"Running makes you look old and destroys your knees," said the obese, 50-year-old non-runner with two knee replacements, to the fit, 50-year-old runner, with healthy joints and who walks without a cane.
Come back in 10 years.
The large studies show that runners continue to do better, mostly due to weighing less.
It's very rare, but perhaps if you spent years overtraining - developed some sort of syndrome (RED-S, chronic fatigue) or an eating disorder that resulted in you getting extremely lean - then you might look old.
But exercising - even a lot - makes you appear younger.
Relax, Kenny! That wasn't directed at you. Just making light of the fact that there is virtually no hook-up scene for underweight middle-aged men that look 20 years older thanks to too much UV. OK, maybe at The Villages there are ladies that get wet for age spots, varicose veins, and scars leftover from melanoma removals?
Sort of like how 125 pound cross country boys weren't getting laid in high school either!
Most runners look younger than their age, I think, but there is a distribution. I have noticed that sun exposure and lack of sleep are issues for some runners
I have read so many posts about how runners tend to look older, right now I’m in my early 30s and look younger than all my friends. People often think I’m in my mid 20s. I’m unconvinced that running ages you prematurely, however I did read that all the sun and wind damage doesn’t come on until later in life. So I ask the older runners of let’srun, do you still look younger than your friends? Is there a point where I will look older than my non running friends due to all the wind and sun exposure? I’m on team it’s mostly genetics but I could be convinced otherwise.
I think it is mostly BS. I'm in the same boat as you. I think there are some people who just look older in general and some happen to be good runners like Geb and Shalane and now somehow all runners look older. There may be a little truth to some very skinny people looking older based on the thinness of their face but overall the older looking runner thing just doesn't hold up at a group level.
it’s only the ones pounding hours out in the sun that look aged
It's the sun, wind, extreme temperatures, etc.
But what was I supposed to do as a lifelong runner of 4 decades who loves to train outdoors?
As a native of Colorado, I've trained in 105 degree heat to -15 & gale force winds.
My face looks like roadmap & my hands & arms are full of age spots. My hair is thin & lifeless, and skin under neck is saggy.
As only a 62 yr old, I'm often mistaken as a 70 yr old! (I wear long sleeves as much as possible & I've even been wearing my Covid mask a lot more now when out in public).
And what do you say to a guy like Raven who is beat to pulp from never missing a day of running in the last 45 yrs!
Every evening visitors to Miami’s South Beach are treated to a sight as reliable as the sunset: A moving landmark, shirtless, clad in a black sweatband, blac...
This thread shows that an awful lot of runners are very concerned about how they look. People who achieve more in life tend to value other things.
I'm 83 and have run pretty much non-stop at least 6 times a week for some 70 years without sun screen or any other medication and I still care how I look (as any human being should), and still am mistaken for a younger gaffer as I run my businesses, write my books (21 so far), tend to my family, and win my vanity age-group races. But perhaps living in the Northeast and frequently running in the late afternoon or early morning may have reduced the depredations of the sun.
it’s only the ones pounding hours out in the sun that look aged
It's the sun, wind, extreme temperatures, etc.
But what was I supposed to do as a lifelong runner of 4 decades who loves to train outdoors?
As a native of Colorado, I've trained in 105 degree heat to -15 & gale force winds.
My face looks like roadmap & my hands & arms are full of age spots. My hair is thin & lifeless, and skin under neck is saggy.
As only a 62 yr old, I'm often mistaken as a 70 yr old! (I wear long sleeves as much as possible & I've even been wearing my Covid mask a lot more now when out in public).
And what do you say to a guy like Raven who is beat to pulp from never missing a day of running in the last 45 yrs!
People immediately and correctly responded about skin damage. Many years ago, I remember a National Geographic article with photos of people from two different cultural groups (sorry, I forgot which!) and the ones who were almost never in the sun looked ridiculously younger than they were, the ones in the sun all the time looked much older. If you look at some of the formerly top long distance triathletes, their awful leathery skin is a striking contrast to their otherwise still very fit looking bodies. So, wear a hat and, depending where you are, sunscreen, long-sleeve shirt, etc... to avoid sun damage.
There are a few other considerations I'll mention, but these may be applicable so many years in the future that I wonder if you'll remember them by then(!). It gets more difficult to build muscle mass and not to lose it as you get older - read about sarcopenia - so, it is good to build some reserve muscle mass while you can (perhaps by your 40s if not earlier) and work via resistance training at not losing it. This presents a decision: you may run a bit faster with less muscle mass (Ed Whitlock) but prioritize not only looking better but functioning better in daily life, which argues for some more muscle mass. Another thing is that how you are perceived is not only how you look in a photo but how you move, etc... My friend's dad is about to turn 98 and, after walking 8 miles a day for *many* years, still moves like a young man; it is worth working on balance, for example, which tends to decline as you age. Finally, one quick off-topic suggestion: protect your hearing when you are young - and you will be grateful later in life that you did!
One other thought that may surprise you: don't assume that people at your high school reunion will appreciate your looking 15-20 years younger than they do!
This thread shows that an awful lot of runners are very concerned about how they look. People who achieve more in life tend to value other things.
