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

[FinanceDude]

I'll give the Reader's Digest version: I started running at age 13, actually my dad made me run to "burn off your nervous energy"........... Well, that didn't work, because over the next 14 years, I ran cross country and track in high school and college, competed in over 125 road races, and completed 5 marathons......good thing I wasn't type A about it, right??

Anyway, I miss running after all these years, but I have a mental block: How can I get past the fact that I set all these PR's a long time ago, and now I'll be jogging along at 12-13 minutes a mile, when "back in the day" an "easy day" was 7 minute miles, and a "hard day" was sub 6 minute miles

I should be happy I was able to run at a high level all those years, but I need some goals and direction to start running again........and getting down to 10 minutes a mile doesn't fire me up..........

Final note: I'm far beyond the "normal things" like "just do it knowing it's good for you", etc............been down that road many, many times

Any input would be awesome, thanks!

 

[sailor]

To the heck with minutes a mile.
Take it easy - you just need to find an attractive running partner with relatively comparable speed
Would your DW run with you?

 

[retire@40]

Anyway, I miss running after all these years, but I have a mental block: How can I get past the fact that I set all these PR's a long time ago, and now I'll be jogging along at 12-13 minutes a mile, when "back in the day" an "easy day" was 7 minute miles, and a "hard day" was sub 6 minute miles

I should be happy I was able to run at a high level all those years, but I need some goals and direction to start running again........and getting down to 10 minutes a mile doesn't fire me up..........

Final note: I'm far beyond the "normal things" like "just do it knowing it's good for you", etc............been down that road many, many times

Any input would be awesome, thanks!

A good pair of inline skates should bring you back to 6-minute miles.

 

[paradiseken]

Sometimes you just have to move on. I gave up running about 10 years ago because I was tired of always trying for a new PR. Every run was measured by the clock. I no longer ran for the joy of it. I switched to biking for exercise and never looked back. Since I never set a PR on a bike when I was running, I have moved into virgin territory. Maybe you should try something else, or run without taking a watch with you. Best of luck.

 

[Leonidas]

I agree with what paradiseken said. I switched to triathlons - there's all kinds of new challenges there. The first time I just wanted to make it to the finish line.

 

[flipstress]

Anyway, I miss running after all these years, but I have a mental block: How can I get past the fact that I set all these PR's a long time ago, and now I'll be jogging along at 12-13 minutes a mile, when "back in the day" an "easy day" was 7 minute miles, and a "hard day" was sub 6 minute miles

I should be happy I was able to run at a high level all those years, but I need some goals and direction to start running again........and getting down to 10 minutes a mile doesn't fire me up..........

What does PR mean?

FinanceDude, I'm wondering if it would help to distinguish what you miss.

Do you miss running, the activity itself--you know the motion, exertion, the sights you see, etc.? or
Do you miss the knowledge that you are really good at running, like the records and accomplishments you mentioned? or maybe even
Do you miss the health benefits of running?

Anyway, whichever you pick or even if you pick a combo of them, you will be clear about why you are running and maybe that will motivate you if you realize that it is something important enough to you.

If it were me, I would run first just for the fun of it and if I like it, continue and then set goals if my aim becomes to set records or meet challenges. So just do it--sorry . After all, you can't just pick up from where you left off years ago.

But what the heck do I know--I'm a weekend jogger.

 

[Sheryl]

I also agree with the "find something new" approach. It's just sort of depressing to have to start over at something you've already done and excelled at. (IMO).

But if you think you really love running throw away the stopwatch and go take a long cross country run in some beautiful scenery. If that doesn't get you back into it nothing will.

 

[FinanceDude]

I agree with what paradiseken said. I switched to triathlons - there's all kinds of new challenges there. The first time I just wanted to make it to the finish line.

Have done three of those too........... The swimming always hurt me, the bike and running were easy..........

BTW, I used to race bikes after I quit running........mostly criteriums but the occasional road race......I even was a Category 3 back in the day..........

 

[FinanceDude]

I also agree with the "find something new" approach. It's just sort of depressing to have to start over at something you've already done and excelled at. (IMO).

But if you think you really love running throw away the stopwatch and go take a long cross country run in some beautiful scenery. If that doesn't get you back into it nothing will.

Well I lived for 14 years in a little river town called La Crosse, Wisconsin.....nicknamed "God's Country"...........it was beautiful scenery........now I live in less beautiful surroundings..........

 

[FinanceDude]

To the heck with minutes a mile.
Take it easy - you just need to find an attractive running partner with relatively comparable speed
Would your DW run with you?

Actually, DW used to run when I met her..........then we both quit running later. I doubt I could get her to go with me.......

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..............

 

[Sheryl]

Well I lived for 14 years in a little river town called La Crosse, Wisconsin.....nicknamed "God's Country"...........it was beautiful scenery........now I live in less beautiful surroundings..........

Small world! Three generations of my family grew up in La Crosse. It is beautiful. Especially the fall colors over the river, and the views from Grandad's Bluff. Sigh.

