FOREVER YOUNG

Team GB legend Jo Pavey, who won gold in the European Championships 10,000m at the age of 40, shares some of the secrets of her extraordinary longevity

Tune in

‘Try to be better at listening to your body as you get older and take a flexible approach to your schedule. Make sensible decisions regarding your training on a day-to-day basis according to how your body feels and whether you have any niggles. If necessary, give yourself a day or two longer than planned to recover after a hard session.’

Tread softly

‘Run on softer surfaces when possible to reduce the impact through your joints.’

Support yourself

‘Invest in massages to work on tight areas and be more diligent with your stretching. Keep a check on your corestability work, and do gentle strength and conditioning work to help reduce agerelated loss of muscle mass.’

Stay positive

‘Keep a positive mindset and be happy about getting older. As you age you’re amassing more knowledge about running and what training works for you. Put this hard-earned knowledge and experience to use.’

Set goals

‘It doesn’t matter if these are slightly different from the ones you had in your younger years. Having a goal requires planning and will keep you motivated’

Think fast

‘Sometimes runners think they’re too old for certain types of training, but if you stop doing interval sessions and speedwork whatever your age, you’ll get slower. Try to keep the variety of your training going by running at different paces.’