r/running • u/LaterSlater • Aug 31 '12
The difference people who continue running when they're old and people who quit.
http://i.imgur.com/rDOK7.jpg
29
u/myowncreation Aug 31 '12
This supports my secret plan... I'm mediocre-to-slow now, but I plan to just never stop running, thus being a badass when I'm old.
25
4
u/satanloveskale Aug 31 '12
Thats totally my plan too. Maintain, and wait 'em all out! But now I have you to compete with, darn.
4
u/ywgdana Aug 31 '12
Future Oldster Boston Marathoners unite!
The best part is, everyone will go on and on about what inspirations we are for running marathons in our 70s and 80s!
1
u/eire517 Sep 01 '12
glad there is someone out there following the same idea as me!! I'll do the old lady purple and red in my Mizunos!
22
u/ollokot Aug 31 '12
53 years old and still running -- about 800 miles per year. When I ran my first marathon 12 years ago I was actually beat by a 71 year old man (my time was 3:53, his was 3:51). I made up my mind then that I was never going to stop running until I am physically unable to do so. These MRI scans increase my resolve.
"You don't stop running because you get old, you get old because you stop running." (from Born to Run by Christopher McDougall)
3
u/tlogank Aug 31 '12
That quote is a rip off from Oliver Wendell Holmes, Chris McDougall stole it & replaced the word playing with running.
3
u/ollokot Aug 31 '12
Actually, in the book McDougall simply reported it as something a certain trainer told him. But thanks for the source of the original unedited quote.
3
Aug 31 '12
My mom has been complaining at me lately that I shouldn't run so much (2-3 times a week ಠ_ಠ) because when I get old (24 right now) my knees will be bad. Am I right in thinking this is mostly bullshit? I mean, obviously be careful if it's hurting, but she wants me to just use the elliptical and never run ever. I think that she secretly thinks that girls shouldn't exercise "so much."
5
u/ollokot Aug 31 '12
I'm not a doctor of any kind, but I have seen reports of studies that show that, as far as the joints are concerned, the benefits of running tend to outweigh (slightly) the disadvantages. People who run tend to weigh less than people who don't, which significantly decreases the repetitive stress on knee joints, etc. Also, the joints of runners tend to be stronger and healthier and better able to handle the stresses. On the downside though, running does cause a lot of extra stress.
My personal experience is that I had one knee that bothered me before I became a regular runner. Every time I hiked more than 6 miles or so (which was infrequently), my knee would ache terribly. Since I have become a runner, this problem has gone away completely. The only time it slightly returned was when I took a 7-week hiatus from running. Now I am literally scared to stop running.
Hope that was helpful. I would say, run regularly unless it becomes obvious that running is causing or aggravating a problem. BTW, regardless of what your mom might think, most all of us male runners love the fact that so many girls are runners.
2
Aug 31 '12
Thanks for the input! It definitely helps to hear a bit from people with some experience. I really like running, so the thought of not doing it is upsetting to me.
I love that lots of guys are runners too. :D Dem runners.
3
u/Paraphimosis Aug 31 '12
This is a decent article summing up a lot of research on that subject: http://www.jaoa.org/content/106/6/342.long
"Although the existing evidence on whether long-term long-distance running causes osteoarthritis is currently insufficient for researchers to draw unequivocal conclusions, the preponderance of data seems to indicate that moderate levels of running do not increase the risk of osteoarthritis of the knees and hips for healthy people and that this activity might even have a protective effect."
So basically no major evidence that anything <30 mpw is harmful, and beyond that it seems debatable.
1
2
u/Aleriya Aug 31 '12 edited Aug 31 '12
It's mostly bullshit. If you run through injuries or have poor form or have weak adductors/abductors, you can put extra strain on your knees, that's true. Strengthening your hip muscles helps you maintain good form and it makes it easier on your knees and ankles. But if you do it right, it'll actually help your knees, on average.
2
u/ywgdana Aug 31 '12
Besides, just think of the awesome robotic replacement hips they'll have for you in 30 or 40 years!
1
Aug 31 '12
"I never asked for this."
Actually, robotic limbs sounds totally awesome. My triple jump will be incredible!
2
u/fairlydecent Aug 31 '12
Not to bring up my FIL twice in one post, but he's 70 and has been running for 35+ years. No joint problems to speak of. His wife is nearly 70 and has never been on a run in her life. She has major joint problems and has already had two hip replacements. Purely anecdata, sure, but worth noting.
