Take care of yourself

I'm not nearly the runner you are, but I am a fat man waiting to happen. ... my dad put on a lot of weight later in life and wasn't healthy. I don't want that to happen to me.

I turned 50 over the summer. I had put on weight over the last few years. I don't weigh myself often, so I am not sure exactly what I got up to at the peak, but I was probably pushing 175, which for me is huge. I am around 5'10". I have spent most of my life closer to 155, 160. Between 165 to 170 when I let myself go, which was becoming more of the norm over the last 10 years. I start looking thick at around 165. You can see it in my face. I wasn't feeling good about it. I have always exercised, almost every morning, but I let the intensity drop. We also walk a ton, especially on the weekends, so it's not like I had become a total sloth. But in my 30s and into my 40s, I pushed myself really hard. I needed to, because as I said, I am a fat man waiting to happen. Over the last 2 or 3 years or so, exercise had become more of a going through the motions thing. Part of a routine, but not pushing myself nearly hard enough.

Right around end of July, beginning of August, after I turned 50, I decided to run more and run harder, to see where I could get it to intensity wise. I have been using the Nike running app on my phone. I upped the intensity in slow increments, not knowing what I am capable of at 50. But I have kept at it, running 5 or 6 days each week for the last several months. I am at 4.5 miles, 5 or 6 days a week, running right around 7 minute miles. I was capable of better times than that when I was younger, but I feel OK with where I am at right now. I have a bit left in the tank and I could push it a bit more many days, but I don't want to risk burning myself out or injuring myself. With what I am doing I get a sweat, I don't have to devote too much time, and I feel like I have accomplished something.

I have always eaten pretty healthy, all natural, fruits and veggies, and I don't eat too much. So that wasn't the problem. The little bit of extra calorie burn is making a decent difference. I haven't weighed myself, so I don't know my weight exactly, but you can see the difference in my face and on my body. I'd guess I am somewhere around 160 now. I have posted this elsewhere, but to motivate myself, I made it a goal to get my body into a place I felt better about. ... and then I was going to buy a crimson red velvet jacket (don't ask). I may go shopping for my jacket this weekend.

 

Just saw this. I have never run a marathon. Thought about it, probably about 10 years ago. Talked about it. Never did it. I am mad at myself for that. I was doing a ton of running anyhow and really just wanted to be able to say I ran a marathon. But I never made it happen. At times I was doing as much as 15+ mile runs on my own. I am not sure what that little bit extra distance does to you, in terms of your ability to keep the pace up. I just never got past the "talking about it," phase, so I don't know. It's too bad, because I know I could have completed one, and my potential time would have been way better than if I try to do one now at 50. I started pushing myself a bit harder this past summer when I turned 50. I am only doing runs of between 4 and 5 miles, but I am at a place where I can keep a pace of somewhere between 7 and 7:30 miles. Which on the one hand makes me feel great, on the other hand makes me feel old. I have enough left in the tank when I run that I know I could extend the distance or push the pace a little for the distance I am running. But it's amazing at 50 how you can feel the difference -- my mind says I can do more, but my body is a little creeky. So I am more concentrating on pushing it so my heart rate is kind of elevated and I get a sweat, but I am running comfortably. It's turned into more of a "be healthy" thing than a "what am I capable of" thing.

If you do run a marathon, please keep us posted. A 3:10 marathon would be an accomplishment. I hope you accomplish it. Sorry I don't have any great tips to add.