10 Running Longevity Secrets So You Can Keep Clocking Miles for Longer

We’ve all been inspired by blazing-fast collegiate track stars and Olympic marathoners with stamina of steel. But arguably the most impressive runners are the ones who keep lacing up as the decades tick by: the 74-Should You Keep Running If You Have Pain, How to Cope with the Top Stressors for Runners 77-A Part of Hearst Digital Media, Labor Day Shoe Deals Your Complete Guide to Form Drills over 100.

In a sport where many participants drop out midlife as performance starts to decline and achy joints set in, these older athletes are the ones we see and think: Okay, that’s who I want to be one day. This then begs the million dollar question: How do you make that a reality?

There’s no one secret to running strong into your golden years. Some of it’s good genetics and some is pure luck—two factors outside your control. But lifestyle and training choices also matter. And on that front, you have a lot of sway.

We tapped coaches and older runners for their secrets to longevity—the simple-yet-effective habits that up your chances of enjoying the sport for years to come. Here are the tips they swear by, plus how to implement them into your own routine.

1. Track Your Aches and Know When to Back Off

The threat of injury is a “black cloud” that hovers over nearly all the older runners that Mike McKnight, a Los Angeles area-based running coach and the founder of Running Workx LLC, trains. Not only can older athletes be more susceptible to injuries than their younger peers, it also takes them longer to recover once injury strikes. For many runners, chronic injuries Keep in mind for some runners, the goal may be to simply.

That’s why it’s critical to take stock of how your body feels during and after a run and address any irritations early on before they turn into something more serious. “I really encourage people who are older to take care of niggles as soon as possible,” Sherry Fijas, a 57-year-old certified run coach and personal trainer in Buffalo, New York, who specializes in helping older athletes, tells Runner’s World. “Consider those just a preview of injury.”

If you notice an ache or irritation crop up during a run, and it lasts more than just one workout or two, or if it goes away but then comes back when you run again, Fijas suggests getting it checked out by a professional. “I’m pretty quick to send people to a doctor or physical therapist,” she says.

Ken Posner, a 62-year-old runner in New York who’s finished more than 100 races of marathon distance or longer, tells Runner’s World he uses an Excel spreadsheet to document his aches and understand when it’s time to dial back his training. After he runs, he codes the workout as green (felt good), yellow (some irritations), or red (more serious pain). If he finds that more than 10 percent of his recent mileage is in the yellow or red zone, he takes that as a sign to pencil in more recovery time.

2. Define Consistency for You and Include Cross-Training In It

As you get older, consistency will likely take on new meaning. For example, Laurie Porter, Labor Day Shoe Deals Runner’s World she used to run six to seven days a week in her younger decades. But now that she’s in her 60s, she laces up just three to four days a week because doing more than that often doesn’t feel good on her body.

That doesn’t mean she’s sedentary the other three to four days, though: On her days off from running, she usually exercises in other ways—for example, walking, swimming, and lifting weights.

These types of activities not only keep you fit and healthy as the years tick by, they can benefit your run performance, too, says Fijas. That’s because they can keep you strong and resistant to injury and may boost your running economy, as Runner’s World previously reported.

Check out our cross-training resources here to kickstart your own routine.

3. Get Serious About Strength

Sarcopenia—the age-related loss of muscle mass and strength—is an unfortunate reality of growing older. Regular strength training is a great way to slow this process, and it also delivers the added benefits of reduced injury risk and boosted running economy.

McKnight recommends that all his older athletes do at least two strength training sessions a week. Within those sessions, Fijas suggests incorporating lower-body exercises that challenge your balance (think: lunges and single-leg deadlifts). This mimics the demands of running and bolsters the hips, which tend to be weak in older runners, she explains.

If you don’t already have a strength program in place, now’s a great time to start one. And we have a complete guide Surprising Stress Symptoms in Runners.

4. Keep Things Fresh

Variety is the spice of life—and one of the keys to running longevity. Regularly injecting novelty into your routine can benefit your fitness by helping you sidestep plateaus. dynamically warming up.

Craig Lippert, a 69-year-old runner in Southern California, abides by the mantra: Keep it fresh. For him, that means never following the same running route two days in a row. “I always change it up,” he says.

Michael Kish, a 74-year-old master’s sprinter in northern New Jersey who’s been dubbed the “for six minutes straight to stay limber”—at the 2024 Penn Relays, he clocked 13.32 in the 100-meter dash; Bolt’s record was 9.58—tells Runner’s World he continually learns new things by following run coaches online and weaving their advice into his training. For example, he added skipping drills to his warmups after learning about their benefits for sprinting, and dialed back the volume of his speedwork after discovering one coach’s “less-is-more” philosophy. “I think it’s important to stay open minded in terms of one’s training,” Kish says.

So whether it’s exploring running routes on Strava, trying different types of workouts, or signing up for a different race distance than usual, make a concerted effort to regularly shake up your routine.

5. Continue Setting Goals

Goal setting is an important motivator for exercisers of all ages, and it’s not something you should give up as the years tick by. Posner is a big proponent of this philosophy—something he gleaned from ultrarunner legend, Marshall Ulrich.

