When turning 50, many people feel the shift into a new phase of life. Running can be a fantastic way to maintain physical and mental well-being. Here are some key tips and insights to help you keep running over 50, stay motivated, and support important causes like the fight against pediatric brain cancer.
Tips for Running Over 50
As runners age, adapting training strategies becomes essential for continued success and enjoyment. Here are five key tips to keep running strong into your 60s and 70s:
1. Start Runs Slowly
Gone are the days of jumping straight into fast-paced miles. Now, it's important to spend the first 10 minutes ensuring everything still works, getting blood flowing, and gradually increasing heart rate. Embrace these initial miles as a necessary part of the process.
2. Take More Easy Days
While younger runners often follow a hard/easy training pattern, older athletes may benefit from a hard/easy/easy cycle. An extra easy day between hard efforts allows for better recovery, ensuring that hard efforts are truly high-quality. Having quality hard efforts also builds confidence, so even though I have fewer of them these days I find I get more bang for my buck out of them.
3. Build Up Over Months, Not Weeks
Older athletes need more time to build to a peak than younger ones. A fitness level that may have taken 8 weeks to achieve in your 30s may now take 16-20 weeks. It simply takes longer to crank up the old engine than it used to.
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4. Stop Comparing Yourself to Your Younger Self
It’s inevitable that you'll realize you can’t run as fast as you used to. Instead of being demoralized, focus on the present and be proud of your experience and knowledge. Revel in the fact you’re still running over 50.
5. Revel in the Fact You’re Still Running Over 50
As we grapple with physical changes, it's crucial to train the mind. Remain positive, optimistic, and hopeful about running and life. Remind yourself daily that the ability to run is a gift to be nurtured and celebrated. As such, it’s important to put our brains to good use and continue to train the mind. One simple way to do this is to remain positive, optimistic and hopeful; not just about running, but about life.
Benefits of Running Over 50
Still need convincing to continue running as you age? Here are some key benefits:
- Improved Cardiovascular Health: Running increases stroke volume, which is vital for maintaining VO2max and lowering blood pressure.
- Reduced Risk of Chronic Diseases: Running lowers the risk of heart disease, high blood pressure, stroke, and type 2 diabetes by improving insulin sensitivity and managing blood sugar.
- Increased Bone Density: As a weight-bearing exercise, running improves bone density in the lower body, which is crucial for preventing bone loss as you age.
- Strengthened Muscles and Joints: Running strengthens leg muscles and connective tissues, helping stabilize joints and maintain balance.
- Improved Mood and Mental Well-being: Running provides social connections, reduces loneliness, alleviates depression symptoms, and maintains cognitive health.
These tips can help you stay motivated and fresh, even as time marches on.
We Studied 3991 Runners Over 50 And learnt This...
The ChadTough Foundation: Fighting Pediatric Brain Cancer
Brain cancer is a devastating disease, particularly for children. Pediatric brain cancer receives less than 1% of all federal funding for cancer research, making advancements excruciatingly slow. Brain cancer kills more children than any other type of cancer, and DIPG is the worst form of pediatric brain cancer.
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The ChadTough Foundation was founded by the Carr family after their son, Chad, was diagnosed with Diffuse Intrinsic Pontine Glioma (DIPG). Since Chad’s death, the foundation has granted over $6 million for pediatric brain cancer research, dedicating just over half to the Chad Carr Pediatric Brain Tumor Center at Michigan Medicine.
The foundation’s mission is to inspire and fund game-changing research to discover effective treatments for pediatric brain cancer. The majority of research funds still come from family foundations, but the National Institutes of Health (NIH) has recently approved funding for DIPG-focused projects.
Doctors who focus on finding a cure for DIPG are a special group. They know their funding is coming primarily from families who have lost a child to DIPG. Due to researchers’ dedication to these kids, the future outlook for this disease is changing.
Families who receive a DIPG diagnosis today receive a very different message. Brilliant scientists discovered a safe method to biopsy DIPG tumors, which was not the case when Chad was diagnosed. Being able to study the tumor, especially throughout the journey of a child being treated, has unlocked an increased ability to learn and adjust at a significantly increased rate. In addition to having access to tissue to study, there has never been more funding for DIPG research than now.
Work done on DIPG has been found to be beneficial for patients suffering from other types of pediatric brain cancer as well. The ChadTough Defeat DIPG Foundation has partnered with the Carr and Mosier Families to continue to support the handful of doctors and researchers throughout the United States who have dedicated their lives to developing an effective treatment plan for DIPG. The good news is that these individuals are making real progress!
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Upcoming Events: Supporting the Cause
Here are a few events that support the ChadTough Defeat DIPG Foundation:
| Event | Date | Location |
|---|---|---|
| RunTough Family Fun Day | September 28, 2025 | Saline, MI |
| RunTough for ColtStrong | September 6, 2025 | Sylvania, OH |
| Emerson the Brave Stampede: 5K Fun Run and Color Run | September 14, 2025 | Holland, MI |
| Dream Big at Nats Park | November 8, 2025 | Washington, D.C. |
The ChadTough Defeat DIPG Foundation is excited to announce our 12th Annual RunTough event, which will be held both virtually and in person at Saline High School's Hornet Stadium in the afternoon on SUNDAY, September 28, 2025.
Training Apps to Help You Cross the Finish Line
Whether you’re a self-proclaimed couch potato or a seasoned runner, these apps will help you cross that finish line. The following apps make those tough initial runs a little more bearable and your training plan a lot easier to stick with. Your efforts will be rewarded, so lace up and get going!
- Find your trainer with... Aaptiv and Nike+ Run Club
- Aaptiv offers custom workouts that aim to emulate traditional one-on-one coaching. Pick a workout based on your goals and duration and a trainer will pipe into your headphones over the top of a custom workout soundtrack, pushing you through the entire run.
- Nike+ Run Club feeds you a curated workout plan to help you meet your speed and endurance goals. You can also find local Nike running groups through the app or ask training or product questions of real human experts.
- Push farther with... Runkeeper
- Runkeeper tracks your workouts, and it helps build weekly fitness routines that match your fitness level. Stack up your workouts from different weeks next to one another and notice how your speed and endurance have improved.Once you you hit your goals, be sure to share them with the community of 50 million runners.
- Stay hydrated with... WaterMinder
- WaterMinder makes it easy to log your water intake throughout the day, so you can make sure to head into a workout fully hydrated and ready to perform at the highest level. Set your gender, weight, and activity level, and WaterMinder will help notify you throughout the day to help meet your customized goal.
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