The Rule of 5 Ones:
The Secret To Running Pain & Injury-Free After 50
Let's face it, running as we get older is tough. It feels like you're training harder than ever but you're running slower than ever.
From the nagging injuries to running in pain and the constant fatigue of not recovering from sessions as fast as we used to. Or even worse, missing being able to run completely because of injury.
But imagine a world where running is no longer a chore. A second wind if you'd like where you're running pain-free and feeling fabulous. You've got heaps more energy because you're recovering from your training faster and your niggling injury is a thing of the past.
Well, it is possible and that's where The Rule of 5 Ones comes in. When you implement them in your training, magical things start to happen.
Let's dive into the first of the 5 Rules of Ones…
Rule #1 - 1 Rest Day
One of the biggest physiological changes we experience as older runners is the need for more recovery.
Simply put, it takes us longer to recover from training sessions. That is why so many runners over 50 are tired or fatigued all the time.
Recovery has always been important but as we get older it becomes crucial.
If you aren't giving your body time to recover, you slowly push yourself deeper and deeper into a hole. It starts as general aches and pains and then before you know it you're dealing with nagging injuries.
If you keep training through it the results can be catastrophic. It's then that you break down with long term injuries and miss weeks and even months of training.
The first Rule of One for runners who are over the age of 50 and want to run faster while staying injury-free, is to include one full rest day in your weekly training schedule.
One day of no training whatsoever.
Doing this has 2 major impacts on your training. The first is 100% physical. It allows your body to rest and get stronger to prepare itself for the workload that is still to come. The second is to freshen up mentally.
Onto rule number two...
Rule #2 - 1 Interval Session
As we get older, our tendons, ligaments, and muscles contract and shorten, and we lose both range of motion strength and coordination.
When it comes to our neuromuscular coordination the saying 'use it or lose it' couldn't be more appropriate.
If we don't work on it in our training it sadly disappears.
That's why the second Rule of One for runners who are over the age of 50 and want to improve their running performance is so important.
You must include 1 higher intensity interval session a week into your training.
These sessions also have a dual purpose. Not only do they help you maintain your neuromuscular coordination, but they also help keep your anaerobic energy system firing on all cylinders.
As we age our maximum heart rate also comes down and these sessions help to slow down that decline.
It's also important to say here that when it comes to interval sessions, more is not better. One session per week is more than enough to get the benefits we're after, more than that and you're putting yourself at a higher risk of injury and increasing your recovery time.
Rule #3 - 1 Long Run
When it comes to aerobic adaptation as a runner over the age of 50, the third Rule of One is the most important. You might be wondering what I mean by anaerobic adaptation.
Aerobic adaptation can be explained like this: Think about the car you drive. The engine that is has allows you to go a certain speed and distance on a tank of gas.
Now imagine the same car but with a much bigger engine, a more efficient engine. You can now go faster and/or further on the same tank of gas.
As runners who are over the age of 50, that's what we're trying to get our bodies to do.
To go further or faster while using the same amount of energy and that's where the third Rule of One comes into play…
Runners who are over the age of 50 and want to run faster need to Include 1 long run per week into their training schedule.
When you do a weekly long run you push that aerobic system close to its boundaries because that's when we lay down the extra capillary networks.
So not only do we become more efficient at getting oxygen to the working muscles, but we also build more capacity to do it. We're essentially building a bigger engine.
Rule #4 - 1 Strength Session
This is one is a biggie.
One of the biggest contributors to runners getting slower as we get older is because of how much muscle mass we lose as part of the natural aging process.
This loss starts in our 30s and once we hit our 50s it starts speeding up significantly.
The good news is there is a way to reverse this decline in the short term and ultimately slow down the rate at which you lose muscle mass in the long term.
The fourth Rule of One is the key to allowing that to happen.
Runners over 50 looking to improve their running performance need to include at least 1 strength session into their training week.
Unlike the previous two Rule of One, more than one of these a week is actually beneficial. The scientific research shows that 3 is ideal but having worked with over 10 000 runners over 50, we know that 3 is not always possible practically.
That is why we always say that 3 sessions is the goal but 2 is better than 1 and 1 is better than none. At the very least you need to be doing 1.
This will not only help your running but will improve your overall quality of life as you get older.
That then brings us to the fifth and final Rule of One…
Rule #5 - 1 Year
By the time you reach this age, you probably realise that to be successful across most areas of your life, consistency is the thing that matters most.
If you want a loving relationship you need to work on it every day.
If you want to maintain a healthy diet you need to focus on what you eat at every meal.
Successful investing is not about timing the market but rather time in the market.
Your running works exactly the same.
The fifth Rule of One for runners over 50 is to follow these rules for at least one year. No single workout is going to improve your running.
It's about making sure the fundamentals are in place and then doing the right thing at the right time.
So, knowing the Rules of 5 Ones is one thing, but actually implementing them in your training so that you can recover from sessions quicker, run pain and injury-free and run faster into your 50s, 60s and beyond is another. But don't worry, I'm here to help…
I'm Lindsey, and I know
exactly how you feel.
As an Olympic marathon coach, I understand the struggle of being tired all the time, constantly running in pain & fighting nagging injuries.
During my post-graduate sport science studies I specialized in working with older athletes and injury rehabilitation so I know what it takes to run pain and injury-free as an aging runner.
That's why I founded CoachParry.com, a place where runners like you can thrive. I am a firm believer that age is just a number and I have a passion for helping people run to the best of their abilities into their 50s, 60s, 70s and beyond.
In fact, I love helping people stay active for as long as humanly possible. Want to see how we can transform your running?
Here's what you'll discover in this training...
How to run faster (Without training more)
We'll share the simple change you can make to the way you structure your training that will allow you to run faster for years to come.
The #1 mistake runners over 50 make (that wrecks recovery)
Discover the biggest mistake that most runners over the age of 50 make in their training and the simple fix so that you don't feel tired or fatigued all the time.
The secret to running pain & injury-free
We'll show you how to shake those pesky injuries we're forced to deal with as we age and before long you'll be running pain and injury-free.
Don't take our word for it...
How it works...
Step 1: Save your seat in our free training
Simply click on the button below and select a time that best suits you.
Step 2: We run you through everything
We'll show you exactly why this way of training works.
Step 3: Implement & excel
You'll learn the simplest way to make this work with your goals & ability.