The Bat Out of Hell Workout: Why Running Like a Kid Never Gets Old

Little kids. They’re freaky fast. Running, wildly darting back and forth. Wow! Talk about fun. The faster you chase them, the more they laugh. For many parents, the image of bats escaping out of hell says it all.

But, fast forward 40-plus years, and running like a kid is a distant memory. That kind of fun is over. Or is it? That’s a question I often asked myself during years of “running to be fit”.

If you run or jog, even just a little, are you doing it for fun? Or are you lacing up your shoes because it’s “good exercise”? For me, the best part of running was at the end. I’d go a little faster because it was almost over. That part was fun.

Millions of Americans run to stay fit and feel better. But whether they run a few blocks or many miles, something may be missing for a lot of them: running fast. There’s something about running fast that captivates people. The most watched Olympic track and field events are the 100m and 200m finals. The world wants to see the fastest women and men on the planet.

Running fast stays with us long after being a kid. In high school and college, outdoor track and field is the most popular sport for girls and the second most popular for boys, after football. And for other high participation sports such as basketball, football, soccer or field hockey, sprinting is a key ability.

Speed, however, has its limits. The peak performance for elite sprinters and distance runners is reached around 25-28 year of age. That’s the same peak range for most other sports including soccer, basketball, and football.

After our 30’s, a lot of things slow us down. Life being a major culprit. “Play” is steadily replaced by “exercise.” That was my experience in my 30’s when I began running for exercise. Many of those miles and years were enjoyable, but most hours were motivated by thinking, “when is this over?”

If you don’t enjoy “exercise,” what’s the point? Could you have more fun doing something else? Absolutely. There are endless ways to be active and actually enjoy it. From walking to kayaking and pickle ball to karate. Name your pleasure.

But what about our inherent need-for-speed that we knew as kids. Doing something that’s fast seems more daunting as we age. We’re buffeted by talk about risk of injury, over exertion, and slowing metabolisms. Very new research shows that our metabolisms don’t start to decline until after age 60. Even then, it’s gradual. And beyond age 60, muscle loss and flexibility don’t recede as quickly as previously thought. Studies of older runners suggest that until you hit 80, you should feel as you good as you did when you were 20.

Is that really possible? The truth is – we get older, we get injured, our muscles are not the same, we run out of breath sooner. So, can we still run fast? That’s what I set out to explore, and the answer is: absolutely. If you haven’t heard of HIIT – or high intensity interval training – you will soon.

Many recent studies show that super-quick workouts at all-out effort may be all we need to build and maintain our fitness and strength. One of the appeals of HIIT is that it takes a fraction of the time to achieve the fitness benefits of other physical activity. But, even more interesting, is that when people begin HIIT workouts, they have more fun. The more they engaged in shorter, but demanding exercise, the more they enjoyed it. Think about it.

For a casual, over age-60 jogger like me who couldn’t wait for long run to end, sprinting looked like a great escape. A few years ago I began running slowly at a nearby high school track. I’d warm up then try a few short sprints. It didn’t feel natural at first, but after time, I had moments when I was running as fast as possible. And for 4, 5, or 6 seconds, it was exhilarating. Super fun. That fun of course, quickly turned into gasping for breath.

Today, I’m sprinting faster, the fun lasts longer, and the recovery is quicker. And there are more women and men on the high school track than a few years ago. Most everyone looks exhausted after running briefly at top speed. But they’re smiling too. They have a look in their eyes that says running like a bat of hell never gets old.

If your inner freaky-fast kid is still nudging you to break out, look further into HIIT exercise. If you have questions, talk to a trainer or with your physician if you have any health concerns. But get started. Once you do, you’ll find the fun is back.