight of stairs. Same questions: “What medications do you take?” The nurse sat, pen in hand, ready to write on a form with a dozen lines under the ‘prescriptions’ heading, and I got the impression he was used to filling up many of them with the answer to that question.

I said, “None.”

He looked at me, then, for the first time, his expression that of misunderstanding, as if I was speaking in some alien tongue.

I have a friend in the over 60 age group, who started running when he was 49, and he just did his 500th race.

Then, there is Velma. She ran the New York City Marathon on her 70th birthday; she’s 75 now and training for another marathon.

My friend, Silky, is 70. He races every weekend, and I’m not exaggerating. If Silky can find a race on Friday evening, Saturday morning and Sunday morning, he’ll do all three; usually, he sticks to 5k’s but he does them with ease, often finishing with a time that would give him first place if he were in the 20-24 year age group.

So, running, actually, physical activity, really is the fountain of youth. If you study the results of any race, you’ll find people in their 50’s, 60’s, and 70’s finishing with better times than half the people half their age. My completely unscientific research proves to me that physical activity – in my case, running – is the fountain of youth, but I won’t ask you to accept my unscientific research because there is plenty of research that is based on scientific proof.

Here is the most compelling evidence:

Dr. James Fries, emeritus professor of medicine at Standford University, did a study of 500 marathon runners. He followed them for 20 years starting when they were 50. His hypothesis was that they would not ruin their knees. Back then it was commonly thought that running would, inevitably, ruin anyone’s knees.

Well, his hypothesis was unquestionably proven, but the results of the study demonstrated far more than that. The marathon runners had less than half the morbidity rate after 20 years and were healthier in every category. Less cancer, fewer strokes and heart attacks, and even when asked about the tasks of daily life, across the board, the quality of life of the runners was superior to that of non-runners, even though they were generally running far less than they had been when the study began.

This information came from an article titled, “Running slows the aging clock, Stanford researchers find,” by Erin Digitale: I’m quoting from the article here: “Elderly runners have fewer disabilities, a longer span of active life and are half as likely as aging non-runners to die early deaths, the research found.”

Dr. Fries said, “Of the five markers of aging, physical activity is the only thing that has been proven to reverse all five markers.” This quote is taken from an interview of Dr. Fries by a friend, Liz Vassey, who was making a documentary film about the effects of running on aging. When that documentary is released, I will be encouraging everyone, runner and non-runner to see it and be inspired. It will be life-changing for many people.

So, next time you need motivation to run, maybe you should stop by an assisted living facility or a nursing home. You’ll see plenty of people creeping along behind walkers or scooting themselves along in wheelchairs. We’ll all get to that stage at some point. As Dr. Fries pointed out in the article, the morbidity rate is always 100 percent, eventually, but the goal is to expand a good quality of life to as close to the end of life as possible.

This matters. It matters for all runners all the time. Why? Because I think that outlook matters. Perspective matters. Have you ever worried that you won’t get to many of the items on your bucket list? If you’re middle aged, you may have thought of that. No matter what your age, you likely have watched feeble, elderly people and thought “I don’t want to every be like that.” Well, if you keep running, you may never be in that condition, and if you ever are, it will likely be for a smaller percentage of your life.

Keep running, and you may still be able to chase the grandkids or great grandkids around a theme park when the non-runners are stuck in front of a TV or behind a walker.

Making wise exercise choices now, will mean you’ll have enjoyable, fufilling options much later in life.

A Guide to Running Etiquette

By Debbie Voiles

This is not about which fork to use at your running club’s next social or how to make an introduction.

I did, however, go to charm school when I was a teenager; it was called Wendy Warm Charm School. We walked around with books on our heads and learned how to put on lipstick. After the basic class, my mom even enrolled me in the advanced class. I guess I was still a little rough.

No, really, I do know this stuff, not because I learned it in a class but because I’ve been running for 29 years. You pick up a lot in 29 years. Believe, me, taking a few minutes, now, to learn running etiquette, will be appreciated by every other runner you ever know. Make it a point to learn and apply these rules of the running road and to mentor newer runners, which will save them embarrassment and keep everything running smoothly and safely. [Read more…]

Great News for ‘Older’ Runners and Those Who Will Be Older Runners, Which Means You

By Debbie Voiles

No matter who you are and no matter how old you are, you are getting older, and you will continue to get older. I guess you know that.

My good friends and inspiration, Frank Helfrich and Bob Meissner at the Senior Games.

