At age 46, Austin Cowburn felt his training was "directionless," and he started putting on weight. This former runner and marathoner wanted to overcome injuries and get back to feeling his best. Here’s how he did it.

RUNNING HAS ALWAYS been my go-to exercise; as a younger man I joined several running clubs, and even finished as even finished pretty high up in the 1995 New York Marathon. I spent weeknights and Saturday mornings on the track or in a swimming pool. Cardio is familiar to me, and as I grew up, I stuck with it. Looking back, I realize means I didn’t have the understanding and technique to really benefit from weight training.

After a couple of years of directionless training, plus two injuries and rehab, and a poor diet, I put on weight. That inflamed other, niggling injuries, which made me feel like I just wasn’t at my best. I felt sluggish; my favorite clothes didn’t fit as well, and the new ones seemed to be smaller than I expected.…