FEED YOUR MUSCLES TO STOKE YOUR SPEED
61 ANSELM LEBOURNE 60-64 AGE GROUP 800M INDOOR WORLD RECORD HOLDER: 2:11.80
• ‘ONCE THE PANDEMIC ends, I’m planning to go back to chasing records on the track in the 1500m and the mile, so I feel I need to get stronger. I’m not a fan of lifting weights, so I’ve started incorporating a hill workout once a week into my running routine. I think it’s the most difficult workout I do. The hill is about 150m long – a gradual uphill climb for the first 130m, then steep for the last 20m. I run it 10 times, jogging back down and going right into the next one. I can feel how the hills have made me stronger when I’m doing my track workouts.
‘In my 60s, I need to give myself more time for workouts. In my 50s, I could do 10 x 400m with one-minute rest. Now I need two minutes of rest if I want to complete the whole workout with quality. I also give myself at least a mile and a half for warm-up and cool-down, sometimes two miles.
‘I think diet is also important as you get older. I’ve been vegan for more than a decade because I felt I was able to sleep better and train harder with a clean diet. Less sugar helped tremendously. In the mornings, I make a special smoothie with different greens, plant protein, garlic, spirulina, pumpkin seeds and two bananas. I really love that smoothie. I mostly snack for lunch, and dinner could be rice and beans or a big salad with lots of different vegetables.’
• THE EXPERTS SAY Maintain stride length by working your glutes and hamstrings. Marathoners in their 60s had stride lengths 16 per cent shorter than those of marathoners in their 40s, found a study published in the
British Journal of Sports Medicine. Hills can
help older runners build leg strength and speed to keep strides long, says Greg McMillan, running coach and exercise physiologist. But approach hills carefully. McMillan suggests you have a consistent, strong running base, with strides at least twice per week, before you try hills. Start with shorter hills at a slow pace and build up gradually.
McMillan adds that men and women in this age group might experience noticeable weight gain. You lose muscle tissue as you age, which slows your metabolism and contributes to a higher percentage of body fat. A highprotein diet helps preserve lean muscle mass, and dietitian Leslie Bonci says runners in their 60s need at least 20 grams per meal, but should aim for 0.6-0.8 grams of protein per 450g of body weight daily. Bonci adds that calcium, vitamin D and vitamin K are critical for bone health in this age group, plus dietary fibre – women over 50 should aim for 20 grams per day and men should aim for 30 grams. •