 

[Nords]

Anyway, I miss running after all these years, but I have a mental block: How can I get past the fact that I set all these PR's a long time ago, and now I'll be jogging along at 12-13 minutes a mile, when "back in the day" an "easy day" was 7 minute miles, and a "hard day" was sub 6 minute miles
I should be happy I was able to run at a high level all those years, but I need some goals and direction to start running again........and getting down to 10 minutes a mile doesn't fire me up..........

You're going to have to watch the scene in "The Guardian" where Kevin Costner's old-salt character lets Kutcher's young-pup character break all the school records. Costner is trying to make the point that saving lives is more important than setting records, and he gets that point through Kutcher's skull, but alone later Costner tries to break his own records and just ends up injuring himself. Enlightenment comes from the bartender who tells him that she's proud to be old ("experienced") and wouldn't trade that for any more PRs.

So, if you can't set the records and that would bring you more frustration than the joy of doing something new/different, why do you want to run again? Why not try something completely different like master's running, coaching a cross-country team, racewalking, trainining club members for a marathon, orienteering, running backwards, or a martial art? Do something that brings you pleasure, not something that reminds you of your declining abilities!

I'll never be as fast as the youngsters I spar with. However I'm much more nasty, cunning, & deceitful-- and I'm respected for that. When I can't kick overhead anymore, I'll still be trying to improve my own form & grace and to pass those techniques along to others. Especially if those others haven't yet learned how to block a headshot...

 

[Rich_by_the_Bay]

Lifelong jogger here, have had similar periods. Here's what worked for me splendidly: buy a pulse monitor (watch and chest strap). Choose your target range, then run by that only. Ignore distance and pace, just run in your range for your desired period of time.

This totally eliminated my inherent need to constantly "push" my pace, distance and time. It slowed me down so I have few if any minor injuries. I relaxed me so I enjoy the ever-changing sites. Get the kind which beeps when you are out of the heart rate range -- that way you don't have to keep looking at the watch.

Add an iPod for music or podcasts (e.g. the Ray Lucia show), and have fun. I've never been in better condition thanks to this prescription.

Oh.. and check with your doctor if you are getting back after a long layoff and have any of the usual risks to see if you need a treadmill test first.

 

[dumpster56]

Been running for 40 years, the day about 20 something years ago made me NEVER worry about PRS ever again. I was running the Marine Corp Marathon in DC, went out in the first 10 miles in 1 hour and 4 mins, I had never run that fast or that strong and was feeling well great and then the hammer hit, Who knows maybe the 37 degrees and windy conditions but the next 4 miles took me 35 mins over 8 min miles I was at the Lincoln Memorial when a beautiful women was clapping and doing the you guys look great thing and that was it I stopped Tore off my number gave it to her said I felt like ..... Hailed a taxi took it back to my hotel took a hot shower when down to the bar got a pitcher of beer drank half hopped back in the cab and went to the finish line to meet the people who were waiting for me to finish. All night the people I was with and others at the hotel were giving me the oh I am so sorry you dropped out with this utterly annoying comments. I had run a 2:57 marathon a year before so not finishing was not a big deal to me.

Since that day I have run anywhere from 1 to 20 miles a day. For every mile I run a day I can drink as many drinks. My dad had heart problems so did the grand parents so My running is ingrained in my head. Everyday!! I am now 50 and still run 60 to 70 mile weeks at 8mins a mile heck somedays they are closer to 9 min miles, and every once in a while I will race and run track workouts.

Just run man, It will be good for the head!

 

[paradiseken]

What does PR mean?

PR means "personal record". It's how you compare yourself to yourself. Say you ran a 41 minute 10K at one time, and that was the fastest you ever ran it up to that point. Then, you ran another 10K later in 40 minutes. The 40 minutes would then be your PR, or personal best, or personal record.

 

[flipstress]

Thank you, PK!

I really had no idea what it meant but guessed it had to do with meeting a challenge or a record. Now I know.

 

[Eagle43]

I used to warm up at 7.2 mph and have a natural pace of 7.5. I ran for 20 years. No more, thanks to knees, and feet. Now, it's walking, biking, and elliptical machine for me. I do one of them every day. These exercises are just as good, IMHO, though running is more fun and it's actually addictive.

 

[FinanceDude]

PR means "personal record". It's how you compare yourself to yourself. Say you ran a 41 minute 10K at one time, and that was the fastest you ever ran it up to that point. Then, you ran another 10K later in 40 minutes. The 40 minutes would then be your PR, or personal best, or personal record.

Exactly...........

My PRs are so low I will never get there again, so I can take some solace in them..........

440: 49.6
880: 1:54.55

1 Mile: 4:27
2 Mile: 9:33

5K: 16:10
10K: 33:58
15K: 50:13

20 mile: 2:04
Marathon: 2:48:14

And all set before age 26............

 

[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.

 

[dmpi]

I consider myself lucky becuase I don't have an impressive set of PRs from my early youth to compare too. I didn't really start running until I was 27, but I kept at it for the next 20 years. My DW runs too.
Anyway people come in two types, type A is all or nothing... they get into some gung-ho and they go all out for a while, then they get tired of it and the they quit. Never to go back. Type B is smooth and steady, they will slowly get into something and then they will keep it up as a lifetime habit. Type As will always have impressive PRs for 20+ years ago, but Type B will be the lifetime runners. Always fit and in shape.

 

[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

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]

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]

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