Running Past 50

As you move past the age of 50, the physiological demands of running require adjustments in training intensity, recovery, goal setting, and mental outlook. Running Past 50 is your guide to addressing those demands so you can continue to enjoy, compete, and excel in the sport you love.

Accomplished runner and coach Caolan MacMahon shares practical advice and her personal stories to guide and inspire you to set realistic yet challenging goals; adapt to the body’s changing realities, including the female-specific changes brought on by menopause; identify the building blocks of successful training; establish and maintain an aerobic base; maximize training while minimizing injury; and incorporate rest and recovery more effectively into workouts or training cycles.

Additionally, you will find 10-week training programs for beginner, intermediate, and advanced runners aiming to conquer a 5K or 10K; a half-marathon program for novice and intermediate runners; and 18-week training programs for marathon beginners, intermediate and advanced marathoners, and ultramarathoners.

Both inspirational and practical, Running Past 50 will help you achieve your goals by making the necessary shifts in thinking and training that lead to personal bests, fewer injuries, and a lifetime of running.

Audience

Runners age 50 and over and running coaches who work with them.

Foreword by Gene Dykes

Part I. Running
Chapter 1. Run by Your Own Rules: Understanding Realities Are Not Restrictions
Chapter 2. Find Your Drive: Determining Goals and Creating Habits
Chapter 3. Adapt to Change: Addressing the Needs of Female Runners

Part II. Training
Chapter 4. Identifying the Building Blocks of Successful Training
Chapter 5. Establishing and Maintaining an Aerobic Base
Chapter 6. Maximizing Training While Minimizing Injury
Chapter 7. Incorporating Rest and Recovery

Part III. Programming
Chapter 8. Creating Your Training Plan
Chapter 9. 5K, 10K, and Half-Marathon Training Plans
Chapter 10. Marathon and Ultramarathon Training Plans
Chapter 11. Transitional Training Plans

Part IV. Competing
Chapter 12. Preparing to Compete
Chapter 13. Designing Your Race-Day Strategy
Chapter 14. Staying Focused and Avoiding Setbacks

Caolan MacMahon has been dedicated to running since she was eight years old, and she continues to pursue her passion several decades later. She has completed more than 80 marathons and ultramarathons since turning 50, including six Boston Marathons and three New York City Marathons. MacMahon is the 2013 RRCA Grand Master 50K champion and has achieved dozens of overall podium and age-group finishes. She is the head coach and director of The Long Run Coaching LLC. She holds certifications from UESCA (Ultrarunning Coach; Endurance Sports Nutrition Certification), NASM (CPT), World Athletics (Elite L5), USATF (L3 Endurance, Youth Specialization; L2 Endurance/Speed/Hurdles/Relays, Youth Specialization), RRCA, and Lydiard (LI and LII). MacMahon is also a USATF L1 coaching instructor and is a coach and clinician at the USATF youth cross country camp at the Olympic Training Center in Colorado Springs.

Beyond her accomplishments in running and coaching, MacMahon is an educator, rock climber, former professor of philosophy, ethicist, animal activist, and writer. She has been a contributing writer for Runner’s World and provided race reports and contributions to Self, New York Times, Ultra Running Magazine, Colorado Runner, 5280, and Elevation Outdoors. She has also been blogging for The Chronic Runner since 2011.
 

“Caolan MacMahon destroys the myth that aging equates with inactivity. From the physiological to the philosophical, Running Past 50 lights the path to longevity and ongoing fulfillment for runners in their mature years.”
—Lorraine Moller, Olympic Marathon Bronze Medalist, Boston Marathon Winner, and Founder of Wings Coaching

“As we age, physiological changes necessitate a shift in approach to training, racing, and recovery. Running Past 50 empowers masters runners with the knowledge and tools they need to continue a fulfilling lifelong relationship with running.”
—Heather Hart, EP-C, CSCS, Cofounder of Hart Strength & Endurance Coaching