Born in 1945, Natalie says she always played outside growing up. \u2018We were just sent out the door to run around and ride our bikes and play in the woods, but I didn’t have the benefit of any lessons in anything.\u2019<\/p>\n
What to Read Next<\/p>\n
Then, at high school, she says it was cheerleading or nothing. \u2018The only thing that was available for young women or girls was cheerleading. So, I was a cheerleader. I always enjoyed doing cartwheels and that kind of thing just on the playground,\u2019 says Natalie. \u2018It was just to support the boys teams during that time \u2013 we didn’t think anything of it, it just wasn’t available to us to have any kind of competition in sports.\u2019<\/p>\n
So, Natalie says she channelled her natural competitiveness into schoolwork until starting her job as a software engineer, where she eventually found a ski team. She had to teach herself to ski first, but managed just fine. <\/p>\n
When her daughters were old enough for nursery, Natalie also taught herself to play tennis<\/a> and enjoyed competing in local women\u2019s doubles matches. At 43, she returned to work, which is when she began running<\/a> regularly.<\/p>\n \u2018I started running at lunchtime at work or after work, and I joined the Y (a non-profit gym) and did some step aerobics and that type of thing to complement the running,\u2019 says Natalie. \u2018Then, I retired when I was 52 and I did all the local 5ks and 10ks, and really enjoyed competing.\u2019<\/p>\n With little opportunity to embrace competition as a young woman, this was Natalie\u2019s chance to show the world (and herself) her sporting potential. \u2018I would have loved to have been a sprinter or gymnast \u2013 so many things,\u2019 she says. \u2018It just wasn\u2019t something you did.\u2019<\/p>\n \u2018Even playing in gym class basketball, for girls, it was half-court \u2013 we weren’t allowed to run the full length of the court,\u2019 says Natalie. \u2018It was a different time.\u2019 Did she feel like the emphasis was often on how she looked rather than felt? \u2018Yes,\u2019 says Natalie. \u2018And it’s such an important thing for girls to have that strength and to feel strong so that they feel strong in their heads, too.’<\/p>\n Getting in the pool at 59<\/strong><\/p>\n Along with running, Natalie also did some spin classes<\/a>, where she was invited to participate in a sprint triathlon. Too embarrassed to admit that she had never learnt to swim, Natalie shrugged off the offer. <\/p>\n However, the following year, she revealed the truth, but still keen to get involved, this time Natalie competed in the relay, with her daughter doing the swim. \u2018I just loved it. I loved the whole atmosphere,\u2019 she says. \u2018From that point on, I said I got to learn how to swim.\u2019<\/p>\n So, as patient as ever and used to \u2018reading books to learn how to do things\u2019, Natalie set about learning to swim aged 59. \u2018About nine months after I started learning, I did my first sprint. It wasn’t pretty, but I got through the swim because it’s short. And that year, I did a couple of sprints, an Olympic, and then I ended the year with a half Ironman, and won my age group and all my races,\u2019 says Natalie. \u2018I knew that I had found my sport.\u2019<\/p>\n Related Story1\/ Find a balance<\/strong><\/p>\n Conscious that she may very well take it too far if left to her own devices, thanks to her naturally competitive spirit, Natalie says that she has always been lucky to have a coach to help guide her. Although she was doing 18-hour training weeks leading up to her recent Ironman, Natalie says that currently, things are a little quieter. \u2018I’m very good at following directions, so whatever the coach tells me, I do, and my workouts depend on the time of the year. Right now, I’m just doing very short, easy things \u2013 recovering.\u2019<\/p>\n Related Story<\/p>\n Natalie started working with her coach, Michelle Lake, in January last year, and when asked how she approaches Natalie\u2019s training, she says it\u2019s not all that different from her other athletes. Frequent communication is key, says Michelle, and \u2018if anything looks not so great, we can back off and make sure she rests instead. Also, we added things like a personal trainer for strength and seeing an ART Chiropractor for recovery.\u2019<\/p>\n As for the advice Michelle would give to women who feel it\u2019s \u2018too late\u2019 to start something new? \u2018Never give up \u2013 there are opportunities,\u2019 she tells WH UK. \u201880 is the new 60.\u2019 And what would she like to see Natalie do next? \u2018Keep going. She’s already signed up for two half Ironmans next year. Let’s go!\u2019<\/p>\n ’80 is the new 60′<\/p><\/blockquote>\n<\/blockquote>\n 2\/ Accept your limits<\/strong><\/p>\n It\u2019s about \u2018getting smart as you age and knowing that, especially at this age, you can’t push through some things. You just can’t. You have to take some time off, get some therapy, or do a little more foam rolling \u2013 whatever you need to do to get yourself back to 100%\u2019, adds Natalie. <\/p>\n As for all the tech and metrics recreational athletes are tuned into these days, Natalie is quite content with her own low-tech approach to movement and exercise. \u2018My trainer for the bike is what they call a dumb trainer. It’s not one of these fancy, smart trainers. I don’t have a screen, I don’t do a course or anything \u2013 I just use power. I put on some music, and I just ride and try to hit my power targets that my coach has given me,\u2019 she says.<\/p>\n 3\/ Love what you do<\/strong><\/p>\n What really keeps Natalie motivated? The pure enjoyment she gets from exercise. \u2018I just love my workouts,\u2019 she says simply. \u2018I don’t need all the bells and whistles.\u2019 <\/p>\n ‘I just love my workouts \u2013 I don’t need all the bells and whistles’<\/p><\/blockquote>\n<\/blockquote>\n Does she have a favourite workout? \u2018I just enjoy everything,\u2019 says Natalie. \u2018I especially enjoy the bike workouts. That’s my favourite \u2013 it\u2019s why I like to do the long course because I like the long bikes.