{"id":580041,"date":"2026-08-10T03:40:16","date_gmt":"2026-08-10T03:40:16","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/il\/580041\/"},"modified":"2026-08-10T03:40:16","modified_gmt":"2026-08-10T03:40:16","slug":"how-to-train-smarter-as-you-age-according-to-51-year-old-peloton-instructor-susie-chan","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/il\/580041\/","title":{"rendered":"How to train smarter as you age, according to 51-year-old Peloton instructor Susie Chan"},"content":{"rendered":"

Susie Chan<\/a> has been in a hurry since she first started running at age 35.<\/p>\n

Quickly falling in love with the sport, her mileage rapidly cranked up to 50 miles a week while she rattled through numerous long-distance races and led daily Peloton<\/a> classes.<\/p>\n

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Now 51, and having just completed the 81-mile Badwater Salton Sea ultra, she has no intention of giving up the big races\u2014but she is actively training smarter rather than harder these days.<\/p>\n

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\u201cI\u2019m trying to be a bit more balanced,\u201d Chan tells Fit&Well, from Peloton<\/a> Studios London.<\/p>\n

\u201cI\u2019ve intentionally gone down to less than 40 miles per week to give my legs a rest and make space to work a bit more on strength and mobility.\u201d<\/p>\n

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That includes strategically scaling her training back once or twice a year, and being a lot more intentional about the harder, tougher sessions.<\/p>\n

\u201cI don’t force it,\u201d says the four-time Marathon des Sables finisher. \u201cThere have been days when I won\u2019t do anything.<\/p>\n

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\u201cI have one or two months a year when I just dial it right back and keep things ticking over.<\/p>\n

\u201cObviously I work. I have to run for my job. But outside of that, if I\u2019m tired, I\u2019ll leave it for the day or I\u2019ll swap out a run for a fun 30-minute bike ride, or yoga or mobility session.\u201d<\/p>\n

With age comes maturity, says Chan. \u201cYour reason for running evolves as you evolve.<\/p>\n

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\u201cAt 51, having done the races that I\u2019ve done, I don\u2019t feel like I need to prove anything to anybody,\u201d she says.<\/p>\n

\u201cNot that I ever did. But if I\u2019m getting tired, I will just step back from it because I love my job and right now my priority is showing up for work strong and healthy.\u201d<\/p>\n

Outside of the studio, Chan is still determined to keep running for as long as her feet will carry her.<\/p>\n

\u201cThe 35-year-old Susie would not recognise me,\u201d she says, adding she wishes she had started running earlier in life. \u201cIt\u2019s a complete 180\u00b0 on the sort of person I was in my 20s and early 30s\u2014for the better.<\/p>\n

\u201cNot so much for the fitness, though that\u2019s great to have, but for the confidence it\u2019s given me.\u201d<\/p>\n

She goes on to explain the positive community aspect of running: \u201cI\u2019ve found the people I enjoy spending time with, the social side of it all. I don\u2019t know how to explain it to non-runners, but once you find running, running becomes your thing.<\/p>\n

\u201cIt\u2019s almost like a religion. You\u2019ll run with runners. You\u2019ll meet with other runners. It\u2019s a whole community and way of life,\u201d she adds. \u201cI\u2019m just so glad I found it and started doing it.\u201d<\/p>\n

While Chan hopes to keep running for a long time to come, she breaks down how to train smarter as you age in three clear points.<\/p>\n

1. Swap short-term goals for long-term endurance <\/p>\n

With countless personal records and even world records to her name, Chan is now playing the long game.<\/p>\n

\u201cWhen you\u2019re younger, or new to running, it\u2019s all very exciting and you can get PBs because that\u2019s available to you,\u201d she says. \u201cIf you\u2019ve been running for a long time, that becomes harder and harder.\u201d<\/p>\n

Instead of pushing to shave a few seconds off her time, Chan backs off when feeling tired so she can keep showing up for work, and the people that she loves.<\/p>\n

2. Become an all-rounder <\/p>\n

In the past, Chan would run and run, sparing little time for strength or mobility.<\/p>\n

Now, aware that muscles and bones naturally weaken as you age, she\u2019s committing more time to running-specific strength training and weekly yoga or Pilates classes.<\/p>\n

“At least once a week I’ll do a Peloton strength class, either a full-body strength workout or one focusing on the glutes and legs,” she says. “Just don’t dwell on how weak my arms are.”<\/p>\n

3. Prioritize rest days <\/p>\n

Since turning 50, Chan is paying greater respect to rest days and being more selective about the hard sessions in her training schedule.<\/p>\n

\u201cI\u2019m a lot more intentional about the hard work that I do now,\u201d she says.<\/p>\n

\u201cBy that, I mean the faster work. It is absolutely so hard for me now. My pace is very slow and steady.<\/p>\n

\u201cI can run all day nice and slow, but I only really push myself like that if there\u2019s a real fitness reason, like a goal-orientated race I’m working toward.\u201d<\/p>\n

If that means taking more rest days, she\u2019s all for it.<\/p>\n

\u201cI\u2019m much more balanced in my approach to training. Ten years ago I would just keep going and going.\u201d<\/p>\n

\"Peloton<\/p>\n

Susie Chan<\/p>\n

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Peloton instructor, endurance athlete and NASM certified personal trainer<\/p>\n

Susie Chan is a UK-based Peloton instructor and endurance athlete. Having only started running aged 35 when her brother signed her up for a half marathon, she has since gone on to finish the punishing 156-mile Marathon des Sables more times than any other British woman and set a 12-hour treadmill world record. One of the most recognised faces in the British running community, she believes everybody has the ability to become a runner, regardless of age or ability. She has qualifications in leadership in running fitness and coach in running fitness from England Athletics, and is a NASM-certified personal trainer. <\/p>\n