UKC

Okay, so I’m getting old and struggling to come to terms with the fact that I’ll never be as fit as I used to be!! Twenty years ago I successfully completed the Bob Graham Round and had a couple of sub three marathons under my belt. Then, the usual story ...career, family, injury and illness took their inevitable toll and basically I’ve had about ten years of relative inactivity on the running front and kidded myself I was keeping reasonably fit and active doing the odd bit of cycling, hill walking and kayaking

I recently dusted off the running shoes and “oh boy” ain’t it hard work!! A 5km Park Run feels like a marathon whereas previously that would have been a warm up!

I’m struggling both psychologically and physiologically and just wondered if any of you good people had any tips or similar experiences.

In reply to exiled_northerner:

Been in a similar position, hard work. The biggest issue for me is remaining injury free, been plagues with achilles problems, always hit when I seem to be getting somewhere

In reply to Bernard Shakey:
Just about to start back myself after a year off and an operation. My issue has been inguinal ligament and age is not my friend. I also seem to be able to think of more excuses for not going out (cat needs milking, fish needs a bath etc) due to some trepidation of my likely performance.

Good luck, I feel your angst.

In reply to Bernard Shakey:

Yep ...I just get to a stage where I think I'm making progress and then it's a niggling injury or a cold that hits

In reply to exiled_northerner:

I've just finished Richard Askwith's new book 'Running Free'. He's the author of 'Feet in the Clouds', where he documented (rather beautifully) his Bob Graham attempt. Running Free is about him becoming a slower runner with age, but he seems to get far more enjoyment out of it.

Well worth a read. Good luck!

In reply to exiled_northerner:

When I started again, the last time, i didn't take a watch out with me for the first couple of months at least, although I did log my distance. i just thought that this would be a long haul and the main thing was to be able to get out and keep at it. The lack of any pressure helped, as did choosing nice places to run and getting into a routine of doing it with my wife. I also mixed the running with swimming and cycling for the first year, which probably helped get me fitter without breaking bits off me, and had one goal, initially, which was for us to walk the Welsh 3000s. Just that was enough to keep me at it for that year (oh, and an abortive BGR attempt!) , and only then did I focus on the running. I pushed the mileage up from 20 to 40 in that time, and then went to fifty a week and have kept that up most weeks for almost two years now.

In reply to JMGLondon:

Thanks for the reading suggestion. Sound worth a read as all I want to do is enjoy running again for the sake of it, rather than have any ambitious plans to hit PBs

In reply to mbh:

Sound advice ...I'm planning on trying to keep running to alternate days and cycle the others. It's good to know others have had the same issues and got through it.

It just really hard sometimes when I'm struggling to run more than 5k and think back to the "glory years"!

In reply to exiled_northerner:

I mostly gave up on everything because I have a 6, 4 & 2 year old while 47 years of age. I got married in October and when I seen the wedding pictures was pretty disgusted at the 18 1/2 stone guy in the pictures.
I sorted out my diet for November and joined a gym in December. Gym shut for 2 weeks over Christmas so I thought about trying to run up a steep and long moor road to the pass and back.
To do this I would run then walk each time trying to increase distance and fewer breaks until eventually I made it in one go February. I have since extended it to running down the other side and returning over. I also now do 12 mile runs twice a week but this week pushing it up the 3 x 12 mile run.
I no longer go to the gym as its boring but really have got into the running and I am below 14 stone and still dropping. Lost 1/2 a foot in my waist size as well. Lot of jeans sizes from 40 down to 34s but I feel I may be heading for 32s.
I hope soon to start back hill running as I remember how much I loved this. Its just a shame I let my life go the way it did. It will be to tough getting back but if its something you previously loved doing then you will have the determination.

In reply to fmck:

Awesome!

In reply to fmck:

Wow...inspirational indeed! Fantastic weight loss – any tips on the diet front?