\u2019 While there are not as many women competing in her age group anymore, when there were, Natalie says she would always be one of the last people out of the water. However, a strong cyclist, she would usually make that time up on the bike, eventually passing those who had beaten her out of the pool. <\/p>\n Related Story<\/p>\n Does Natalie wish there were more people in her age group to compete against? It doesn\u2019t bother her too much, she says, simply because she\u2019s only ever going to do the best that she can do. But, \u2018it’s fun to look and compare,\u2019 she admits. \u2018When there aren’t any other women, I look at the men, and I see how I compare with the men in my age group,\u2019 she adds.<\/p>\n \u2018The training is what I love,\u2019 says Natalie. \u2018So, even if somebody said, okay, there are no races near you, there’s nothing to do. I’m fine with that. I just want to get up and do my workouts.\u2019<\/p>\n 4\/ Stay <\/strong>strong <\/p>\n Ensuring she can continue to move in the way she loves means being serious about balancing exercise with rest<\/a> and recovery, adds Natalie. \u2018You have to be really careful that you don\u2019t get injured,\u2019 she says \u2013 especially with the running. \u2018My coaches have always kept my running mileage very low \u2013 you\u2019d be very surprised at how little I run.\u2019 Natalie says her long runs are always run-walk; similar to how she would approach the run during an Ironman. <\/p>\n Related Story<\/p>\n Strength training<\/a> has also been a game-changer for Natalie. \u2018I qualified last year at Ironman Maryland for Kona, and after the race, my arms were really, really sore, and I said I’ve got to try to do something different,\u2019 she says. \u2018So for the first time, I started working with a strength coach, and he was really helpful in getting my lats stronger and just getting my upper-body stronger. So that was good, and I’ll continue with that.\u2019<\/p>\n 5\/ Enjoyment and consistency are key<\/strong><\/p>\n As somebody who \u2018found her sport\u2019 later in life, where does Natalie recommend other mid-life and older women start with fitness if they are feeling overwhelmed? \u2018I know people have said this and we read it all the time, but I think the best thing is to find something you really like,\u2019 she says. \u2018If you don’t like running or swimming or biking, then don’t do that.\u2019 In other words, if you don\u2019t enjoy it, you\u2019re probably not going to stick with it.<\/p>\n \u2018Find a spin class or golf or pickleball<\/a> \u2013 there’s so many different things,\u2019 adds Natalie. \u2018Find something that you will go back to and that you can start off small \u2013 maybe you do it once a week, and then you increase it to two times a week, and then you maybe add some walking<\/a> to that. So, it’s just a gradual increase and being consistent.\u2019<\/p>\n Soon enough, says Natalie, you\u2019ll start to feel stronger \u2013 your muscles, your walking, your ability to go up and down the stairs and carry shopping with ease. \u2018Once you feel that, then you’ll keep going.\u2019<\/p>\n Related Stories Hannah Bradfield is a Senior Health and Fitness Writer for Women\u2019s Health UK. An NCTJ-accredited journalist, Hannah graduated from Loughborough University with a BA in English and Sport Science and an MA in Media and Cultural Analysis. \u00a0She has been covering sports, health and fitness for the last five years and has created content for outlets including BBC Sport, BBC Sounds, Runner\u2019s World and Stylist. She especially enjoys interviewing those working within the community to improve access to sport, exercise and wellness. Hannah is a 2024 John Schofield Trust Fellow and was also named a 2022 Rising Star in Journalism by The Printing Charity. \u00a0A keen runner, Hannah was firmly a sprinter growing up (also dabbling in long jump) but has since transitioned to longer-distance running. While 10K is her favoured race distance, she loves running or volunteering at parkrun every Saturday, followed, of course, by pastries. She\u2019s always looking for fun new runs and races to do and brunch spots to try.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"Despite being slightly overwhelmed (but very flattered) by all of the media attention on her recent incredible achievement,…\n","protected":false},"author":3,"featured_media":370887,"comment_status":"","ping_status":"","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[38],"tags":[1199,178773,1201,1198,210,1200,178772,67,132,68],"class_list":{"0":"post-370886","1":"post","2":"type-post","3":"status-publish","4":"format-standard","5":"has-post-thumbnail","7":"category-fitness","8":"tag-content-type-default","9":"tag-contentid-0bdcba58-5fac-49bf-9ff0-4a1b63ce9cbc","10":"tag-displaytype-standard-article","11":"tag-fitness","12":"tag-health","13":"tag-locale-gb","14":"tag-shorttitle-80-year-old-ironman-wr-holders-5-fitness-secrets","15":"tag-united-states","16":"tag-unitedstates","17":"tag-us"},"share_on_mastodon":{"url":"https:\/\/pubeurope.com\/@us\/115529523222304415","error":""},"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/us\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/370886","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/us\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/us\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/us\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/3"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/us\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=370886"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/us\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/370886\/revisions"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/us\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/370887"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/us\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=370886"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/us\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=370886"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/us\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=370886"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}\n
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