Running When Older — A Different Point of View
I wasn’t always physically active. I was the girl in high school who always had a note to get out of PE class. But when Jane Fonda put on leotards and leg warmers to lead me in an exercise class, I was hooked.
I eventually became an aerobics instructor and personal trainer. I did that for 8 years until I moved to Arizona, physical fitness paradise! In Arizona, you could be active outside 12 months a year and I was. Hiking, biking, kayaking and…… running. I had dabbled with running on and off for years. A bad break-up led me back to it. It cleared my head and helped to heal my heart.
I was volunteering at a race one Saturday when a work friend suggested I run the race instead. I had never raced before and certainly hadn’t trained but I went for it. I finished that 5k without stopping and that day I became a runner. Six months later I ran my first half marathon and 6 years after that I finished the New York City Marathon!
It has been 15 years since that first race and I am now 63 years old. I have had quite a few running injuries over the years including a broken toe, fractured foot, torn hamstring, and ongoing knee pain. But through it all, I have NEVER thought about giving up running, until now.
Since my last injury (the hamstring tear) 18 months ago, I have not been able to return to my former running level. I have never been fast but I have always worked really hard and never gave up.
But it feels very different now. I’ve slowed down to a 10-minute mile in short races and haven’t run anything longer than 10 miles in almost a year. As much as my mind still thinks I can and should be able to run faster and farther, my body is not cooperating. I still love racing but I am down to running only every other day and am always in pain the day after a training run.
When I think of myself without running, I don’t know who I will be. Running has been my therapy, my self-esteem, my fun, my happy place. The thing that no one could take away from me even when they took everything else. But the fear of not being able to walk without pain or a cane as I get older is becoming overwhelming.
Every time I buy a new pair of running shoes I tell myself it will be my last pair. But how can I say goodbye to something that has given me so much for so long?
My next race is my favorite 10-mile run on 9/30. I have finished every race I started (85 of them) and I will finish this one but it probably won’t be pretty….
I don’t know what will happen after that but I do know that when the time comes when I can no longer run, it will be the most difficult hill I have ever climbed.
