Vawter has found that introducing a resistance- or strength-training regimen can offset this process and preserve the balance of muscle mass needed for efficient and proper running mechanics. Strengthening muscles around the knee joint and the trunk area is particularly beneficial for runners as the stabilization lessens the stress on tendons and other connective tissues.

Another advocate of strength training is Dr. Sylvester Stein of the United Kingdom, arunning expert who says, “It is necessary to become less of a specialist in order to maintain fitness. The runner should spend more time on upper-body training and flexibility exercises.” Many runners choose free weights for their strength routines, as they provide an inexpensive and flexible means to work all the key muscle groups. Two or three strength-training sessions a week are enough to make a difference. Runners should concentrate on greater numbers of repetitions done with good form rather than piling on additional weight, since a runner is trying to develop increased stamina in the muscle rather than excess bulk.

In addition to offsetting diminished muscle strength, weight training will boost arunner’s power on the uphills, replace fat with efficient calorie-burning muscle mass, and reduce the likelihood of overuse and stress injuries. Strength training also promotes a host of other benefits of interest to aging runners such as lower blood pressure and cholesterol levels and deterring the onset of osteoporosis.

Hand in glove with muscle strengthening is muscle stretching. Stein cautions that “flexibility and mobility cannot be taken for granted.” Runners who have gotten by for years without stretching would be well advised to change that habit. Gently stretching after an initial warm-up, especially the calves and Achilles tendons, can do much to ward off muscle pulls and tears, which tend to get more common with age and take longer to heal than when a runner is younger.

CROSS-TRAINING

Cross-training, that is, supplementing running with a nonrunning activity, is well suited to older runners since activities like swimming or bicycling are low impact and reduce the wear and tear on joints and connective tissue. Substituting a cross-training session for one or two weekly runs can make a world of difference. The body will get a break from the relatively high impact of running, and at the same time, muscle imbalances that can result from a running-only routine will be addressed. Many runners choose swimming for their cross-training, as it offers excellent overall strength and aerobic training with zero impact on the joints that take the worst pounding in running: the ankles, knees, and hips. Runners new to exercise swimming should seriously consider taking lessons. Learning proper technique will lead to getting the most out of time spent in the pool.

Bicycling is another popular, low-impact cross-training activity. It can be worked into a busy schedule by using the bike to commute or to run errands. Road cycling

Cross-training can take a variety of forms, even unicycling. Greg Harper, in his early 50s, demonstrates taking his cross-training skills to an extreme.

strengthens primarily the leg muscles, especially the upper leg. Mountain biking offers a more overall body workout and promotes the development of tremendous dexterity in steering the bike, balancing, shifting, and braking. Biking offers lots of opportunities for racing or participating in organized rides. It allows taking a break from a constant series of runs yet provides the same chance to socialize and compete. Both road cycling and mountain biking, however, involve exposure to some considerable hazards, so it is important to develop skills slowly and carefully. An expert should be enlisted to help pick out equipment and set the bike up properly. Helmets are a must at all times on a bike.

Swimming and biking are the traditional cross-training sports, but there are many other possibilities. Dave Kim, a long time fixture in the Northern California running community who has completed well over 200 marathons and ultras, is an avid kayaker. In fact he says, “I’ve been a white-water kayaker for the past 30 years, and I’ve always said that I’m a kayaker who runs a little.” Veteran runner Heidi Schutt dabbles in several activities to support her running, including swimming, biking, weightlifting, yoga, Pilates, and long hikes. Beryl Bender Birch, wellness director of the New York Road Runners Club, has long advocated yoga as a supplement to running. Yoga not only stretches and lengthens muscles, but assuming and holding the different positions strengthens muscles as well.

Karen Harper

“Power yoga is a real sweat-producing workout,” says Birch. “Many people who attend power yoga classes are runners who come for injury prevention or injury rehabilitation.”

Many runners follow their initial interest in a cross-training sport into the very popular world of biathlons and triathlons. Pursuing the variety of workouts, learning the added complexities of competing in a triathlon, and making new social contacts can rejuvenate an all-running routine that has gotten stale. It is also a wonderful feeling to complete the swim and bike legs of a triathlon and then run away from the other competitors who don’t have the great stamina and running strength of a long-distance runner.

