Running Late II - Pull up a Chair

You're pretty sure you don't want to have anything to do with this running stuff. After all, you were a marginal athlete 30 years ago. Couldn't have gotten much better, right? You're way past your prime, out of shape, a bit too heavy, and running doesn't look like much fun.

Here's a challenge for you. These 2 sites list races all over the country: Running in the USA and Cool Running. Find a race near where you live. Look for a marathon or half marathon. Go to that race, find a spot along the race route where you can be comfortable and... pull up a chair.

As the runners pass you and you enjoy the competition, you'll be surprised about a number of things. When the leaders arrive, you'll be shocked that anyone can run that fast for that long. You'll probably decide right then and there that there's no way you want to be involved in this madness called running. But wait, as the stream of runners continue you start to see some who are really struggling. And later even more keep coming, but not nearly as fast. Wait, that guy's too tired to run.... he's walking! Look, some of these folks don't run very fast at all. And towards the end, you see a few who look as out of shape as you! I think you'll leave that race thinking that if they can do it, you can do it.

Let's assume for a moment that you like golf. You watch Tiger Woods hit the ball and wish you could play like that. You can't of course. But I'll bet that doesn't prevent you from going to the course on weekends and having a good time. What if you had a chance to play golf on the same course as Tiger, at the same time as Tiger, in front of the same crowds as Tiger? And what if those crowds cheered for you just like they cheer for Tiger? And you weren't even afraid of embarrassing yourself because many other players were on the same talent level as you?

This is what the big races around this country are like. You can run in the same race, at the same time as the world's elite runners. And you can turn around and see runners BEHIND you. And the crowds will cheer you on regardless of where you finish. Attend a race with your chair - it can be a great motivator.

Running Over 50
Running motivation for the over 50's