11 Ways Running Gets Harder As You Get Older

On a recent run, as I learned the hard way that 90 minutes between eating and running apparently is no longer sufficient, I came to realize that running gets harder as you get older. Naturally, a few miles later, I felt fantastic and was convinced that running actually gets easier as you get older.

Both statements are true. Certain aspects of running improve with age; others, not so much. This post will focus on how (and why) running gets harder as you get older. I’ll cover the positive stuff in a subsequent post. (Note: None of this is actually scientific.)

1. You need rest. This comes in two forms: Sleep and days off. In my 20s, I could party into the wee hours of the morning, wake up a few hours later, and run a PR. You probably could, too. Now? Hangovers last two days. Forget it.
2. You need to stretch constantly. Did you stretch after every workout in high school? Didn’t think so. Now, if you don’t stretch before you get into bed, it’s highly unlikely you’ll be able to get out of it the next morning. In fact, you should probably be stretching right now.
3. Everything hurts. Even when you rest, stretch and foam roll, you’re sore. You can’t complain about it, either, because then everyone will just tell you to stop running.
4. You need more downtime. As a result of everything described above, I usually need at least one day off after a hard workout -- sometimes two days.Same goes for bouncing back from races.
5. Life gets in the way. You have a real job, real relationships, a home you actually care about keeping clean, a car that you don’t always want to smell like wet running shoes, pets, children, in-laws, school and 47 million other things to get in the way of training. This means running in the morning when you're tired, running at night when you're tired or running in the middle of the day when you're tired. Awesome.
6. Your GI system gets sensitive. Back in the day, I used to eat dinner and run 45 minutes later. That was fun. Now my body apparently needs two hours to process a banana and some yogurt.
7. You have to watch what you eat. Sure, publicly we brag about eating “whatever we want,” but privately we carefully measure out portions of proteins, carbs, fat and water so we don’t gain or lose too much weight. It’s a far cry from literally eating whatever we wanted while we ran in high school and college.
8. You have to pee more. Didn’t wait in those pre-race PortaPotty lines in the halcyon days of your youth, did you? And just reading about having to pee made you have to pee, didn’t it?
9. It’s more complicated. I started running in 1995. It took six years for me to even buy a watch. Now I wear a GPS-enabled watch that tracks distance, pace and time and input that data to a website that lets me track every workout. Oh, and then there are the shoes….
10. It’s too hot. Now it’s too cold. Sensitivity to temperature only increases as you age. The days of wearing only shorts and a long-sleeve T-shirt on a 30-degree day are long gone.
11. You never have leftovers. After running for more than 18 years, I need such ridiculous amounts of food to fuel my metabolism that I never get a doggie bag from restaurants, I need to cook for four if I want leftovers at dinner, and friends and family gawk whenever I eat.

I’m sure there are more than 11 ways running gets harder as you get older, but these are the ones that came to mind immediately. What did I miss?

It's Gotta Be the Shoes

I had a couple conversations (in the 21st century digital sense) about running shoes recently, and they inspired me to throw a little something together. 

The first began as a chat about marathon recovery lessons learned, continued with a brief discussion about running as an exercise in lifelong learning and ended with a case of oneupsmanship; in poker terms,  I saw a runner whose career began in Nike Free and raised her a pair of basketball shoes. I won that pot. 

The second came in response to a comment on my last post, when I read another blogger’s most recent post and learned that she recently discovered she’d been wearing shoes one size too small. I did this, too, for several years, only mine were one size too big. (In my defense, I'm a guy, I don't think about shoes and I thought it was perfectly normal to spend five minutes before a run tightening the hell out of one's shoes.)

As the previous paragraph demonstrates, I don't know a ton about running shoes (or shoes in general, for that matter). But, as the "runner" at work and among my friends, I’m often asked for recommendations. This is what I tell folks.

Get your stride assessed. Go to a specialty running store, or even to a doctor, and have your running stride looked at. The right shoe will depend on whether your heel, midfoot or toes hit the ground first, as well as whether you land on the inside or outside of your foot. (I'm lucky enough to have a "normal" stride. Please don't hate me.) 

Don't skimp. My everyday wardrobe reads like an Old Navy catalog. In other words, I'm cheap. But I splurge on running shoes. Why? Good shoes prevent injuries. 

Ask around. Runners are loyal to their brands. (In my case, it’s Brooks.) They also love to talk about running. So if you need a shoe recommendation, ask and ye shall receive. (Probably way more than you want, in many cases.) The Runner’s World Shoe Finder is a good resource, too -- it helped me decide which lightweight shoe would work for me. 

Break 'em in. Whenever I get new shoes, I wear them to my retail job a couple times to break them in. From there, I'll do a couple easy runs. I won't do a speed workout or long run until I feel comfortable. For the love of all that is good and pure, NEVER wear a brand-spanking new pair of shoes in a race.

Know when to walk away. Conventional wisdom says you should replace running shoes after about 500 miles, and fewer if you use lightweight shoes. I often exceed this milestone for two reasons -- one, I keep my "least old" shoes around for running in inclement weather (so my news ones don’t get gross), and two, I'm cheap. I've never felt the ill effects of running that 501st mile in a pair of shoes, but if you've had the same pair of running shoes for a few months, it may be time to replace them. (One sign that they may be worn: The sole looks like crap.) Given that new shoes take time to break in, too, you may want to get new shoes before you actually need them. 

Approach lightweight shoes with caution. Full disclosure: I wear lightweight shoes and love them. That said, I've been running for a long time, and I made the transition slowly, even more so than with the usual new pair of shoes and at a time when I wasn't training for a marathon. I also had some experience with them as racing shoes (we called them "waffles") in high school and college. If you're new to running, your feet, knees, calves, quads, hamstrings and IT bands need all the support they can get. If you want to consider lightweight shoes, ask a few friends (not just one) or talk to your doctor / trainer about whether you’re ready. Also, be warned: The effects of puddles, snow banks and blunt objects are magnified when you wear lightweight shoes. 

If the shoe fits, wear it again. As I said, runners are loyal to their brands. When we find a shoe we like, we often buy a second pair shortly after getting the first. When the next version of our favorite shoe comes out, we'll first stock up on the old version (since it’s probably on sale) and then get the new one. Why not? When you step up your training, you’re going to wear as many as several pairs of shoes in one year. 

Reassess. Your body changes as you age. I had no idea my feet were smaller. Your stride may change, especially as you lose weight, get faster or increase your mileage. If something doesn't feel right, it may be time to think about your shoes. Yes, you paid good money for that pair that may suddenly start pinching your toes or the top of your foot, but in the long run, getting yet another pair of shoes is less expensive than multiple trips to the doctor. 

Plus, you can just wear those extra shoes for yard work.