BECOMING A VETERAN RUNNER

Having just stepped into the veteran category myself.  Yikes where did that come from!  My training has definitely changed but I run faster, better and the key word here is more efficiently than ever before.

Life is full; wife, kids, family life and a work life that fuels my passion definitely have all taken time away from my training time of a younger freer past life. 

So the question is how do I end up at a start line fit, fast and still in love with the motion of running.

Cross training plays a huge part to it.  But it is not the cross training you are thinking of (see below in the Tips).  But first you must understand it is fatigue that is the number one killer that leads to injury, especially at an older age.

Fatigue attacks your form!  This loss of form puts excess torque/load on joints and it is this that leads to injury.  Running is one of the highest loading patterns our body deals with.  Obviously sprinting deals with bigger loads however sprinting can only be maintained over short distances.  Therefore it is the distance that starts to multiply the forces dealt with in running.  In other words it takes longer to recover from a marathon run than from a 100m sprint.

As a veteran there is no point of running when you are tired.  Turn your energy to recovering for a better run the next day.

I specialise in teaching running technique. I have been running all my life and I never knew what an art running was until I got taught how to run properly.  It changes everything you do.  Running skill affects every area of your life.  Why?  It is what we are primarily designed for!  Done skillfully it is highly efficient.

Understand it's alignment and it will change your posture.  Understand its rhythm it will change your strength.  Understand the mindset it takes and it will change the depth of your knowledge.  Understand it all and practice it and you will run fit, fast, efficiently, injury free and be able to apply it to so many different areas of your life.

Here are some tips on how I play the game of energy (life) to sustain running to a high level at a ripe old age!

Management of schedule

1.  Active recovery is my highest priority in my training schedule. Includes myofascial release techniques and rehab exercises.

2.  Any other spare time I have I train the skill of running which involves lots of different methodologies to accomplish this skill. Plyometric plays a big role in short intense sessions.

3.  I walk or run a lot more as part of my travel to my destinations for work and social meetings. 

4. I keep running interesting.  Slogging it out by yourself can get tiring after awhile.  Join a running group.  I have just started orienteering running.  It is a blast and this joy carries over to all my other training.

Cross training

5. Playing with my kids helps me stay mobile, agile and multidirectional.  This is where I make sure I am deep squatting, crawling, chasing, climbing, falling and jumping with them.

6. Other cross training techniques I use are standing at work at an adjustable desk, applying water training exercises when entertaining the kids at the local pool.  (It is based on a hydro session I would prescribe for an injured athlete) and cycling the kids to school and then onto work.

(Cycling can have a detrimental effect on running posture.  Be sure you know how to actively transform from one active posture to another.)

Belief

6.  Belief comes from learning and feeling the skill of action.  Skill is built upon adapting your body to efficiently act for the task you set it.  Learning to run with skill is game changing.  It holds our deepest and founding beliefs.

Bruce Lee had a great out look on life, he also understood in this modern world you had to sneak in training wherever you can.  It only gets tiring if you lose your posture, your rhythm and above all your imagination. 

My last tip has the biggest effect on energy - going to bed on time!  It is an absolute necessity to live life to its fullest.

Love running.