Running Past 50: Your Guide to Running Longevity and Success

An inspirational and practical guide to running as you age.

As you move past the age of 50, the physiological demands of running require adjustments in training intensity, recovery, goal setting, and mental outlook. Running Past 50 is your guide to addressing those demands so you can continue to enjoy, compete, and excel in the sport you love.

Accomplished runner and coach Caolan MacMahon shares practical advice and her personal stories to guide and inspire you to set realistic yet challenging goals; adapt to the body’s changing realities, including the female-specific changes brought on by menopause; identify the building blocks of successful training; establish and maintain an aerobic base; maximize training while minimizing injury; and incorporate rest and recovery more effectively into workouts or training cycles.

Additionally, you will find 10-WEEK TRAINING PROGRAMS for beginner, intermediate, and advanced runners aiming to conquer a 5K or 10K; a HALF-MARATHON PROGRAM for novice and intermediate runners; and 18-WEEK TRAINING PROGRAMS for marathon beginners, intermediate and advanced marathoners, and ultramarathoners.

Both inspirational and practical, Running Past 50 will help you achieve your goals by making the necessary shifts in thinking and training that lead to personal bests, fewer injuries, and a lifetime of running.

Caolan MacMahon has been dedicated to running since she was eight years old, and she continues to pursue her passion several decades later. She has completed more than 80 marathons and ultramarathons since turning 50, including six Boston Marathons and three New York City Marathons. MacMahon is the 2013 RRCA Grand Master 50K champion and has achieved dozens of overall podium and age-group finishes. She is the head coach and director of The Long Run Coaching LLC. She holds certifications from UESCA (Ultrarunning Coach; Endurance Sports Nutrition Certification), NASM (CPT), World Athletics (Elite L5), USATF (L3 Endurance, Youth Specialization; L2 Endurance/Speed/Hurdles/Relays, Youth Specialization), RRCA, and Lydiard (LI and LII). MacMahon is also a USATF L1 coaching instructor and is a coach and clinician at the USATF youth cross country camp at the Olympic Training Center in Colorado Springs.

Beyond her accomplishments in running and coaching, MacMahon is an educator, rock climber, former professor of philosophy, ethicist, animal activist, and writer. She has been a contributing writer for Runner’s World and provided race reports and contributions to Self, New York Times, Ultra Running Magazine, Colorado Runner, 5280, and Elevation Outdoors. She has also been blogging for The Chronic Runner since 2011.