Running protects rather than harms the joints in older age

Forget about aching bones, there is every good reason to take up running in your 40s, says Peta Bee.

RUNNING is enjoying a boom unrivalled by another other activity. More of us than ever, it seems, like to lace up our trainers in the name of fitness.

Recent surveys by the Irish Sports Council show that the number of people running went from 8.4% to 8.8% over a six month period, representing an almost 5% rise in the number of people running.

And a growing percentage of those entering mass events are no longer in the flushes of youth.

In fact, running among the over 40s is enjoying the sharpest rise in participants as people realise it is the fastest, most rewarding route to fitness.

With studies showing that running protects rather than harms the joints and can even extend our lifespan, there’s never been a better time to join the running trend.

But what are the rules for running when you reach mid-life?

Run with others

Unless you are the kind of person who bounds out of bed and into their trainers, finding a running partner or group is the best step you can take to strengthening your commitment.

Dr Pamela Rackow of the Institute of Applied Health Sciences at the University of Aberdeen reported that people who found an exercise partner ran or worked out more often than those who went solo.

There is no shortage of places to drum up a few running buddies.

Check out the website www.runireland.com for lots of inspiration, but also get involved in your local parkrun events — free 5km runs held every weekend around the country. www.parkrun.ie

For a goal, look to enter the Great Ireland 5km or the Great Ireland Run 10km on April 9 in Phoenix Park, Dublin. www.greatrun.org

Warming up is not optional

Lacing up your trainers and heading straight out of the door at top speed is never a good idea, but it’s even more dangerous in your fourth decade onwards when muscles are less pliable and springy than their youthful selves.

Pre-run static stretching — the kind in which you hold a position for a few seconds — had previously been frowned upon by experts, but now gets the green light for runners after a study at the Nicholas Institute of Sports Medicine and Athletic Trauma at Lenox Hill Hospital in New York last year showed middle-aged recreational runners who stretched in this way were significantly less likely to strain or tear a muscle.

“About five to 10 minutes of gentle stretching is sufficient,” says Paddy McGrath, a running coach and former Ireland international.

“Then start at a fast walk, progressing to a very light jog for five to 10 minutes at the start of your run to get fully warm.”

Stretch when you finish

Any form of exercise causes your muscles to contract and shorten, temporarily reducing flexibility.

It’s really important to spend five minutes stretching when you get home, ensuring your muscles will be ready for the next time you head out.

“Muscles are warm and responsive after a run and stretching will help to disperse the muscle waste products that build up as well as reducing your risk of injury,” says McGrath.

“Include stretches for the hamstrings, glutes, calf muscles, quads and back.”

Change your route

Runners are notorious creatures of habit. Often, they will not only run the same route at the same time of day but in the same direction.

Sticking to what you know is good up to a point, but doing the same run, day in day out, will eventually sap your motivation.

“As human beings, we thrive on variety. Research in sports psychology has found people find it easier to stay motivated to run when they have a great route with interesting sights on it,” says sports psychologist Dr Josephine Perry.

“If you can find four or five different routes to switch between with different things to look at and different terrain to run on you can pick the one which best matches your mood that day.”

Indoors or outdoors?

Many serious runners have something of a superiority complex about training solely on the treadmill. To them, outdoors is hardcore, indoors is for wimps. But if you really can’t face running in the rain or in freezing temperatures, it’s better to hit the whirring belt than not to run at all.

Some researchers have shown that newcomers to running — whatever their age — experience fewer problems if they start out on the treadmill which offers more ‘give’ than tarmac or concrete.

Over time, though, your susceptibility to injury is likely to rise if you stick to one surface which means you load the same muscles and body parts in the same way, potentially increasing the risk of overuse injuries.

Outdoors your body is exposed to changes in terrain, undulation and direction that force you to use different muscles all the time. And you will likely move faster outdoors.

Scientists at Nanyang Technological University Singapore found a group of runners they observed moved significantly more slowly indoors than outside, something they put down to the lack of visual cues when staring ahead on a treadmill.

Tune in

You will either love or hate listening to music on the run.

Exercise psychologists divide us into two groups — those who are motivated by tunes when they exercise and those who find background music irritating.

If you’re in the first camp, then selecting the right soundtrack really can spur you on.

Dozens of studies have shown that a good tune can distract the mind, enabling you to work up to 10% harder without realising it and, according to scientists at Brunel University, enhancing endurance by as much as 15%.

It may also boost your mood and make you feel more alert, all great news for runners. Since you’ll instinctively run to the beat, faster tempo tracks are recommended.

Each to their own, but a recent survey of Virgin Active members revealed the top five most motivating tracks to be ‘Eye of the Tiger’ by Survivor; ‘Another One Bites the Dust’ by Queen; ‘Wake Me Up Before You Go Go’ by Wham; ‘The Final Countdown’ by Europe and ‘Shake It Off’ by Taylor Swift.

Don’t obsess about your style

Analysing your gait, measuring your stride rate and perfecting your form have underpinned advice about running in recent years. However, experts now insist that your running technique is less of an issue than once thought.

Correcting the obvious like a nodding head or rolling shoulders can be helpful, but a unique running style is not necessarily a bad thing.

“It can be counterproductive to obsess about changing your running style as you get older,” says McGrath.

“Your body adapts to your own style and forcibly changing it can be a bad thing.”

You are likely to become a more stylish runner just by doing it more often. In a 2012 study at the University of Exeter, a group of women runners — all complete beginners — were analysed as they prepared for their first half marathon.

Each of the women was given a pair of neutral running shoes and had their technique tested before they embarked on a training regimen and 10 weeks later.

While their running style left a lot to be desired at the start, it had improved significantly by the end of the trial with the researchers noting “they began bending their knees and flexing their ankles slightly more, so that their legs became more flexed as they left the ground”, benefits that occurred simply as their bodies adapted to the regular motion of running.

Don’t progress too quickly

“One of the most common mistakes made by runners is to increase their training volume too quickly,” says McGrath.

“This can be disastrous and a fast track to injuries as too great a stress is suddenly placed on tendons and joints.”

In general, says McGrath, you should stick to ‘10% rule’ — meaning you should not increase your training miles per week by more than 10%.

“It’s particularly important when you are in middle-age,” McGrath says.

“If you haven’t run before or have not laced up your trainers in a few years, then slow progression is the safest and surest route.”

It’s OK to stop and walk

One of the unwritten rules of running is that you shouldn’t stop and walk. But it’s perfectly acceptable, particularly in the early days.

A study in the Journal of Science and Medicine in Sport last year found beginner middle-aged runners training for their first marathon benefited from a walk-run approach in which they walked for roughly a minute after every mile and a half.

Compared with another group asked to run continually, the run-walkers put less strain on their bodies, despite picking up speed each time they resumed running. They also reported feeling less tired and having little muscle soreness at the end of the race.

Rest up

At 40, you simply don’t have the powers of recovery you had at 20. McGrath says recovery days are an essential part of training for the older runner.

“By running relentlessly you are putting yourself under immense stress and will be more prone to niggles and strains that will ultimately see you sidelined,” he explains.

“That doesn’t mean you have to sit down all day on your days off. Walk a little, do some stretching or yoga. Stay active.”

Sleep is also vital. During deeper sleep, human growth hormone (HGH), essential for boosting muscle recovery processes, produced by the pituitary gland is released into the blood.

Consequently, too little sleep means the body produces less HGH and more of the stress hormone cortisol that certainly doesn’t aid muscle recovery.