© EXPOSURE PHOTOGRAPHY

||We may feel airbrushed out of the beauty, film and TV industries and underrepresented in politics, business and sport, but they won 't get their hands on our running ||

Running is one of the few areas of life where older women can and do continue their personal journey and often enjoy more success than they did when they were younger. You only have to watch programmes on TV that follow participants on multi-day extreme running adventures, like the Dragon’s Back Race in Wales for instance, and you will see women like Nicky Spinks, Wendy Dodds and Helene Whittaker still absolutely rocking it on themountains at ages you wouldn’t believe for such endurance events.

So yes, we may feel airbrushed out of the beauty, film and TV industries, and underrepresented in politics, business and sporting arenas, but those in positions of power won’t get their hands on our running.

We’ll run until our dying days. We’ll keep showing how awesome we are.

We’ll prove that we’re equal to men as runners (and in fact better in some areas). It’s what we all want; to keep running, for mental and physical health, for as long as we want.

Run less, enjoy it more. Give your body the time it needs to recover between runs

||You can maintain your aerobic fitness without much bother; instead, problems will come from lack of strength and mobility ||

But what are we doing to make it a reality? Probably not enough, is the most likely answer. There’s no escaping the fact that our bodies change as we age but that needn’t mean stopping running; instead, it’s probably a case of adjusting our training schedules and eating habits to suit who we now are.

We thought it was high time to investigate the issues that older women runners face, whether they are new to running or have been at it for decades, and talk to experts about how to prevent and treat common injury patterns that surface post menopause.

The body Mike Antoniades, Performance & Rehabilitation Director of the Movement & Running School, says he sees many preventable problems in women who’ve started running in their 40s and 50s.

“We know that it takes three to five years for the body to get used to the stress of running,” says Mike. And the impact can be more pronounced with older runners. “The body is capable of regenerating if you’re going out for two or three times a week for 30 minutes but as soon as you start to increase the volume, the frequency or the intensity, if you haven’t done strengthening work or a sport that stresses the body a little bit before, you’ll start to get injuries.”

Problems can come from an inefficient technique, he warns. “Because problems start from the foot and go upwards, running can affect everything from the foot, shin, calf, knee, and hip all the way up to the lower back.”

As you get older, you can maintain your aerobic fitness without too much bother; instead, problems will come from lack of strength and mobility. Mike’s advice is to mitigate risk as much as possible: “If you want to take up running as a serious hobby, there’s stuff you need to do to make sure you’re not going to hurt yourself.”

The three most common injury areas in older women runners are the calf, the patellofemoral (knee area) and the Iliotibial band (ITB). And injuries are often caused by one of three things: bad running technique; the stress that travels up from the foot because running is a single leg activity; and ineffcient form.

Over-striding is a common example of bad form in new runners, says Mike.

MY RUNNING

Nicky Spinks

Nicky is a British long-distance runner, specialising in fell running, who set women’s records for the major fell-running challenges the Ramsay Round, the Paddy Buckley Round and the Bob Graham Round. She is 54

I started running as a kid just to get the ponies or cows in. I was always picked at school sports day but apart from that, sport wasn’t a big priority during my schooldays. When I left the farm at 17, I worked at ICI and piled the weight on so started running again then; three times a week with some cycling to and from work and swimming.

I kept this up until I met my husband in 1991 and we began farming. I started running again in 2001 as I had a friend who was doing a 10K and I kept her company and then did the race too.

I’ve found recently that the body can’t cope with 50/60 miles per week so I've reduced that to 30/40 – but all quality sessions. I do a mixture of short speed, short races, long runs, fell races and tempo runs. I also do what I call long days on the hills where I go for a full day of 8/10 hours and lots of ascent (approx 2,000m) which I do every couple of weeks.

