The fastest 60-year-old woman in the world, Torontonian Karla Del Grande, once thought, like the vast majority of us, that running means distance running. Then, at 50, while trying to boost her speed for a half-marathon, she hit the track for interval training and rediscovered her love of speed.
She ditched the long run, took up sprinting and now considers herself fitter, stronger and more powerful than she’s ever been in her life, including when she did high-school track.
Last summer, I was soundly beaten in a 60-metre sprint by a 76-year-old great-grandmother. I expected the trouncing; after all, I was up against the world’s fastest 75-plus female sprinter, Christa Bortignon. The Canadian was named World Masters Athletics Female Athlete of the Year for 2013, after breaking 14 world records over the past two years.
See the story in the Globe and Mail
At the start of every training year, I commit to doing one more thing to make myself fitter, stronger, faster. Last year I overhauled just about everything in a bid to get in the best shape of my life after 50, for my book Older, Faster, Stronger (coming out in October with Rodale Books).
So what was left to tackle?
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Join me in my 2014 challenge: To get fitter this year than I was last. After trying to achieve the fitness of a 20-year-old in 2013 (by some measures I made it; by marathon measureI fell 3 minutes short), I will “re-do” key races this year, in an attempt to best last year’s personal bests. Redoing the exact same races is a fantastic way to measure fitness improvements.
Another runner on her own version of that challenge is sprinter Christa Bortignon (see picture below; she’s in the black T, to right of me), a 76-year-old sprinter who set seven world records and won 16 gold medals at world championships in 2013, earning her the World Masters Female Athlete of the Year Award. But is she resting on her laurels? In an email last week, Christa told me she felt sore after back-to-back personal training and sprint-training sessions. Clearly, this 76 year old is not letting turning 77 slow her down.
I explain the Do-Over Year challenge in my new running column, Going the Distance, to be published each month in The Globe and Mail. Targeting one race for a PB could lead to disappointment because so much can go wrong. A saner approach, suggests one of Canada’s top running shrinks, sports psychologist Kim Dawson, is strive for an improvement over the entire year.
Each month in the Globe and more often here, I will share what I’m learning along my journey. The goal is not only to get faster and stronger as I get older — and the book on that will be published by Rodale Books in October 2014 — but to keep up training intensity or, in other words, stay young by training young. Because my ultimate goal is to be running strong and long at 101 and having a blast doing it.
And one of the best lines of advice I received to achieve that came from ultra runner Pam Reed: “I run to protect my running.”
If you have advice, thoughts, questions, drop me a comment and I’ll do my best to address them in a column.
Happy running and happy holidays.
Competing in the World Masters Games 1/2 Marathon in Italy. # 73 pulled far ahead of me to take the bronze, but I managed a 4th in my age group.
Signing up for a race or five over the season is a fantastic motivator to step up your training. And what more fun way to test your fitness than a spin with the running sisterhood? All-women’s races are incredibly welcoming, inclusive and celebratory. And with an elite field pushing the front runners, they can be pretty darn competitive too.
Never raced? Many women choose all-women’s races as their first — check out my story, “A Race of Their Own,” in this month’s issue of Canadian Running magazine for a flavour of what these races are all about. Hopefully, I will see you at a few.
