Posted in Blog, Featured, Information, Performance Enhancement, Running.

May 8th, 2023

Master Runners

by Mandy Fox, PT, DPT & ShanShan Feng, SPT

Who are the masters?

USATF Masters Track & Field holds the masters category open for athletes 25 years and older for all local, regional, and national competitions. International races offer the masters category for athletes 35 years and older.

USATF Masters Long Distance Running holds the masters category open for athletes 40 years and older for all local, regional, and national competitions. International races offer the masters category for athletes 35 years and older.

Are the masters showing up?

They aren’t just showing up, they are taking over! The masters category is becoming a dominating group in the running community. Looking at the 2022 NYC Marathon, the single highest number of participants in an age group fell in the 40-44 YO group.

What’s changing?

Well, a lot is changing. Running is becoming more and more popular and, well, frankly, over the hill doesn’t mean what it used to. But let’s look at what is physically changing for the masters compared to their younger running buddies.

Cardiovascular:

As a process of normal aging, there is a decrease in maximum heart rate, stroke volume (the amount of blood pumped out by the heart with each beat), cardiac output, and VO_2max . On average, we see a 6%-15% decrease in VO_2max per decade as we age.

However, running economy is NOT negatively influenced by age. Running economy is the rate of oxygen consumption at submaximal running speeds, and this is preserved in masters runners, even when running speed itself starts to decrease.
Additionally, aerobic capacity of lifelong endurance runners in their 80s is still TWICE that of inactive adults.

Musculoskeletal:

In terms of muscle, we see a linear decline of 1~2% reduction in lean muscle mass beginning in our 30s, leading to decreases in muscle strength and power. This is primarily a loss of type II fast-twitch fibers, a loss of alpha motor neurons that control muscle contraction, decrease in mitochondria within muscle fibers, and increased infiltration of fibrous and adipose tissue within the muscle.
We also see a high prevalence of degenerative tendinopathy due to decreased tendon stiffness & decreased tensile strength of tendons, such as the Achilles tendon and proximal hamstring tendons.
In contrast to common misconceptions about running and cartilage degradation, distance running in masters runners leads to REDUCED cartilaginous degradation, and running seems to condition the articular cartilage, leading to protective effects against knee & hip osteoarthritis. In fact, the rate of hip and knee osteoarthritis in marathoners is 8.8%, while in the general US population it is 17.9% – marathoners have HALF the rate of knee and hip OA!
Bony changes do occur in masters runners, particularly in women, where we see a decrease in bone mineral density, especially postmenopause, and reductions are seen in men as well. This leads to an increased risk of subchondral insufficiency fractures such as medial/lateral femoral condyle and tibial plateau.

Biomechanic Adaptations:

As runners age, we see a decrease in several different key temporospatial parameters such as decreased velocity and decreased step length, but higher cadence. This means we are taking more steps per minute but running at slower speeds.
In terms of kinetics, we also see decreased peak propulsive force and vertical ground reaction force.
The ankle plantarflexors, more commonly known as the “calf” muscles are the largest muscular contributors to propulsion and vertical support during running. This includes BOTH the gastrocnemius and the soleus. Concentric ankle power during running is strongly associated with stride length, velocity, and peak propulsive force, and this is performed by the shortening of the ankle plantarflexors during muscle contraction while pushing off the ground. Concentric ankle power during running can decrease up to 47.9% between ages 20 to 80 and this decline is not compensated with greater contributions from the hip and knee. Maintenance of plantarflexor capacity requires maintaining weekly volume and intensity, and STRENGTH TRAINING both the gastrocnemius AND the soleus – this means heel raise variations with both a straight and bent knee, and other exercises that load the calf isometrically and eccentrically. Plyometric training is important to maintain propulsive power through the calf, muscular endurance of the plantarflexors (e.g. jumping rope), and stiffness of the Achilles tendon.

What are some motivating factors for masters runners?

Older runners (aged 50 years and older) were mainly motivated by health reasons, weight concerns, life meaning, and need for affiliation with other runners, whereas younger runners (aged 20 years and less) were mainly motivated by goal achievement and competition, according to a 2010 study on motivations for running athletes. High levels of external regulation is the most important factor that distinguished those 65 years and older from other age groups.

What happens to performance over time?

In masters runners, we see a very gradual decline in performance until about age 50-60, where decline picks up a bit. This is why we see so many runners competing at a high level through their 30s and 40s!

What injuries are most prevalent? How do we prevent them?

Masters runners are typically injured more frequently than younger runners, sometimes with multiple injuries throughout the year. These tend to be more soft-tissue type injuries to the calf, achilles, and hamstrings. The 3 most common are plantar fasciitis (9.8%), quadriceps/hamstring tendinitis (8.1%), Achilles injuries (6.2%).

To prevent injury, maintaining training volume & intensity is important, as well as strength training! Slow, heavy resistance training demonstrates a large beneficial effect on muscle qualities, tendon stiffness, and running performance. This is in contrast to high rep, light resistance training which demonstrates a negligible effect on tendon stiffness – in other words, don’t be afraid of heavy weights! Plyometrics are very beneficial for tendon stiffness, but do not facilitate plantarflexor muscle change – this still requires weighted heel raises. Be sure to integrate strength training with some caution if this is new for you – the rate of tendon adaptations to loading declines with age – it takes at least 6 months & you should progress slowly.

What are some considerations for masters runners?

As mentioned above, masters runners should maintain training volume and intensity as long as they can. Strength training including heavy weights and plyometrics are super important to corporate in the training routine.

Additionally, look at other running modes known to increase the demand of plantarflexors. For example, minimalist shoes and super shoes put much higher demand for the calf muscles. Running on soft surfaces and treadmill running put more demand on the Achilles tendon. We should approach hill running and speed work gradually as the calf muscles work harder.

Some medications can have negative effects on muscles. Statins are common drugs used for treating high cholesterol, but it is known to have side effects on muscles. Patients taking statins could experience muscle cramping, soreness, fatigue and weakness. Another drug that should be taken into consideration is fluoroquinolones. It is known to negatively affect tendons, especially the Achilles tendon. Symptoms of fluoroquinolone-related tendinopathy can present within hours of starting treatment or up to 6 months after ceasing treatment. Renal disease, corticosteroid use, physically active patients, Diabetics and rheumatic diseases increase risk of developing fluoroquinolones-related tendinopathy. Some research has shown that eccentric exercises, a common type of exercise utilized to treat tendon related injuries, may not be appropriate for fluoroquinolone-related tendinopathy, especially in the early stages. Therefore, it is important to screen medications when treating masters runners.

While, sure, there’s some additional considerations to running as we all age, masters runners are only growing in size as the dominating group out there. The biggest takeaway is to continue moving and lift heavy, and we hopefully can all keep running for as long as we want to.

References

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