Running for your life.

     Running slows the effects of aging.  An ongoing 20 year study done at Stanford University School of Medicine shows that older runners have fewer disabilities, a longer span of active life, and are half as likely as aging non-runners to die of early deaths.
  http://med.stanford.edu/news_releases/2008/august/running.html

     Running can increase your brain size and stimulate the growth of fresh grey cells. This has a big impact on mental ability.
http://www.guardian.co.uk/science/2010/jan/18/running-brain-memory-cell-growth

     I have been jogging or run/walking for 11 months now.  I am surprised that it is not getting easier for me, but based on the studies listed above, I am going to keep on.  The secret of success with anything is consistency.
     Nutritional needs change as we age.  Aging is caused partially by free-radical damage, therefore with aging we need more antioxidants in our diet to combat that damage.  According to Jeff Galloway, a diet high in anti-oxidant rich fruits and vegetables will slow the aging process and increase performance.  So far, so good.  We believe in a diet of nutritional excellence and eat a colorful and varied plant-based high anti-oxidant diet.
     Galloway also states that older athletes are more susceptible to muscle damage caused by eccentric muscle contractions, and are not able to repair this damage as quickly between workouts. That explains my soreness.  Nutritional excellence and recovery days play a big part here.  We try our best to comply with both.  We will keep on keeping on.  It sounds like we are on the right track.  Hopefully we will get to the 20+ years of running like the studied Stanford runners. 

        I used to run with doubt.  Now she can't keep up.