The Joy of Running as You Age
My first experience running for pleasure happened in 1993. I happened to wake up early that morning, and a friend stopped by and asked if I wanted to run a 5k race with him. I had a million reasons why I could say no, but for whatever reason, I agreed. I threw on a pair of jeans that morning, which is the worst possible running clothes, but that day changed my life.
I finished that first 5k with a time of 25 minutes, but that was only because I was 19 years old at that time. At that age, I could have climbed Mt. Everest without oxygen while simultaneously eating a cheeseburger and drinking a Mountain Dew. But I digress...
Fast forward to when I turned 30 (or so, I can't recall anymore), and I decided that I was going to run a marathon. I put in the training time, practiced with 5k races and even a 10-mile race, and slowly built up my endurance. I finished that marathon with a time of 4 hours and 32 minutes. Nothing to write home about, but I finished - which was all that mattered.
I chased that 5k time my entire life. I'm not an exceptionally fast runner, but I'm dedicated. The closest I've come is a finish time of 25 minutes and 7 seconds. I've done intervals, fartleks, practiced on a track, on trails, and on the road. I've listened to music, audio books, and lately, podcasts. I even used apps on my cell phone to "run away from zombies!" Nothing has worked. One of these days, I'll break my 5k time, even if I'm 90 years old.
And so each week I kept running. I'm 51 years old now, and I've been running ever since those early days. I actually look forward to it now. But I'm not crazy. Running is hard. I'm exhausted while doing it, and I often ask myself why I run? I think it's because of two reasons: (1) the health benefits are tremendous as you age; and (2) I run because I cannot stop running. If I skip running for a while, I get the incredible urge to start up again. And I do. It makes me a better person.
Races are fun, likely because you are standing there at the starting line with hundreds (or thousands) of other people who all share a similar interest. It doesn't matter what you wear, or how fast you run. You only compete against yourself. Setting a personal record is a momentous achievement.
Sure I've slowed down a little over the years. But not as much as you might expect. Runners only lose about 1% each year in performance from age 40-70, although that picks up more around age 65. My guess is that this is due to a decrease in the maximum heart rate and a decrease in your fast-twitch muscle fibers. But I'm not an expert, so you should do your own research. I'm not letting my age slow me down, and I still have my sights set on that 5k goal. I'll get there someday.
I recently picked up a new smartwatch so I could track my metrics better. I'm not sure why, since I'm not likely to win any races anytime soon. But I enjoy the data, and new things to try keeps me motivated. And that has made all of the difference in the world.
Just keep running!