LOLZLetter 169 | Starting Running Later in Life
Hear from a few people who started running in their thirties
Welcome,
This week's newsletter talks to four incredible people who started running in their 30s. Whether for fitness, after a divorce, or for their children, each person started running for very different reasons! I've loved learning how people began and how it's changed. Many of us can relate to how turbulent life can get in our 30s. I'm "only" 31, but I've already felt like I've gone through significant changes.
This week's newsletter is sponsored by Janji. Last week there was an issue with coupon code FUELED15, and it's working again! Thank you to everyone who reached out and let me know.
As mentioned, my favorite Janji product is the AFO Shorts. Why? What makes the shorts so great? First, they dry quickly. I'm not exaggerating when I say you could go for a swim in them, and they would dry as fast as a bathing suit. (This is great for inclement weather, stream crossings...or sweat). Second, there are more pockets than you need. Third, they are just a good short. I suppose this should be the first thing, but at the core, they are good running shorts and don't fall, fit well, and are flattering. Fourth, they are made from recycled materials, so you can feel good about your purchase. Finally, there are several colors. No complaining they don't have your "favorite color."
Here is a link for men's and women's.
Anyway, on to the newsletter!
This week talks to Jan, Tony, John, and Eugene.
Jan:
I have been running since I was in my 30s, and I just celebrated my 60th birthday! I didn't consider myself a "runner" until I began a running routine shortly after my divorce, around age 33. Around that time, I started running approximately 30 minutes a day or ten miles a week.
I ran my first race in 2008: The Broad Street 10 miler. I was supposed to run with a friend, but she ended up not participating. Four years later, my friend and I ran my first half marathon together in Florida.
In 2015, I joined the Woodbury Runners, and it opened a whole new community of runners for me. I struggled with running in the New Jersey winters, so being part of a running group helped motivate me to get out and brave the cold.
I began trail running in 2017, and that is when I really fell in love with running. I always was, and still am, an avid hiker. I'm very much into "adventure travel" and try to take a major hiking trip every year. I've taken 25 trips to hike and run in the Alps. In 2018, I found the Pineland Striders, a USATF team whose members participate primarily in trail races.
These days, the majority of my races are on the trails or off-road. In my most recent trail race, the Hyner 25k in Pennsylvania, I was first overall in my age group. I'm a strong uphill runner and can pass people easily on hills. My favorite race is the Formidable Trail Race in Auburn, California.
Running has changed significantly for me since I began in my 30s. Now, I appreciate the sense of community, both with running clubs and online. I also do more trails than roads now. I've retired from my job, so I have more time to train, and I generally do about 20-30 miles per week, including one10-mile run. I don't do the "typical" training that involves speed work. I just run. I also strength train a few times a week. At age 60, I learned I had osteopenia in my hips and spine. Strength training has been successful in increasing my bone density!
In the past four years, I've done about 130 races. I had my first serious running injury in 2021 - an Achilles problem! As a result, I now follow two guidelines for my training:
The distance of any long run is not greater than half of my total weekly miles
When I want to increase my mileage, I limit myself to 10% increments
Hollie's add: It wasn't until the very end of chatting that Janet mentioned she has won her age group several times at various trail races. Can we talk about how modest she is?
Tony T:
For the first thirty-some years of my life, I was not the best example of living a healthy lifestyle. Growing up, I had not been an athlete. When anyone asked me about going for a run, I said quite matter-of-factly, “I can’t run.” I remember that after finishing the one-mile run for the Presidential Fitness test in eighth grade, I was lying on the ground feeling like I’d died, even though I had finished in an embarrassingly unimpressive number of minutes. I had struggled with my weight for much of my life. Also, in a turn of genetic misfortune, I was diagnosed with Type 1 diabetes when I was 25. That put me on insulin, but I was still not regularly active, so I kept gaining weight.
I tried to make changes. In my early 30s, I started working with a trainer. However, after a couple of months, I had a scare during strength training when I started to experience chest pains. After a “million-dollar workup" by a cardiologist, his diagnosis was, "I just needed to start living right”-itis. After starting a combination of better nutrition and cycling, I began to feel much better. But I continued to struggle with my health. Cycling was fun, but it wasn’t always accessible to me.
One morning, while visiting my in-laws with my bike a couple of hundred miles away, I put on some sneakers, ignored my negative self-talk about running, and ran. Two miles. And I didn’t die! It was the day before my 38th birthday.
