Running & Walking For Women Over 40

Running & Walking for Women Over 40

The Road to Sanity and Vanity

Kathrine Switzer

Testimonials

Forties

"Kathrine Switzer’s Running and Walking for Women Over 40 continues to positively change lives. It is never too late, and never more appropriate than now, to take control of your health and fitness with the great direction of Kathrine Switzer. With the guidance of this book, you will become more healthy and fit, and also miraculously more engaged and successful in every aspect of your life. You owe this book to yourself or someone you love."

—Deena Drossin Kastor, age 41, and still running; Olympic marathon bronze medalist 2004, holds American Women’s Marathon record (2:19) and half-marathon (1:07), member of three Olympic teams.

Kathrine Switzer has been leading women across start lines and through finish lines for decades, and continues to inspire us. Whether you are a seasoned runner or lacing up for the first time, Kathrine guides us with the expertise of an athlete and the empathy of a woman. She shares the wisdom of her miles, teaching us how to age gracefully and gratefully.

—Kristin Armstrong, age 42, and still running; Contributing Editor for Runner’s World magazine and author of Mile Markers: The 26.2 Most Important Reasons Why Women Run.

For 31 years, I was beyond reluctant about fitness; I was a true fitness phobe. Now, having run fifty marathons and counting, running has transformed my life. I wish I could have read Kathrine’s life-affirming book in my 20s as I’m sure it would have encouraged me to start running earlier. Again and again she proves how this is much more than putting one foot in front of the other—it’s a way of empowering us and giving life meaning.

—Lisa Jackson, age 46, and still running; clinical hypnotherapist, contributing editor of Women’s Running Magazine, UK and co-author of Running Made Easy, the UK’s bestselling beginner’s running book.

Kathrine Switzer is the Original Skirt! She was the first to show that femininity and tough athleticism can go together. Not only did she brave the men’s world of competitive running so we can run marathons today, she did it in beautiful, elegant style. She’s inspired women everywhere … as well as a whole new industry. I wouldn’t be here today without Kathrine.

—Nicole DeBoom, age 42, and still running; Founder and CEO, Skirt Sports, Inc.; Ironwoman Triathlon Champion, 2004.

Fifties

For many over-forty women, this book will be a passport to the best years of their lives.

—Joan Benoit Samuelson, age 56, still running and setting age group records. Author of Running Tide; Gold Medalist in inaugural women’s marathon event, 1984.

For 35 Years, I’ve run in admiration of Kathrine Switzer, and with each passing decade she continues to lead and empower us. With this updated classic, she shows that her passion for running and walking has only grown as she again offers sound practical advice on how to transform our lives, no matter what our age.

—Lorraine Moller, age 55, and still running. Author of On the Wings of Mercury; Olympic Bronze Medalist 1992 and member of four Olympic Marathon teams.

Sixties

Better late than never! My athleticism was confined to teenage gym class until I was 45 and I started walking six miles a day. I started running at 48. At 52, I qualified for the Boston Marathon. Never say never! Kathrine shows us that you are never too old or unathletic to walk, run and amaze yourself with your capability.

—Cathy Troisi, age 68, and still walking and running; has done 250 marathons and 80 ultra marathons (events over 26.2 miles long).

Seventies

Defying age and celebrating life … this is a manual for the Warrior Woman in us all. I began running at the age of 40 … 36 years later I still salute the morning sun with a smile and sneakers; we have a right to age with dignity and beauty, we have an obligation to make a difference. Kathrine’s inimitable and timely voice in this simple, succinct book reflects wisdom, wit and wonder and gives you all the tools you need to walk and run through the decades and look good doing it. Damn! We really are all that!

—Elaine Doll, PhD, age 76, and still running; author of License to Run and other books, founder and director of the Leading Ladies Marathon, Spearfish, SD.

Eighties

In this book, there is a lot more than how to run or walk; it’s also about how to use fitness to cope with life. My husband and biggest fan, died of dementia recently and I was the main caregiver; I could never have risen to this challenge without the strength base that an active running lifestyle gave me or without the support from my fitness buddies.

