LOLZletter 170 | Starting Later in Life
Hear from some people who started running in their late 30s and 40s
Welcome,
My apologies for this being late, as I've had the flu since last Tuesday. Last Thursday, I didn't have any energy to put out a newsletter that would do the interviews justice. In fact, I'm not totally convinced I have the energy. Anyway, my fever is finally below 100 (it was hovering at 102 until this morning). Hopefully, that is a trend in the right direction. I actually have a lot to say about the flu and will probably type something up once I'm fully recovered, but this is the sickest I've been in my adult life.
Right now I'm dealing with extreme fatigue that if I stand for more than about 10 minutes, I am too tired and need to sit down. All of that to say, the flu is not to be taken "lightly". I think I knew that already but now I really know. With that, this week I'm chatting with a few people today who began running in their late 30s and 40s. I hope to have a second newsletter on Thursday with more people who began running in their 40s.
In case you missed previous newsletters:
Week One Beginning Running Their 20s: Jaynee, Claire, and Jess
Week 1.5 Beginning Running in Their 20s: Brittany, Morganne, and Kerry
Week 2: Beginning Running in Their 30s: Jan, Tony, John, and Eugene
Without further ado, let's get to Betsy, April, and David's Stories:
Betsy E:
I was a chubby kid and obese teen. Thanks to my gym membership, I lost 100 pounds and kept it off, with cardio and aerobics. I started running on a vacation with my sister, a longtime runner. We had access to a fitness room, but the only cardio equipment was a treadmill. She told me to walk a minute and jog for 30 seconds for as long as I could, which ended up being about 10 minutes. She coached me to go for up to a mile and then walk for five by the end of our trip. I hated it and it felt much harder than any other cardio. I continued and worked up to 2 miles within a month.
My first race was about a year later, a local five miler that my sister convinced me to try. I remember her returning from races with bags of loot and figured I would at least get a nice shirt. After a half-mile, she passed me and told me to hurry up. The race wasn't easy and ended at the top of a hill. When I crossed the finish line, I loved the feeling of accomplishment.
I went quickly to running a 5k, 10k, 15k, and half marathon by age 38. I did well and even won age group awards at local races. I had the great idea to sign up for a marathon before age 40. I signed up for the Providence Marathon in May and surprisingly got the golden ticket for the NYC marathon. At NYC, I qualified for the Boston Marathon and began a 7-year qualifying runner stint at Boston. Having watched it as a "fat kid" on Heartbreak Hill, I was honored to run Boston any chance I could.
For my final run at Boston in 2016, I ran as a qualified charity runner for the Martin Richard Foundation.
My total number of races is 200, all surfaces and distances, with a few 50ks and one 50 miler at age 49. Of those, the NYC marathon is my favorite. I have run it five times and love the crowds and encouraging atmosphere.
My favorite runs these days are on trails. I keep a base of 40 miles per week and have a 30k next month. Trails seem less punishing on my body. I do core work most days and feel I have to do that to run better. I also use my foam roller daily. A big change for me after age 45 is not using music. I have come to appreciate the sounds and sights outside. I notice every change on my routes. Also, for safety, as a solo female runner, I want to be very aware. Since I have had Achilles issues, a hamstring strain, and a groin pull that halted my running, I am much more grateful to be able to do anything. I also had Covid in January which knocked my pace back to one minute slower per mile, but again the gratitude kicked in along with the dedication. I had a humble-proud February marathon PW (personal worst).
I don't wish I started running earlier. I found it when I was supposed to. Plus, I think I may be burned out now or too injured. I coach cross country for a middle-high school, and my mentality now is better suited to being a positive role model for my student-athletes. They see me as a joyful hard worker.
April Wong Loi Sing:
I started running at age 48. The blood work that was part of my annual check-up showed I was in pre-menopause, so I figured I should become more active. Once I began running, I was hooked. I signed up and got a rock for my first 5k. As time progressed, I was getting more fit and earning awards. I trained for my first marathon (Dayton's Air Force Marathon!) and then qualified for Boston the following year. I celebrated my 50th birthday running the Boston, and just for kicks, I qualified for and ran Boston again for my 55th birthday!
Now at 61 years old. I spend my vacations running in World Majors, and I hope someday to get to Tokyo, which would be my sixth and final World Major.
