In this new Aging As An Athlete episode wtih Krissy Moehl, Coach Kirk Keller has been running since 1974, and nearly six decades later, he’s still training, racing, coaching, and figuring things out. He joins The Nation to talk about one of the hardest lessons for aging athletes: the training that worked years ago may not be the training your body needs today. The conversation covers consistency, recovery, RPE, mental training, durability, and the danger of comparing today’s pace to an earlier version of yourself. Kirk also shares a fresh lesson from the Bridger Ridge Run, where tired legs forced him to reconsider his own recovery and training load, proving that even an experienced coach still has to keep rewriting the playbook. Krissy adds her perspective on how experience, durability, life stress, and smarter recovery have changed her approach to training in her 40s. The bigger message is encouraging: aging changes the athlete, but it can also bring wisdom, perspective, problem-solving skills, and a deeper appreciation for simply being out there.

LINKS:

• Kirk Keller Coaching
• Krissy Moehl Coaching and Races

EPISODE SPONSORS
Tifosi Optics - CLARITY ON THE TRAIL: Post your Golden Nugget of wisdom that helps you recover after a huge effort on Instagram, tag @TifosiOptics, @TrailRunnerNation, and use the hashtag #ClarityOnTheTrail. OR try texting us (within the USA) with your tip: 916-235-3928.
If we use yours on a weekly episode, you get a pair of the new Sanctum SL glasses!

RunMotion Coach: Whether you’re training for your first trail race or chasing a new ultra PR, RunMotion Coach creates a personalized training plan that adapts to your schedule, fitness, and progress. Built by experienced coaches and powered by intelligent coaching technology, it helps you train smarter, stay consistent, and arrive at the starting line ready for your next adventure.

07:35 – Can We Still Get Faster as We Age?
The group examines age, previous training history, accumulated mileage, and why personal bests mean something different depending on when someone began running.

12:58 – Consistency, Durability, and Training After 40
Kirk identifies consistency as a major predictor of success and explains why older athletes may need a flatter, more patient approach to building toward big goals.

29:58 – The Biggest Mistake Aging Athletes Make
Kirk argues that denying the effects of age can hold runners back, while accepting change creates room to adjust and keep doing meaningful things on the trail.

34:54 – Why RPE Becomes More Valuable With Age
They discuss using perceived effort instead of chasing old splits, giving runners a more useful way to measure effort across changing terrain and changing bodies.

37:28 – Training the Aging Runner’s Brain
Kirk explains why mental skills remain trainable and how runners can recognize negative thoughts, verbalize them, and replace them during difficult moments.

43:38 – A Coach Learns His Own Recovery Lesson
After struggling early at the Bridger Ridge Run, Kirk realizes he had stacked hard training too closely together and needs to rethink recovery at age 67. The conversation expands into durability, wisdom, changing expectations, and the value of continually experimenting with training as we age.

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For much of her career, Ellie Greenwood measured herself against the best runners in the world, but her relationship with running has evolved toward something less measurable and, in some ways, more meaningful. She talks with Don and Scott about why racing can gradually shift from exciting to stressful, and why stepping away from competition doesn't mean stepping away from being a serious runner. The conversation explores how personal projects, peak bagging, FKTs, mileage or vertical challenges, and even running every street in your hometown can provide the same motivation that once came from a race on the calendar. Ellie also tackles an important question for aging athletes: what happens when working harder no longer produces the performances it once did, and can changing the goal help preserve our love of running? Along the way, they share adventure ideas ranging from Rim-to-Rim-to-Rim and running a favorite race course unofficially to travel running and some wonderfully ridiculous challenges involving ironing boards and whole chickens. Ultimately, Ellie makes the case that a bib is only one way to create purpose, and the best running goal may simply be the one that keeps you curious, moving, and excited about what's around the next corner. Hire Ellie as a coach at SharmanUltra

EPISODE SPONSORS
Tifosi Optics - CLARITY ON THE TRAIL: Post your Golden Nugget of wisdom that helps you recover after a huge effort on Instagram, tag @TifosiOptics, @TrailRunnerNation, and use the hashtag #ClarityOnTheTrail. OR try texting us (within the USA) with your tip: 916-235-3928.
If we use yours on a weekly episode, you get a pair of the new Sanctum SL glasses!

07:15 | Does Adventure Need Competition?
The group considers how personal challenges can provide difficulty and purpose without turning every run into another contest.

11:00 | Training Without a Race on the Calendar
Ellie shares how she coaches runners toward adventure, fitness, skills, and personal goals even when there's no finish line waiting for them.

22:40 | Are You Still a Trail Runner Without a Bib?
Scott raises the identity question at the heart of the episode, and Ellie explains why racing should never define who gets to call themselves a trail runner.

27:29 | How Long Are Our Best Running Years?
A discussion of the "Sawchuk Seven" leads to aging, longevity, smart training, burnout, and what happens when improvement becomes harder to find.

37:03 | Adventure Ideas You Can Actually Try
From running every street in your town to exploring unfamiliar trails, Ellie, Don, and Scott start building a menu of adventures that don't require an entry fee.

42:34 | Rim-to-Rim, Foil Buckles and Running the World
The conversation expands into Grand Canyon crossings, unofficial Western States adventures, delightfully strange challenges, and using running as a way to experience new places.

Hosted by Simplecast, an AdsWizz company. See pcm.adswizz.com for information about our collection and use of personal data for advertising.