These don’t need to be PR-centric metrics, as besting your all-time records becomes harder to do as you age. But having something you’re working toward provides “excitement and energy, which we need to keep running,” Posner says. Just make sure it’s realistic for your current body and abilities.

For example, if running marathons just doesn’t feel good anymore, shift the goal to run two half marathons this year instead of one full one, Fijas says. Or, switch your focus from half marathons to 10Ks. “Adjusting goals to what is doable in the current body helps to keep training going, and having that end goal gives wins instead of being disappointed when we do the same things we did when we were younger and don’t get the same results,” she explains.

Tips for Speed from Marathoners Over Age 50 enjoy the sport and that’s great too. This can come in the form of booking a runcation, planning extra scenic routes, or doing a local 5K in costume.

6. Make It Social

Having social connections is key to aging well: Research shows that people with strong friendships have a 50 percent higher chance of survival than those without. It’s perhaps no surprise then that finding community in running can boost your longevity in the sport.

“Joining a running group was major for me,” says Lippert. It connected him with others who he could find camaraderie with and learn from. Lacing up with others, especially other older runners, can also help normalize some of the not-so-glamourous aspects of running as you age, helping you feel less alone in your journey.

“It’s super important to have support so you know you're not the only one that feels that knee twinge when you’re running downhill for a mile,” Janet Baker Curl, a 62-year-old runner and fitness coach in Berkeley and a retreat leader with the running tour company Run Wild Retreats, tells Runner’s World.

Look up local running groups, or consider starting your own. The support you receive from others can bolster your health and give you the motivation to continue lacing up.

7. Commit to Mobility

Mobility work—in the form of stretching, massage guns, and foam rolling—is important for any aged runner. But it’s especially key for older athletes, who are more likely to get injured if they jump into a run without rdquo; she says first, or skip postworkout stretching.

“We can get away with not doing that when you’re younger,” Porter says. But as you age? It’s more important than ever, she says. Not only will regular flexibility work reduce your chances of pulling or straining something, it’ll boost your run performance and generally just help you feel better in your body, too.

Then there’s the super practical benefit: Research For example, if running.

Kish, for his part, says mobility work is a “very important” part of his routine. He’s adapted drills he’s seen Olympian Noah Lyles do, like stepping over and under hurdles and doing regular bodyweight squats for six minutes straight to stay limber.

Check out our 15-minute mobility routine!

8. Find Joy in the Mileage

One of the hardest things about running as you age is accepting that at a certain point, your performance probably won’t improve. “That’s something that I grapple with all the time–I used to be a very good runner, and I know that I’m never going to get back to where I was,” Porter says.

This can be a tough pill to swallow. But “at some point, it just really comes down to acceptance,” McKnight says.

While at a certain age you’re probably not going to set PRs anymore, focus instead on what you can do. Having a mindset of positivity and gratitude can have a tremendous effect on how you feel while running, thus increasing your chances of enjoying it for the long haul.

Curl says this approach is key for her longevity in the sport. “I never let myself say, Come on, Jan, only one more mile–it’s more like, I get to run another mile, this is fantastic.”

Lippert can relate: “When you get older, you never know which race is going to be the last one,” he says. “So I try to enjoy every step.”

9. Dial Back Intensity

First, we’ll caveat that every runner is different. Some athletes—like Kish, for example—are able to successfully continue doing intense speed workouts into their older years. But by and large, most older runners need to scale back this element of their training if they want to preserve their longevity.

That’s because our joints and muscles naturally stiffen with age, decreasing our range of motion, so when we do speedwork, we activate motor units and muscles that are generally not used a lot, which increases our risk of injury. Oftentimes, that risk is just not worth it when you’re older—especially because it generally takes older bodies longer to heal from injury, McKnight explains.

“I tell my clients, don’t sprint,” he says. Instead, he has them do interval work at a more moderate pace. For example, 800 meter or mile repeats, versus 200- or 100-meter all-out sprints.

In a similar vein, Porter tells her older clients to cap their effort level in any workout to a 7 out of 10 on a scale of perceived exertion, Running Longevity Secrets So You Can Keep Clocking Miles for Longer threshold pace, or vigorous exercise.

“When you get up into your 60s, you don’t really want to be redlining it or bringing your heart rate up super high to where you feel like you're absolutely maxing out,” she explains. This is due to increased chances of injury and other health risks (like heart and vascular complications, for example) posed to older athletes who push themselves to the point of all-out exertion, she explains.

For competitive folks, it may be hard to reign in the pace, but just remember: “You’re going to still get a lot of benefit by just running, period,” Porter says.

10. Think Holistically

This may seem obvious, but your ability to keep running as you age is heavily impacted by your overall health. So take good care of yourself, following the basic but important tenets of healthy living, like eating a balanced and varied diet, limiting alcohol intake, getting adequate sleep, and doing what you can to manage your stress.

Remember this: “Just because you’re fit doesn’t mean you’re healthy,” McKnight says, explaining that he encourages his clients to take a holistic approach to maximizing their running longevity.