Runner Reinvention

I ran and walked through a 10-mile run the other day in just under two hours.  I looked at my watch and remarked that I used to be able to run 10 miles in 70 minutes.  I haven’t done a lot of half-marathons, but all of them have been 1:40 or less.  Both of those efforts seem like an impossibility now.  And I don’t even want to race a 5K anymore for fear of my finish time showing how slow I have become.  I have become older and slower and it bugs me.

It is probably no surprise to most people that aging will cause you to slow down, making once easy things seem difficult at times in your older years.  Except for runners, runners think that they will continue to run in their 50+ years just like they did in their 20s.  But eventually runner me has to at least acknowledge the red flags my aging body is waving emphatically in my face.  I’m slowing down, I’m struggling with muscle soreness, I take forever to recover, injuries linger, and it seems like I redline my heart rate on the easiest of runs.  I guess I expected to slow down as I aged, but I was expecting it to be more gradual, not a sudden fall off just because the age odometer hit the big 6-0.

It hasn’t been easy for me to admit that I’m not the runner I used to be, not that I was anything great but I always tried to push myself to my greatest potential and the younger me benchmark can no longer be met.  Once you hit 35-40 years old, the sport labels you as a “masters” runner, which allows you to compete against older runners instead of just the younger athletes, but I was still doing quite well at that age.  Masters shmasters.  As I got into my 50s, I was on another level, competing well, beating 30-somethings in the local road races, accomplishing five Ironman finishes, qualifying for the Boston Marathon, and setting new personal bests.  I set my marathon PR of 3:25 just before turning 53 years old.  I’m not sure that I could hold that average marathon pace of 7:52 min/mile for even a 5K right now.

Doom and gloom are starting to set in.  But I don’t want running to end for me.  Some can let it go quite easily.  They tire of their bodies hurting, other endeavors have replaced running, or just maybe the flame of interest has flickered and died out.  It isn’t that easy for me.  I’ve kept track of every run since 1989.  Memories of all those training runs and races are very special to me.  Running has been my thing for 35 years.  I want to keep that going.  It seems that I need to reinvent myself and set new expectations and goals.  I can’t run in the past, I have to run in the now and look to the future because I refuse to let my running life die.

So how do I create a new runner me?  Other than running just for the sake of running, there are really two things about running that one can pursue – running fast and running far.  I think that the running fast portion is the one I will struggle with the most now.  The past couple of years have shown that I’m slowing down, but I have set new distance personal bests and I enjoy seeking that distance potential.  It’s pretty clear to me that going far outweighs going fast at this point.  Here are some things I need to consider and change:

• Stop focusing on what you can’t do, and focus on what you can. – It’s pretty obvious that I’m slowing down, and trying to run faster has only proven to make me sore and cause injuries.  But since I started running ultra-distance events, slow running is the recipe for going far.  Maybe running fast is in the rearview mirror, but I’m just now tapping into how far I can go.  My max has been 76 miles, maybe I can exceed that.  And since I have fallen in love with the Backyard Ultra/Last Runner Standing format, maybe seeing how many “yards” I can accomplish can be a new goal.
• Embrace walking. – Walking saved my season last year when I struggled with my knee injury.  I had already built walking into my running and was fine with using that pacing method training for ultras, but now I had an injury that made running hurt.  Walking kept the mileage up, kept my other muscles working, and kept me moving forward without further damaging my knee.  I was able to get back to running by the fall and participate in my final two ultras.  The plan for this year will include a run/walk pacing plan for most longer runs, say 8 miles and above.  I still get the work in, still get my heart rate going, and still get to be out there running.
• Take care of the other things I have neglected. – I am not a limber man.  I have gotten by in the past, but muscle tightness has a lot to do with why I’m sore and prone to injury.  I’ve got to include some stretching and massaging to keep me fresh.
• Cross-train more. – I admit that I miss triathlon.  It was really a great cross-training sport.  While triathlon training you have to make time for swimming and cycling, which means taking time away from running.  I found this to be a good thing when I trained for Ironman.  My running was actually at its best when I was doing triathlons.  I’m going to add more cycling and swimming back into the mix, and maybe toss in a few sprint races too.
• Stop being so negative. – Things are going to happen, and when they do I need to adjust and not get so down on myself.  Winter is a motivation killer for me.  I dislike being cold, and indoor workouts suck the life out of me.  But the weather will get better, and doing less actually means that I am inadvertently allowing myself to have a recovery portion of the season, which is sorely needed.  My wife rolls her eyes when I claim to be an optimist, as she knows that I am pessimistic to no end, but maybe a little optimism is what I need.

Reinventing myself as a runner may just be what I need.  And maybe just making some small and smart changes could be the key to keeping running in my life.

I’d love to hear how other older runners have dealt with age-related performance decline.  Drop a note in the comments.

Author: Ironman Chris

Family, running, triathlon and drumming are my things. View all posts by Ironman Chris