September is a funny month, isn’t it? Holidays are a distant memory, the kids are back at school, and most of us are slowly finding our way back into some kind of routine.
If you’re a runner over 40, that routine probably looks a lot like it always has, the same routes, the same distances, the same plan that got you here. But what if this September was the one where you actually changed things up? What if Pilates and strength training for runners over 40 was the thing that made this your strongest running season yet?
Before you scroll past thinking ‘I haven’t got time for that’ stay with me. I’m not talking about hours in a gym. I’m talking about ten minutes on a mat. That’s it.
Same old routine, same old results?
Here’s a question worth thinking about: do you just get back into what you’ve always done? Regular runs, same distances, maybe a goal on the horizon but is what you did before actually enough? Or do you find yourself bailing out halfway through autumn because nothing really changes and the motivation just isn’t there?
I see this all the time. Runners who are dedicated, consistent, doing everything right but stuck. Same niggles. Same tight hips. Same heavy legs in the last mile. And the answer isn’t more running. It’s rarely ever more running.
The answer is usually what’s missing from the running. And after 40, what’s missing is almost always strength and mobility work.
Why Pilates and strength training for runners over 40 is a game changer
Here’s the thing about getting older as a runner and I say this as someone who runs, does triathlons, and has been teaching Pilates for 26 years. Your body is a different machine to the one you had in your thirties. Recovery is slower. Muscles that used to fire automatically start to need a bit of a reminder. Tendons and joints that used to cope with whatever you threw at them start to have opinions.
This isn’t a reason to slow down. It’s a reason to train smarter. And Pilates and strength training for runners over 40 is, without question, the smartest thing you can add to your week right now.
Check out the photo above these are members of the WVTRI club who just completed their first ever Pilates class, I can’t wait to see how Pilates impacts their training this autumn.
Not because it’s trendy. Because it works. It builds the deep stability muscles that protect your hips, knees and lower back. It improves your mobility, so you move freely rather than grinding through tightness. It strengthens your glutes and trust me, most runners have the weakest glutes you’ve ever seen, even the ones who’ve been running for years. And it does all of this without adding more impact to a body that’s already absorbing a lot.
Getting out of your comfort zone, just a little
I know Pilates isn’t what most runners reach for. It feels unfamiliar. Maybe a bit too quiet. Not enough sweat. I’ve heard it all.
But this is exactly about getting out of your comfort zone and creating a new routine that you might just love. Your body responds to new challenges. When you’ve been running the same way for years, your muscles have adapted, they’re efficient, yes, but they’ve also stopped being challenged. Pilates challenges them in completely different ways. It finds the weaknesses running has quietly been hiding and starts to address them.
Here’s what surprises most runners when they start: it’s harder than they expected. Those small, controlled movements? They expose every imbalance, every tight spot, every muscle that’s been quietly switching off while the stronger ones do all the work. In the best possible way.
Ten minutes. That’s all I’m asking.
I’m not talking about overhauling your training. I’m not asking you to give up runs or spend an hour on a mat three times a week. Start with ten minutes a day. Ten minutes of targeted mobility and strength work, done consistently, will genuinely change how your body feels and functions.
Just think about what ten minutes daily is doing to your body over a month. Over a whole autumn training block. You’re mobilising the joints that running stiffens. You’re strengthening the muscles that running weakens. You’re building the foundation that means when your training ramps up whether that’s a 10K, a half marathon or London next April your body is actually ready for it.
Inside the Studio44 Pilates for Runners membership, everything is built around busy runners who don’t have hours to spare. Sessions start at ten minutes. There are live Zoom classes you can join from your living room no commute, no kit bag, no faff. And there are pathways built specifically around your running goals, so it all fits together rather than feeling like two separate things competing for your time.
September is the perfect time to start
January gets all the credit for new starts, but honestly? September is better. The back-to-routine energy is real. The motivation from a summer of running is still there. And you’ve got the whole autumn and winter to build something solid before spring race season arrives.
The runners who turn up to spring races feeling genuinely strong, not just fit, but strong are almost always the ones who started their strength and mobility work in September and kept it consistent. It’s not magic. It’s just what happens when you give your body what it actually needs.
So same old routine this September, or something new?