—B.J.—Betty Jean—McHugh, age 85, and still running; author of My Road to Rome; began running at 55 and set age-group marathon world records for age 80 in Rome, and age 85 in Honolulu (5:12.03).

Copyright

Diversion Books

A Division of Diversion Publishing Corp.

443 Park Avenue South, Suite 1004

New York, NY 10016

www.DiversionBooks.com

Copyright © 1999 by Kathrine Switzer

All rights reserved, including the right to reproduce this book or portions thereof in any form whatsoever.

Cover photo by Javier Carmona

For more information, email info@diversionbooks.com

First Diversion Books edition February 2014

ISBN: 978-1-62681-223-9

Dedicated to my mother, Virginia Miller Switzer, and my father, W. Homer Switzer, who taught me to participate in life, not to spectate, and to Arnie Briggs, my first coach, who showed me how.

In tribute to Grete Waitz, (1953-2011), nine-time winner of the New York City Marathon, Olympic Silver Medalist, World Champion, five-time World Cross Country Champion and lifelong runner and walker, with thanks for so much and for being the first endorser of this book, in 1998.

Acknowledgements

I would like to extend my thanks and gratitude to the many people, present and past, who have helped in launching this, the inaugural e-edition of Running and Walking for Women Over 40. First to my agent Stephany Evans (a dedicated Over-Forty runner herself), of Fine Print Literary Management, as we strike out together in this and many other adventures. Next, to Sarah Masterson Hally, my calm and kind Production Manager at Diversion Books, as well as the fine Diversion team including Mary Cummings, Editorial Director, and Brielle Benton, Marketing and Publicity Associate. Ongoing appreciation goes to my personal executive Lisa Barnard Kelley for handling many of the electronic technicalities with this book as well as many details of my life. Thanks always to age-group enthusiast I.W. Barkis, PhD., for his astute scientific input; to Ken Greer, M. D., for medical updating and advice; to Nikki Slade Robinson, for help with illustrations; and to Rachel Sturtz, freelance writer for Running Times, Runners World and other publications for her fine overseeing of the shoes, bras and apparel charts.

This e-book is an updated version of the original Running and Walking for Women Over 40 that was first published in 1998. When this book was first proposed in 1996, it was not an easy sell: women’s running and walking was a small sport, and for those over forty, smaller still. Today, that book has become a quiet best seller, and women’s running and walking have become mainstream to the point where they are now a movement with a multi-billion dollar industry trajectory that is transforming society. Amazingly, there are now more women runners than men in the United States—55%. Significantly, those runners and walkers over forty are helping to redefine health and aging. After this updated version as an e-book, I suspect there will be many more updates as this movement continues to soar so wonderfully.

Over the past seventeen years since the first version of this book was published, many people from many countries have helped enormously with the subsequent various international editions. Editors, publishers, agents, publicists, advisors, photographers, runners, walkers and friends have all contributed in many different ways that have led to this e-edition and I thank you for your continuing support, expertise and enthusiasm.

As I go through all your names, it is like reliving history. A lot has changed in seventeen years! Some of you, sadly, have passed away. We’ve all become older and wiser, but not one of us has lost our enthusiasm and belief in the power of movement. There would be hundreds of you to list now, so let me say thank you to you all (you know who you are!) but especially to Jane Kagan Vitiello and Greg Vitiello, who were there from the beginning and still are; to my ever-supporting and wonderful family of Switzers and Robinsons, and especially and eternally to my husband, Roger Robinson, Ph.D., whose talent, loyalty, wit, and love never cease to inspire me.

