How to Run Your Fastest Times After 50, According to Those Who Have Done It

Every runner knows a PR doesn’t happen overnight; it can take years to accomplish. But with those years of experience comes better endurance and time to learn, test, and fine-tune training habits, allowing you to get faster as you get older.“All the previous years of running have developed the psychological capacity to endure, not just the race, but the training to get to the race,” says Mike McKnight, founder of RunningWorkx and a run coach who specializes in working with older athletes. “Sometimes runners who started running late in life and established a baseline, but then learn, get more experience, or even get a coach,” have dramatic cutdowns in time, he says.To help you run your fastest times at any age, we gathered six tips from athletes who scored a PR after 50. Here’s what transformed their training.Training Strategies From Runners Who Clocked Their Fastest Times After 501. Dream BigAt 68, Gwen Jacobson holds an all-time marathon PR of 3:16:04, earned a World Marathon Major six-star and eight-star medal on two separate occasions, and ran marathons in all 50 states and on all seven continents. The reason Jacobson was able to earn such an outstanding list of accolades is because she’s constantly setting goals for herself and reaching them.For Jacobson, setting goals is a natural habit that gives her something specific to work toward and makes everyday training feel more purposeful. Actually achieving those milestones also boosts her sense of accomplishment and confidence, and encourages her to set another benchmark to reach. (She’s currently chasing a 50-miler and wants to complete a half Ironman before she turns 70.)McKnight explains that runners over 50 don’t have to limit their goals, but it helps to break bigger, long-term goals down into shorter steps to check off along the way. “Short-term goals basically lead you like a blueprint to your goals. This provides you with the confidence to go after and chase that ultimate long-term goal,” says McKnight.2. Track EverythingSetting big goals is important, but taking planned steps toward those goals actually gets you to accomplish them. Mike Uelses, 60, got back into running during the pandemic, running a 3:22:31 for his first marathon in 2022. He continued getting faster every year since by closely examining his race data and setting incremental goals.More specifically, Uelses examines his performance data from Garmin, Strava, and Runalyze, looking at his weekly mileage, heart rate, training readiness, sleep, stress, VO₂ max, marathon shape, endurance score, and race predictions. This gives him a full picture of what he’s capable of accomplishing. That way, he doesn’t try to progress too quickly or risk getting hurt. In doing so, he ran his most recent PR: a 2:48:16 at the 2026 Boston Marathon.McKnight tells his runners to keep a workout journal or training log to reflect on how they feel and what their training looks like as they progress. (Tracking via tech as Uelses does works, too!) This helps build communication between him and his athletes, but it’s also helpful for runners without a coach to stay honest with themselves, he says.3. Try a Longer Training CycleNora Cary, a 70-year-old record-setting American masters runner, doesn’t follow a traditional training plan or work with a run coach to achieve results. “At this point, I don’t think I would be coachable,” she previously told Runner’s World.Instead, Cary follows a 10-day or even two-week cycle that balances long runs, hillwork, speedwork, and averages anywhere between 35 and 55 miles, depending on her upcoming race distance.Many coaches recommend a nine- or 10-day training cycle, as opposed to the traditional seven-day cycle, especially for older runners. This allows for more time to recover between hard sessions, McKnight adds.GET YOUR 9-DAY TRAINING SCHEDULE4. Strength TrainOne major pivot in Jacobson’s running journey was the day she picked up strength training. Her marathon times improved from regularly running in the 3:30 to 3:40 range in the marathon to breaking 3:30. She even credits strength training for eliminating fatigue. It’s also helped her sidestep the injuries that used to plague her training years ago (she’s been injury-free for four years now!).Jacobson goes to her local gym at least four times a week, working on total-body strength across 10 different stationary weight machines, aiming for five sets of 10 repetitions.Uelses rarely prioritized strength training when he was younger, but after seeking physical therapy, he treats it like an absolute necessity, prioritizing it twice a week, and credits it with preventing injuries.Of course, not every runner’s strength routine will look the same, and it doesn’t have to look complicated or extensive. McKnight recommends lifting for runners over 50 to dodge injury and build durability. He specifically recommends a few easy go-to movements for his runners who don’t like spending too much time on strength, including squats, calf raises, planks, side planks, and push-ups.5. Work on Your CadenceFew runners think about their cadence (how many steps you take per minute) on a regular basis, but Sue Redding, 58, credits training for optimal cadence as the factor that finally helped her break five hours in the marathon.Cadence was something Redding dismissed until she received a copy of the book Born to Run, in which author Christopher McDougall explained cadence in a way that clicked for her. The biggest thing that stuck was how McDougall asks runners to try running to the beat of “Rock Lobster” by the B-52s without kicking the wall, she previously told Runner’s World. “It’s really hard to get used to it, your foot touching on each of those beats,” she says. “But once you get it, it’s amazing.”Redding practiced this technique to the beat of the song during training runs, measuring her cadence with her Garmin watch. Once she tested it out in a half marathon, she felt it was a game changer and a major confidence booster and used it to pace a marathon. Now she’s running faster than ever, most recently finishing the 2025 Marine Corps Marathon in 4:55:54.One of the things you can do to work on your cadence is improve your posture through form drills, like fast feet, staircase running, or pogo hops, which McKnight recommends implementing into your training plan every week.6. Train Whenever You CanIf you wait for the right moment to get your workout in, you might end up waiting forever. Take it from Andrea Teague, a 53-year-old runner who recently broke 3:15 in the marathon. Teague told Runner’s World that she sometimes wonders about what her running might look like if her busy schedule allowed for more time to train and recover more, but she doesn’t let that stop her from chasing her goals.Balancing a demanding job and still running 40-mile weeks, Teague often turns to the treadmill at 10 p.m. to log her miles. Her advice: If you want to get faster, simply start now and figure it out as you go.McKnight says that no matter what life stage you’re in, your schedule can (and likely will) disrupt your training. The important thing, though, is finding a consistent routine. “Most runners that come to me have been intermittent for a few years because life interrupts things, then they get back into it,” he says.Whenever you work out—no matter when or for how long—you’re building more experience, improving endurance, and shaking off the rust, he adds. You may run every other day at first, or run for just five minutes a day before hopping back into race training, but every bit counts.Kristine Kearns, a writer and avid runner, joined Runner’s World and Bicycling in July 2024. She previously coached high school girls cross country and currently competes in seasonal races, with more than six years of distance training and an affinity for weightlifting. You can find her wearing purple, baking cupcakes, and visiting her local farmers market.