Dec 18

Ageing Runner Podcast #5 -The shy, the avoidant and the unsocial – Why all runners need connection as we age

In this episode, Chris looks at research from the Huntsman Senior Games in Utah. It looks at the different levels of loneliness experienced by those who are shy, avoidant or unsocial. Can running in a group really make us feel more lonely than running alone? Fascinating stuff.

We also have quick catchup with Chris as he takes part in his first track session, has a heart scan and registers for his first 50 miler.

You can read Chris’s full take on the article here: The shy, the avoidant and the unsocial – Why all runners need connection as we age.

References

Hill, M.S., Yorgason, J.B., Nelson, L.J. and Jensen, A.C. (2019). Social Withdrawal and Loneliness Among Older Adult Athletes: A Case for Playing Alone. Journal of Aging and Physical Activity, pp.1–9. doi:https://doi.org/10.1123/japa.2018-0335.

One of the authors has made a copy freely available on ResearchGate here.

Dart, H. (2023). Until the Shoes Fall Off. [online] iRunFar. Available at: https://www.irunfar.com/until-the-shoes-fall-off [Accessed 18 Dec. 2023].

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Dec 03

The shy, the avoidant and the unsocial – Why all runners need connection as we age

Over the past few months, I have written and talked a few times about experiences of loneliness. We looked at an article by an ageing fell runner who felt that she was becoming invisible as she aged and this month I read an article about running and loneliness that caught my attention. It states that for some people, particularly those who are shy, running alone can feel less lonely than running with a group. It resonated with me and I found a world of academic work that describes different types of social withdrawal in ways which are more nuanced than I had imagined. I could recognise myself in the personality types described but ultimately disagreed with the authors’ case for running alone.

The authors surveyed 374 athletes at the Huntsman Senior Games, which is the world’s largest annual multi-sport games for those over 50. It takes place in Utah every October lasts 2 weeks and athletes compete in over 30 sports. The athletes were surveyed using scales which rated their perceptions of both social withdrawal (an umbrella term describing all forms of voluntary solitude) and their perceived loneliness.

Social withdrawal and it association with perceived loneliness is a well-established field of study amongst children, adolescents and college students but there has been less study of the older population. Shyness is often taken as a personality trait but social withdrawal scholars are now looking beyond that to consider more the motivation behind someone withdrawing socially. They look at both push and pull between a motivation to approach a social group and the opposing motivation to avoid it. They group people into three categories. Those who are shy (those with both a high approach motivation and a high avoidant motivation), those who are avoidant (those with a low approach motivation and high avoidant motivation) and those who are unsocial (both low approach and low avoidant motivations). They are ambivalent. They have no anxiety about joining a group, they don’t ignore it but have no real motivation for it.

I have never really considered myself to be ‘shy’ but the authors definition resonated with my experience. I am motivated to approach a group and seek connection but also motivated to avoid it through fear and anxiety. Using this model, shy individuals experience an internal approach/avoidance conflict. I feel that a lot, particularly when new to a group which has long established relationships or when there is unstructured time and small talk. I feel it most when I am stood on my own and everyone else seems to be chatting. I feel self-conscious and that my social awkwardness is out there for everyone to see. I don’t want anyone else to feel awkward on my behalf. The urge to escape is strong and sometimes it wins the battle and I don’t go in the first place.

The authors hypothesised that those who were shy would feel a more acute sense of loneliness than others taking part in the Games. That felt logical but the results were surprising. All three groups, the shy, the avoidant and the unsocial all experienced loneliness and surprisingly the avoidant group felt it more acutely than the others. This group are not motivated to join a group but have a high motivation to avoid. It. Why would they be feeling acutely lonely? The authors speculate that this group have previously been shy but have had such negative social experiences over time that they have lost all motivation for engagement. They are not going to put themselves out there to suffer that pain again and loneliness is the price they pay for that. I work with children and am familiar with this pattern. I have seen children repeatedly attempt to make friends only for it go wrong and them feel hurt. They try again and the pattern repeats to the point where we see a hardening and they withdraw and stop trying. I think of Ebeneezer Scrooge, a man who was emotionally hurt and eventually withdrew from society rather than face feeling that pain again. I think if he had done the survey, he would have come out as avoidant.

