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Starting running in your 60s - is this even possible?

5K views 11 replies 9 participants last post by  Ellis Rimmer 
#1 ·
Hello everyone

First of all apologies for the long post, but I would be so grateful for some advice.

I am 63 and for some time have tried to find time and motivation to get fitter. By 'some time' I mean 'running shoes bought 5 years ago, just about breaking them in now.... :embarrassed:" All this time they have mostly been used on dog walks, but the dog is now so old that a gentle saunter is all we do and I have returned to my getting fit ambitions. I work full-time and long hours, so it needs a bit of planning in the week, but I would so love to get this off the ground (at the moment I can barely get myself off the ground, much less propel myself forward, but more of that below :amused: :rolleyes:)

I was fairly fit when younger (judo, skiing, horse-riding and lots of walking), have never smoked and I am not overweight - I thought this running lark should be fairly straightforward. Well...was I in for a big surprise!

I did not go mad but sensibly started out with a 'Couch to 5k' app on the phone. I was horrified to find that I found it REALLY hard to run for 1 minute (sorry, JOG - practically on the spot, that's how hard it was - my body just felt so heavy and almost impossible to move forward) After 20 minutes, I had run for 5 minutes and probably something like 0.2 miles (!) and could hardly pick my feet up to walk the last steps to my front door. (Marathons? 27 miles? Running for 4 hours straight? How do people DO that??? :lol: )

I have had another couple of goes since with similar difficulties and before I continue on this road of suffering, I would love to hear from someone who can tell me that what I describe is normal and that if I persevere, it will get easier and I will eventually be fit enough to run a couple of miles most days - that is all I aspire to.

Thank you for bearing with me and for any advice and encouragement you may have for me.

Best wishes
Anne
 
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#3 ·
Anne, it's perfectly normal to find it tough when you first start. I started using C25K and found it very hard to begin with, and I am half your age! As Scott says if you keep at it, you'll be amazed at how much you will improve. Your goal to run a couple of miles a day is great, and I'm sure you'll get there :tup:
 
#5 ·
I don't personally know how feasible it is to start late in life, but I know that when I first tried running as a slim twenty-nine year old I couldn't manage more than 200m! Go slow and go out often, that is the key to progress in running Anne. Your legs aren't used to uninterrupted running for long periods if you haven't done it before (even a person who is fit generally will find this), so it takes regular outings for them to start changing. Good luck :)
 
#6 ·
Lots of people started running late in life and continued enjoying it into old age. To quote from an article by Karien Potgieter in my blog (January 9th, 2017) "Norman Phillips took up running relatively late in life, at the age of 62. He ran his first race that year and continued to do the London Marathon in 4:29 at age 63. But perhaps the running feat that Norman is most renowned for, is joining parkrun‘s Club 100 at age 92. He achieved this milestone in January this year, becoming the oldest person ever to do so."
It's very much a mental thing - what the mind believes the body achieves. But you've got to enjoy it. Build up slowly. If possible, do some 5K Parkruns, like Norman did, with people of all standards. They're social events every Saturday morning where you'll feel at ease and maybe find a running buddy to offer advice and run with during the week. It's much easier running with other people.
Good luck and keep us informed of your progress......
 
#7 ·
Ofc yes, there are many people running even in their 80's, I am not talking about sprint though lol, but just doing slow running won't create any health issues, in fact it will help you in staying fit.

One of the famous runner who is in his 80's is Fauja Singh, who is a marathon runner & has run all over the world. He said that running helped him to overcome the depression that he had after the unfortunate death of his son & wife.
 
#10 ·
Hello everyone

First of all apologies for the long post, but I would be so grateful for some advice.

I am 63 and for some time have tried to find time and motivation to get fitter. By 'some time' I mean 'running shoes bought 5 years ago, just about breaking them in now.... :embarrassed:" All this time they have mostly been used on dog walks, but the dog is now so old that a gentle saunter is all we do and I have returned to my getting fit ambitions. I work full-time and long hours, so it needs a bit of planning in the week, but I would so love to get this off the ground (at the moment I can barely get myself off the ground, much less propel myself forward, but more of that below :amused: :rolleyes:)

I was fairly fit when younger (judo, skiing, horse-riding and lots of walking), have never smoked and I am not overweight - I thought this running lark should be fairly straightforward. Well...was I in for a big surprise!

I did not go mad but sensibly started out with a 'Couch to 5k' app on the phone. I was horrified to find that I found it REALLY hard to run for 1 minute (sorry, JOG - practically on the spot, that's how hard it was - my body just felt so heavy and almost impossible to move forward) After 20 minutes, I had run for 5 minutes and probably something like 0.2 miles (!) and could hardly pick my feet up to walk the last steps to my front door. (Marathons? 27 miles? Running for 4 hours straight? How do people DO that??? :lol: )

I have had another couple of goes since with similar difficulties and before I continue on this road of suffering, I would love to hear from someone who can tell me that what I describe is normal and that if I persevere, it will get easier and I will eventually be fit enough to run a couple of miles most days - that is all I aspire to.

Thank you for bearing with me and for any advice and encouragement you may have for me.
 
#11 ·
Hi Anne, I am 62 and started running 4 months ago not having taken any significant exercise for 50 years. I started with couch to 5k and found it tough. After 9 weeks I started running 5ks. It's hard still but definitely gets better. Running time an unspectacular 31 mins but my kids are amazed which makes it all worth while. Keep up the good work, if I can get there anyone can. You CAN do this - you really can. Good luck
 
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