Hi everyone, it’s been a very long time since I’ve posted anything but I just wanted to say that running really is for life. 8 years ago this week, at the ripe old age of 55, I made one of my life’s better decisions. Having never run before, I bought a pair of cheap running shoes and started my c25k journey. It wasn’t an uneventful journey - I had Achilles trouble for a couple of weeks and knee trouble that didn’t resolve properly until I bought halfway decent shoes and found a great physio - but it was definitely a life changing journey. 8 years later and I still run regularly, I’ve done lots of races, including 5 half marathons and I even set a new 5k PB last year. I’ll never achieve a 30 min 5k - my PB isn’t that far away but tbh it’s not important. I’m just grateful for the fact that I can run and I still love it, and a large part of it is down to the support and encouragement I found on this forum when I was just starting out.
So stick with it. I’ve had times when my mojo disappeared and every run was a huge effort and I’ve had to rehab from injuries that weren’t running related but which stopped me in my tracks for months at a time. However, I always thought of myself as a runner. I never once thought I’d had enough, and that was down to the support I got from friends I made on this forum, some of whom I still talk to most days.
I didn’t write this post to celebrate my own person running journey, although I do still find it extraordinary that I can run further and faster in my 60s than I could in my teens. No, I wrote it to celebrate the importance of friendship and the vital role support and encouragement from likeminded people plays in us achieving our goals and then remaining engaged over the long term. This forum was instrumental in me achieving my ambition to run 5k but, much more importantly, it introduced me to the people who ensured that I have never once considered calling it a day.
So, happy running, now and long into the future.
Written by
AncientMum
Graduate
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Hi m’dear, so lovely to hear from you. Yes, so many years without the joy of an early morning run. Oh well, better late than never 😂 Hope life is treating you well x
Hi Floss, thank you for your kind words. It’s funny how running just grabs a hold of you and becomes part of who you are, isn’t it? Good to know you’re still here and as keen as you ever were, encouraging new runners on their own great adventure. x
Great post AncientMum ! I particularly like "I do still find it extraordinary that I can run further and faster in my 60s than I could in my teens." I feel exactly the same!
Hi lovely Princess, so nice to hear from you, how are you doing? Ah back in the day we surely did have some laughs. Congratulations to you on your 9 years of running - you were a fully fledged toddler-runner when I was still a baby runner. Haha yes the incomparable Julie, once encountered, never ever forgotten. She still pops up very occasionally on one of my old playlists and always makes me smile. xx
What a great post, pretty much sums up exactly as I and I'm sure a lot of others on here feel 💛
I've been running for 4 years now and though the last half of last year through ill health then injury, I spent more time walking than running it was only a case of having patience until I got back to it.
And there was never any doubt I would get back to it...and a little wiser (injury caused by pushing too hard to get back to previous distances after ill health)!🤦♀️
I'm just coming up to 50 & will be very happy if like you I'm still running through my 50s, into my 60s & beyond 😊🏃♀️
Thank you and very best of luck to you in your running adventure. With experience comes knowledge. We get injured and we heal and we continue running - older, wiser and grateful for every run.
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