How to keep running in your 60s — and why it’s never too late to start – The Times

It’s hard to spend many years as a runner and not feel pleased with yourself. You get used to feeling better than your more sedentary peers. You have more energy, fewer illnesses, less anxiety. Maybe you look better, too.

But there’s a catch: over time, this spring of wellbeing dries up. Some runners are barely 40 when they notice the drag of age; others don’t feel it until they are pushing 60. But it comes to us all at some point, the crushing realisation that the best is behind us.

There is no shortage of specific symptoms: reductions in power, bounce, stamina, range of motion. More obviously, you get slower and find it harder. Over time, the decay develops its own momentum. You become more