Running a Marathon in My 40s Vs My 20s

It’s my birthday this week, meaning I’ve lived a whole year of my 40s already. My running goal for the year had been to run a marathon as a 40-year-old faster than I had when I was in my 20s.

My body is a lot different aged 40 than it was even 10 years ago. I’ve had a child. I’ve had Covid. And I’ve had a number of medical dramas along the way, but I’m fitter and stronger as a 40 year old than I was when I was 25.

Running my first marathon

I ran my first marathon in Brighton back in 2010 aged 28 and it took me 4 hours 31 minutes. I’d gone from zero exercise and struggling to run for a minute or more at a time, to running a marathon in two years. It had been a big challenge and I was elated to cross that finish line – it was something I never thought I could do.

Fast forward to my 40th birthday and at that point I’d clocked up 20 marathons (including two ultra marathons). But things had slowed down considerably in the past couple of years. A knee injury that kept recurring, life stress and living through a pandemic had all affected my running and my fitness.

If I could roll back the clock on my physical self and go back to one particular point in time it would be 2016. That was the year I ran a Boston Qualifying Time at Edinburgh Marathon (3:30). This was before I had my son and I had the luxury of time to fit in five runs a week plus gym sessions but I also a body that could tolerate that load and recover well.

Running faster at 40?

I know I’m not the only one whose running has taken a hit the past few years. For me, my approaching 40th birthday was the perfect opportunity to challenge myself again. So when the offer of a place at London Marathon came along, I looked up my old race times.

I hadn’t run just the one marathon in my 20s. I ran the Robin Hood Marathon in 2011 (so long ago that the race no longer exists) aged 29. I’d been aiming to break 4 hours but I didn’t really know what I was doing or how to train for a sub-4 marathon, and I was going out far too much. I finished in 4:17, despite terrible weather. So the question was, could I run faster than this aged 40?

I had just 10 weeks of focussed training for London Marathon last year and a body that creaks a bit when I get up in the mornings. I have a dodgy knee that still isn’t totally happy going downhill, I run three times per week and I’ve no idea when my last speed session was. But I also have a couple of superpowers that I’ve acquired over the past couple of years.

Becoming a more confident runner

I’m a running coach and I know what I’m doing. I know that there’s no one-size-fits-all approach to running a marathon, and I know how to plan my training effectively (even if I do only have 10 weeks). I can’t run five times a week these days but I know how to train smarter instead of harder.

But most importantly of all, age and experience have given me a huge amount of confidence in my body and mind to get through a marathon. I’ve run 21 marathons on varying amounts of training. I’ve missed my goal time plenty of times, but I’ve only dropped out once.

So how did that goal go? Well, I finished London Marathon aged 40 in 3 hours and 56 minutes. That’s 21 minutes faster than my best time in my 20s. There’s a lot to be said for the naivety of youth, but it doesn’t top the confidence that comes from experience.

I guess the question now is, could I go a bit quicker with a little more training? I’ve got until October to find out. Watch this space.

Training for a marathon? Check out my ‘How to Run a Marathon’ training plan and guide.