This is totally out of line.
A) No one indicated how concerned they were. They merely indicated what they were aware of. For example, no one said anything about changing how much they run in order to change how they might look. Everyone simply noted a correlation.
B) There is no indication herein about life's accomplishments, and from my experience, runner's in general tend to be some moderately accomplished people. I have delved just as heavily into another sport before taking up running, and this observed can tell you, the runners I interact with are generally individuals with solid careers and interests, and vastly more so than the sport I was involved with before.
People immediately and correctly responded about skin damage. Many years ago, I remember a National Geographic article with photos of people from two different cultural groups (sorry, I forgot which!) and the ones who were almost never in the sun looked ridiculously younger than they were, the ones in the sun all the time looked much older. If you look at some of the formerly top long distance triathletes, their awful leathery skin is a striking contrast to their otherwise still very fit looking bodies. So, wear a hat and, depending where you are, sunscreen, long-sleeve shirt, etc... to avoid sun damage.
There are a few other considerations I'll mention, but these may be applicable so many years in the future that I wonder if you'll remember them by then(!). It gets more difficult to build muscle mass and not to lose it as you get older - read about sarcopenia - so, it is good to build some reserve muscle mass while you can (perhaps by your 40s if not earlier) and work via resistance training at not losing it. This presents a decision: you may run a bit faster with less muscle mass (Ed Whitlock) but prioritize not only looking better but functioning better in daily life, which argues for some more muscle mass. Another thing is that how you are perceived is not only how you look in a photo but how you move, etc... My friend's dad is about to turn 98 and, after walking 8 miles a day for *many* years, still moves like a young man; it is worth working on balance, for example, which tends to decline as you age. Finally, one quick off-topic suggestion: protect your hearing when you are young - and you will be grateful later in life that you did!
One other thought that may surprise you: don't assume that people at your high school reunion will appreciate your looking 15-20 years younger than they do!
I will say that Laird Hamilton seems to be an exception to this. I still think he looks pretty young despite not believing in sunscreen.
This thread shows that an awful lot of runners are very concerned about how they look. People who achieve more in life tend to value other things.
This is totally out of line.
A) No one indicated how concerned they were. They merely indicated what they were aware of. For example, no one said anything about changing how much they run in order to change how they might look. Everyone simply noted a correlation.
B) There is no indication herein about life's accomplishments, and from my experience, runner's in general tend to be some moderately accomplished people. I have delved just as heavily into another sport before taking up running, and this observed can tell you, the runners I interact with are generally individuals with solid careers and interests, and vastly more so than the sport I was involved with before.
What do you think the subject of the thread is? Then a bunch of posters respond with how young - how great - they look. You seemed to have missed that.
People immediately and correctly responded about skin damage. Many years ago, I remember a National Geographic article with photos of people from two different cultural groups (sorry, I forgot which!) and the ones who were almost never in the sun looked ridiculously younger than they were, the ones in the sun all the time looked much older. If you look at some of the formerly top long distance triathletes, their awful leathery skin is a striking contrast to their otherwise still very fit looking bodies. So, wear a hat and, depending where you are, sunscreen, long-sleeve shirt, etc... to avoid sun damage.
There are a few other considerations I'll mention, but these may be applicable so many years in the future that I wonder if you'll remember them by then(!). It gets more difficult to build muscle mass and not to lose it as you get older - read about sarcopenia - so, it is good to build some reserve muscle mass while you can (perhaps by your 40s if not earlier) and work via resistance training at not losing it. This presents a decision: you may run a bit faster with less muscle mass (Ed Whitlock) but prioritize not only looking better but functioning better in daily life, which argues for some more muscle mass. Another thing is that how you are perceived is not only how you look in a photo but how you move, etc... My friend's dad is about to turn 98 and, after walking 8 miles a day for *many* years, still moves like a young man; it is worth working on balance, for example, which tends to decline as you age. Finally, one quick off-topic suggestion: protect your hearing when you are young - and you will be grateful later in life that you did!
One other thought that may surprise you: don't assume that people at your high school reunion will appreciate your looking 15-20 years younger than they do!
I will say that Laird Hamilton seems to be an exception to this. I still think he looks pretty young despite not believing in sunscreen.
He avoids processed sugar, flour and seed oils, eats high protein from fresh whole animal sources. Lots of sun (the best source of critical vitamin D) and lots of resistance training of variety of types. Smart guy.
I have read so many posts about how runners tend to look older, right now I’m in my early 30s and look younger than all my friends. People often think I’m in my mid 20s. I’m unconvinced that running ages you prematurely, however I did read that all the sun and wind damage doesn’t come on until later in life. So I ask the older runners of let’srun, do you still look younger than your friends? Is there a point where I will look older than my non running friends due to all the wind and sun exposure? I’m on team it’s mostly genetics but I could be convinced otherwise.
The aging is very individual but it’s obvious with the photos you see on social media. Specifically one example of a woman who is 27 and just joined one of the popular pro teams who looks like her husband. The lines on her face and drawn, dry and stern look she has makes her look 40. Definitely aged- a lot
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