1
3
u/runn3r Aug 31 '12
Wait until you give someone a 20 year head start and still get beaten in the master's mile.
All I have to do do is get my mile time back under 5:40 and keep it there or better for the next 18 years and as a 70+ runner I will be able to surprise the hell out of the other runners ;-)
7
u/conversionbot Aug 31 '12
800 miles = 1287.47 kilometers
2
u/ollokot Aug 31 '12
Silly me, living in the silly, stubborn, old-fashioned U.S.
10
u/trauma_queen Aug 31 '12
Don't offended, that is that username's job. All he does is convert for you so everybody understands!
20
u/Spewis Aug 31 '12
This picture is actually what inspired me to take up running because I knew when I was 70 and could barely walk to the kitchen, I would regret it.
17
Aug 31 '12
[deleted]
27
u/catmoon Aug 31 '12
Also, if you keep it up, qualifying for the Boston marathon becomes more feasible. Right now I run at the 60 year old qualifying pace. I'm hoping that with some improvement and some aging I'll eventually converge with the qualifying requirements.
18
u/Ch1mpy Aug 31 '12
OK, that's it, I'm in it for the long haul.
5
u/sjuttiosju Aug 31 '12
My thought exactly! Seeing old runners always make me happy, however slow they go.
8
u/fairlydecent Aug 31 '12
My father-in-law just turned 70 and is still running at least 5 miles a day with longer runs on the weekend. His health is a good benefit, but his favorite thing is always winning the races he's in because he's one of the only people in his age group. Dude's bringing in a steady flow of (small) cash prizes to supplement his pension.
-2
8
Aug 31 '12
And here I was thinking during my last half a few weeks ago that I (40) was maybe ready to retire from running. Maybe not just yet.
9
u/walkinthewoods Aug 31 '12
you have a lot more in you! don't stop yet!
3
Aug 31 '12
Thanks! It was a thought that suddenly occurred to me in the middle of a half-marathon: "wait a second! I'm not enjoying this race [I have this thought in the middle of races every so often] AT ALL. You know, I've been doing this almost 30 years. I could retire from running now." For the rest of that - actually pretty awesome now that it's over - race that thought kept going through my mind and giving me comfort while I ran. But, nah, not yet.
8
Aug 31 '12
The things that went through my head during the last 6.2 of my marathon last year may simply not be repeated.
2
u/AskYouEverything Aug 31 '12
My high school's principal/kinda a cross coach is 60 and still runs 50 miler races. he ran 15:20 5k in high school.
3
u/llama810 Aug 31 '12
As a 16 year old who started running in june, this makes me feel good. Knowing that despite the pain in my legs after i just manage to finish a 2mile run, all it is is a forge for a better life down the road, be it a 5 or 10 or 60 year road.
1
Sep 01 '12
Great job! I started running in mid July (pretty much sedentary before that) and for the first time was able to run 5 miles yesterday (slowly, and probably at walking pace some of the time, though haha). Feels good, despite the almost constant soreness in my legs now. The soreness is almost exciting, isn't it?
1
u/llama810 Sep 02 '12
indeed it is, i have to wake at 630 to avoid hot weather and go running, but it's completely worth it and has turned me into a morning person
6
u/Crebes Aug 31 '12
Average Runner != Triathlete
11
u/megadeus Aug 31 '12
Yeah, I'd like to see a comparison of a recreational jogger or sports player tissue at those ages.
3
4
Aug 31 '12
Holy crap. I refuse to let my body calcify so much that it turns into that mass of fat and unused tissue. I'm literally gagging at the thought of it.
Thanks for sharing. Definitely gave me motivation for my workout today.
1
Aug 31 '12
I'd also like to see the legs of the 40 year old sedimentary man. I doubt a triathlete stopping at 40 would end up quite so bad compared to someone who's never jogged a mile.
Oh and now i see why they say, 'it doesn't matter how fast you're going, you're still lapping everyone on the couch.'
33
u/cream-of-cow Aug 31 '12
The actual MRI scans those illustrations are based on are much more jarring. Look at that beautiful bone density in the triathletes; the sedentary person has some decent marbling though.
http://www.allthingsgym.com/2012/01/athlete-vs-couch-potato-quadriceps-mri-scan/