Canadian Women’s Races
Sports 4 Emilie Mondor 5K Memorial for Women, Ottawa
Billed as the fastest women’s 5k in Canada, the event has prize money for open and masters. Also has a children’s mixed 1k. June 22, 2013 www.runnersweb.com/running/EmilieMondor.html
Toronto Women’s Run Series
A three-event series featuring half marathon, 10K, 8K and 5k races, with about 1500 runners in each. Set away from traffic but on paved paths in Sunnybrook Park in the Don Valley. Fundraising partner is the Pediatric Oncology Group of Ontario (POGO). www.towomensruns.com
Island Girl
An intimate half marathon, half-marathon relay and 5K on Toronto Island, with a festive Caribbean vibe and only 500 runners. Fundraising partner is Willow Breast Cancer Support Canada. Sept 22, 2013. www.islandgirlrunning.com
Niagara Falls Women’s Half Marathon
This course takes 2,500 runners and walkers past the falls twice and follows the raging Niagara River. Special guest this year is Boston Marathon great Kathrine Switzer. Fundraising partner: Women’s Place. June 2, 2013. www.nfwhm.com
Calgary Women’s Run/Walk
This 5K and 10K (with mother/daughter divisions) is one of the oldest women’s races in Canada, debuting in 1979. Fundraising partner: Connections Counseling. Aug. 25, 2013. www.calgaryroadrunners.com/events/calgary-womens-runwalk
Run for Women National Race Series
Doubling this year to six races (Vancouver, Calgary, Unionville, Quebec City, Ottawa, Halifax), these 5K and 10K events (with a 1K for girls 12 and under) feature Olympian keynote speakers and attract some 1500 to 2000 each. Charity: Because I Am a Girl. Www.runforwomen.ca
A Sampling of Top US Women’s Races
Freihofer’s Run for Women 5K, Albany NY
Significant prize money draws an elite international field of open and masters runners, along with some 4,500 recreational runners. Celebrates its 35th anniversary June 1, 2013.www.freihofersrun.com
Zooma Women’s Half Marathon and 5k Series
An intimate boutique series run by women, set in destination resorts with post-race parties, wine, yoga and massages. Www.zoomarun.com
Diva Half Marathon & 5K Series
The largest women’s race series packs on the parties and the pink for its “diva” runners, in US vacation destinations. www.runlikeadiva.com
See Jane Run Half Marathon and 5K Series
Focus is on inspiration in this four-race series, along with complimentary chocolate tastings, champagne and sports massages. www.seejanerun.com
Nike Women’s Marathon and Half Marathon
The largest women’s race in North America, with some 20,000 runners in San Francisco (October), just got a little half sister in Washington, DC (April).www.facebook.com/NWM26.2
Run Like a Mother
Cool series of 5K races in multiple cities to celebrate mother’s day, including 1K runs for kids. www.runlikeamotherrace.com
Gazelle Girls Half Marathon
A new race that will take you to Grand Rapids, Michigan, in April 2013. www.gazellesports.com/info/255-GazelleGirlHalf.html
Thelma and Louise Half Marathon
This course in Moab, Utah runs through the desert but not, they assure us, over a cliff, June 1, 2013. www.moabhalfmarathon.com/tlhm/index.cfm
Disney Princess Half Marathon Weekend
If you love pink and tiaras, this race is for you: Feb 22-24, 2013.www.rundisney.com/princess-half-marathon
Dirty Girl Mud Runs
At these 5K mud runs, PMS stands for pretty muddy stuff. Some 50 events all over the US. www.godirtygirl.com
Iron Girl
Athleta apparel sponsors some 13 US-wide events varying from 5K to marathon, duathlon and triathlon. www.irongirl.com
A Sampling of Top International Women’s Races
Flora Women’s Mini Marathon, Dublin, Ireland
Started in 1983 with 9,000 participants, this 10K had more than 40,000 women on the start line in 2011, who made it the biggest single-day charity fundraising event in Ireland. June 3, 2013. http://www.florawomensminimarathon.ie
Avon Women Running Frauenlauf, Berlin
Prize money attracts German and international elite runners to this 18,500-women strong 5K and 10K, now in its 30th year. May of every year. www.berliner-frauenlauf.de
Austrian Women’s Run, Vienna
The glamour event of women’s racing in Europe, this 5K and 10K attracts some 30,000 women, with divisions for elite and recreational runners, even company and family teams. May 26, 2013. www.austrianwomensrun.com
La Parisienne Women’s Race
This fun 6K starting under the Eiffel Tower attracts some 28,000 women. September 15, 2013. www.la-parisienne.net
Had a chance to hang out with World Record holder Betty Jean McHugh as she underwent a battery of tests at McGill University, the Montreal Masters Study, to find out how she has managed to run marathons so well for so long. Great genes? Yup, probably. Consistent running, yoga, weight training and hiking routine for past 35 years? Most definitely.
Here are a few things to ponder:
1) BJ, at 85, has a higher VO2 max than I do at age 51, and I qualified for the Boston Marathon (and ran it last spring) so I’m hardly a slouch.
2) BJ has 4 more pounds of muscle that I do.
3) BJ has less body fat than I do.
4) On our walks around Montreal, I didn’t want her walking any faster or I could not have kept up.
Hey, 85 is looking pretty fabulous!
Check out BJ’s wonderful book, My Road to Rome, which takes readers from her early days growing up on a small Ontario farm, to adventures in Toronto during the 1940s, across the country to settle in Vancouver where she raised a family before taking up running at age 50 and proving that she is an incredible athletic talent. She has set world records in the marathon and ran three marathons the year she turned 83!
World-record holder in the marathon, at 85, BJ McHugh — she’s on the left. That’s me on the right.
