As a masters or menopausal athlete, you’ve probably been told that slowing down is just part of the process. The common narrative says that with age, comes a slower pace, but what if that’s not the full story? What if you could actually get faster as you age? It’s a contrarian thought, but one worth exploring.
The truth is, getting faster as a masters or menopausal athlete isn’t just a pipe dream—it’s possible, but it requires a different approach. It’s not about pushing your body to the extreme the way you might have in your younger years. It’s about being smarter, more strategic, and embracing the unique strengths that come with your experience and knowledge of your own body.
Let’s break it down.
The Mental Edge: Experience Over Raw Speed
One of the biggest advantages of being a masters or menopausal athlete is the mental toughness you bring to the table. You’ve been running long enough to know what works and what doesn’t. You’ve learned how to pace yourself, how to dig deep when it hurts, and how to navigate the highs and lows of a race. These mental skills alone can make you a much smarter, more strategic runner than someone who’s just relying on raw speed.
Your experience allows you to assess when to push and when to hold back, how to conserve energy over long distances, and how to recover mentally when things get tough. These skills aren’t something that younger athletes have easily—they often burn out quickly or fail to adjust their race-day strategy. But as someone who’s been through more miles and more races, you know exactly how to approach the game in a way that’s sustainable.
Training Smarter, Not Harder
Here’s a truth that many people overlook: masters athletes might actually get better results by training less—but with more focus. Younger runners often assume that the more miles they log, the faster they’ll become, but this can lead to burnout and injury. As you get older, your body needs smarter training—less volume and more quality.
The trick is to combine high-intensity intervals, strength work, and recovery to create a program that challenges your body without overstressing it. You don’t have to run endless miles or beat yourself up with back-to-back speed workouts. Instead, you can focus on fewer, but more efficient workouts that emphasize strength, power, and speed, while giving your body the time it needs to recover. This is where years of running experience can work in your favor: you know the importance of recovery, mobility, and the balance between pushing hard and resting enough to let your body grow stronger.
Hormonal Shifts: The Untapped Advantage of Menopause
Menopause is often seen as a barrier to performance, but it’s time to rethink that. As estrogen declines, the body becomes more efficient at using fat as a fuel source. This could actually be a game-changer for endurance athletes, particularly those running longer races like marathons. Instead of burning through carbs and hitting the dreaded wall, your body becomes more adept at tapping into fat reserves, giving you a more stable energy source over time.
And let’s not forget about the strength gains. Strength training, which is crucial for maintaining muscle mass, can be even more beneficial during menopause as it works in tandem with these hormonal changes. It’s not about losing muscle or endurance—it’s about adapting to your new physiological state and leveraging it for better performance. When done right, the hormonal changes that come with menopause can actually improve your endurance and help you become more efficient and powerful on the run.
Why This Matters for You
So why does all of this matter? Because it’s time to stop believing that aging means slowing down. Instead, think of aging as an opportunity to run smarter, not harder. As a masters or menopausal athlete, you have the chance to optimize your running by training more effectively, recovering more intelligently, and leveraging the mental and physical strengths that only time can give you.
The idea of getting faster with age is possible, and it doesn’t require a magical elixir or a complete overhaul of your life. It requires you to approach running differently, to embrace the experience you’ve gained over the years, and to let go of the limiting beliefs that come with age.
If you’re ready to explore how you can become a faster, stronger runner—whether you're a masters athlete or navigating menopause—I'm here to help. Together, we can design a training plan that suits your body’s needs, embraces your experience, and challenges you to go further than you ever thought possible. It’s time to push past the idea that aging means slowing down, and embrace the reality that you can keep improving—at any age.