if you're someone who manages to run regularly now, doing so when you're 80 may seem ambitious.
But, if you're worried it may take you hours to jog s
maller distances as a pensioner, scientists have the perfect solution for you.
Researchers from Yale University have crafted a formula to help runners predict how much they will – or won't – slow down as they get older.
And physical decline is slower than you might think – without injury or illness, regular runners can expect to get just one per cent slower per year after they turn 40 . The maths does seem to suggest people have hit their peak by 40 and continue to train the same way afterwards, but shows age can be just a number.
Their calculations suggest a runner should actually only be around 40 per cent slower when they're 75 than they were at the age of 40.
For example, a 40-year-old who can run 5km (3.1 miles) in half an hour should only take 42 minutes to complete the same distance at the age of 75.
Dr Ray Fair and his colleague, Professor Edward Kaplan, worked out the formula based on marathon records among people in different age groups.
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