Cross-training offers another benefit to the older runner. When injuries require laying off of running for various lengths of time, the runner can use the alternate sport to keep up a high level of fitness. Low-impact activities like swimming, aqua jogging, or biking can often be practiced safely while a running-related injury is being rehabilitated. The loss of fitness that results from being completely inactive can be avoided and with it that long and frustrating climb back to a former fitness level.

ADJUSTING YOUR RUNNING HABITS

It makes sense as runners get older and want to continue racing to gravitate toward slower-paced events that cover longer distances. Many runners move from 10Ks to marathons and from marathons to ultramarathons as they get older. The speed training required to do well at the shorter distances can spell trouble for older runners whose muscles and connective tissues have become less supple and flexible and less able to hold up under intense interval training.

The LSD (long slow distance) workouts suitable for preparing for a marathon or ultramarathon are generally just the type of training that older runners tolerate well and enjoy. Remember, though, that it is important to increase weekly mileage slowly when first training for longer events. Mileage should be increased only about 5 percent a week or less. A too-rapid increase in weekly mileage can result in an injury to runners of any age. Older runners should also plan on longer recovery periods following races and hard workouts. Yet another pattern to keep in mind is the number of days of consecutive training. Older runners should break up their training days with more rest days to avoid the injuries that occur from insufficient rest.

Another shift that is common is from road racing to trail running. Trai much easier on the runner’s skeleton than unforgiving road surfaces. Many injuries can be avoided by simply shifting a large percentage of miles logged onto softer surfaces without changing anything else about the running routine. Running on uneven trails provides an excellent workout and is terrific for building up the

» The author enjoys some soup at the 62 mile mark along the Western States 100 Endurance Run trail. Runners over 50 make up close to half of the finishers each year at Western States.

muscles that stabilize the ankle. More muscles are engaged in running when the runner must constantly adjust to the changing camber of the trail, and muscles are put through a greater range of motion than if the runner remained on a flat road. First-time trail runners will need to learn to watch their footing. Twisting or rolling an ankle is the number one injury associated with trail running.

GENERAL HEALTH

As runners approach 50, they should be concerned about running-related health issues, but it is also an excellent time to take stock of their health in general. Fifty is a good time to pass through a regimen of screening tests for problems that sometimes crop up unexpectedly at about this age. Even very fit runners may be surprised to find that areas of no concern before have become problematic, such as elevated cholesterol levels or high blood pressure. Screening for colon cancer has become a common practice for many as they pass their S5Oth birthday, with physicians in general agreement that everyone can benefit from the procedure. There is less agreement on screening all adults older than 45 for diabetes, although some risk factors, such as a family history of the disease, definitely call for screening. Diet is another area that may need some adjustment as a runner grows older and continues an active running routine. Shifting the diet to more vegetables and fruits and away from fats may be advantageous. Adding supplements might also be called for. Studies have shown the beneficial effects of taking vitamin C, vitamin E, and beta carotene to enhance the levels of antioxidants produced by the body. Runners should seek a doctor who has worked with runners and will not only be

Mac Mullin

able to diagnose problems caused by running but will also have good advice on such supplements as glucosamine and chondroitin.

THE MIND GAMES

While adjusting to the physical realities of aging is important, perhaps the most essential aspect of remaining a healthy and enthusiastic runner after age 50 is the mental adjustment that is required. Talk to older long-distance runners, and almost all of them will have a story to tell about some significant change they made in the way they approach running. Here is how Heidi Schutt, for example, responds to questions from people about her goal for a race. “I tell them I have an escape and adventure planned, but no goal!”

Dave Olney, veteran of many 100-mile runs, tells of how he changed his outlook on participating in long races when he discovered his strong walking pace would get him to the finish. “Instead of feeling like I had to run, run, run and feeling guilty every time I was reduced to a walk, I assumed an almost Taoist state of calm. I realized that I could walk the hundred miles at a good clip, and whenever I felt like running I could put a little extra time in the bank.”

