What Keeps Us Running?
Each year, we notice some friends and fellow runners stop competing. They may run on occasion but the fire that burned to train and submit themselves to the rigors of racing has faded. In younger years, most said that would not happen to us. We surely expected to slow down but to drop out, never! Yet, the numbers don’t lie. Less than 6% of race fields are 60 or over, in spite of this age grouping comprising about 17% of the U.S. population. Even the 50-59 age group, also representing 17% of the population – it’s a big group!, comprises about 13% of race fields.* So it appears the downward trend starts in the 50s. Race participation is a reasonable proxy for vigorous training. I don’t know one person who trains with intensity but doesn’t race. Racing is the payoff for doing the hard work! There are numerous reasons why people stop training and racing. It can be distressing and depressing to belabor them. So I decided to focus this post on what does keep runners running and racing. I came up with six relevant to me and perhaps others will relate to them too: Enjoyment Satisfaction Camaraderie Challenge … Continue reading