Rediscovering VO₂ Max Training at 66

This week I stepped back onto the track for a workout I wasn’t sure I’d enjoy—or even be able to finish. Four VO₂ max intervals, averaging around 9:15 pace, with each 400-meter lap taking me about 2 minutes and 15 seconds. On paper, it doesn’t look like much. But for me, at 66, and with a body that’s still catching up to the strength training I’ve been layering in, it was rough.

And yet, it was exactly what I needed.

Over the past few months, I’ve been working weights back into my routine. Not just casually, but with the kind of commitment that leaves your muscles humming for days afterward. The challenge, of course, is balance. Heavy leg sessions can leave you too drained for meaningful running. For a while, I avoided combining the two, almost protecting myself from the inevitable soreness.

But this week, I finally leaned in. Thursday (or at least I thought it was Thursday—it turned out to be Friday), I hit the track for intervals after reintroducing legs into my lifting sessions. Predictably, it left me tired. But it also made the workout feel more real. Training isn’t supposed to be convenient. It’s supposed to stretch you, to test where you are, and to force the body into adaptation.

This week wasn’t normal in other ways either. I work at Utah Valley University, and the campus was essentially closed for a memorial event honoring a student who tragically lost his life. That shift in routine—working from home, rearranging my schedule—meant that training had to be fitted into a day that was already emotionally heavy.

It’s a reminder: fitness doesn’t happen in a vacuum. We carry the weight of life into every run, lift, and recovery session. Some days that’s harder than others. But if anything, it reinforces why training matters. It’s not just about the workout; it’s about how the workout carries you through everything else.

Here’s the thing: I wasn’t always sold on VO₂ max intervals. For years, I leaned more toward skepticism than enthusiasm. The workouts looked brutal, recovery seemed questionable, and for older athletes especially, the risks felt like they might outweigh the benefits.

That started to change while I was writing Reclaim Your Prime, my book on endurance training and fitness for those of us past midlife. The deeper I dug into the research and physiology, the more I realized I had been wrong. VO₂ max training isn’t optional if you want to extend your athletic life—it’s essential.

Writing the book pushed me into a corner. I could either keep preaching the value of VO₂ max from a safe distance, or I could put myself on the track and prove that it can be done at 66. So I chose the second path.

VO₂ max intervals do more than just make you faster. They keep your heart, lungs, and circulatory system working at a high level. They sharpen efficiency, build resilience, and push back against the slow erosion of capacity that aging tries to hand us.

The track has become a surprising ally in this process. I used to think of it as repetitive and boring. Now I see it as a tool for measurement and precision. Every lap is feedback, every split a data point. And when I look down afterward and see consistent paces, I realize I’m still capable of growth—even in my late 60s.

My plan now is to rotate VO₂ max workouts with tempo or threshold sessions. One week of high-intensity intervals, followed by the next week of controlled efforts just below the red line. That balance feels sustainable, allowing me to push my limits without burning out.

The big picture is simple: if I can show up, stay consistent, and keep adapting, then so can you. VO₂ max isn’t reserved for the young or the genetically gifted. It’s for anyone willing to put in the work and embrace discomfort for the sake of long-term health and performance.

At 66, I’m not chasing PRs or medals. I’m chasing vitality. And this week, on a quiet track with the sun slowly rising above the Wasatch Mountains, and my watch ticking off splits, I proved to myself again that it’s worth it.

If you’re ready to reclaim your prime, I invite you to check out my book, Reclaim Your Prime, available now on Amazon. More importantly, I invite you to lace up, hit the track, and discover that it’s never too late to train for your best self.