I train specifically and don’t like junk miles. I look at the event I’m going to do and train for the terrain, distance and ascent of that event. I had a hysterectomy in 2012 and since then I can’t cope with the heat as well as before, but I have learnt to live with it and wear layers so I can strip off if needed. I’m surprised that I can still be as fast as I was 10 years ago; I do more speed work than I used to and I’m hoping to do the Tor des Géants again this year.

My advice to women wanting to keep running would be to find a good sports massager and have treatments when you have a niggle that won’t go away. I wouldn’t run every day and make sure every month that you have an easy week of running to recover. I would pick a few important races and train for them. I wouldn’t let your age affect the races or the distance that you chose; experience counts for a lot in running so older runners can still do very well in races through looking after themselves better than the youngsters. Finally, if you feel you have plateaued, consider having a coach. I am a coach and 90% of my clients are women.

A varied weekly training programme will build strength and allow recovery time in between runs

“Landing ahead of your centre of gravity means you’re putting anything between three to five times your body weight through every step.”

And for people who are new to the stress running causes the body, that can mean injuries. Mike explains: “I have swimmers who have been swimming for a long time and think they’re fit because they can swim for an hour.

But, as soon as they go out running, they find that the level of fitness required for running is completely different than for swimming.”

When injuries occur, we often don’t give them the care and time they need to heal properly. “When people get injured, the first thing the brain does is slow us down to protect us. When we run more slowly but over the same distances, it starts taking well over an hour to do a 10K when it only took 50 minutes before. Ultimately, this means more time on feet and more stress to the body.”

If you’ve been running for years, by the time you get to your 50s and 60s and want to keep running, you’ll likely encounter different problems to the newbies, says Mike. “It’s often a mixture of the way you’re running and what you’re doing to compensate old injuries. You’re used to running in a certain way and you’re also used to pushing your body, but that’s probably where you’ve got to make adjustments.”

Part of the problem is that experienced runners don’t want to change, he says. “Mentally, they’re stronger than they are physically so the mental side takes over and pushes the physical side past its limits, and they get injured.

MY RUNNING

Ruth Pickvance

Ruth is nearly 60 and has been running for 30 years. She’s done more fell and mountain running than anything else but she did have a patch of running roads and marathons very seriously as a vet40 runner

Having been a top-level runner and trained and raced hard in my career, I’d say the first thing to go is your ability to recover from races. Where once it would have been a few days, it becomes two weeks! I was still competing well aged 48 but the recovery became almost worse than the race.

My body wants to run less than it did and old injuries complain if I do too much. I mountain bike, road bike, swim, mountain walk and do yoga three times a week. I’ve been surprised to find that I need to do less running rather than more in order to enjoy it!

I think there are two types of older women runners; those mix exercise as we age. The body doesn’t spring back as easily and our range continuing running into older age and those starting running later in life. For the former, there’s a need to of movement decreases. In order to keep running, I think women should diversify; yoga is excellent, swimming is superb, and you should be prepared to bike for cardio as well as run and use hills. Some strength work also pays dividends. I’d advise perhaps running less distance than you have done but try to keep your speed up; using short events like parkrun is excellent for this.

For women starting running, it’s a fantastic enabler, a confidence booster and a discovery of all that is great about running and the outdoors. If women haven’t run before, they’ll be delighted by what they find. Again though, I’d stress the need to diversify. Someone who has never run should build up gradually – have small targets and don’t go straight for the marathon (in fact my advice would be to avoid the marathon altogether!). Do races but keep them shorter and try off-road running as it’s much more scenic and better for the joints.

In terms of my running ambitions, I’m retired from racing. I’m competitive and tend to push it and it does my body no good. I love parkrun and Iove going into the mountains – sometimes for long days. I love inspiring other women, getting them to run in and celebrate nature and the hills.

Think about your form when you run: don’t overstride, make sure your posture is good and pump your arms

A physio might tell them to stop running but they often rail against that advice and keep on,” he says, knowingly.