It was totally inspiring to see top masters sprinters in Canada — Patty Blanchard, Karen Gold, Donna Dixon and Laurie Meloche — team up at the Canadian Indoor Nationals to set a new World Record in the 4X800. They did it definitively in 10:32.66, peeling about six seconds off the previous WR set in 2012.
Janet thought the snap was a tree branch, as her right foot, at full running stride, plunged into a pothole and remained there, while she abruptly collapsed down onto it.
I didn’t hear the crack but saw the results: her foot turned at an angle that suggested a very bad break.
The moment was sickening for a whole whack of reasons – my friend’s searing pain, the odd angle of her foot (gut wrenching for any runner who fears leg injuries); and then, finally, the terrifying realization that we were in the worst possible place on our day-break run for this accident to occur: a remote stretch of the Don Valley running trail, a kilometre from the nearest stairs leading up to a bridge and help.
And we were without a cell phone.
That was our second mistake.
About eight minutes earlier we stood on the walking bridge that joins the west and east Riverdale Parks, looking down at our usual route along the path by the river, which was covered in thick snowy slush. We contemplated taking the road, but dissed that option as if it for wimps and decided to risk getting soakers.
That would be our first mistake: That we risked far more than soakers when we did not base our decision, first, on safety.
Sometimes – too often — we runners feel so strong, so invincible, like superheroes who can extend the range of a car because we can run a half marathon or marathon distance to fetch gas should that mere machine run out of fuel in the middle of nowhere.
Tuesday morning reminded me that a) we should always carry a cell phone, even while running with friends b) we are not invincible; our bones do break c) Toronto may be a big city yet we constantly run into remote wild spots or even dodgy urban pockets that put us out of reach of easy help.
Our usual group was slimmed out that morning – by illness, injuries and yucky weather – leaving just the three of us, but thankfully, there were three of us.
Imagine yourself with a running buddy too hurt to walk, in a remote area, on a path so slushy or icy that others are unlikely to pass by to offer help. And you have to decide whether to leave your pal behind in the snow and cold – while she gets hypothermic and possibly even goes into shock – or stay with her and risk having no one pass by to help.
At least we didn’t have to make that sickening decision. Janis stayed with Janet, packing snow onto her fast-swelling ankle, while I ran back to call an ambulance and fetch Janis’ kids’ toboggan to use as a rescue sled. I grabbed a sleeping bag along the way to keep Janet warm and, as I ran back by Riverdale Farm, flagged down a runner on the street – I feared how Janet might be by the time I returned and wanted all the help we could get.
As we ran across Riverdale Park to the bridge, I asked this good Samaritan stranger if she might be able to help pull a toboggan.
“I just came back from Crossfit, dragging tractor tires across the floor,” she said.
Finally, a lucky break to follow the bad break. Mystery woman also came up with the great idea of pulling Janet down to the Queen/King bridge where the stairs led up to the street, more accessible for the ambulance than the Riverdale bridge. Having another brain along in an emergency can be as important as a strong pair of Amazon legs.
We got Janet into the sleeping bag and onto the sled, and we took turns pulling as we ran her down to the bridge where paramedics met us. Janet was unbelievably gutsy through the whole ordeal, smiling and even laughing through pain as she hopped up a good part of those stairs because, let’s just say those paramedics who were supposed to be carrying her could use a dose of Coach E’s training.
But within the hour, Janet was in the hospital with X-rays being taken of her ankle – a bad break and several fractures that will require surgery to set. Even after hearing that, Janet was still cracking jokes. Two of them: She has an Around the Bay bib to give away; and she took this bullet for our Tuesday morning run group, knowing it could have been any of us hitting that pothole lurking under the slush.
After Janet was safe, I was still shaky. I could not stop replaying the morning drama in my mind. Yes, our running pulled off the rescue mission – but our running decisions got us into the trouble that necessitated the rescue.
Lessons? I will now make my cell phone part of my running gear, and safety will be the first decision I make on any run.
Janet – we wish you speedy healing. And please, no more tough lessons from you.
No one can better attest to the power of proper fuel than an endurance athlete. Strenuous activity requires the right diet for both performance and recovery. While an inactive person trying to shed a few pounds can focus on calorie deprivation, someone who demands work from their body knows that the RIGHT food is the only way to keep their engine firing. Of course, if you are already an athlete, you may think that training is key. To a degree. But if you want to reap greater rewards from your training, diet is the determinant of success.
Margaret Webb, a 50-year-old marathoner, is living proof of how a few pertinent dietary changes can lead to dramatic increases in both physical performance and body composition. We met a few months ago to discuss how she could become a faster, stronger runner – IF this was possible.