Do you realize that you do not need to age, physiologically? You needn’t ever be ‘old’ in that way. You don’t have to ever be that stereotypical ‘old’ person, not ever.

You never have to see the world from behind a walker or from the seat of a wheelchair. Nothing is guaranteed, but if you continue to run – and do a few other things, like eating reasonably well – you can look forward to extending middle age until the end of your life.

It turns out that exercise just may be the fountaing of youth. I just listened to the Inspired Insider podcast the other day. Dr. Jeremy Weisz was interviewing Dr. Bill Andrews, a world reknowned health and longevity expert who has focused 34 years on extending human lifespan. You can listen to/watch that podcast here.

It was a fascinating, almost 3-hour long, podcast, and at the end, Dr. Weisz asked Dr. Andrews – who happens to be an ultramarathoner whose favorite race is a 135 mile ultramarathon – to summarize his advice on staving off aging. His number one piece of advice was to participate in endurance sports, running, for example. He was quick to add that you should avoid overdoing. Never stress your body beyond what is comfortable; that’s bad for you, which is certainly important, but he said endurance exercise is key.

How about that? You’re already doing the best possible thing.

In her book, Older, Faster Stronger: What Women Runners Can Teach Us All About Living Younger, Longer,” Margaret Webb writes, “Masters athletes are proving that as much as 50 percent of age-related decline, maybe even 70 percent, is due, not to aging but to deconditioning – losing physical fitness by doing very little.”

In Gretchen Reynolds’ article on the NY Times Well blog, titled, “For Older Runners, Good News and Bad,” she describes research published in the Journal of Strength and Conditioning Research. The University of New Hampshire and other schools studied 51 competitive runners ages 18 to 77.

The runners had placed in their age groups in a 5k or 10k, and the purpose of the study was to determine how the running economy of the older runners compared to that of much younger runners. Because, as we all know, older runners tend to get slower, the researchers were surprised to discover that the older runners were as physiologically economical as even runners half their age. It is important to note, though, that these were runners who trained regularly and placed in their age groups; so, certainly this wouldn’t be the case for all older runners, but the critical finding was that it is possible for any runner to maintain running economy throughout life.

Reynolds goes on to report that the 60 and older age group is the fastest-growing age group according to most statistics.

The bad news, she notes, is two-fold: One, the older runners were more prone to injuries, and two, they had poor upper body strength and lower body flexibility.

The study’s lead author, Timothy Quinn, a professor of exercise science at the University of New Hampshire, pointed out that the higher injury rate might be due to the fact that the older runners were still training like they did when they were younger despite the fact that their bodies take longer to recover from workouts.

That happens a lot. When you feel like you felt when you were 20 years younger, it is really hard to rein yourself back and resist the urge to train like you did back then. This is when we need to exercise the wisdom that comes with being older. Sometimes that happens, but sometimes it doesn’t. I know. I’ve slipped up here, myself.

To counter that loss in strength, Quinn advised runners to make it a point to strength train a few times per week.

That NY Times article is full of nuggets.

Knowledge really is power, and knowing that being a runner has the potential to entirely change your ‘older’ years will make all the years in between better, as it will remove most of – or all of – the anxiety you feel, we feel, about aging. That is why this message is incredibly important to everyone.

If young people – or younger people – know that running – or any endurance sport – can totally change your life beyond middle age, allowing you to extend middle age, that should provide incredible motivation. Plus, I think it takes a load off, mentally, as you don’t worry as much about getting older.

It always knocks me out when people say, “I’m too old to start running.”

Many people experience tremendous, full running careers, despite never running a race before their 50’s, 60’s, 70’s, or even 80’s! You’re saying, “What? No way.” Well, read on, and be ready to be impressed!

Velma Radloff was the oldest female finisher at the 2014 St. Augustine Half Marathon.

My friend Velma Radloff is a good example. She started running at age 59, after never having been the least bit athletic, but as so often happens, she was soon hooked on running and ended up running seven marathons and many half marathons.

Radloff even ran the New York City Marathon on her 70th birthday.

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I was there last year when she ran the St. Augustine Half Marathon; Velma was the oldest female finisher, winning a beautiful engraved silver chalice.

“Recently, 92-year old Harriette Thompson of Charlotte, NC, became the oldest woman to finish a marathon.” She did it in 7 hours and 24 minutes, 36 seconds. She looked fantastic crossing the finish line.

Here is something important you should all know about her: Thompson started running when she was in her 70’s!

