Masters Running: A Guide to Running and Staying Fit After 40

by Hal Higdon

Rodale, 2005 (ISBN: 1-59486-021-1)

 

With 34 books in print and hundreds of articles written for Runner’s Worldas contributing editor, Hal Higdon is one of the most widely read writers in the world of running.

 

 

His greatest successes came as a masters runner, beginning with a victory in the 10,000 meters at the National AAU Masters Championships, three days after his fortieth birthday.  He went on to win four world masters championships.

 

 

Higdon is a training consultant to the Chicago Marathon and works with the Chicago Area Running Association’s Training class.  He also has an extensive web page.

 

Marathon Training Plan – Masters

 

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Although a big fan of Higdon's Training programs and his writing style in general, I didn't care much for this book.  The title should have been "Hal Higdon's Masters Running Experiences" because that was the focus.  However, with that said, there were bits of good advise sprinkled throughout the book.  Here are a few quotes:

 

"The secret of success in masters competition is to age more slowly than the other competitors in your age division."

 

"People who exercise harder -- between 75 and 85 percent of their maximum heart rate -- for 20 minutes can burn as many calories as a person walking for 45 minutes."

 

"Scientific research suggests that after a period of de-training [layoff], you need to retrain 2 days for every 1 day you lost to regain previous fitness."

 

"Masters runners don't need to train every day, but they need to train most days."

 

"You need to gradually increase the degree and difficulty of your training over a period of weeks and months and sometimes even years."

 

"If you want to improve as a masters runner, you need to improve your training."

 

"You accomplish many things by running your long runs at a slow pace.  First, you teach your body to burn fats more efficiently, sparing glycogen so this more-efficient fuel will be available in the closing miles.  Second, by runniung 20 miles slower than race pace, you at least approach the length of time you will run in a marathon.  Third, you don't turn each workout into a race, which can be debilitating, physically and psychologically."

 

"A lesson that most masters runners need to learn is that less is often best."

 

"Running is a contact sport.  Unlike sports such as football, we don't collide with our opponents; we collide with the pavement."

 

"If you absorb only a single message from this book, it is that strength training is essential for success as a masters runner."

 

"Runners need to improve their speed, and one of the best ways to do that is with strength training."

 

"Show me a masters runner who never has been injured, and I'll show you a runner who is suffering from serious denial."

 

"The way to prevent injuries from happening is to not make training errors."

 

"All masters runners make at least minor modifications in their training as they move from their thirties into their forties, and modify it even more moving into their fifties and sixties."

 

"You are a master of your own fate, or at least the training that leads to that fate."

 

"The most important [thing] in any training program is consistency.  Never get too far out of shape.  Blend speed, strength, and rest, and you will achieve success as a masters runner."