Once upon a time, in a land called Before I Hit 30, lived a man who could run 10 miles one day and do speed work the next day with relative ease. This man worked out close to 6 days a week, ate whatever he wanted, and still had washboard abs. One day, a fierce creature called Getting Older came to the land and pounced on the man zapping his energy and his will to work out.

The man didn't know what hit him. He fought the beast off and won the day, but to the man's surprise, the beast returned the next day. The creature was stronger and put up a more brutal fight. The man defeated the beast, but once again, the next day, the beast returned stronger.

To this day, the man and the beast fight daily. The man must work twice as hard to defeat the creature as the beast grows more powerful.

If you couldn't tell, the man in this story was me. Most of the story is true. I did embellish the washboard abs part some, but I think you get the picture.

As I've gotten older, I've changed many things I used to do before, during, and after workouts to help my body recover or prevent injury. Below are tips I've found helpful as a runner as I get older.

Workout less

As I get older, my recovery time has become just as essential as my time working out. The weeks of 6-days of activities are long behind me. The maximum number of days I'll exercise in a week is 5, giving me enough time to rest and recharge.

Change shoes often

I'll be the first to admit that I push my shoes beyond their limits. Most experts say you should replace running shoes after wearing them between 300 to 500 miles to prevent injury. I used to run my shoes bald before replacing them, but now I try to buy new pairs as soon as the soles of my shoes start to warp out of shape. I can't say enough how my ankles appreciate this added support.

Stretch more

Stretching before and after workouts is probably the most important thing you can do to help yourself remain flexible as you age. I've even dedicated some off days from exercising to work on stretching strictly. See blog my blog article To Stretch or Not to Stretch

Cross-train

Not only can mixing up your workouts help with your recovery, but you also have the added benefit of doing something different. Running every day can become redundant and boring. With cross-training you can work out those neglected muscles while resting some of the more heavily used ones.

Listen to your body

Please tell me if this sounds familiar. You're at the end of your run and look down at your watch, and you see that you're .30 away from having an even 6 miles. Most runners that I know would push on and get that extra .30. If you are running injured, it's not worth doing that last .30. If you twist an ankle or hyper-extend a knee during your workout, don't make things worse. Listen to your body and get that last .30 another day. Never feel ashamed to cut a workout short.