As a result, Mike never tells runners to stop. “Instead,” he says, “we give them an alternative for the next few weeks, something to replace what they get out of running. It’s not just about going out and running for 30/40 minutes. Some of these people do not get what you and I would get from a 10K until they’ve run for two or three hours.”

With experienced runners, it’s time for what Mike calls the Truth Enema. Don’t worry, it’s not a physical thing; it’s just getting people to understand that they need to put more work into their rehab or training programme than they do into their running to be able to run at all.

For all of us

Whether you’re new to running or not, nature does its best to make things difficult once we pass menopause.

Women have osteopenia or osteoporosis to watch out for when they get older and they also lose significant amounts of muscle mass per year once they get to their 50s. Mike says: “You can maintain muscle in your legs by running, but you also have muscles in the core, lower back, upper thoracic and arms that need to be looked after. Likewise, you don’t just get osteoporosis or osteopenia in the legs, you get it all over the body.”

So what’s the solution? It’s pretty simple actually. Firstly, three 45-minute strength and mobility sessions per week. He explains: “There are simple exercises you can do to load; you don’t have to belong to a gym and you don’t have to lift heavy weights either.” Loading or resistance band work is self-explanatory but what about the mobility exercises he prescribes? Is that just stretching?

Mike shakes his head. “It’s all about making sure the joints are moving within their range of motion. We have the ankles, the hips, the knees, the shoulder… all of those are mobile joints. Through our Western lifestyle, injuries and bad habits, we get stiff in the mobile joints and that then affects muscles like the hamstrings and the quads that we need for running. In fact, mobility is far more important for longterm running than flexibility,” he says.

The diet

As well as fuelling our runs, we need to eat to recover when we’re older. Let nutritional expert Kate Percy help us navigate the menu

Smoked salmon and scrambled eggs on toast

Sweet potato burgers

Broccoli, kale, spinach and mint soup with tahini

We spoke to Kate Percy, a foodie expert, keen runner and author of books like FuelSmart for Race Day: 3-day Carbo-load Guide for Runners, Triathletes & Cyclists and Go Faster Food: Over 100 energy-boosting recipes for runners, cyclists, swimmers and rowers.

As you’d perhaps expect, balance is the key word and we’re not just talking food groups. Kate says: “Yes, you need to listen to your body more in your 50s and 60s but it’s important not to give up too. Find a balance between giving yourself a little push and being kind to yourself.” If the run you just did didn’t go as well as you wanted it to, she says, don’t beat yourself about being slower or more sluggish than you used to be, but also don’t use it as an excuse to settle for lower performance. And the same applies to food and drink. “You need to be a bit strict with yourself,” says Kate, “If you want to keep running until you’re 80, you need to look after your body.”

The normal advice to follow a balanced diet still holds true post menopause but, says Kate, you should place even more of an emphasis on fruit and veg and a bit less meat. She advises:

“The fibre-rich foods such as sweet potatoes, root vegetables, pulses, lentils and dried fruits should be your focus. Complex carbs rather than refined ones will give you energy because they are high in fibre so go through your body more slowly. Opt for wholemeal bread, pasta, rice and oats for slow-release energy.”

Post-menopause, we need to help our bone density levels as much as we can so feel free to revel in foods that are rich in calcium, magnesium and vitamin D. Kate recommends nuts, pulses, apples, pears, grapes and dairy here and, she says: “If you’re not a dairy person, broccoli and cabbage will give you calcium. Also, soya is great, in both milk and beans.” Kate says there is a lot of evidence to show that consuming soya as you get older is very beneficial, and other cultures with a soya-rich diet have fewer issues with bone density in post-menopausal women as result. She advises: “Try edamame beans added to salads, and pumpkin and sunflower seeds sprinkled on your muesli in the morning.”

