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The Planted Runner

think your age is catching up with you?

Published about 10 hours ago • 3 min read

"I'd love to get faster, but I think my age is catching up to me."

I get some variation of this comment in my DMs at least once a week. The runners who have said this range in age from late thirties to early seventies.

This particular comment was said to me by a 41-year-old who had only been training for a couple of years.

Yes, of course, our biological age will determine our absolute peak athletic potential.

BUT, if you are like most mid-life runners, you never got anywhere near your peak potential.

That means, with good training and patience, you can still improve dramatically at running at almost any age.

from the team

"I've got some extra time Friday. Can I add to my run?"

Celeste is on the PR Team and this is not the first time she's politely asked to up her mileage.

And I told her no.

Not because a couple of kilometers would matter to her training or even her injury risk. In fact, I think that Celeste could actually benefit from higher mileage.

So why did I say no?

(Well, to be clear, I did give her the option, but I discouraged it.)

I said no because we have a great plan for her that's building to her race. She's doing well and improving rapidly.

Doing more just because you feel good is often a recipe for feeling bad very soon. (moods and feelings don't make the greatest coaches, btw)

Celeste has big goals in the marathon and wants to run big miles to match those goals. She's a mom in her 40s and she reminds me of me at that time in my life.

And the strategy for reaching those goals is like the marathon itself: hold back a little when you're feeling good.

*team names changed for privacy

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planted practice

Each week, I'd like to challenge you to one small action that I'm calling your Planted Practice.

You don't change the way you think by reading something cool in a newsletter. You change with small, daily work, just like training your body.

Each Planted Practice is deceptively simple, but might just be more powerful than you think.

This week's challenge: the Double Inhale

When your breathing is out of control, or if you're simply feeling stressed, the fastest way to get calm is using this breathing technique.

Breathe in through your nose. Before you exhale, take a second, shorter sip of air on top of the first one, to fill your lungs a little more. Then let it all out slowly through your mouth, longer than feels natural.

Also called the physiological sigh, it’s been shown to lift your mood and drop your resting heart rate more even more than practicing mindfulness meditation.

Use it anytime you literally need a breather.

*share how it went on social and tag me!

#plantedpractice

podcast

You might have heard that all runners should sprint.

But is that really true?

Maybe. Kinda.

On the latest episode of the podcast, we're talking about sprinting, and whether endurance runners should be doing it.

You’ll learn:

  • What a sprint actually is, and where strides fit in
  • What the research says about fast, short efforts for distance runners, and what it has not shown yet, and I’ll go over

inspo

"Life isn't about finding yourself. Life is about creating yourself."

—George Bernard Shaw

Have a great run today,

Coach Claire

P.S. If you missed it, grab the Readiness Reset, a FREE seven minute audio training. Use it before hard workouts, long runs, and race day to stay calm and focused.

Thank you for being a part of the Planted Runner community!

My mission is to help runners just like you reach goals they never dreamed possible through science-backed training and plant-based nutrition.

Since 2016, I've helped thousands of every day runners become fitter, faster, and stronger with truly customized training and coaching.

I also love to share what I have learned from my own journey starting as a non-runner to a 2:58 marathoner at age 42, as well what I have learned coaching runners, completely FREE. I do that every week in this newsletter and on the Planted Runner Podcast.

I'm so glad you're here and my inbox is always open. Feel free to reply with questions or feedback!

If that's not for you, ​unsubscribe here​, completely guilt-free!

To change your email or preferences ​manage your profile​.

600 1st Ave, Ste 330 PMB 92768, Seattle, WA 98104-2246

The Planted Runner

Claire Bartholic

Coach Claire has helped hundreds of real runners chase their dreams and conquer what they never thought possible. Her coaching philosophy combines science-based training, plant-based running nutrition, and proven mindset techniques to unlock every runner's true potential. She's a certified vegan running coach, sports nutrition specialist, mom, and borderline obsessive plant lover. As an athlete herself, she went from a 4:02 first marathon all the way to a 2:58 finishing time at the age of 42, entirely plant-based. She coaches vegan, plant-based, and plant-curious runners to achieve the same dramatic success, from those on a walk-run program, general fitness, up to high-level athletes

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