** Longevity in Running, Part 3 **
I will finish my ramblings this week with another few topics that may give you some thoughts and ideas. Again, it is based on experience and not any in-depth medical or scientific knowledge. Hopefully they may help to keep you running.
* Mental Health
Many of us run for the help it provides with our mental stability. Out in the fresh air, chatting to fellow runners, break from the everyday chores, enjoying the scenery and experiencing life in all it forms surrounding us. It is absolutely vital to our well being and so much more powerful than medication or sitting alone reading about loneliness or depression.
Us runners get out there and get our friendship, energy, help, consolation from one another. Be supportive and you will get it back many times over. The longer you stay running, the more this free counselling is available to you.
As often as you can, pick a scenic location and take in life. Leave the headphones at home, ignore the watch and take comfort. Watch nature in all its forms. Have a moment and enjoy it. This little ‘fix’ will keep you returning to do it again and again.
'Anyone who keeps the ability to see beauty never grows old.'
* Mental strength
This is a vital part of every runners armoury. We train to overcome the challenges ahead of us and we build strength each time we succeed. This can be running in adverse conditions and not letting it beat you. Or it can be achieving a goal you worked towards. You are mentally stronger because you have succeeded. This gets better and easier with age. The more you overcome, the stronger you are.
This will keep you running into the future knowing you can do it, (why not?) and these skills are transferrable into our daily lives to help us tackle whatever life throws at us.
I run therefore I am….
* Aging
Ohhhh the dodgy one. We can’t admit it, we are afraid to face it but it is inevitable. How we deal with it determines whether we stay running or not. Brutal fact, you cannot replicate what you did years ago. Depending when you started, there is always room for improvement but your times will get slower as you age. Mentally that is why many stop running as they feel they are not performing. Nothing could be further from the truth.
Get your head around it. You are still moving but be realistic.
Maybe running same long distance as before is a good thing and think I ran this race 20 years ago and I’m still here.
You will not always get the same amount of time to train as family, life, work circumstances change so accept it for what it is and keep moving.
Finishing a race is important. The time taken to achieve it is a secondary matter.
To me consistency is the way to beat age. Keep going, keep moving, try to train every week so that there is no great fall off. The older you get the harder it is to restart.
The day I stop, is the day I’m finished.
'Do not go gentle into that good night,
Rage, rage against the dying of the light.'
* Gratitude.
Be grateful that you can put one foot in front of the other. Many cannot run either through illness or injury and the blessing of being able to run should always be appreciated and respected.
I’m an optimist by nature and I try to be positive but I’m pragmatic enough to know it could all end abruptly totally outside my control. I need to be grateful for every day I lace up the running shoes.
One of my great rules: Never go home from any race or event without saying thanks to someone involved. Our future depends on people helping people. Be gracious.
I didn’t run well today but I’m happy I was able to run.
I had a lovely race and met loads of nice people.
The race was tough but we had a lovely coffee on the way home.
I ran today, I am fantastic. I helped today, I am fantastic.
This is one of the secrets of longevity. The ability to appreciate the day, the now, the whatever distance or time but know, that I am running in my sixties, forty years after I first ran a race.
Disclaimer. : No runners were hurt in the writing of these articles. However, if it put you thinking and hurt your brain, then maybe, maybe .. End of serious articles for a while.
#pwr
