Musings of an older Athlete.

Photo courtesy of NIRunning

As you become older it has to be accepted that, all things being equal, you are not going to be able to run as quickly as you might have been able to in the past. Cadence may remain the same, but the length of stride will inexorably decrease.

A smarter training regime can however help to ensure that all things are not equal and that the brakes of age are not applied with the full strength of longevity. That for me is one of the greatest incentives to keep training. Over the last few years and with the assistance of club mates and coaching I have managed to improve my times for my favoured event, - the 800m. The time reduction hasn't been huge but with age factored in, Mr Grubb's tables tell me that I am now running at a pace which equates to a senior athlete running at under 1min 50. Oh that I had managed that during what passed for my athletic prime! It probably indicates that I didn't train hard enough when I had the benefit of youth.