At what point does running start to prematurely age you?

Just turned 60 . no gray hair/bald yet. Wife works at MAC and all the other women at other lines think I turned 40.

I don't need the "blue" pill. Can do "doubles" but need about an hour between ;)

C'mon...you're 60 but look 40? How about a few photos for proof?

You don't need viagra & you can do doubles? Are you on TRT something?

You specifically polled them on that?

The appearance isn't that hard to believe. I've also had unprompted guesses of my age be 20 years young. I think running doesn't make you look older as long as you don't get too much sun, which I don't living at a high latitude. Genetics matter more, thus the sayings in my username.

Older Runner:

Physique - you will look much younger
Face - you will look your age or older

For the same reason: body fat. Lower body fat is correlated with youthful bodies. However, it leaves one's face with less fat to hide wrinkles and causes one's face to look older that if one were fatter.

I used to look 10-15 years younger until late 40's, then my face caught up to my age. Body is still the same as it was when I was 20.

Again people forget the biological health markers of age. I was in such a study carried out by my local university. Club runners over 50 compared with sedentary people of the same age. We were decades younger in all metrics, all the sedentary people were referred to their GP (family doctor). The head of the study said that among the staff and students involved in carrying out the study, the people who weren't runners realised they should start.

The sun damage thing cracks me up, I live in a country where it is almost a non issue but in hot days wearing a baseball cap does the job. We have something else you may have heard of - night time.

The old cliche is that, to look good, you want to look thin when young, but have more weight when you are 60+ (not fat, of course). Skinny ectomorphs generally look much better with another 10lbs on them. I'm 65 and stopped running about 8 years ago. I put on about 10lbs since stopping (about 30lbs since college). Everyone says I look much "healthier" since I stopped running.

Interesting. I find that a moderate amount of resistance training or certain types of cross-training in addition to running achieve the same benefit.

Really, a balance of resistance and cardio is the ticket for us masters athletes. When I was younger, it didn't require such attention. Not complaining, mind you, just making the observation.

55-year-old endurance athlete -- I look distinctly young for my age, but I'm more concerned with the affect that decades of running, cycling, etc. has had internally. Specifically, I'm one of those highly aerobically trained people that develops a large amount of calcified arterial plaque. My CAC score is north of 800, and while there's speculation that masters athletes tend to form stable, hard plaques that are unlikely to break off and cause a stroke it's still considered a reaction to micro traumas of the arterial walls -- likely caused in some part (in addition to genetics) by heavy cardiovascular exertion. It's way more concerning to me than an extra wrinkle or two.

Hilarious how few know the difference between fat and collagen. I am very low in bodyfat yet 20 years younger than the average facially (even more so in physique). High quality animal protein and attendant stable saturated fat FTW.

50g per day of pea protein isolate doesn't cut it, folks.

Eat meat, lift heavy, sprint often, don't succumb to solarphobia.

Great question! In my experience, running itself won’t add wrinkles. It's more about sun and stress on your skin. If you’re logging serious miles without proper SPF or antioxidant backup, UV rays can kick into high gear, causing premature aging. I’ve hit daily runs and noticed early sun spots when I skimped on screen. Your retinol, moisturizer, and strong sunscreen routine sounds spot-on. I also peeked at The247Rx which is a good source of insights on supplements that support skin health, like collagen boosters. Stay covered and keep that routine tight!