The author finishing the Leadville Trail 100, one of the more demanding ultraruns in the country.

Similarly, many runners have gone through a process of shifting what they focus on during training and in races. Instead of caring only about the competition and the finishing time, they pay attention to what has always made running enjoyable to them: the many stimulating sensations of running in beautiful locations and the social communion with like-minded friends.

In her book Your Performing Edge, JoAnn Dahlkoetter, Ph.D, a sport psychologist, presents another way to perceive the slowing process. “The slowdown in performances with age exists only on the stopwatch. The physical action, the breathing, and the sense of intensity in racing feel the same. Times change, but feelings do not.” She encourages runners to take satisfaction from their effort and their enthusiasm to keep competing rather than from the times they run. She adds, “Rather than comparing current performances to your all-time personal records, look toward setting new PRs for each season, for each single age, and each five-year age group.”

Setting and meeting goals, even if those goals are less lofty than in the past, is another key element in continuing to enjoy running. Instead of attempting to break a past record on a familiar course, set the goal of completing a race that you have never tried before or of completing a distance that is new to you. Some runners point out that being older and reaching a more settled stage of life has given them the freedom to travel around the country, competing wherever they like. Using running as the rationale for travel to other parts of the country can be a goal in itself. Putting in a good effort during a workout can be a goal rather than trying to meet a certain time or cover a certain distance. Meeting goals brings satisfaction and helps to redefine what constitutes success in your mind.

A 50TH BIRTHDAY TO REMEMBER

By the time David Nakashima turned 50, his competitive running career included such highlights as several sub-40-minute 10Ks, a win at a trail half-marathon,

Printer: Insert Texas Marathon ad

several Big Sur International Marathon finishes, the Boston Marathon, age-group awards at various ultras, and two finishes at the Western States 100-Mile Endurance run. With that kind of running background, it’s not surprising that he felt like celebrating his 50th birthday by running 50 miles. Northern California, where Nakashima resides, offered several 50-mile races near the key date, but he chose to stage his own 50-mile run.

Before the big day, he sent maps and schedules around to all his friends with an invitation to join him in the celebration. On run day, he filled his car trunk with ice chests full of sports drinks, sandwiches, potato chips, sports bars, cut-up fruits and vegetables, and other snacks and parked the car at a central location in a Monterey city park. The 50-mile route consisted of several loops of varying difficulty radiating out from the park. Some loops were demanding 15-mile treks over hills and through forests. Other loops were two-mile walking breaks around the lake in the park. Between loops, the trunk full of goodies kept people well fortified. The idea was that runners of all abilities—even nonrunners—could come and run or walk some of the miles with him. A few stalwart ultra buddies even went the whole distance with him.

The event was so compelling that the local newspaper sent a reporter and photographer. People came and went as the day progressed from early morning into the late afternoon. Some came only to walk the “rest” loops. Others came early to run along the beach and then were on their way. Many people showed up to run the final loop that passed through Monterey’s famous Cannery Row and extended out to the edge of Pebble Beach. As the runners swept through the last of the 50 miles, friends and family members were gathering at the park to set up a huge picnic barbecue. The day ended with tired runners, excited kids, and a big birthday feast.

The event epitomized many good practices for the aging runner. Nakashima could have just entered another race. Instead he focused on what for him remained very positive about running. He surrounded himself with his running friends. He created a course that was a new and enjoyable adventure to run. He set himself a challenging yet manageable goal. He included his family in a very positive way and merged the celebration of a significant milestone in his life with his running life.

David Nakashima’s 50th-birthday run was nearly 10 years ago, and he is still going strong. Moreover, his friends still talk about what a great time they had that day. Had Nakashima simply gone out and run a race that day, it would have been long forgotten! i

Finding a Healthy Stride

Running Hard Can Unearth Hidden Talent.

ill Means sat on the bed in the tent set up next to the finish line of the Pikes

Peak Marathon in August 2003, an IV connected to his arm. He looked both exhausted and elated. Four years earlier, Means, 50 pounds overweight and with a cholesterol reading close to 300, would never have imagined running to the top of 14,110-foot Pikes Peak and back and finishing first in his age group and 12th overall. In 1999, if he had conjured up an image of being connected to an IV, it likely would have been a result of health problems—perhaps the heart attack his doctor predicted he would suffer unless he changed his ways.

