Home Forums Hunting & Shooting Hunter's Campfire Running on aging knees.

Getting ready to turn 60...been working out since college. I now will not run on pavement at all, and generally don't even run on a treadmill at the gym. Spin twice a week + weights and Stairmaster twice a week + weights. My knees are much better now.....

Glucosamine Chondroitin made a big difference in my knees, and hands etc. I had seen it work miracles in older hunting dogs, now on older hunters.
Currently running every other day, trail running once a week or so.

I raced moto as a young man, have snowboarded for 20 years, and have been a flooring installer for 25 years.

Some have the genes to run past middle age. Most don't.

Serious younger runners are plagued with injuries if they don't do it correctly and often even if they do. Preparation to run becomes even more important for the older crowd. They have to take better care of the muscles that allow them to run and you don't do it on the run.

If you want to preserve the joints in your ankles, knees, hips and back while running learn how to land on your forefoot instead of your heels, also avoid running on hard surfaces. Landing on your heels jars your whole body and is really hard on your joints. I naturally land on my forefoot while running and you may too without realizing it. It really helps if you can find a good pair of running shoes with low heels. They're hard to find because most running shoe stores don't have very many low heel shoes in stock. I found a good pair of Saucony running shoes at a local running store that are well padded with the heel only about 1/8" taller than the forefoot. High heels make it more difficult to land on your forefoot and also make it more likely that you'll get shin splints. If you are overweight lose the weight before you start running. I hate slow long distance jogging because you are more likely to land on your heels as you tire. I prefer to warm up by walking/ stretching, running for 30 minutes keeping my heart between my training rate and my maximum rate and then cooling off by walking/stretching for 15 minutes. This is also what my cardiologist recommended. If you run on a treadmill don't run uphill all the time because it can call back problems, we're not designed to run uphill al the time. I don't claim to be a running expert but what I've suggested has worked great for me so far and I'll be 75 this January. Good luck with your running experience.

I'm with Rocky. I like that old bomb squad shirt - "If you see me running, try to keep up". I get my exercise in other ways less damaging to my knees and ankles. Good luck with yours.

I ran for about forty years. At sixty I blew out my gastrocnemius muscle in my lower right leg. At sixty-eight, my right calf is still a full inch and a half larger than my left. But after six months to a year it healed and I was back to jogging and then my left knee would swell with effusions from which I could draw off sixty to eighty cc's of fluid a time. I even had to do it once in a spring bear camp.

That slowed me up more yet. Now I have moderate degeneration of both hips and bothersome lumbar spine. My take is that running is a great cardiovascular exercise, relieves stress, and generates an overall feeling of well being but your joints and lower back will pay the piper to one degree or another after decades of doing so.

However, all in all, I think I'd do it the same way all over again.

Run trails, cross-country, other soft uneven surfaces, etc. and you'll last forever. It automatically shortens your stride, improves lateral balance muscles, and keeps you off your heels.

At 60 you are likely to pound out your knees. I would say if you have a rail thin tunners build, try it but listen to your body.

Power to all you folks that can run like that. Our youngest daughter, age 36, runs in marathons, 26.2 miles? I don't know how anyone does it.
Of course, being 73 myself has me looking at it from a certain age.

I was never a distance runner but lettered four years in high school track as a sprinter. After my senior year I swore I'd never run again, and haven't, unless a life was in danger, MINE.

Mind you, I'd like to be able to walk faster, and longer!

Go ahead Dude......wear your damn knees/ankles out! You've only got just so many miles on those joints and one day when you're 'busting ass along'......you're gonna be face down in the asphalt! Ask me how I know! And the thing is.....you're not gonna get a clue that there's anything wrong until the Doc tells you that you've got bone on bone!! These days at 77 the only time I MIGHT THINK about running is at the call of nature!!

Running is for people who can't shoot.

I've enjoyed running for many years, but round about my 43rd b-day i realized that even as i did all i could to smooth out my pace (changing shoes, lacing patterns, insoles), the impact was starting to really bother me.

Buying an eliptical has been my saving grace. The sensation of felt impact is minimal and i still get to enjoy the movement - though i do miss running outdoors. It's sorta stifling to me running indoors, but i'm thankful to at least be able to run.

I am beginning to really enjoy just walking with a weighted pack. I am able to be outside and take my dog as well as get a great aerobic work out that mimics what i experience chasing elk around.

Good luck Birdwatcher! Don't forget your bicycle - they will start to give you the stink eye if you don't ride 'em occasionally (mine does!!!!).

If you want a pair of shoes that will protect you and prolong your running look into Hoka One One. Their entire line is the most cushioning you will find. They make a big difference.

Longitudnal studies show that running makes no difference on joint wear. There is no statistical proof that it helps/hinders whose joints wear out or when.

i love running. was doing 6-8 miles 3 times a week into my early 50's. then with a job change, my schedule didn't work out for it. i hate treadmills and street running so its tough to trail run now and i miss it. not sure if its good for you though. my feet and knees bother me at times. i think a fast walk is better but not as satisfying.

Thanks for the advice all.

What I find interesting is, I could throw a leg over my bicycle early tomorrow morning, be gone all day, and ride a hundred miles.

Yet there I am shuffling along with the obese ladies and such when it comes to trying a out treadmill. Two miles in THIRTY MINUTES? Really?

There's two ways of looking at this.....

....one is that bicycles are so efficient that you don't get in all that good a shape riding one.

....the other is that bicycles are so efficient that even the only moderately in-shape can accomplish great things on 'em.

Birdwatcher

I haven't run since I retired from the Army in 2002. Walking is good. Riding a bike is OK I guess if you like a wedge shoved up you a$$.
If I might place myself in a situation that requires running I'd rather skip it or carry a gun.

At 55 I told my wife I would run every day "till my leg broke in half". And that's what happened after I tripped on a pot hole and fell one morning. I found out it was just a crack in one hip at first but propagated after a month because I kept stressing it. I do walking and running combined now.