So the next day, I ran three miles! And added a “point one!” Woo-hoo! I didn’t die on my birthday either, but my legs thought they had. The lesson I learned quickly cycling works different muscles. After that, I started making running as a regular part of my fitness routine, and I got better at it. A few months later, I heard about a free 5K put on by my church and thought, “Why not?” I was running with other people for the first time, and even though it was a small field of participants, it was a rush for me.
I’ve enjoyed many running and triathlon events in the past decade, including seven marathons. My weight and fitness have stabilized. My blood sugars are better controlled. I’ve met dozens of friends. Running brings me peace, and it makes me feel alive.
I can run. I am so glad I can run.
John F:
After not running for the better part of 20 years, I picked it back up at age 39. Just before my 39th birthday, I read an article somewhere that said:
"Whatever shape you are in at age 40 is about what you can expect to be in for the rest of your life."
That motivated me to take a long, hard look at myself. I realized I was not happy with where I was (or felt) physically. On top of that, I had two young daughters (ages five and three), and I realized the best achievement I could ever experience in my life was being their Dad, so I needed to do whatever I could to be around for a long time. So...I started running. SLOWLY.
Each week, I found I could do more. I added strength sessions and lost about 60 pounds by my 40th birthday. I'm 52 now and haven't looked back since!
I've probably done between 20 and 30 races ranging from 5ks to marathons. While the 10k is my favorite distance, my favorite race has been the Gettysburg North/South Marathon. It's a beautiful course, and as a history nerd, I love the setting.
While many things have changed me physically through running, I think what has impacted me most is how much I've embraced the outdoors. I now try to get outside as much as possible. In addition to running or doing a kettlebell workout in my backyard, my favorite outdoor activity is hiking with my daughters (now ages 18 and 16). It's a great way for us to "detach" and spend quality time together.
I wish I had started earlier! The competitor in me tells me I would be in an even better place fitness-wise if I had started earlier. That being said, I love where I am currently with my running, so I choose to embrace the positive.
You can find John on Twitter or Instagram.
Eugene:
It's amazing how a misconception at the age of ten can linger into adulthood. I never challenged the notion at that young age that I couldn’t actually run long distances until I was 35! I'm now 38.
I decided I needed to get fit after falling ill during a two-day golf trip. Golf was my passion, and I blamed my lack of fitness for failing to complete the last round. I made some immediate lifestyle changes: calorie counting, lifting weights, and running a few miles each day. Eventually, I got into decent shape and opted to do my first half marathon. At the finish line, I ran into my neighbor, who introduced me to his runner friends, who were all preparing for a marathon. I immediately started training with them a few days a week. Within a few months, I decided to do something crazy and join them for the marathon. I ran my first marathon in 3:42 with hardly any preparation. I had far exceeded my expectations, so I then asked myself how fast I could run one of these things?
Even after my first marathon, I didn't consider myself a runner. Running didn’t become my focus until a half marathon in 2019. Due to a lack of porta-potties, several runners got a late start, including a stranger that I'd always seen at the gym. He was ten years older and had a massive upper body. Somewhere between miles eight and nine, he flew by me and was running at a low-six-minute pace. I couldn't believe it.
How could a guy older and bigger run so fast? The following Monday, I marched into the gym to find out. I introduced myself to this guy named Gilbert, and he told me where to meet him and his friends for their weekly speedwork. I brought a buddy along, and we were introduced to the crew. The crew was many "old" guys from the ages of 45-60, all of them significantly faster than me! This truly inspired the two of us.
I've lost count of how many races I’ve run, but my favorite was the CIM. Its organization and crowd support were top-notch. The course and weather were perfect, and I accomplished something I once thought was impossible - a sub-three-hour marathon.
So much has changed since I began running. I have hired a coach, adjusted my cross-training to support my running, and even developed a shoe addiction!
I've enjoyed being part of the running community. Working towards achievements with my running buddies has been fun and brought me so many new friends. Achieving what I previously thought was impossible has been a great feeling of accomplishment too! It changes your perspective on things. Also, golf is no longer my passion.
Thank you to Jan, Tony, John, and Eugene for your time and for sharing your stories!
I love learning about others and how people started running. The beauty of the sport is no one’s story takes the same path, and everyone runs for different reasons.
Also, I am looking for a couple more people who began running after age 50. Is that you? Send me an email at fueledbylolz@gmail.com. I know you're out there!
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Hey, feature story on my running buddy Jan! Great article, very informative! My Pineland Strider teammate as well!