On this particular summer day, however, Means’s heart was beating fast for all the right reasons.

Means lives in Woodmoor, an upscale community about 20 miles north of Colorado Springs, Colorado. He is on the verge of joining the masters division in running. “I’m 39 and holding,” Means jokes. He is married and has three children, ages 8, 6, and 3.

Means is a veteran of eight marathons. He has run the Pikes Peak Marathon three times and Boston once. His best marathon time is 2:58. This summer he

Bill Means round the final turn of the 2003 Pikes Peak Marathon.

planned on doing a daunting double: the Pikes Peak Ascent on a Saturday and the Pikes Peak Marathon the next day.

At 5 feet, 7 inches and 130 pounds, Means looks like a runner: wiry and with little body fat. He moves with grace and speed, and his friendly face, topped by a bald pate, belies the heart of an intense competitor who doesn’t give in to pain. To the outside observer, Means undoubtedly developed these skills and competitive instincts during a lifetime of running. In actuality, it has been only five years since he began running, yet he has experienced a lifetime of change during that period.

NEVER TAPPED THE TALENT

Means is a native of Colorado. He grew up in Littleton, a suburb of Denver that gained worldwide attention in 1999 with the Columbine High School shootings. Means recalls that he didn’t do sports at all while growing up. In high school, he played in the band. In view of his later success in running, Means wishes he had taken up track or soccer early on. “My parents just didn’t push me in that direction,” he says.

Means remained a nonathlete through college and during the early years of his marriage. His job as software sales engineer kept him behind the desk. When he did leave the office, he would often take clients to lunch ordinner. “I was getting biggerand bigger,” Means says. “Inever watched my diet. [had gained 10 ormore pounds perkid.” Means was running straight toward serious health problems, unaware that he could hit the ultimate wall at any time. It took a visit to his doctor for a checkup in the summer of 1999 to open his eyes.

His doctor, noting that Means was overweight and with a cholesterol level well over the recommended level of 200, didn’t mince words. He told him he should start exercising and watch his diet or continue his sedentary lifestyle and poor eating habits and run a high risk of suffering a heart attack; increasing that risk was a history of heart problems on Means’s father’s side of the family.

Means chose the first option. He contacted his sister-in-law, who works as a nutritionist in Oklahoma City. She told him that proper diet was just part of getting back into shape and recommended he start an exercise program. He heeded her advice.

Means, who was doing a lot of traveling for his job at the time, started walking 30 minutes a day. It didn’t take long for his dormant competitive genes to kick in. “I got bored with it,’ Means says.

MOVING EVER FASTER

Means began running each day. Even though he was going short distances, his body rebelled at this new form of movement. He described those initial runs as

terrible, noting that his joints were aching. Despite the soreness, Means stuck with the running. He slowly built up the distances until he could run for 45 minutes a day at a 10- to 11-minute-mile pace pretty easily. Means had also discovered the perfect diet plan and lost 50 pounds in three months. He was ready to test his first and only athletic endeavor in a competitive venue, the annual Race for the Cure 5K on the hilly Air Force Academy grounds.

Means finished 70th overall in a race that featured an estimated 5,000 runners. He says he was surprised he had done so well and was thrilled with his placement. More important, he had fun and was eager to do more races. Several months later, he finished fourth in his age group in the Turkey Trot 5K, averaging around sevenminute miles. The following summer, he did his first Pikes Peak Ascent. Despite doing no training on the Peak but just continuing his regular mileage around his neighborhood, Means ran the 13.1-mile distance, featuring an 8,000-foot elevation gain, in 3:01:49, good for third in his age group. He credited his success to some natural ability and the capacity to grin and bear it when he is hurting.

