Guest Post: Longevity in Running - Part 1 ...by Pat Walsh

 * Longevity in Running, Part 1 *

Over the next few posts I will discuss running, and how to maintain and enjoy it though out your life. Of course certain fads come and go, but running as a form of exercise and as an aid for mental health is with us for a long time and will continue into the future. 

Some will run for a few years and move to something else which is fine and natural. I’m talking to runners who just want to run for as long as life will allow.

I don’t have definitive advice that will ensure your future, but I will discuss my own experiences and learnings from many years of highs and lows, fun and tears and everything in between. Maybe there is something there for you and maybe not.

A running career cannot be only defined by medals and trophies but the ability to run successfully through the decades of your life, at whatever pace suits you for that particular period. #pwr

* Enjoyment

Above all, you must enjoy what you are doing. If you are forcing yourself out and worrying in advance, then you are on a slippery slope to failure. Not every day will be fun but you must let yourself relax, embrace the actual session whether training or racing and find fun and joy in the act of running. Yes, you can train hard and enjoy it, the act of pushing yourself.

If you can’t sleep or eat and find yourself irritable in the days leading to a race then this is not a sustainable situation long term. 

You will not continue to do something if you don’t enjoy it. 

A little pre-race nerves are ok with the odd ‘can I do it moment?’. We all have those moments, but a running lifestyle is dependent on you enjoying what you do as a mood lift and emotional release from the pressure of everyday life.

You can’t be a 100% happy bunny all the time, as there will be setbacks, but enjoy the fact that your are out there, active, moving, socialising, laughing. If there is the occasional down, then park it and move on.

Smile for the pictures, put on a happy face, chat to fellow runners, have the cuppa and come home a better person. Lifting yourself will also help raise the spirits of those around you. 

“Your greatest runs are rarely measured by racing success. They are moments in time when running allows you to see how wonderful your life is.”

* Reality

Accept who you are and what you can do. Of course look at the results and who is performing, but remember that any day you do the best you can, then that is your best and should not be judged against the times and placing of anyone else. 

Who knows what anyone else is dealing with. Some may be at the end of a good training block and targeted the race. Another may be returning from injury and lucky to be there. You are You. No one else like you.

We are all different in terms of our ability anyway. With the best of training and conditioning I would never have made the Olympics. I have accepted that years ago even if I allow myself the occasional dream.

Be the best you and that is all you can do. This will mean different results depending on your age but without acceptance, there is no future as you will always be striving for the impossible. 

Learn to live and love yourself for who you are. 

“No matter how slow you go you are still lapping everyone on the couch.”

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I will continue over the next few weeks to talk about Progression, Strength, Mental Health, Family / Work  / Training Balance, Mental Strength, Injuries, Aging, Gratitude. Hope you will stay with me..!

Have a lovely weekend. Feel free to comment as I love the feedback.

#pwr