The Guy Who Sang ‘Grandma Got Run Over by a Reindeer’ Can Really Hoof It – Wall Street Journal

A veterinarian by profession, Mr. Shropshire started running at 55, joining the Tamalpa Runners, a club near his home in Novato, Calif. The group focuses on training for ultramarathons, marathons and trail races. “I loved the endorphins, but I was a back-of-the-pack runner,” he says.

In 2012, his running club needed a third person to field a 70-year-old team for the USA Masters 5K Cross Country Championships. Mr. Shropshire ended up winning the race, though he points out the top two seeded competitors got lost on the course. “It took me more than 20 years to discover I could be competitive at shorter races,” he says.

The following year, he won a gold medal as part of the USA 4×400 relay team in the World Masters Athletics Championships in Porto Alegre, Brazil. “I’m not as genetically gifted as many of my contemporaries, but good coaching has helped me do things that previously seemed out of reach,” he says.

He competes in 20-plus races a year. His distance sweet spot is 1 to 5 miles. But in December, he swaps his sneakers for a guitar. Forty years ago he recorded his quirky Christmas tune as part of the group Elmo & Patsy. (Patsy is his ex-wife, Patsy Trigg.) “People either loved it or hated it,” he recalls of the song, which was written by Randy Brooks. After MTV picked up the video in the early 1980s, the single took off.

He says doing live performances every day, sometimes twice a day, up until Christmas, is his version of a marathon. After a holiday season on the road, he says he’s looking forward to getting back to his running routine back home.

The Workout

Mr. Shropshire has trained using the Jeff Galloway run-walk-run method for the past five years. He jogs for 15 seconds, then walks for 15 seconds. After 1.5 miles he runs for 30 seconds and walks 15 seconds. Twice a week he runs 3 to 5 miles on trails or at a local track. He aims for a 12- to 14-minute-per-mile pace. On weekends he does a race or a long trail run of up to 10 miles.

“As slow as these training runs are, I’ve been able to consistently run a mile race in under 8 minutes and a 5K at a 9:30 pace,” he says. “And I believe this method has been the secret to me staying injury-free at my age.”

Five years ago Mr. Shropshire joined CrossFit. “Everyone was under the age of 35,” he says. “I’d try to keep up and would need a week to recover.” He now trains one-on-one with a CrossFit coach every Monday and repeats the hourlong workout on his own on Wednesdays and Fridays in his home gym. The workout is 60% hip and glute strengthening, including lunges, squats, step-ups, steep uphill jogging and balancing on one leg. The rest is core and upper-body strength work such as planks, pull-ups, dumbbell flys and triceps extensions. He runs up and down his driveway between exercises.

His wife, Pam Wendell, who is also a runner, convinced him to start taking Zumba once a week. He’s the only man in the hourlong class. “It’s the same effort as running for 3 miles, but has a more complete range of motion for both arms and legs,” he says. “It helps with my Christmas show performances, because I need coordination to move while I play guitar.”

He plays golf two to three times a week as a way to get in extra steps on his days off from running. He tries to take a 30-minute nap after his workouts. He also does a hip-opening yoga pose called the pigeon to battle stiffness every day.

Mr. Shropshire plays guitar and sings in a 3½ hour jam session once a week with other musicians.

“Memorizing lyrics and chords to a new song every week requires hours of mental concentration,” he says.

The Diet

Most days Mr. Shropshire eats steel-cut oatmeal with berries and walnuts for breakfast, though occasionally he has two eggs with toast and orange juice. Peanut butter on a piece of homemade bread and an apple is lunch. Fish, mainly salmon, or chicken and vegetables are dinner. “I know it sounds boring, but I love these meals,” he says. He abstains from caffeine, sugar and alcohol.

The Gear and Cost

Mr. Shropshire finds heavy shoes pull on his Achilles tendon, so he prefers to run in light racing flats. Initially, he balked at the $250 cost of the Nike Vaporfly 4% Flyknit, but says they’re worth the investment. He’s a fan of Wigwam Attain Ultralight low socks ($12). He bought a Garmin Forerunner 735XT ($350) as a gift for his wife, but she regifted it to him.

“It has a heart-rate monitor, but I use it more to track my sleep and steps,” he says. He tries to average a minimum of 8,000 steps a day, with a higher total on running days. He uses a Jeff Galloway Run Walk Run Timer ($20) to monitor his intervals. Local race entry fees range from $30 to $50. A year of an e-coaching program with Mr. Galloway costs $554. Mr. Shropshire pays $25 a month for Zumba and $100 per private CrossFit session.

The Smart Way to Run in Winter

People either love winter running or they deal with it, says Melanie Kann, a coach with New York Road Runners.

“When you’re braving the elements, there are a lot of challenges to overcome,” she says. “But with the right mind-set and gear, winter running can be fun.”

Ms. Kann’s rule of thumb is to dress as if the outside temperature is 10 to 20 degrees warmer than it really is. “People think they have to bundle up head to toe, and that causes them to overheat and sweat, and then they get cold from the moisture,” she says. “Winter comfort is all about moisture control. You want wicking layers closest to your body to pull the moisture away.”

She says extremities such as fingertips and ears are most in danger of getting cold, so be sure to keep them protected. Runners in warmer climates still need to deal with winter’s short days. Bright colors, reflective gear and clip-on shoe lights keep runners visible.

“You can power through snow and wind, but ice demands caution,” she says. On icy days, throw out your pacing, she says. A shortened stride will be more efficient and safer—you won’t bounce as much. And don’t think just because you aren’t sweating you don’t need to drink water. “The winter air is quite drying,” she says. She recommends running with a hydration vest.

As for days when the weather is too cold or icy? It’s better to take your workout indoors, she says.

Write to Jen Murphy at workout@wsj.com