“You better believe it!” was my response.
I advised her to follow a lower carbohydrate diet, with a primary focus on maintaining balanced blood sugar levels ALL day, especially before and during her workouts. This is the same way of eating I recommend for someone who is trying to lose weight, lower cholesterol levels, increase energy, or age gracefully. Store less, burn more. It’s a simple equation and it works.
It works if you DO IT, that is. And Margaret has done it, and continues to do it. Since she started eating this way, ten pounds have fallen off her frame, her speed on both long and short runs has improved, and her energy and recovery have sky-rocketted. If an already trained athlete like her can experience positive change, then the diet works. The proof is in the pudding.
Endurance athletes are reluctant to lower their carbohydrate consumption, yet this is EXACTLY what most of them need to get fitter and faster. One of the first things I advised Margaret to do was cut out grains – the high density, inflammatory, acidic sugars that make up the bulk of most people’s meals. Was she reluctant at first? You better believe it. Who wouldn’t be? Everyone loves a bowl of pasta or a hunk of baguette, and running marathons seems like the ideal excuse to eat more of them. But after two weeks, she was convinced.
Eating for fuel means that vegetables and fruit provide her primary carbohydrates. By avoiding high insulin meals she ensures that her calories are never unnecessarily stored as fat. This takes care of weight and energy levels, while the addition of more glucose concentrated carbs prior to and during long runs, provides the sugar she needs when her body needs it most. There is NO benefit to shovelling in the sugar in high quantities any other time of day. What people don’t often realize is that during endurance activity, fat is a longer lasting form of fuel than carbohydrates. So let your body use it.
Don’t forget the fat. Unsaturated fats are found in avocados, olive oil, fish, nuts, and seeds. Margaret adds one of these to every meal and snack to stabilize her blood sugar, preventing over-eating and constant craving. Who would believe that eating more fat could help you lose fat? Margaret does now. Her new pre-long run meal is a couple of dates filled with almond butter. That’s more fat than sugar. She says her long runs are easier than ever.
And then there’s protein. Proper recovery requires amino acids, as does muscle building. These processes boost her metabolism and better her performance. Like for many athletes, before she tweaked her eating, protein was not a primary consideration for her. Now it is. Fish, eggs, and lean meat all break down into the building blocks needed to keep her body repaired and ready. Along with the healthy fats, protein also keeps her energy levels stable and alleviates the desire for dense carbs.
Whether you are training to run marathons or trying to lose weight, the right way of eating remains the same. And the response of a well-trained body is the true test of what works.
Your body is a machine. Fuel it right. Keep it lean.
If you think turning 50 sucks, try running a little harder then watch time spin backwards. The research is spilling out — that endurance training can stall and even reverse the clock on aging. I lap that stuff up because, hey, I want an entire second act to my life. I want that birthday fantasy to come true — of having the wisdom of a 50-year-old inside the strong body of a 20 something (okay, can’t do much about the wrinkles).
Is it possible?
Well, I’m putting the research to the test. My goal is to get in the best shape of my life, after 50. My proof? Setting personal bests in every race I enter — 5k, 10k, 1/2 marathon, marathon. And then race against some of the world’s best oldest athletes at the World Masters Games in Torino, Italy in August 2013, which I will do with my running buddies above (who range from 50 to 61; pretty awesome, huh?).
I’m three months into that year-long plan to Super Fit Me. And here’s (in brief) what’s happened so far:
Lost: 10 pounds & super-charged my energy.
Gained: Two power-piston glutes and stronger hammies.
Partially Recovered: From a midlife crisis.
Improved: My mental attitude and also 1/2 and marathon paces by about 20 seconds/km.
Set: Personal bests in every fall race I entered, so will have to top all those results again. Not goofing around. Setting the bar high here.
Won: And this for a gal who has never gotten within a dirty sock sniff of the podium, two first-place finishes (a 5k and 10.8k), one third and one fifth (in half marathons) in the 50-54 age group. How’s that from someone who was cut from her grade school track team and never thought she could be fast enough to even run with a club. This from a flat-footed menopausal menace who packed on 20 pounds eating her way across Canada researching a food book. (Since that buffet-athon, I have run about 6,000 kilometres.)
How did I do it? How will I get to the next stage of super fitness? Please join me on the Older Faster Stronger journey. And hey, if you’re under 50, do Younger Faster Stronger. Subscribe on the RRS feed at the bottom of this blog, follow me on facebook and twitter, or check in here for regular posts.