Summary: For Margaret Webb, her running journey was rekindled approaching age 50 with a simple premise – become fitter than her prior varsity athlete self at age 20 by engaging in a super fit year training for a marathon and in doing so attempting to run a Boston Marathon qualifying time of an 18-34 year old woman of sub 3:35. Throughout her journey she consulted with a team of experts, tapped the minds of leading researchers and delved into physiology and laboratory testing, all in a quest to understand how to minimize the effects of aging and continue running for the second act of life. She traversed North America to run with pioneers of the women’s running boom and uncover secrets of some of the best masters athletes in the world as to how they manage to run well into their 70s, 80s and even 90s. She also traveled to Africa to train with elite marathoners, summited Mt. Kilimanjaro and eventually to Italy where she tested herself in a half marathon against some of the fittest 50 year olds on the planet, finishing in the top 5 for her age group. Today she places and even at times wins her age group in some races, has a marathon PR 21 minutes under her Boston Qualifying standard and a new outlook on the second half of her life. She wrote a running column in Canada’s Globe and Mail, has contributed to Canadian Running Magazine and is a published author including her latest book which chronicles this entire journey, the stories of those running strong at an advanced age and the researchers studying them in Older, Faster, Stronger. In this episode you'll discover how running can be enjoyed well into advanced age including: How running can reduce the use of prescription medications, the effects of aging, cancer and even increase life expectancy The importance of hard training sessions as you age for stimulating growth hormone (and why it's key) Her healthy alternatives to gels and bars for quick carbs to fuel your harder sessions How she increased her volume from 18 miles per week to 55 miles per week - and had fewer issues Safely building speed after age 50 Thoughts on how to be your own best supporter (what that means) Why preparing for a race from a technical, tactical and metal perspective translates into success on race day What she learned from running with the Iron Nun, BJ McCue and other masters runners well into their 80s How to not dwell on falling short of your goal Coaching Minute Thoughts on what to focus on most as a masters runner, and if you aren't a masters runner what to do now to ensure you will enjoy the sport long after you become one. Success Quote "The obsession with running is really an obsession with the potential for more and more life." -George Sheehan Links Mentioned in the Show Older, Faster, Stronger - Get Margaret's Book MargaretWebb.com Crush My PR - Sign up for our free training on the 5 Step System to Crush Your PR
