Jeanie Rice is a 76 year old that keeps setting recorrs. No, it’s not a bridge record or a crocheting record. It’s a running record. She just set the World Record for fastest marathon in the 75-79 age group.
Another story of people defying social norms on aging and re-writing our expectations.
Aging is inevitable. But that doesn’t mean we can’t still do amazing things.
The human body is an amazing, resilient, and robust machine that can function at a high level for a long time…if we take care of it.
Here are 6 things we can learn from Jeanie
1. Don't get injured
Jeanie doen’t get injured often. She’s safe with her exercises and training.
We so often worry about performance and training, that we sometimes overlook the easiest way to improve our healthspan (years with good life) - which is avoiding injury. Injuries can disrupt our lives, prevent us from getting the benefits of exercise, and lead to chronic injuries that can cause physical and mental deterioration.
2. Importance of compounding training
She’s accumulated decades of training because she stays injury free.
It’s like investing in your 401k. Or doubling pennies.
Not only does training over a long period prevent atrophy and deterioration. But the body has long term adaptations to exercise. While the 10% weekly or bi-weekly increase in your training might not seem like much, over years it becomes very significant.
3. High vo2max
Jeanie has a high VO2Max (heart’s ability to use oxygen during exercise).
This is a result of genetics, training, and the 2 categories above this one.
If running is water, then strength and VO2Max are the glass you can pour it in. The greater your strength/VO2Max, the more you can run.
4. High step rate, increased cadence
Research and anecdote evidence shows increasing cadence can improve performance and prevent injuries.
This is why it’s important to build your strength/VO2Max so that you have a greater ability to train with proper form.
This category takes conscious awareness and practice. It’s a skill you need to train specifically.
We often get injured when we’re tired and slogging our legs forward at a low cadence.
5. Good mindset mental health
Jeanie takes care of her mental health. She doesn’t over stress about her exercise routine and maintains a healthy outlook.
You can’t separate the mind from the body. Being aware of your thoughts and practicing healthy mental health habits not only protects your emotions and psychological health, but it also protects your body.
When I worked in NYC with high level runners, one of the major faults was their extremely stressful lifestyles, unhealthy attachment to their running mileage, and unrealistic expectations of performance and recovery. Often, it wasn’t until their mindset changed that their body could change to recover from their injury.
6. don’t overtrain
Jeanie listens to her body and doesn’t excessively train.
Many people get obsessed with the numbers and the regime the design. Then a couple nights of bad sleep, too much yard work, stress at their job, and an argument with their spouse lead to an overwhelming allostatic load. Then they go for their long run anyway…and then wonder why their knee hurts.
Overtraining isn’t just physical. It encompasses many different aspects of life.
Be aware of both your physical training as well as the rest of your life outside your running shoes.
Summary
Think about the long game. It’s a risk/rewards thing.
As Jeanie has demonstrated, life’s not a sprint, it’s a marathon.
Learn from her wisdom to improve your health and performance.
