Was a runner, got fed up with road running and started on trails in mid 80s. Did Cleveland marathon and Chevy Chase 3 times. Main goal was the Cumbria 4x3000. Which we did some intensive trailing for. Starts at Keswick Rugby club, up Skiddaw, down and along Borrowdale up Scafell and Scafell Pike, down across and up Helvelyn, then along the ridge to Keswick Rugby Club. You have to do it in 24 hours and unless you're a top runner you really need to do it in a group. On a course like that everyone gets the temptation to stop and give up. Being in a group is very supportive for those time when you think youre finished. Trouble was when we were due to take part it was cancelled due to unavailability of medical cover. My dog is too old to run now so I dont have time for running as well. I'm a real fair weather cyclist, don't like rain any more. Swim 1 - 2 miles most weeks and gym 3 - 5 times. At 73 I count myself lucky to be able to do these things and maybe keeping active is the best way to live a long and healthy life or maybe its just luck?
I did a bit of running after a number of decades of inactivity a few years ago, and was enjoying doing the weekly Park Runs (https://www.parkrun.org.uk/), however I started geting tendonitis in my achilles, and couldn't shift it, so stopped. I started out taking about 38 minutes, and as it was 2 laps of our local course, I was being lapped by people before I'd completed my first one. That was my first goal, to complete the first lap before the quick runners had done their second. I managed that, and was even getting close to my target of under 25 minutes when I had to quit it. I might try it again just for fun, but give up any aims of getting a respectable time, but for me it was the competitive element of it (against myself) which I enjoyed.
