Interested in starting running again, fighting lack of motivation..........

[mb]

FD,

Those are impressive times FD. I can understand your feelings.

But if this doesn't do it I'm not sure that we can help

Quote:

Originally Posted by FinanceDude But I constantly have offers from attractive women that know I used to run college cross-country and wonder why I won't join their weekly 10 MILE run..............

A couple of years ago Runner's World had a feature on the "evolutionary stages" of a runner.

The 2nd to last stage was "The Competitor"

But the last stage was "The Runner"

(Although sometime I think that the last the stage is actually "Permanently Injured" )

Anyway what Runner's World was trying to say is that almost everyone goes through that stage where they are trying to run either faster or longer but that most eventually move beyond that to the point where running itself and not losing weight or improving health or setting a new PR is the focus. At this point it is the "journey" and not the "destination" that is important.

I have noticed that many times it is the people that have been very successful at the "Competitor" phase that have trouble adjusting when their times start to increase.

Not sure how to move beyond that stage. It might be a pesonality thing? But I think that is what you have to do is move beyond the competion and enjoy running for other reasons.

Some specific suggestion some of which have already been mentioned

- Try trail running. It's more fun than running the roads.

- Mix up your routes, distances and pace. The worst thing is to do the same course at the same pace day after day.

- Join a ruuning club. In my club there a number of runners in their 50s, 60s and 70s that had times similar to yours when they were younger. When they do compete which isn't real often anymore they might now run 10k in the 50s or higher. But they still show up to run with the club on Saturday and I think that what a lot of them like is the socialization and going out to breakfast afterwards.

- "Try a Tri or do a Du." If you run and bike but don't swim look into Duathlons. Frank Shorter had a mini 2nd career doing Du's. Not a lot of them around but there are probably one or two in your area. A couple of years ago I entered a Tri after a 20 year hiatus from that sport just because DW entered one the previous year. While standing in the lake waiting for the 40 and older wave to start I commented to a fellow competitor that there weren't many guys in our age group. His comment was "Yeh, everyone our age is home mowing the lawn!" Do you want to be one of those guys? Mowing the lawn? Anyway that guy ended up 1st in age group and I ended up 2nd. Since then I have done 1 to 3 Tri's a year and have 5 additional podium finishes. (Disclaimer: I'm frequently top 3 in the smaller, less compeitive events but I'm well back in the pack in the larger races when the real fast guys show up. So I do some of both. One strokes the ego and the other provides humility. No that I need the humility part )

- Mix in other activities. There have been times where I have done a track work out, a trail run, a road ride, a mountain bike ride, a roller blade skate, a kayak and a swim workout all within a week or two.

- If you do get the urge to compete again. Start your PRs over. Also you could look into age adjusted times. The late George Sheehan wrote an article about this a couple of years ago. While in his prime he had never been able to break 2 minutes in the 880. I think that he was over 60 at the time and was running 800m in a Masters competition. While on the plane on the way home he pulled out the Age Adjusted Tables and found that his time was the equivalent of a 1:58 880. He said that he practically started crying on the plane when he realized it. This is a guy near retirement age that had successful careers as both an MD and a writer.

MB (whose 17:25 5K PR and 36:30 10k PR came after the age of 30)

[Martha]

One of my coworkers is 70 and a marathon runner for years. Even though his time has slowed as the years go by, he is now winning or placing for his age group. He is very competitive and this helps satisfy the competitive urge.

[Dawg52]

I go to the track everyday. I let the dog do the running. I walk.

[FinanceDude]

Quote:

Originally Posted by Running_Man I was a runner in high school. Was good but not as good as you so I don't know if I can feel exactly the same way. My PR in 2 mile was 10:30 and 4:50 in the mile. I would run off and on for the next few years and compete in sports but did not run competitivly. I decided I couldn't stand getting tired going up stairs. Yet my ability to get over my personal records was a problem because I am competitive naturally. So I entered some local 5K and 5 mile races and created new PR's and threw out the old. My first race was a 5 mile race which I completed in 48 minutes and thought I was going to die. Eventually I was able to drop my time to 32 minutes and finish 30th out of 800 runners. Now 10 years later I am happy to be able to run under 8 minutes a mile and finish in the top 1/2 of races. Without the road races I would struggle to keep running, so I find them very helpful. I keep a runners journal with all the distances to be able to chart my progress. This past September my high school cross country coach retired and they held a 2 mile fun run and reception to wish him well on his retirement. I was sure a big crowd of runners would be there because of what a great coach he was. Yet only 1 runner from the 4 years I was in high school was there besides my self. He was our best runner and had not run in 20 years and looked it. (If you have seen Tim Allen in Santa Clause you can get the picture) Only about 50 of the probable 500 runners he coached showed up and many were already well out of shape. I think the embarassment of how badly former runners kept themselves in kept them away. Don't let that be you, take one step at a time, you should not waste your obvious talent you have been blessed with.

I offered to help coach our local cross country team for free. I was told because I was neither a teacher nor had a degree in PE or kinesiology I was not qualiifed. Compared to me, the CC coach looked like stunt double for the actor in Supersize ME.............