Tim Allison has known Means for four or five years. They met at a local race when Allison was doing 36-minute 10Ks and Means was still a relative newcomer to running. Even with limited running experience, Allison recalls, Means was still recording times of 37 to 38 minutes in 10Ks. Allison, who frequently trains with Means, says his friend has surpassed his times in recent years.

“Bill’s a very talented runner,” Allison says. “He’s an excellent downhill runner. He has quick turnover downhill without sacrificing balance. Bill’s also very competitive. Although he’s not very big, he’s a tough guy.”

Allison, who has a personal best time of 2:51 in the marathon, says Means could have probably broken 2:30 if he had started running when he was a teenager. In view of Means’s late start, Allison predicts he could break 2:42. He notes that Means has the ability to run hard every day and goes against many recommended training programs by running as far as eight miles the day before a marathon. “The only thing that slows him down is shin splints,” Allison says.

In 2001, with less than two years of running and racing experience, Means was ready to take on the next challenge up on the running ladder—the marathon. As was his habit, he eschewed the recommended training schedule.

A UNIQUE TRAINING APPROACH

Means was on a January business trip when he saw a notice for the San Diego Marathon. Most marathon training programs range from 12 to 16 weeks and feature a gradual increase in mileage, culminating with several long runs and tapering down over the final four weeks. There would be no lengthy training programs for Means, who had two weeks to train. During that period, he didn’t do any special training. “I did my normal five- to six-mile-a-day thing,’ Means says.

On January 21, 2001, Means, who certainly didn’t have to worry about having overtrained, celebrated his 36th birthday by placing 27th overall in the San Diego Marathon with a time of 2:58:35. He maintained a steady pace of 6:30 miles and felt really good until mile 22, when he was hit by leg cramps. Means says he could barely move his legs, and his calves hurt badly. With a minimal amount of grinning, he struggled over the remaining distance. The last mile, he says, was especially tough. Ironically, his novice status as a marathoner may have proved beneficial in completing those final miles. “Being inexperienced, I ran through it,’ Means says.

After the race, an aching and limping Means concluded that he would never do another marathon. After several weeks, however, with the soreness gone, he had second thoughts. He recalled the “high you can’t explain” after crossing the finish line. His next high would come across the country, in probably the most prestigious of all marathons—Boston. While some runners spend a lifetime trying to qualify for this event, Means had done it in his first attempt and didn’t even know it.

Following the San Diego Marathon, an acquaintance suggested to Means that he run the Boston Marathon that spring. Means learned that he had met the qualifying time and checked into the registration procedure. He signed up just before the deadline. Means gained a sponsorship from his company and, as he did for the San Diego Marathon, didn’t deviate from his normal running pattern of five to six miles a day. On the plus side, he was going to Boston with plenty of altitude training.

With his sub-three-hour marathon time in San Diego, Means was assigned a position two groups back from the elite runners. Filled with adrenaline and excitement, he took off from Hopkinton and kept a 5:50-mile pace for the first 12 miles. Over the next seven miles, he was slowed by the course’s subtle hills—“the type you don’t notice.” His legs began cramping badly, especially during the climb up Heartbreak Hill in mile 19, yet Means persevered. Encouraged by the crowd, he finished the race in 3:06, a “respectable” time for his second marathon. “Boston kicked my hiney,” he says in less than venerable terms.

LESSONS LEARNED

Means learned several valuable lessons from his first Boston Marathon. First, don’t wear racing flats to run that distance. Second, don’t go out too fast. The right approach is also important. “If I do it again,’ Means says, “I’m going to do it for fun and not focus on time. Then again, my competitive nature will probably kick in.”

In 2002, encouraged by a first-place finish in his age group in the hilly Garden of the Gods 5-Miler, in which he averaged 5:35 miles, Means set his sights again on the Pikes Peak Marathon. The previous year he had run the Pikes Peak

» After qualifying for Boston in his first marathon, Bill finishes the 2001 edition.