What about the thorny issue of carbs? “People start to avoid them because they don’t want to put on weight but if you’re running, you need energy. Better to avoid just the refined carbs – like white flour and bread – and go for the more nutrient-rich whole foods,” she recommends.

|| I advise a mix of carbs, protein and healthy fats post run. The sooner you eat, the sooner recovery can start ||

A similar approach is advisable with healthy fats. “Avoid things like palm oil and the fats you find in cakes etc and focus instead on healthier fats. I’m thinking flaxseed, olive and rapeseed oils, avocado and oily fish like salmon, sardines, herring. You need healthy fats for their antiinflammatory properties; they’re good for running, keeping muscles healthy and contributing to a strong immune system, but they’re very calorie rich so you don’t need much.”

Kate is a big fan of recovery foods. This is because muscles take longer to regenerate and repair when you’re older so you should do everything you can to aid the process. “I advise a combination of carbs, protein and healthy fats post run,’ she says. The sooner you eat, the sooner recovery can start; the magic window is believed to be half an hour after you run. “Scrambled eggs or avocado on toast is a good example of a post-run recovery food. I’m not talking about after 5K runs here; it’s more applicable to longer runs that you really need to recover properly from.”

Kate rates spices like ginger and turmeric because they’re good anti-inflammatories; she loves them grated on porridge, in protein balls or in mugs of tea and short shots. And when it comes to general use of supplements, she’d always advise supporting older running with a really good diet before looking for a quick fix in a pill pot. If you think you need a supplement for a very specific reason, you should get advice from a professional about your individual needs.

MY RUNNING

Kerry Sutton

Kerry started running at 38 and she’s now 52 – she started with 5K then 10K, skipped halfs and marathons and went straight to ultras. Two years ago, she moved into what she calls really big adventures, like the Spine; when the clock starts, you keep going until it stops – three four or five days later!

What I notice most now I’m older is how stiff my body gets, particularly my hips. I have to do squats just to loosen my hips off and that never used to happen before. Stretching has taken on much more important role in my life and Ifind that I lose my cardio much more quickly so I have to keep on with sprints. I love sprints on hills as I’m less prone to injury doing them on a hill.

In terms of food, Ifind I need fewer carbs these days. From about age 48 onwards, I noticed that if I ate a bit more than I needed I would put weight on, so I’m trying to get my head around that and be more restrained.

However, I believe that life is all about positive enjoyment so I’m into moderation, not withdrawal. I’d advise women to be careful of their food intake. For instance, protein is very important to help you remain strong. I’ve done research into menopause and its effect on your muscles so I’m careful about how much protein I eat and time it carefully after my runs.

I do band work, engaging my glutes, and strength work. I also do lots of plyometrics, jumping laterally not just on a singular plane, so side to side and up and down, and also some fast twitch stuff. I also take more rest these days and I have to make a big effort to drink enough. Ifind my sensation for thirst isn’t as acute as it used to be so I need to make sure I’m drinking even if I don’t feel like it. Other changes I’ve noticed are that my feet are getting bigger because my arches seem to be flattening a bit so I’m buying a size up in my running shoes.

Long-term, I’m looking at a hip replacement so I want to prolong this as much as possible.

I’m trying to face that truth which comes with a whole gamut of problems because running is what I want to do and what I love. It’s not a case of giving up or not being competitive though; rather, it’s a case of being creative, being honest with myself and looking at what my true motivators are. Hitting 50, I’ve reassessed where I’m at, what I want and why I want it. I went through a very challenging period a number of years ago and that gave me a real fi re in my belly to run and succeed. I still believe that running can be fundamental to people when things are hard but, for me, the fi re has changed now.

What does the next chapter look like? A bit of cycling maybe, or some swimming? I certainly know that endurance is my thing; I love the journey… the bigger the better!

Don't hang on to old goals. Life changes and so can your running

Schedule strength and mobility sessions and your runs and don't forget the final element to Mike’s plan to keeping you running: cross training. “My preferred cross training is walking. When you do it properly, you can get a really good workout and it’s a completely different impact,” he says.