In 2011, Fauja Singh, ran the Toronto Waterfront Marathon in 8 hrs, 25 minutes at the age of 101 to become the oldest man to finish a marathon, and he was not last, by the way. He took up running, by the way, at the age of 89. Yes, that’s what I said, 89. He started running when he was 89!

A few months ago, 70-year old Gunhild Swanson became the oldest woman to complete the Western States 100-mile Endurance Run, finishing in 29 hours, 59 minutes and 54 seconds. Check out this post race interview.

Margaret Conner + Norman Thompson = inspiration.

Margaret Conner, 74, and Norman Thompson, 73, an amazing running couple, are a fixture at local races, here. I met them at the starting line of the Gasparilla Distance Classic one year, and we’ve been friends ever since. I often run into them on my morning runs, and it always makes me feel good to see their gray heads out there getting in their miles. They both work hard at staying fit, and it’s obviously working. Norman took a tumble, recently, broke his arm, and was in a cast for a few weeks; that didn’t keep him from training, though; it just slowed him down for a while.

Margaret’s first marathon.

Margaret retired last year, and now has the time to really focus on her running. As I write this, it’s August, and she has already finished three half marathons this year, including her first trail race, ever, the Croom Fools Run, a strenuous 16-mile run in the Withlacoochee State Forest. That’s one of my favorite races. You can watch a video of it here. I asked Margaret her advice for older runners:

“I think you have to do what you always did as a runner and that’s to listen to your body. We do lose strength as we age naturally but we need to try to preserve our body (heart, blood vessel function and muscles, tendons, joints, organs and so on) by diet , rest, and sensible training to keep it going as long as one is able. We all age differently… I’m still trying to find out the answers. Desire to run plays a big part in my running.” -Margaret Conner

I could go on and on, but the message is clear:

“Age is only a barrier if you let it be. Age is not an excuse for not exercising; in fact, it is the best reason to exercise!”

“For Older Runners, Good News and Bad,” by Gretchen Reynolds, New York Times Well Blog, December 21, 2011

Older, Faster Stronger: What Women Runners Can Teach Us All About Living Younger, Longer by Margaret Webb, Rodale, 2014

“70 Year-Old Woman Steals Western States Show,” Runners’ World, by Erin Stout, June 29, 2015.

Coach Debbie Voiles

Whether you want to build endurance, score a PR, or improve your health, I hope my programs, podcasts and blog posts will contribute to your success.

My Mojo for Running and Beginner Runner Village Podcasts provide information you can apply now, today, and you can listen while you train.

Both the podcasts and blog posts explain how to train wisely, but they also offer inspiration to provide the constant stream of motivation you need.

By the time I became a certified coach, I had been running 30 years; yet, I was blown away by how much I learned and how much it immediately improved my running.

That’s when I set out to spread the word about the proven, most successful ways to train.

When you train wisely, you stay healthy, allowing you to then focus on achieving your goals. It’s not rocket science; it’s just a few basic principles that anyone can easily understand and apply.

Consider this: Smart training is more efficient. No one can completely avoid injuries, but following a handful of basic guidlines will keep you on the trails and out of doctors’ offices most of the time.

Even if you work with a running coach, that coach can’t always be there when you make a critical decision, but if you understand the training principles, you’ll make wise choices.

Click here to read an article by Carolyn Mather, RN, Phd, amazing runner and writer, in the 2014, issue of Running Journal, pg 18.

You can have what I have. I’m 63 years old, and I feel great. I don’t take any medications, my blood pressure is low, my blood work is excellent, my knees are fine; yet I run from 25 to 40 miles per week and do, on average, 10 half marathons a year with the occasional marathon or 50k thrown in.

No matter your age, I want to help you keep running to enjoy excellent health for the rest of your life.

Whether you’ve never been fit before and are still a beginner runner, or you’ve been a running for years, but are looking for a brand new shiny PR, following these guidelines is the path to success.

Harriette Thompson set the record this year for the oldest female to finish a marathon at 92, and she started running in her 70’s!!!

In 2013, I stopped coloring my hair. I want people to know my age because I want to change the way people think about age and aging. If you keep running, 60 can be the new 40. Heck, 70 can be the new 40.

Running really is the fountain of youth; it’s your best shot at having a long, healthy life, an important message for runners of all ages because it changes your outlook on life. Be sure to read my article “Running: The Fountain of Youth.”

Please connect with me. Every time I make a new friend, it makes me feel rich, rich in the only way that matters. I care about you all, every one.

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