I’ve watched runners in this area for over 25 = years now, and have seen some of them dramatically change as they have aged.  = While there are others (Ferris Portner, for example) who still maintain their same = posture over the years.

Why is that?  Because some of us pay attention = to other parts of our body other than just going out and running day after day, = and year after year with no variation.

Examples of what happens when core strength starts = to dissipate (use it or lose it here Baby!)

1.        Upper back becomes weaker (hunched = back)

2.       While sitting at desk upper chest becomes = tighter (shoulders caved in look)

3.       Neck becomes weaker (what I call the = ‘Turtle’ head).

4.       Feet forget to know how to actually raise higher = than 2 inches off the ground (hip flexors weaken).

5.       Knees hurt (weaker quadriceps, pulling knee-cap = out of alignment)

6.       Feet hurt (take up the slack from weaker calf, = quad, hip, and feet muscles)

7.       Lower back hurts (well…we’ve covered everything else, so why not the back getting in the action) – = Psoas tight, low back weak, and abdominal wall weak.

a.        Please = note – these are all generalizations, for specific medical terms, etc., go see = your local physical therapist or doctor.

I can go on, but  you get the picture = right?  Less core strength means more injuries, not to mention looking older than = your cardiovascular age.  You might have the strength of a 20 year old in your heart, = but the rest of your body  is going to pot.

The problem with just running is that you are = moving in only one direction, over and over again.  Your body was designed to do a = lot of things, not just go from point A to point B over and over again.  =

Not to mention you will get slower no matter what, = but why increase the speed of that decline when it doesn’t have to be that = way?  What is probably the easiest thing to do to help you maintain your body = shape, flexibility, and speed is to focus on doing movements that are = multi-planar, and this means you need to work on your core strength.  Your limbs = will not be able to handle all the work without a strong = foundation.

Few ways to work on this if you don’t like = doing the ‘link’ exercises by yourself is to find a class at your gym, go to CrossFit, do Yoga, Pilates, or = any other form of core work that will help you age gracefully, and help you hold = your head high as you age and continue to race well.