Training Plan - 65-year-old active woman who wants to run her first half marathon

Subject: 65-year-old active woman who wants to run her first half marathon.

Needs Analysis: Running a half marathon is typically done on concrete surfaces, such as park pathways or roads. Rest times are very limited, as the goal is usually to keep a consistent speed throughout the entire race. Common injuries to consider, typically involve the lower extremities, such as the knees, hips and ankles. Lastly, it’s important to have a large aerobic capacity in order to safely and efficiently finish the race. 

My athlete is a 65 year old woman, running the Philadelphia half marathon for the first time in four months. Her current activity level involves boxing classes, yoga and shorter distance (3-5 miles) runs and walks at her local park. She is 5 ft 2 inches, weighs 110 lbs and is postmenopausal. Her body fat percentage is 27% and she has no current injuries. Her past injuries include an ACL tear, at the age of 20, while playing division II soccer in college. She also has had some ankle instability, including some minor ankle sprains that came as a result from lack of rehab and proper training after the ACL injury. However, she claims to not be affected by the injuries, but is concerned about her stability and balance as she gets older, due to these minor muscular imbalances created through the past injuries. She recently had a bone density T-score test, and her results show that she has apparent, but minimal sarcopenia, and has been advised to keep an eye on it, while training. 

Training program

Training program analysis: Since our client is 65 and postmenopausal, we must consider the effects of sarcopenia - the decrease in muscle mass and strength. Also, reaction time, postural stability and balance begin to decline with age (Haff & Triplett, 2021). For our subject, since her training age began very young, we can start her off with an intermediate training plan, while still including daily workouts to prevent these aging side effects. 

Since seniors rely on cocontraction to properly stabilize during everyday and athletic activities, including dynamic stabilization, balance and low intensity plyometrics can greatly reverse the effects of potential injuries that may come from sarcopenia (Haff & Triplett, 2021). Also, according to Clark et al. (2014) speed, agility and quickness training can help prevent age-related symptoms, such as decreased bone density, muscular power and coordination. SAQ training aids in the ability to slow down the effects of osteopenia and sarcopenia. Since it is recommended that seniors take 48-72 hours of recovery time, we'll make sure to switch up the workouts daily, in order to properly recover different parts of the body. Additionally, it is suggested that anaerobic exercise increases maximal power and strength of the agonist muscles, which is associated with an increased rate of firing, synchronization of neural discharge and increase in recruitment (Haff & Triplett, 2021). 

Finally, the most obvious aspect of attempting to run a marathon comes down to expanding one's aerobic capacity or VO2 max. Along with successfully enduring 13.1 miles, aerobic programs involving high intensity aerobics, interval training and running stimulate bone growth, which is essential for seniors, since bone mineral density begins to decline with age (Haff & Triplett, 2021). Lastly, due to our subject's past injuries, we will consider this during the balance, stability and SAQ training. 

Training Plan Breakdown

Each week, our subject will do three runs. One of these runs will be a long run and will increase by approximately half a mile to a full mile each week. The second run will be an easy short run, approximately ⅓ of the distance of the long run. The third run will be an interval run or a medium paced, middle distance run. Depending on the subject's energy level, the third run will alternate. Aside from the subject's running schedule, I will also include resistance training, SAQ, flexibility and balance exercises. I will recommend the subject to take a rest day the day after her long run, and the other rest day can be flexible depending on scheduling and personal life. Please see my attachment for the full recommended plan. 

How might your recommendations change based on age or sex? 

In regards to sex, women have two thirds the strength of men, due to having less muscle mass. However, Haff & Triplett (2021) does mention that there are no physiological differences in muscle, so I would not adjust the program too much, except for adding more intensity to the resistance exercises based on biological differences. Also, historically males have a larger VO2 max. According to Sharma & Kailashiya (2016) females average at about 70-75% VO2 max of that of males following puberty. Therefore, if I was training a male, his running pace may be slightly faster and interval runs may include higher intervals. With age, not much would change. Depending on current fitness level, I would decrease their rest periods and increase their intensities. 

Is your program suitable for children? Why or why not? How might you adapt your program to make it more suitable for children?

Adjustments would be made, according to where the child is biologically (pre-pubertal versus post-pubertal). A child is at a higher risk for injury during peak height velocity, due to tightening of the muscle tendons, and alterations in center of mass and muscular imbalances (Haff & Triplett, 2021). Therefore, more rest time and lower intensities would be recommended to avoid over-training. However, post peak height velocity is when males and females see their peak gain in strength. With that said, adjustments on intensity and rest periods will still be considered to avoid over-training, but the risk for injury is less. Also there is mixed evidence regarding if resistance training is healthy for children, but no current evidence suggests that physical activity harms maturation. In fact, weight bearing activities show to have a positive effect on skeletal remodeling and growth (Haff & Triplett, 2021). 

References

Clark, M., Sutton, B. G., Lucett, S., & National Academy of Sports Medicine. (2014). 

NASM Essentials of Personal Fitness Training. Jones & Bartlett Learning.

Haff, G., & Triplett, N. T. (2021). Essentials of strength training and conditioning. Human Kinetics. 

Sharma, H. B., & Kailashiya, J. (2016). Gender difference in aerobic capacity and the contribution by body composition and hemoglobin concentration: A study in young indian national hockey players. Journal of clinical and diagnostic research : JCDR, 10(11), CC09–CC13. https://doi.org/10.7860/JCDR/2016/20873.8831