The difference a year makes

I read a really interesting article on Runners Connect about fitness gains – they have some great resources on the science behind running. VO2max is the maximum amount of oxygen your body can use, and is a great way of measuring someone’s cardio fitness.

Lots of interesting takeaways from the article, including explaining why beginners tend to improve so quickly. But my favourite bit was this:

“​Research shows that runners in their 40s and 50s achieve similar VO2 max improvements from training as runners in their 20s and 30s, assuming comparable training history.”

https://refer.runnersconnect.net/n/how-much-faster-can-you-get-in-a-year?r=JN9VJH

They go on to say that the main difference is that older runners need more recovery time, but with the right training they can still improve and meet their goals.

My Vo2 Max has taken a dive while I was injured and not able to train as much as I would like. But as the green line on the graph shows, getting back to run training in April is already having a real effect. I may be frustrated by how much progress I have lost, but reflections like this helps me to remember that wherever I am, I can still keep moving in the right direction.