3 ways runners get better with age
Regular runners and professionals alike are getting faster and performing at high levels for longer
Recent performances in distance running have demonstrated the ability of athletes to break records well into their late 30s and 40s, particularly in longer distances. Sports scientist Sian Allen, a research manager for the Lululemon innovation team, recently shared three ways athletes are able to improve their performances as they age, and her observations hold true for both professionals and regular runners hoping to continue to smash PBs.
One reason why we keep seeing great performances from "older" athletes…
Our crystallized intelligence keeps rising until age ~60.
In sport, this means things like:
➡️ Improved training wisdom (e.g., knowing when to take it easy)
➡️ Improved interoception
➡️ Improved pacing pic.twitter.com/xkP8p5i6s1
— Sian Allen (@DrSianAllen) September 18, 2023
Years of training wisdom
A recent study published in the Annual Review of Psychology points out that our crystallized intelligence–the stored knowledge that we accumulate over the years–doesn’t peak until we are in our 60s. Years of learning carry over to improved running performance.
In a recent article in The Irish Times, Swiss researcher and ultrarunner Dr. Beat Knechtle explains that the boost in older endurance athletes’ performances has a lot to do with experience and mindset. “Experience, starting slow, going slow, focusing on the aim … younger athletes always tend to want to achieve a place, a podium, a time,” he said. “The older ones like me say the first aim is to finish, and finishing means preparing.”
Endurance athletes are like a fine wine 😉
Age of peak performance tends to increase with event duration: pic.twitter.com/e0oYEpiGBd
— Sian Allen (@DrSianAllen) September 21, 2023
Improved physical awareness
As we age, we become more familiar with our bodies and are capable of understanding the feedback signals our brain is receiving, a process referred to as interoception. Anyone who has competed over years or decades can probably attest that they have become far better at “reading their body” over time.
A recent study also pointed out that athletes, from sprinters to endurance athletes, are better at this skill than non-athletes. The wide range of runners were more confident in their interoceptive abilities and could hone these over time.
Better pacing skills
Just as years of experience can help runners learn to troubleshoot and adjust on race day, they also learn how to pace themselves effectively. Research has shown that older marathon runners are more likely to use steady-state or negative pacing strategies, rather than trying to put “time in the bank” in the first half of a marathon.
With more learned control and a greater willingness to be conservative in the early stages of a race, older runners are better able to plan and execute speedier race performances.
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