David:
Six years ago this past January, my family adopted a shelter dog that we named Roxy. At the time, I was 46 years old and was 30 pounds heavier, and completely sedentary. I started taking Roxy for walks in the hills by our home, and she always pulled on the leash, wanting to go faster and faster. Eventually, I gave in and began running with her. It started with just a mile or two, and we eventually began running longer and longer distances.
My best friend is a Type 1 diabetic who runs to control his weight and help keep his insulin levels in balance. He does a few half marathons every year, and when he saw that I was running more or less regularly, he challenged me to train for the Bryce Canyon Half in July. I downloaded a basic training plan and mostly followed it, then ran the half with him a few months later. He was a bit peeved because my first half was about 15 minutes faster than his PR. I ran a couple more half marathons that year and discovered I was getting faster and faster. I enjoyed the challenge of racing and began to wonder what it would take to run a full marathon.
In February 2017, just about a year after adopting Roxy, I attempted a "double half" in a town near me. The Dogtown Half Marathon is a mostly downhill race that features a special challenge called the Double Dog Dare. You show up early (in the dark) and run the course backward, mostly uphill. Then you run the course the other way with everybody else for a total mileage of 26.2. It was hard, but I survived it, so I signed up for my first marathon in April: the Salt Lake City Marathon.
I completed the Salt Lake City Marathon and had a great experience. When I completed my next full, the St. George Marathon, in October 2017, I discovered to my surprise, that I'd qualified for Boston by about nine minutes! Since then, I've run 22 more marathons, both racing and pacing. I've continued to run half marathons, and I've also dabbled in some 50Ks. My current goal is to run all six World Majors over the next several years. I qualified for New York City next November, so I'll be looking at London, Berlin, and Tokyo after that.
I think you told me once that I race more than any runner. (Hollie adds: I did say that a couple of years ago, LOL). In truth, probably a third of my races are pacing, as I'm on two different pacing teams. I enjoy pacing because I get to help other runners achieve their goals. I also enjoy racing because it motivates me to train for the next thing -- a target that isn't too far over the horizon. I find it difficult to keep running at the level I'm currently at if I didn't race every month.
And amazingly, at age 52, I'm still setting new PRs for various distances.
As an older runner, I have to be careful about my training because I want to avoid injury. There's just too much going on. Part of what I have learned, both from my own experience and working with a coach, is that my easy runs should be EASY. I'm lucky enough to live right on the edge of a small town, with easy access to miles and miles of trails. Probably 60-70% of my daily runs are easy jaunts on dirt and gravel with Roxy. She loves getting out into the hills, chasing rabbits, barking at deer, and sometimes annoying free-range livestock. Trail running is much easier on the joints and feet, which helps me stay off the injured list. I try to do at least one track workout per week (at our running club's Track Tuesday morning runs) and a long run most Saturdays. I rarely skip a workout — mostly because of Roxy. Even if I don't feel like running on a particular day, she still needs to go out, so we always run anyway. It's great to have a built-in running buddy who's always ready to go. I don't take her on runs longer than 14 miles, but she'd probably go as long as I let her.
I almost always race in a running kilt. There's a funny history behind this. I grew up in Hawaii, on the North Shore of Oahu, and worked throughout high school and college at the Polynesian Cultural Center in Laie. I wore a lavalava (also called a sulu) wraparound skirt for all those years to work. I enjoyed the freedom of wearing these while working and missed it when I moved to the mainland. At my first marathon, I ran into a guy wearing a running kilt. He went on and on about how comfortable they are, so I ordered one and tried it out. They're great for racing (especially on warm days), and it's also fun to get a little extra attention from the spectators. I always hear "Go, kilt guy!" when I race, and that's pretty cool. I just got my seventh running kilt, which I'll be wearing for Boston in a week and a half. I've also applied to Guinness to set a new world record for the fastest half marathon wearing "Scottish attire" (kilt, shirt, tie, Prince Charlie jacket, hose, and flashes). If they approve it, I'm hoping to become a new world record holder this June.
Thank you, Betsy, April, and David for sharing your stories and your time!
What is keeping me entertained?
Reebok Floatride Energy 4 Shoe Review
April Training Log: Building Fitness (?)
Cinco De Miles 5 miler (34:49)
Allie W falls across the line for the win (to be real, this seems like something that would happen to me, but maybe less of the winning)
Emily Sisson Sets a New American Half Marathon Record in Indianapolis
Finally, if you began running at age 50 or later, send me an email! I could use a few more people to interview! fueledbylolz@gmail.com
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