Contents

Introduction - Sanity and Vanity

Chapter 1 - Getting Out the Door

Chapter 2 - Starting Here, Starting Now

Chapter 3 - A Walking Program

Chapter 4 - A Running Program

Chapter 5 - Equipment and Clothing

Chapter 6 - Braving Mother Nature

Chapter 7 - Alternative Routes to Sanity and Vanity

Chapter 8 - Managing Your Time

Chapter 9 - Eating and Exercise

Chapter 10 - Your Changing Body

Chapter 11 - Safety While Running and Walking

Chapter 12 - Don’t Let Injuries Spoil Your Fun

About the Author

INTRODUCTION

Sanity and Vanity

When I first wrote this book, I had just turned fifty. Now, as I’m updating this new e-edition, I’m rounding the corner on sixty-seven. In the intervening years, many thousands of you have read the first version of this book and changed your lives by the simple act of putting one foot in front of the other. I know because of the hundreds of heartfelt letters and emails I received from you that make me laugh, cry and jump for joy at the same time. I am both thrilled for you and grateful to you.

Last year, over eight and a half million women walked or ran in a road event. When I first wrote this book, there were just over two and a half million. Together we have created a revolution not just in running, but also in fitness, in women’s empowerment and in re-defining what aging means.

The changes in these subsequent years have brought new knowledge, attitude, equipment, events and expectation that definitely call for an update. A whole generation of women are running and walking who never even knew a time without proper shoes or clothes, to say nothing of myths and restrictions. We’ve moved to a new level, and yet there are many women who are longing to begin a walking or running program and don’t know how. This updated version of Running and Walking for Women Over 40 is for them. It takes the proven basics of the first edition and adds new information we need to go forward.

I was originally inspired to write this book because after turning forty, my wonderful and totally predictable body began to change. Suddenly I was encountering grey hair, hot flashes, a little jellyroll around my waist and mood swings. Running had always provided the ballast in my life, and I turned to it again to help me through these changes. The physical act of running had never failed to correct every imbalance in my life, and I had hope that it would help again. It did! It still does! Wonderfully.

When I ran, I didn’t feel anxious or depressed. I never had a hot flash on the run; it was as if movement regulated my mood and temperature. Best of all, I knew that being out on the road was one of the best things I could be doing to help prevent heart disease and osteoporosis—and that made me feel I had some control over my health and my future.

The next seventeen years were some of the most enlightening of my life, largely made possible by an activity I’d done for fifty-five years and now find more important than ever. While change is inevitable, running and walking not only enable you to cope with this reality but also offer you a way to triumph over it and feel better than ever. I’m counting on my knowledge and my training to keep building a foundation for a fit and rewarding future. I want to share what I’ve learned with you, so you can use it, too.

You’re never too old to start. Every day I am meeting more and more sixty, seventy, even seventy-five year old women who are just beginning to walk or run. They are amazing, fearless and accomplishing incredible things. I joke that they have old bodies but new legs, but here’s the truth: the human body responds positively to fitness at any age; we have science to prove this. Many active fifty-five-year-old women are in better shape now than they were at twenty-five because of regular exercise. Others are seeking to gain back fitness they lost—and they can. And then there are those who say, I’ve always wanted to be an athlete and now it’s time for me. Isn’t it time for you, too?

I run or walk every day because it’s magic. I’m not kidding. In a funny kind of way, running has given me everything I have or am. Running and walking keep me sane. In the purest sense, it is a little window of time on my own, or with friends, when I can be free of everything else. With this freedom, I can create, dream, or just drift along and enjoy nature around me. It’s my space. My sacred alone, peaceful time, and nobody can invade it. In a world full of chaos, pressure, unpredictability, relentless email and constant demands, where everybody seems to want a piece of me, my hour a day gives me a chance for a quiet perspective, and it allows me to control much of my destiny. I have found that if I can control my body and give a little peace to my soul, I can transfer that power into all other aspects of my life.

And, to top everything, running or walking is so simple. It’s wonderful how something so simple can give so much back to you, and that may be another element of its magic.

Ever since I began running when I was twelve, there was a palpable difference between the days I ran and those I didn’t: my running days gave me a sense of accomplishment no matter what else happened in the day. Missing a day wasn’t a major tragedy or anything—sometimes you can’t help it or just don’t feel like it. But a day I didn’t run was just a day without a secret little victory, a victory that empowered me in everything else I did.

