Seek running adventures
66 NANCY DITZ
MOSBACHER 1988 OLYMPIC MARATHONER; RAN A 3:08 800M AT 65
• ‘AT THE OLYMPIC Marathon trials in 1992, I was with the lead pack after the halfway point, but my heart wasn’t in it. I stepped off the course and quit running for the next 22 years. I was incredibly happy and busy with my family, but when my daughter and I decided to run the 2016 Boston Marathon together, I started training again when I was 60. That’s when I realised I missed running.
‘During my competitive career, I had been relatively healthy. The second time around, it was a different story. I’ve had sciatica, tight IT bands and I tore the meniscus in both knees. A lot of my injuries have come from weak hips, so now I spend at least
10 minutes every day rolling my IT bands and working on mobility. I have an arsenal of rollers and a Hypervolt [a massage gun], and I see a physiotherapist every two weeks. My other areas of focus are my hip flexors, pelvis and thoracic spine [upper to midback] – I probably spend too much time hunched in front of my computer.
‘In my competitive career, I ran solo. But since my comeback, running has become a social activity for me. I’ve trained with two different groups and developed deep friendships with the other runners. When necessary, I modify my workout so the faster people don’t have to wait for me. If they’re doing 1200m repeats, I’ll do 1000s. It gives me enough rest to get back to the starting line when they’re ready to go.
‘But I do most of my training on trails. There’s less pounding and more running adventures. My daughter and I ran the North Rim of the Grand Canyon together, and camped out along the way. Trails also allow me to stop thinking about pacing and time as often as I might on the track or roads. It’s joyful. I’ve adjusted my attitude in that respect. I want to win my age group and stay competitive, but now I seek out the fun first.’
• THE EXPERTS SAY In your 60s, diversify where, when and why you run. ‘Success in the 60s means reframing goals,’ says Cathy Utzschneider, professor of high performance at Boston College, US. Adopt a ‘less is better’ approach to training and keep things fresh: use your fitness to try other sports, such as cycling. Running coach Tony Coffey encourages cross-country for his runners in their 60s because every course is different. If you race, Utzschneider recommends an agegrading calculator, like the one on Mastersathletics (mastersathletics.net), to score your performance based on your age. •