Episode 28 - Older, Wiser, Stronger: How Ultra Training Should Change With Age

Episode 28 explores how ultra training should evolve with age without lowering ambition. The central idea is the recovery budget: every long run, hard session, strength workout and race creates stress, while sleep, work, nutrition and life commitments affect how quickly that budget is restored.

As runners get older, training does not necessarily need to become easier, but it should become less crowded and more purposeful. This means allowing more recovery between demanding sessions, maintaining strength training, using intensity selectively and treating races as major training loads rather than casual additions to the calendar.

The episode also stresses that sustainable training matters at every age. Younger runners may tolerate poor decisions for longer, but repeated overload can still lead to injury, fatigue and burnout. The key message is:

Do not ask how much training you can survive. Ask how much training you can absorb and repeat for years.

Key references:

1. Tanaka H, Seals DR. Endurance exercise performance in Masters athletes: age-associated changes and underlying physiological mechanisms. The Journal of Physiology. 2008;586(1):55–63. doi: 10.1113/jphysiol.2007.141879

2. Borges N, Reaburn P, Driller M, Argus C. Age-related changes in performance and recovery kinetics in Masters athletes: a narrative review. Journal of Aging and Physical Activity. 2016;24(1):149–157. doi: 10.1123/japa.2015-0021

3. Valenzuela PL, Maffiuletti NA, Joyner MJ, Lucia A, Lepers R. Lifelong endurance exercise as a countermeasure against age-related VO₂max decline: physiological overview and insights from Masters athletes. Sports Medicine. 2020;50(4):703–716. doi: 10.1007/s40279-019-01252-0

4. Fragala MS, Cadore EL, Dorgo S, et al. Resistance training for older adults: position statement from the National Strength and Conditioning Association. Journal of Strength and Conditioning Research. 2019;33(8):2019–2052. doi: 10.1519/JSC.0000000000003230

5. Llanos-Lagos C, Ramirez-Campillo R, Moran J, Sáez de Villarreal E. Effect of strength-training programs on middle- and long-distance runners’ economy at different running speeds: a systematic review with meta-analysis. Sports Medicine. 2024;54(4):895–932. doi: 10.1007/s40279-023-01978-y

6. Herbert P, Hayes LD, Sculthorpe NF, Grace FM. HIIT produces increases in muscle power and free testosterone in male Masters athletes. Endocrine Connections. 2017;6(7):430–436. doi: 10.1530/EC-17-0159

7. Soligard T, Schwellnus M, Alonso JM, et al. How much is too much? Part 1: International Olympic Committee consensus statement on load in sport and risk of injury. British Journal of Sports Medicine. 2016;50(17):1030–1041. doi: 10.1136/bjsports-2016-096581

8. Doering TM, Reaburn PR, Phillips SM, Jenkins DG. Postexercise dietary protein strategies to maximize skeletal-muscle repair and remodeling in Masters endurance athletes: a review. International Journal of Sport Nutrition and Exercise Metabolism. 2016;26(2):168–178. doi: 10.1123/ijsnem.2015-0102

9. Tiller NB, Millet GY. Decoding ultramarathon: muscle damage as the main impediment to performance. Sports Medicine. 2025;55(3):535–543. doi: 10.1007/s40279-024-02127-9