My daily outing these days may be a walk, a slow jog, or a run—it has manifested itself over the years in various forms. After early years of discovery and awkwardness to cocky years of invincibility, I moved in my twenties into the arduous and pressure-filled years of world-class competition and training. I wanted to discover what it felt like to push my ordinary body to its limits and I was amazed how an average person, working hard, can accomplish the extraordinary. We are often the worst judges of our phenomenal capability.

In my thirties, I gave up serious competitive running for a career that had room for only the barest minimum of fitness running and found you could do a lot with a minimum of time! In my forties, when I had my own business and more flexibility, I decided to treat myself to more consistency in my daily running. I not only found renewed fitness but also discovered ways to cope with my changing body. In my fifties, I threw myself back into a demanding corporate career; I never could have done it without the base strength and confidence my earlier fitness gave me.

In my sixties, I was inspired by many women seventy and older who were giddy walking and running beginners and accomplishing the unimaginable. They even made me jealous, inspired me back into marathon running, and transformed me—again. Let me tell you the truth, my sixties have been the best decade of my life. But then, I probably say that about each decade when I’m in it.

In all of these eras of running and walking, training hard or easy, doing less or more, the activity has never failed to keep me fit, energetic, positive, and, yes, fearless. There is little now that I feel I can’t do. Running has never failed to give me back more than I put into it. There is not much in life that offers that kind of return; that is why I call running and walking a bonus.

Despite fifty-five years of experience, I can still remember the difficulty of starting, starting again after a long layoff or injury, and the struggle to progress. I can remember what it was like to feel jiggly and conspicuous. I have had plenty of self-doubt. I learned fast—but had to re-learn—the single hardest part about exercise: getting out the door! And I created techniques for eliminating excuses. Later, I learned how to stay fit on twenty minutes of running a day in the midst of career pressures and travelling around the world. Then at sixty-two, how I could re-train myself for five and six hours of straight running and walking. What a feeling! It was like discovering a new planet.

Through running, I learned marvelous lessons in success, failure, humility, persistence, self-belief and mortality that have served me well in business and life. And maybe most important, I learned how not to feel guilty or defeated when I missed days, turning them around so I was more motivated and better focused the next time I ran or walked.

I have learned that change is inevitable. That sounds obvious, but at twenty-five, I had a ‘bullet-proof’ mentality and would have told you that I’d always be strong and lithe; at sixty, it’s astonishing how closely others and I have succeeded. But nature is insistent. Veins show, cellulite is harder to take off, skin is looser, and the waist thickens. And that’s just the outside; there are plenty of internal changes as well. Although I am determined to stall this aging process as much as possible with consistent exercise, I also now have to deal with the fact that my body gets niggles and twinges that it never had before, interrupting the exercise process. The body just doesn’t snap back as fast as it did.

But the point is this: it still snaps back! So, although we can’t control everything, we can still control a lot. For women who are only beginning fitness program at forty, sixty, or beyond, this response is nothing short of dramatic. Many find that, for the first time, they can reach the weight they want to be and get into better physical condition. Women over forty who have been reasonably active all their lives can find a new outlet for their energy in age-group sports events—some easily outrace people young enough to be their children!

Every day I’m finding more ways to be fit, trim, healthy, energetic, and positive while dealing with my changing body. I have plenty of room for improvement, and my challenge at sixty-plus is to find ways to keep fit that will work well for the rest of my life and that require no more than the hour a day I’m willing to give. Anybody can look great if he or she has plenty of money and is willing to work out all day long. But most of us have to live in the real world, where that’s not possible. This book gives you the tools to achieve fitness without spending time and money you don’t have.

But to get results, you need to get started—that’s your most important commitment. Twenty minutes of exercise a day, every day, will get you on the road to sanity, where you feel in control of your life. Thirty minutes a day, every day, will get you on the road to vanity, where you can control your weight, restore skin and muscle tone, and feel great about your body. Forty-five minutes a day gives