I used to have a journal.............in those 13 years, I ran about 35000 miles............

I really appreciate all the input..........its' making me think about it more.........

[mb]

Quote:

Originally Posted by FinanceDude I offered to help coach our local cross country team for free. I was told because I was neither a teacher nor had a degree in PE or kinesiology I was not qualiifed. Compared to me, the CC coach looked like stunt double for the actor in Supersize ME.............

To bad! They appear to be limited by well intended but poorly thought out regulations!

A lot of the HS's in my area use outside/non-credentialed coaches (an effect of Prop 13) and most of them would love to have you.

MB

[Dog]

I ran X-country and track in high school and continued to run on and off since (30 years). Currently recovering from a herniated disc and would love to get out on the roads again. How typical - we always want what we can't have and take for granted what we have. Currently enjoying Spin classes until I can safely hit the roads again. But, it just isn't the same. There is nothing as satisfying as cooling down from a good, hard run.

[FinanceDude]

Quote:

Originally Posted by Dog I ran X-country and track in high school and continued to run on and off since (30 years). Currently recovering from a herniated disc and would love to get out on the roads again. How typical - we always want what we can't have and take for granted what we have. Currently enjoying Spin classes until I can safely hit the roads again. But, it just isn't the same. There is nothing as satisfying as cooling down from a good, hard run.

Agree..........but there's always the Master's level at those road races.........

We have something every year called the Badger State Games.....they have a full track meet, high jump, pole vault, the whole nine yards. Anyone can compete, even the current high school and college kids. They set up the heats and flights by age.........

Maybe I can rediscover my high jumping ability...............

[HFWR]

A good motivator for me, in races at least, was to find the cutest hiney in the race, and keep focused on that...

[mb]

Quote:

Originally Posted by HFWR A good motivator for me, in races at least, was to find the cutest hiney in the race, and keep focused on that...

A couple of years ago I was doing a swim and noticed a cute asian woman get in the next lane. She was pretty fast too!

Good some motivation to go faster and catch her!

Then I realized that it wasn't a cute asian woman it was just DW! Well, actually she is a cute asian woman but, well . . . . you know.

I told her about it afterwards! She wasn't amused!

MB

[FinanceDude]

Quote:

Originally Posted by mb A couple of years ago I was doing a swim and noticed a cute asian woman get in the next lane. She was pretty fast too! Good some motivation to go faster and catch her! Then I realized that it wasn't a cute asian woman it was just DW! Well, actually she is a cute asian woman but, well . . . . you know. I told her about it afterwards! She wasn't amused! MB

Wow, you didn't recognize your own wife? Sounds like a Death Wish to me........ She should have been happy.........

[REWahoo]

Quote:

Originally Posted by mb Then I realized that it wasn't a cute asian woman it was just DW!

Ya think maybe she would have reacted a bit more positively if you hadn't used the term "just"?

[FinanceDude]

Quote:

Originally Posted by REWahoo! Ya think maybe she would have reacted a bit more positively if you hadn't used the term "just"?

Love the avatar? I'm thinking he needs to go for two dozen or some "ice that doesn't melt" to get out of the doghouse.........

[mb]

Quote:

Originally Posted by FinanceDude Wow, you didn't recognize your own wife? Sounds like a Death Wish to me........ She should have been happy.........

Well it only took a couple of laps and I don't wear glasses or contacts when I swim and it was after dark and I think that I made up had a couple of other excuses at the time too

She didn't even notice me until I yelled at her Of course she claims that she doesn't check out the Speedos. Don't know if I believe that

MB

[FinanceDude]

Quote:

Originally Posted by mb She didn't even notice me until I yelled at her Of course she claims that she doesn't check out the Speedos. Don't know if I believe that MB

Recycled thread.....but I would suggest wearing a Speedo yourself, and seeing if DW picks YOU out of the crowd..........

[Notmuchlonger]

My health motivated me. I was way overweight and couldnt walk 2 miles let alone run 1. In about 14 months I went from not being able to run a mile to running for 30 minutes at a time and doing hill interval training. My heart rate was around 95 now is 70 and my bp dropped about 25 to 30 points. My mile times are slow but its slowly coming along.

Guess my point is its not too late to get going again.

[FinanceDude]

Quote:

Originally Posted by Notmuchlonger My health motivated me. I was way overweight and couldnt walk 2 miles let alone run 1. In about 14 months I went from not being able to run a mile to running for 30 minutes at a time and doing hill interval training. My heart rate was around 95 now is 70 and my bp dropped about 25 to 30 points. My mile times are slow but its slowly coming along. Guess my point is its not too late to get going again.

I'm getting there. My new neighbor is a cross-country coach for a local private high school, and a former Div I scholarship runner. He has offered to give me workouts, motivation, or even an a--kicking if I want.........

[georgeclairepiper]

I think I might be a little more "mature" than most of you in this group. My joints don't handle running at all anymore. I just wanted to pop in and give a thumbs-up to swimming. Some people think it's boring, but there's a lot you can do to change it up. sometimes i use the kickboard, sometimes the ankle buoys. if anyone wants to share pool workouts...