Now that we’re almost at the end of the year — hard to believe it’s just a little over three weeks away, isn’t it? — I’d thought I’d turn the mic over to you and ask, what are the thoughts, ideas and topics you’d like to see us cover here at The Half Marathoner in the new year? What questions do you have for me, about running or anything else, that you’d like to see me write about, or us talk about?
In other words, what’s important to you? I’d love to know — thanks in advance for anything you have to share! — Terrell
I agree with all above. I’m interested in meeting up with runners in my area. (SO CA). I’m in denial but my birth certificate doesn’t lie. 75 in March, still trying to keep up with those younger. I believe I have one more 1/2 in me! Would like it be a special one and don’t mind traveling to make a memorable birthday gift yo myself! Enjoy reading the comments. Thanks Terrell
Well, I’ve been rehabbing my injured hamstring for a week so I haven’t been participating in the December running challenge. But today was the BMW Dallas Half Marathon, and I have been training for that for a while, so I was determined to do it in spite of the pain. And I was doing it with two of my daughters, so I just really wanted to do this.
And I did. For a while there I thought I wasn’t going to be able to finish. A few miles were pretty painful. But Bio-Freeze and a repurposed knee brace got me through. And in fact a burst of energy at mile 8 helped me to a pretty respectable overall pace and finish time. So I’m a half-marathoner now, and I’m pretty proud of that.
I came down with a cold, but stubbornly went out and ran it anyway. Finished the half in 2:22 and change. It was a great race (Bryan College Station Marathon & Half), well organized and our son's friend BQ'ed and placed 4th with a 2:47. You know you are getting slow when people are finishing the full not long after you finish a half. Thankful to still be able to do it though.
i am 26... how likely do you think it is that i could run 26.2 miles for my 26th year of life with minimal preparation? i’m primarily interested in saying i did it; i feel little about how quickly it happens lol
Just thought of it now, Terrell. . . have you come across any articles (books, podcasts, etc) that say how many younger runners are coming up? Seems like a lot of us are "aging" runners, yet there are not that many new ones to fill the gap.
I went to Cuba years ago when they opened it up for a short while... Trump stopped that!
I get updates on Destination Marathons. Cuba has a marathon I was going to do. I was a little leary, but my travel agent said it's the safest place on Earth. NO ONE there wants to stop the flow of tourist dollars from coming in. There was No One begging for money and no tee shirt or trinket stands every few feet. I bought rum and a few cigars for my son-in-law but mostly wandered the streets. Before Castro took over, it was a destination that people in Florida flocked to... a great night life with gambling and alcohol. It's still a beautiful place and if it ever opens back up going to take another cruise there and run the streets. Hope I don't die first!
I like Darryl Beatty's idea. My goal the past several years is to run a half marathon every month. I live in Southern CA so it's easy to find races that are within driving distance of home. Over the years I've been returning to run the same nearby races over and over again. It's getting dull, and I feel like I'm just checking a box rather than truly enjoying the experience. I promise myself that I'll make this half-a-month endeavor more fun and adventurous by finding new fun races or fun cities. But that takes planning which is not my strong suit.
And another thought . . . It would be nice to form connections with this group. Are some of us neighbors in the same town or participants in the same events without knowing it? Maybe we could do an occasional Zoom happy hour (like the ones I hated during the pandemic)?
It would be great to hear more about unique running groups and races that are preserving the running culture without too much glitz. It is weird how expensive races have become - just burned 200 signing up for the next MCM and even 5Ks and 10ks which used to be some 20-30 bucks cost more now. Wonder if running events have become ageist in reverse order -- older people like me are likely more at ease spending money on races and running gear. But there might be low key races and running groups spread across the country we don’t know about. I ran one such this past weekend for only ten bucks and it was so much fun and collaborative at the same time.
One goal I have each year is an idea given to me by an older running friend 20 years ago. He said every year on his birthday, he would run his age in minutes. 50 years old, 50 minutes. Speed doesn’t matter. He is still doing that. So each Jan 14, I make sure I am prepared to do that. So coming up here in a few weeks, I better be prepared to run my 64 minutes.
I agree with the comments about “running for life”. I am a month shy of 64 and I hear every day people saying “Mike, you aren’t getting any younger. When you gonna stop running?” I don’t post on here very often but reading Terrell’s wonderful words and stories and everyone’s support of each other is simply incredible for me. I was fortunate to run several half’s this year and just finished the year with the full in San Antonio. I do like to hear about people still running as we age. Thank you all for your support every day. And Terrell you are incredible.
One thing I would enjoy seeing is information about unique half marathons that would be good to combine with a short vacation trip. In other words, what is really special about this particular race and experience.
Could not agree more on information for “senior” runners. Being in my mid 60’s it seems to be in increasingly difficult to maintain consistency and avoid injury. Maybe not a what the younger runners in this group would want, but remember, you’ll be here soon enough! Happy holidays.
Some of the newsletters I most appreciated this year were those that covered a holistic approach to fitness - topics like strength training, nutrition, even hearing aids. I think that when we focus our fitness training only on running, we’re missing some very important topics that make running even more effective.
Morning Terrell, how about some thoughts and insights for runners still running at 70. I may not be as fast as I once was, but the joy of getting out on the trail for me is nothing but pure joy.
