Feeling Old
The Question
This question is from June, who is feeling a bit old:
“I didn't start running until I was 59. I got faster and faster and could go longer and longer, but now eight years later I seem to be slowing down. I'm sure it's age and inevitable, but I find it hard to stay motivated when I'm not getting PBs anymore. I do love running, but it feels like something is missing now. ”
Our Coach's Answer
“As you're no doubt aware, it is expected that absolute performance will slow down as you age, or after you've been running for a certain number of years.
A useful way of measuring your performance is using age grading tables. An age-grading percentage is a means of identifying the quality of a performance, adjusting for distance, age and sex.
So, you can compare a 15-year-old male running 800 metres against a 82 year old female running a 10k against a 36-year-old female running a marathon.
I have friends who have a special family age grading table displayed in their kitchen.
Have a play with our age grading calculator.”
Our Member's Answer
Tom in Devon has a similar story:
“Similar story here although you're a few years younger than me. I stopped worrying about times and now I focus on other things like seeing how many different parkruns I can visit in a year or how many 10ks I can do in a month. Running is about so much more than PBs and times. Think about how fit you are compared to other people your age. Nothing beats being healthy.”
A great perspective, Tom.