<\/p>\n
Pepi S\u00e1nchez (Josefa S\u00e1nchez Quintana, Antequera 1950), breaks all stereotypes about when to start exercising. At 56 she climbed onto a bicycle for the first time without knowing how to ride. \u201cI crashed into all the containers that were on the fairgrounds, but I learned.\u201d Afterwards she rode across Europe on bike and, at 60, she began to run. Now retired, she met her trainer, Malu Baena, and discovered track competition. Today, at 76, she still trains six days a week. In 2020 she was Andalusia and Spain champion in the 400 and 800 meters in her category. Pepi proves that age can add experience, but it doesn\u2019t have to subtract enthusiasm, strength, or the desire to improve. Recently she made headlines by earning the world title in the F75 category for 400 meters<\/strong>, a title she won in Daegu (South Korea).<\/i><\/p>\n Train to Stay Strong<\/b><\/p>\n Her week blends two track days, two gym days and two days on asphalt<\/b>, with ups, stairs, intervals and pace changes. She also does easy runs, active recovery, and cycling, an activity she keeps up almost daily.<\/p>\n \u201cI do two strength sessions. Squats with a bar, deadlifts, jumps and machines. Strength not only helps you run faster, it also protects the joints, prevents injuries, and keeps you independent as the years go by.\u201d<\/i><\/p>\n Her essentials are clear: strength, mobility, running technique, active recovery, and listening to the body<\/b>.<\/p>\n Eat Simply, Train, and Keep Learning<\/b><\/p>\n Pepi opts for a simple Mediterranean diet: legumes, vegetables, salads, potatoes, rice, eggs, chicken, fish, tuna, and sardines. Dinner early and she usually undertakes fasts of about 16 hours. Among her supplements is creatine<\/b>, taken daily, and magnesium at night<\/b>. \u201cI really notice the creatine since I started taking it.\u201d<\/i> She also knows what it means to stop. She has suffered plantar fasciitis and a hamstring injury that forced her to rest and undergo physiotherapy. \u201cI\u2019ve recovered and I\u2019m perfectly fine<\/i>.\u201d<\/p>\n \u201cGetting Off the Sofa Is What Matters\u201d<\/b><\/p>\n For Pepi, longevity isn\u2019t merely about adding years; it\u2019s about keeping the will to live. She continues learning English and computing, participates in Antequera\u2019s Heritage activities, rides bikes with her friends, and enjoys sewing.<\/p>\n \u201cThere are days when it\u2019s hard for me to get going, but I push myself because I know in five minutes I\u2019ll pass and I\u2019ll be running.\u201d<\/i> And she is clear about the message she wants to convey to those who think they are too old to start: \u201cGet up from the sofa and do something. You don\u2019t have to run: walk, Pilates, cycling\u2026 whatever you enjoy.\u201d<\/i><\/b>.<\/i><\/p>\n Her secret, she says, is simple: \u201cMy will to live. I love training, and I like getting up and feeling no pain.\u201d<\/i><\/p>\n HER ACTIVE WEEK<\/b><\/p>\n 2 days<\/b> \u00b7 Dirt track
2 days<\/b> \u00b7 Gym and strength
2 days<\/b> \u00b7 Hills, stairs, intervals and pace changes
+<\/b> \u00b7 Cycling, easy runs and active recovery
1 day<\/b> \u00b7 Rest or very light activity<\/p>\n