One of my challenges is that I have a sedentary job sat at a desk all day and I get the “boredom muchies” which isn’t helped by there being a plentiful supply of crap in the office tuck shop!

In reply to exiled_northerner:

No suggestions to help with the tuck shop - I have no will power either. I'm finding at the moment that finding somewhere nice off road to run, where I'm not measuring anything, is working for me. Don't know if I'll ever get all the stamina back but the important thing is to get the enjoyment back!

In reply to exiled_northerner:

Diet was the hard one but it becomes easier as it not a diet but change in life style. Now I am going to list foods I have cut out first but this doesn't mean I have banned them. They remain a treat say when visiting a restaurant or I have a Saturday night take away. I split the takeaway with my wife now as it fills me up with half now.

Pasta, bread (I do eat warburton slims though just the one per day), meat (never processed), chicken the list could go on and on.

What I do eat almost daily is : Morning Porridge made of water and a little salt (You do get used to it and begin to like it)
Lunch is the main meal with a big homemade vegetable soup packed with veg, nice n peppery. Salad with a weight watchers tuna mix through it, sometimes an apple or swap the salad with homemade vegetable curry. Evenings I have The slim thing as I don't want to be eating much this side of the day. Maybe a tin of lentil or soup that's not high in calories or fat. If running the 12 miles I have a bowl of porridge an hour before.

I do love a few bottles of Coors light at night but this doesn't seem to be a problem although obviously causing a sugar spike at the wrong time of day. Being Scottish its hard to give up this side of life.

Cut out coffee n tea and replaced with syrup Bovril (Low fat but 33% protein). Sometimes a coffee before I run for some caffeine although not sure if this is a good idea.

On Christmas day we had a fry up and I stopped eating as it was awful and I felt ill all morning. I wont be repeating that experience anytime soon. That was weird as I was really looking forward to it as we did them often before.

I work as a construction site manager decommissioning a nuclear power station. You can imagine the paperwork in an environment like that has and do spend a lot of my time behind the desk.

I suppose my diet doesn't sound very appealing but what suits yourself really and this does for me and don't mind it any more. I certainly don't get cravings and my body doesn't feel hungry. Like I say this doesn't mean you don't get treats just limit them and don't have them as you daily diet.

In reply to exiled_northerner:

I always have an old Nalgene bottle full of water - seems to stave off hunger pretty well, and it's old and looks minging so nobody pinches it. Nuts are also pretty good.

Yeah..get that one. I know that once I start getting more active my body tells me want I need to eat and it becomes easier to cut out the crap.

Not sure if I could survive without pasta though!!!

In reply to colinakmc:

Getting the enjoyment back seems to be a common theme. Re the tuck shop -- I've realised that I've been guilty of "it's just a packet of crisps. I'll stop mindlessly snacking tomorrow", but the trouble is tomorrow never comes, so it's starting today!

In reply to JMGLondon:

I've a pint glass. Reckon I'm getting through three or four pints a day. Will give the nuts a try

In reply to exiled_northerner:

Not sure how old you are, but by 60 everything hurts!

6 months ago I gave up running for good, following a "terminal" diagnosis on a knee (it's knackered) so damage limitation from there on.
I've put running out of my mind, but walk hard on the hills every day, but all of a sudden I am finding myself jogging again (must be the sunshine) and enjoying it. Knee isn't too bad either.
I would say, don't try too hard, get out on the hills exploring and enjoying them, jog as you feel - it will come.

In reply to Moley:

Cheers Moley......I'm 57......that might have something to do with it! I still think in my mind that I'm 37!

In reply to exiled_northerner:

I'm only 37 as well, but my body is 62 - not fair!

Seriously I have found that as I've got older, enjoyment has been more and more important. The more I enjoy it the better I go (or went), so the last few years I've never stressed about miles, times, injuries etc. I simply go out on the hills and do what I can, it seems to come together and after 30 years running and training I no longer want to be thinking about anything other than: "Isn't this a lovely day out".