ESSENTIAL READING

WHO TAUGHT YOU HOW TO RUN: RUN BETTER, RUN FASTER AND PREVENT INJURY MIKE ANTONIADES

£14.99, The Running School Ltd

Mike is a trusted friend of Women’s Running because he always talks utter sense about running. He knows all our guilty secrets about our bad habits and gives clear advice on how to run better, run faster, and reduce injury. Mike’s new book comes in two parts; the first part looks at how our brain and nervous system work, and how we learn new skills and forget existing ones. And the second part shows how you can make sure you have an effi cient running technique. It comes with an 8-week programme, and also debunks some of the myths that are rife online. www.runningschool.com

TRY THIS AT HOME

Six exercises to build strength and increase your mobility

Mobility

HIP BENDS

Technique

• Stand with feet hip-width apart

• Keep knees unlocked and slowly bend from the hips

• Bring your torso parallel to the ground with your neck in line

• Go as far as you are able until you feel your hamstrings

• Reverse the movement to return to standing and repeat

BE SAFE

Keep aflat back and ensure the bend comes from the hips and not the lower back. Ensure knees and feet are facing forward

LONG LEVER HIP FLEXOR RELEASE WITH ROTATION

TECHNIQUE

• Stand on left leg keeping the knee straight. Place the right foot on a box/step

• While keeping the pelvis in a neutral position, ease forward so that the right hip goes into extension. Keep the back foot flat on the ground

• With arms extended and palms facing upwards, rotate over the bent leg

• Hold for a count of 5-6 seconds. Ease back out

• Repeat 5-10 times on the same leg

• Repeat the exercise sequence on the opposite leg

BE SAFE

Ensure the pelvis stays neutral and you don’t arch your back. Also, make sure your hips and feet stay facing forwards

HALF STEP MATRIX

Technique

• Stand in a neutral position. Extend your arms and place palms together

• Step forward and diagonally across your midline and transfer your full weight on to the stepping leg

• Keep both feet flat on the ground

• Hold for a count of 3-4 seconds

• Rotate to the left and hold for a count of 2 seconds.

• Rotate to the right and hold for a count of 2 seconds

• Repeat the exercise sequence 5 times

• Repeat the exercise on the opposite leg

Be safe

Keep the non-stepping foot flat on the ground (i.e. don’t let the heel lift). Try to keep hips facing forward. Try to keep the feet flat and facing forwards

Strength

STEP-UPS ON BOX

Technique

• Stand in front of step holding weights

• Place the left foot flat on to the box

• Keeping your weight through the left heel, step up on to the box

• Step down with the right foot in a controlled manner, keeping the weight through the right heel

• Repeat 10-15 times

• Repeat the exercise sequence on the opposite leg

Be safe

The box height should be 10-12 inches. For weights, depending on your strength, use a weight between 5kg ans 20kg. Keep your body upright and ensure the whole foot is on the box. The knee should stay aligned over the foot/toes – not ahead of toes. Keep your feet straight

SINGLE LEG PENDULUM

Technique

• Stand with feet next to each other, holding a weight in both hands

• Balance on one leg keeping the knee soft

• Slowly lower the weight towards the ground while keeping it close to the supporting leg and allow the non-supporting leg to rise to counterbalance

• Once you reach a low enough point where you can still balance, reverse the movement to return to a starting position

• Repeat 5 times and then on the opposite leg

Be safe

Depending on strength, aim to use a 5kg weight. Keep the weight through the heel of the supporting leg to help activate the glutes. Keep the foot flat on the box

SINGLELEG ASSISTED SQUATS

Technique

• Stand on the right leg beside a wall or chair for support. Hold a weight in the right hand

• In a controlled manner, lower yourself into a 1/4 squat position, keeping the weight through the heel.

• Hold for 3 secs and return to standing position

• Repeat 10 times on the same leg

• Change to the opposite leg

Be safe

Knee should stay aligned over the foot/toes – not ahead of the toes. Ensure the knee does not collapse inwards and keep your weight through the heel with the foot flat