In distance running races, both road and trail, the age category between 50 and 59 and sometimes over 50 in general is called the Grand Masters age group. I’ve been running for about 30 years as a mid-pack runner, sometimes a little above sometimes a little below the middle. I recently turned 50 and entered the Grand Masters category.
As I looked around the web, I didn’t find much information that is focused on the over 50 running crowd, so I thought, why not start a blog with that target. I think we have some specific topics that interest us and lots of experiences to share and questions to ponder.
A central question for me is “What will it be like to continue running now that I have turned 50”. The answer will surely come with time and my intention is to write about the more interesting aspects of the journey. Hopefully some lively discussion will be generated and we will learn something from each other.
I have a few areas that I plan to focus on and I’m sure many others topics will appear as events transpire. These are the categories I’m thinking about now:
- Training Plans and Experiences
- Reviews of Shoes, Training Logs, Gear
- Health – Food, Injury Prevention and Treatment,
- Book Reviews – Running Related Books
- Current Events – Races, Olympics, Etc.
Although much of the focus will be on Grand Masters age runners, there are many topics that apply to all runners so I don’t plan to limit discussions based on age.
Finally, as we all know, traffic to new websites and blogs doesn’t happen magically. It will take time to build a following and hopefully with posting of interesting information and insightful comments more people pay attention. Let the information flow begin.
Grand Masters Running 
November 11, 2013 at 11:03 AM
I look forward to your blog! I just learned what a Grandmaster is and I started running at age 50 and ran my first 1/2 marathon at age 51, I have done 9 in the last 8 months and my time, amazingly enough, is getting better. I have zero experience with training and have pretty much invented my own training plans through information on the internet and trials and tribulations. My plan is to run all 50 states and either DC or Puerto Rico to finish up with 51, 51 is the number theme to my plan (obviously). Thanks for addressing running for the “old broad division” as I call it!
Joan Johnson
November 11, 2013 at 11:26 AM
Thanks for your comments and congrats on your accomplishments so far. Your goal of 51 is impressive. In my experience, no one can really give us the definitive training plan that matches our physical abilities, time constraints and goals. But, reading literature, considering advice and listening to how our bodies react to different training techniques can help us hone in on what works best. Of course, “best”, continually changes too – especially in the Grand Master zone! I hope to hear how your running progresses as you head toward your goal.