If you start running competitively at age 12, and you continue running for years and years, eventually getting to the point where you’ve literally lost count of how many races you’ve done, you can be sure that you’ll no longer be setting PR’s in your mid-40s. Right?

Not if you only discover 80/20 training in your mid-40s! Just ask Jennifer Hickman, 46, a zookeeper, wife, and mother of two daughters from Highlands Ranch, Colorado. Jennifer was turned onto the 80/20 system a couple of years ago by her trainer, Steve Acuna, who told her it was the best way to maximize fitness while minimizing burnout during the recent pandemic. And he was right.

“My body has gotten the recovery it needed after an extended training season,” she says. “I am less fatigued. My runs are enjoyable again. Since starting the plan, I have broken a personal 5k record from 2008. And I have lost weight on this plan!”

Oh, and Jennifer also qualified for the 2021 Boston Marathon. Let’s just hope it happens!