Marathon for the first time, recording 5:10:34. “Idon’t remember much about that marathon,” he admits. In 2002, he stuck with his running routine, defying conventional wisdom by not training on the Peak. Explains Means: “While some familiarity is good, some surprises are also good. I did some hikes/ runs on other 14,000-footplus mountains.”

Perhaps a training run or two on the Peak would have helped. Means struggled to finish the race and recorded atime of 5:24:13, about 45 minutes slower than he had hoped. “I just died,’ Means says. “I cramped most of the way. It was really tough. I wasn’t prepared.”

Every marathon is a learning experience, an opportunity to determine your strengths and weaknesses in the crucible of running 26.2 miles. Based on his performance in the Pikes Peak Marathon and other shorter races, Means concluded that he was doing too much running and needed to work on other parts of his body to help prevent the cramping that had plagued him in many races, especially the marathons. There was a more pressing reason to expand his exercise program: Means had developed plantar fasciitis in both feet and was unable to run for two months.

Means began swimming and doing upper- and midbody workouts. He also did gymnastics-type workouts and some cycling. Then he was able to resume his running three days a week while dropping the swimming and continuing the weight workouts and biking. “I felt great about how good shape I was in,” Means says. “I felt good.”

The true test came in Oklahoma City, where Means encountered an adversary that no amount of workouts could overcome—a strong head wind starting at mile

15. Despite the tough conditions and bad cramps in the latter part of the race, Means finished in 3:18:51, placing 33rd out of 950 male finishers.

BACK AT THE PEAK

Means increased his running and workout program for the next several months as he prepared for his third Pikes Peak Marathon. He still didn’t train on the Peak, staying on the familiar pavement. During his final training week, he ran 80 miles. Means was ready for the mountain Zebulon Pike discovered and that inspired Kathy Bates to write “America the Beautiful.”

This time, however, no one could say that Means’s lack of training on the Peak had cost him.

On August 15, Means made it to the top of the Peak in 2:48, running for the first nine and a half miles before resorting to a run/walk, and crossed the finish line in 4:38:25. Concerned that he was running such a fast pace that he would miss his family and friends along the course, Means says he became emotional when he finally spotted them close to the finish line. Even as he was being administered an IV in the tent because of dehydration—‘I don’t drink a lot during a race”—Means could hardly contain his enthusiasm. “I’m just thrilled with my performance,” he says. “I felt great most of the way.”

Means equates the event to an ultramarathon. Oddly, because of his competitive nature and desire to take on new challenges, Means has no desire to do an ultradistance event, referring to a friend who does them as a “nut.” He describes the Peak course as beautiful and peaceful and says he was really impressed with the time and effort put forth by the volunteers. “They’re incredible,” he says.

Allison says that people, especially those who are overweight, would be motivated by Means’s progression from a nonathlete to a highly competitive runner in less than five years. Perhaps lacking the natural ability of Means, he adds, they might not enjoy the same type of success; but they would be able to improve their quality of life by following the example of Means.

PROPERLY THANKFUL

Means describes his transformation in simple terms. “I have very good health,” he says. “I feel fortunate to be healthy. I give thanks to God.”

Means’s wife, Kim, a runner in high school and college with two marathons to her credit, has watched her husband of 11 years change from someone who would occasionally walk while she ran—‘Even that was pulling teeth”—to a Boston qualifier and top finisher in the Pikes Peak Marathon. The transformation, she notes, goes beyond a trimmer physique and improved health.

“He’s a different man,” says Kim, who ran the Oklahoma City Marathon with her husband this spring. “He has a different and better outlook on life. Bill’s a

very high-energy man. Running gives him a good outlet for all his energy. After a good run, he’s more interested in his family and job.”

Means continues to run farther away from his previous life as a nonathlete, testing his legs and resolve in a number of races. Perhaps no race is more symbolic of his ascension from the pits to the summit than Pikes Peak. Just don’t ask him to train on the mountain. He’s discovered, after all, that the best road to the top is—the road! i

Postscript: Bill means completed the Pikes Peak Ascent/Marathon Double in August, finishing 26th overall in the Ascent in 2:57:46 and 26th overall in the Marathon in 4:52:32.

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