Hearing your stories: Ken Morrison

Despite a big later-in-life health scare, a lifetime of staying active helps him keep on keeping on: 'The only thing that has changed is that I realize that sometimes I have to change my goals'

Morning, friends! ☀️

You may remember a few weeks ago, when I put out a call to share your stories about how you became a runner and where running has taken you. We’ve heard from Rosalie Chan and Erinn Connor, and now it’s time to hear from another longtime THM reader, Ken Morrison.

I’m (still!) loving reading each and every one of your stories, and I’ll be sharing more of them over the coming days and weeks. Some will be in written format like this, while others will be in audio/video. So, stay tuned!

If you feel inspired after reading Ken’s story, please don’t hesitate to reach out — I’d love to hear from you too! All you need to is reply back to me by email or in the comments below, and we’ll go from there. — Terrell

So, let’s hear a little bit about you! Who are you, your age (if you’d like to share), where you’re from, what you do, etc.

I am Ken Morrison — I will be 85 in June. I was born and raised in Canada, and we moved to Tacoma, Wash., when I was seven. I received my U.S. citizenship when I was at the University of Washington in 1959. I joined the Air Force in 1960. I totally retired in 2013 after 50+ years in the Air Force and the aerospace industry as an engineer. I love hockey — I played off and on until I was 73. I am an avid reader. I enjoy travelling to other countries and learning about the cultures and people.

What does your running routine look like? How many times a week, and how far do you run?

I am just back into walking and running after a couple of years off due to medical problems. I am out three to four times a week, putting in around 15-20 miles per week mostly walking, and adding in short runs during the walks. I am up to seven miles as my longest run. When I get back in stride, I will do three to four runs a week with one speed work day. I hope to run a half marathon later this year.

Courtesy Ken Morrison

Were you an athletic kid growing up? What are your early memories of what fitness and health were about?

Being born in Canada, I was skating when I was four years old. After moving to the States, I played hockey off and on as there wasn’t the interest or capabilities as we have today. As kids we never really looked at health and fitness per se, we rode bikes, skated, played and just enjoyed life. As I grew older, skating was key. I also played handball and racquetball. Then in my late thirties I fell in love with running.

How did you first get into running? Was there something that inspired you — like a performance at the Olympics, for example, or a runner you discovered by watching them on social media or TV? Or was there someone in your own life who inspired you to think, “maybe I can do this?”

When we were in Omaha, Neb, I ran a little as cross training for my hockey playing. Then we transferred to Southern California, and we saw an ad for the first local 10K at a college near us. My son and I decided that it would be fun, so we started training and we both got hooked on running! Also, the Air Force started a fitness program where you had to run a mile and a half in a certain time which fostered a lot of competition in the unit.

How has your interest in running evolved since then? Do you run farther, or faster now?

After the first 10K, I started my own program to run faster. I also joined the Loma Linda Lopers — a running group near where we lived (in Loma Linda, Calif.). They had a program to run a marathon, and I ran my first marathon in 1981 — the Honolulu Marathon. I gradually got faster in my forties and had my fastest 5K at 51. Then, my times started to taper off. I was still relatively competitive in my fifties and sixties. Very competitive in my sixties, seventies, and eighties. (I guess I am outliving my competition!)

What do you balance your running with? Do you have a family to take care of? Kids, parents or other relatives or loved ones? If so, how do you balance all of it and still make time to run/care for yourself?

Running is my escape valve. It gives me a chance to solve problems, think over issues and just relax. My wife says I get grumpy if I don’t get out to run — she is very supportive of my running. There is just the two of us at home — we’ve been married 63 years. Our son and his wife live on Long Island, N.Y. (no kids). They used to be runners (we did lots of marathons and half marathons together), but my son ended up with bad knees (must have got that from his mother (LOL!) and is now a century rider). His wife still runs a little but can’t do the longer runs anymore. Our daughter and her husband live outside of Charlotte, N.C. (no kids), and she and I used to run together also, but she cannot run anymore due to medical problems.

Is there anything you’re especially proud of that you can point to your running and say, “this helped me achieve ______”?

I think over the years, running has helped me keep a positive perspective on life, maintaining a healthier lifestyle. I believe that being active may not let me live longer but it certainly will help me feel better as long as I live. I also have had many younger people tell me that I have given them inspiration to walk/run to maintain a healthier lifestyle.

Courtesy Ken Morrison

What have you learned about yourself from your running journey? Is there anything that’s changed about you since you started?

The most positive aspect I’ve learned about myself from running is that when you face a challenge, stop and set up a process to tackle that challenge like I did with my training and races. Setting up realistic goals and steps to reach those goals go a long way towards success in any endeavor. The only thing that has changed is that I realize that sometimes I have to change my goals.

Where would you like to go with your running? Is there anything special you’d like to achieve — like, say, running all six World Marathon Majors, or running an ultra?

I hope to continue running as long as I live. I would like to compete in the Senior Olympics when I am 90 years old.

What keeps you going? Especially if you’ve been running for a while — do you ever get bored with it? How do you find new things to motivate you, to keep you going?

I thoroughly enjoy running. I doubt if I ever will get bored with it. My motivation is understanding that running helps me lead a healthier lifestyle. Two years ago, I had a very serious medical problem — the prognosis was not good. My almost total recovery has stunned my doctors. They had never seen someone of my age recover that well. My primary care physician (she is also a runner) believes that that recovery was due to my running fitness!

Look back at yourself when you were a kid, maybe say 10 years old. Remember how you felt, what you thought, especially what you thought you were capable of back then. If you could talk to that kid now, what would you say?

I would say always keep active and always keep a positive attitude. When you set goals, always assess them as you progress — sometimes you may have to modify them up or down. (e.g., I loved running marathons, but as I got older and slower, the training time for a marathon got to be too much and I set the half marathon as the longest race.)

Also: Listen to your body. Also your goal in a race is to do your best and finish!