It’s well known that, at some point, we all will get slower as we age. Even for non-competitive runners or non-runners at all, we all know we will lose fitness as we age.
But why does this happen? What is the mechanism that makes it happen? If we know this, maybe we can do something about it.
Well, like most things, it’s probably not as simple as one thing that causes us to get slower or less fit. Certainly, many variables play a role. However, one of those things, that appears to account for about half of age related decline, is pretty straightforward. We simply train/exercise less as we age. Of course, there are many reasons for that but it’s something to keep in mind. If you want to slow age related fitness declines, do what you can to limit your reduction in training. If possible, even consider increasing your training load.
Hopping for better running? What’s a good strength workout for your lower legs and feet? Well, I’ve played around with hopping exercises (think jumping rope without the rope). In this study, hopping was tested and found to improve running economy after 6 weeks.
I would urge two points of caution. First, it looks like this was done as a daily exercise. I’d be interested in a follow up study that compared that with three days. While the exercise routine is quick and relatively low intensity, it is also high impact. I’d like to see more recovery time between bouts of exercise. Second, related to the first, this is a high impact activity. If you have foot or lower leg issues, you might want to think twice before trying this and at the very least want to proceed with extreme caution.
Data! I’ve many times mentioned on here how becoming a slave to data can be a bad thing. I make a conscious decision to let myself see as little data as possible/reasonable on my watch because I don’t want to get caught up on it during a run. However, is tracking data beneficial and, if so, why? Apparently, it is useful but the why isn’t so simple. In short, sometimes even getting the “wrong” data helps you perform better. In other cases, only the “right” data helps. It appears to be a complex topic.
Advice from Eliud Kipchoge: I’ve felt like a broken record recently promoting the importance of consistent running. Well, here I am again but I have someone with a pretty good running resume backing me up this time. Eliud Kipchoge himself says running consistently “good enough” is better than occasionally great. There are some good thoughts in there on how to accomplish this consistency also. Note: Not all the advice in there is from Kipchoge but some definitely is based on what he does.