Ask Pete: How Can Older Runners Get Faster?
Runners at any age can get speedier by adding intensity to their training—with care. Top masters runners and coaches tell how.
Author
Pete Magill
Pete Magill is a running coach, world-class runner, and author. As a coach, Magill has led his masters clubs to 19 USATF National Masters Championships in cross country and road racing and has worked with athletes of all ages and abilities. He holds multiple American and world age-group records and is a 5-time USA Masters Cross Country Runner of the Year. Magill is author of Fast 5K, SpeedRunner, Build Your Running Body, and The Born Again Runner.
My Stories
Three Weeks in Summer: A Masters Runner’s Training Log
Masters record-holder Pete Magill, 58, details the daily challenge of training as an old guy as he returns to racing after a two-year break.
Ask Pete: Sex, Love, and Running
Pete Magill gets scientific about sex, and explains the strategies that support his enduring love of running.
Ask Pete: How Many Days Should I Recover After a Long Run?
Masters champion and coach Pete Magill explains the nuances of long run recovery, plus when you should start doing speedwork as a beginner or running returnee.
Pure Speed for Distance Runners
Training for maximum velocity is essential to run your best. These four key exercises will improve your power and speed.
Racing Shoes: The Simplest Route to Speed
Here’s how much reducing the weight of your shoes can improve your 5K times.
Ask Pete: Should You Carbo-Load on Beer?
Plus: How heat training differs from altitude—and how to maximize its effects.
Ask Pete: Achilles Injuries and Stress Fractures
Masters runner Pete feels your pain, and coach Magill gives sage advice on dealing with achilles injuries and treating recovered stress fractures.
Ask Pete: Which Goes First with Age—Running Speed or Endurance?
Five ways to fight aging and run faster for more years.
Ask Pete: Why do I keep getting injured?
Don't blame your genes for your running injury history, blame your training plan. Five ways to stop training like an idiot—and start staying healthy.
Can I Run Low Miles and Still Succeed in the Marathon?
You can run a good marathon off a low-volume, high-intensity training program, but to reach your full potential, you have to have it all: volume and intensity.
Ask Pete: How Can I Become a Tougher Runner
Pete Magill explains how it is easy to be tough when you run smart and hurt less than everyone around you.