I agree with all above. I’m interested in meeting up with runners in my area. (SO CA). I’m in denial but my birth certificate doesn’t lie. 75 in March, still trying to keep up with those younger. I believe I have one more 1/2 in me! Would like it be a special one and don’t mind traveling to make a memorable birthday gift yo myself! Enjoy reading the comments. Thanks Terrell
Well, I’ve been rehabbing my injured hamstring for a week so I haven’t been participating in the December running challenge. But today was the BMW Dallas Half Marathon, and I have been training for that for a while, so I was determined to do it in spite of the pain. And I was doing it with two of my daughters, so I just really wanted to do this.
And I did. For a while there I thought I wasn’t going to be able to finish. A few miles were pretty painful. But Bio-Freeze and a repurposed knee brace got me through. And in fact a burst of energy at mile 8 helped me to a pretty respectable overall pace and finish time. So I’m a half-marathoner now, and I’m pretty proud of that.
I came down with a cold, but stubbornly went out and ran it anyway. Finished the half in 2:22 and change. It was a great race (Bryan College Station Marathon & Half), well organized and our son's friend BQ'ed and placed 4th with a 2:47. You know you are getting slow when people are finishing the full not long after you finish a half. Thankful to still be able to do it though.
i am 26... how likely do you think it is that i could run 26.2 miles for my 26th year of life with minimal preparation? i’m primarily interested in saying i did it; i feel little about how quickly it happens lol
Just thought of it now, Terrell. . . have you come across any articles (books, podcasts, etc) that say how many younger runners are coming up? Seems like a lot of us are "aging" runners, yet there are not that many new ones to fill the gap.
I went to Cuba years ago when they opened it up for a short while... Trump stopped that!
I get updates on Destination Marathons. Cuba has a marathon I was going to do. I was a little leary, but my travel agent said it's the safest place on Earth. NO ONE there wants to stop the flow of tourist dollars from coming in. There was No One begging for money and no tee shirt or trinket stands every few feet. I bought rum and a few cigars for my son-in-law but mostly wandered the streets. Before Castro took over, it was a destination that people in Florida flocked to... a great night life with gambling and alcohol. It's still a beautiful place and if it ever opens back up going to take another cruise there and run the streets. Hope I don't die first!
I like Darryl Beatty's idea. My goal the past several years is to run a half marathon every month. I live in Southern CA so it's easy to find races that are within driving distance of home. Over the years I've been returning to run the same nearby races over and over again. It's getting dull, and I feel like I'm just checking a box rather than truly enjoying the experience. I promise myself that I'll make this half-a-month endeavor more fun and adventurous by finding new fun races or fun cities. But that takes planning which is not my strong suit.
And another thought . . . It would be nice to form connections with this group. Are some of us neighbors in the same town or participants in the same events without knowing it? Maybe we could do an occasional Zoom happy hour (like the ones I hated during the pandemic)?
It would be great to hear more about unique running groups and races that are preserving the running culture without too much glitz. It is weird how expensive races have become - just burned 200 signing up for the next MCM and even 5Ks and 10ks which used to be some 20-30 bucks cost more now. Wonder if running events have become ageist in reverse order -- older people like me are likely more at ease spending money on races and running gear. But there might be low key races and running groups spread across the country we don’t know about. I ran one such this past weekend for only ten bucks and it was so much fun and collaborative at the same time.
Perhaps an interview with a running doctor who sees a lot of aging runners?
One goal I have each year is an idea given to me by an older running friend 20 years ago. He said every year on his birthday, he would run his age in minutes. 50 years old, 50 minutes. Speed doesn’t matter. He is still doing that. So each Jan 14, I make sure I am prepared to do that. So coming up here in a few weeks, I better be prepared to run my 64 minutes.
I agree with the comments about “running for life”. I am a month shy of 64 and I hear every day people saying “Mike, you aren’t getting any younger. When you gonna stop running?” I don’t post on here very often but reading Terrell’s wonderful words and stories and everyone’s support of each other is simply incredible for me. I was fortunate to run several half’s this year and just finished the year with the full in San Antonio. I do like to hear about people still running as we age. Thank you all for your support every day. And Terrell you are incredible.
“Running for Life” seems to be an emerging theme. I second it. The joy of running into our 70’s, 80’s and 90’s is a hot topic as we Boomers age❗️
One thing I would enjoy seeing is information about unique half marathons that would be good to combine with a short vacation trip. In other words, what is really special about this particular race and experience.
Could not agree more on information for “senior” runners. Being in my mid 60’s it seems to be in increasingly difficult to maintain consistency and avoid injury. Maybe not a what the younger runners in this group would want, but remember, you’ll be here soon enough! Happy holidays.
I agree with the ideas posted here - more on older runners, which is probably a growing group! Thank you and enjoy your holiday season 😊
Some of the newsletters I most appreciated this year were those that covered a holistic approach to fitness - topics like strength training, nutrition, even hearing aids. I think that when we focus our fitness training only on running, we’re missing some very important topics that make running even more effective.
Morning Terrell, how about some thoughts and insights for runners still running at 70. I may not be as fast as I once was, but the joy of getting out on the trail for me is nothing but pure joy.