Although not as strong, the association between the unsocial group. This group are not motivated to make social connections despite it not being an issue for them. One possible reason for this is that these people get all the social interaction they need through their existing necessary networks. However, as we retire and children leave home these networks naturally decrease. They no longer have the connection they need but do not have the inbuilt drive to find it. They simply end up feeling lonely. Fascinating.

The authors found that for shy and avoidant people, taking part in a group activity exacerbated feelings of loneliness. This may be due to memories of past negative experiences and led to the authors stating that in these cases, there may be a case to play alone. I understand that but I don’t think that I can apply it my life as a runner. I think that strategy is maladaptive. It works in the moment but is not in our best interest in the long-term. I want to engage but, in some situations, fear stops me. I think that I need to understand that better and overcome it rather than letting the motivation to avoid win the battle. I think that I need the connection.

The athletes had broadly similar rates of shyness and loneliness when compared with other studies which suggests that these issues are as relevant for older athletes as the general population and that loneliness increased as we aged. Interestingly, 77% of the participants were married or in a very long-term stable relationship which corresponded closely with the ULTRA study finding which looked at the make-up of the ultra-running community. I would be interested to know what proportion of the athletes at the Huntsman Senior Games were educated to degree level and whether this is also similar to the high proportion of ultra-runners surveyed.

How can I take the findings of this study and apply it to my life as an ageing runner? I am so glad that I came across this article. It has opened up a new area for exploration. As I get older, I am going to need to build new social networks as my life shifts. I have made a good start. I am a regular at both my local running club and a Parkrun volunteer. I am now the member of a choir and ensures my connections even if I am injured. I think I can do better though. I need to explore my fear of social groups during unstructured times. How do I operate in these situations in a way that lets me enter them and feel safe? Lots to find out about. Upwards an onwards.

If anything here resonates with you, drop me a line.

We run, we chat, we smile!

Chris

References

Hill, M.S., Yorgason, J.B., Nelson, L.J. and Jensen, A.C. (2019). Social Withdrawal and Loneliness Among Older Adult Athletes: A Case for Playing Alone. Journal of Aging and Physical Activity, pp.1–9. doi:https://doi.org/10.1123/japa.2018-0335.

One of the authors has made a copy freely available on ResearchGate here.

Nov 19

Ageing Runner Podcast #4 – Is all this running bad for my health?

In the latest episode of the Ageing Runner Podcast, Chris looks at the evidence suggesting that long-term endurance exercise my be detrimental for some aspects of our health. He describes his first cross country race in nearly 20 years (mud bath!), reflects on an alcohol free October and how he lost his running mojo and then found it again.

References

The Way of the Runner retreats. (2023). The Way of the Runner. [online] Available at: http://thewayoftherunner.com/podcast-episodes/interview-sports-scientist-nick-tiller.

Sepehri Shamloo, A., Arya, A., Dagres, N. and Hindricks, G. (2018). Exercise and Atrial Fibrillation: Some Good News and Some Bad News. Galen Medical Journal, [online] 7, p.e1401. doi:https://doi.org/10.22086/gmj.v0i0.1401.

ULTRA Study. (n.d.). ULTRA Study. [online] Available at: https://theultrastudy.com [Accessed 19 Nov. 2023]. Happy Aging Runner. (2023).

Have I Maxed Out the Health Benefits of Running? [online] Available at: https://happyagingrunner.com/2023/11/09/have-i-maxed-out-the-health-benefits-of-running/ [Accessed 19 Nov. 2023].

Oct 15

Ageing Runner Podcast #3 – Searching for the truth amongst the experts.

In this 3rd episode of the Ageing Runner podcast, Chris has just run both a Parkrun and a marathon pb. Something seems to be going right. We also look at the battle for the truth amongst all the experts out there and what that means for us as runners as we look to keep healthy, fit and motivated as we get older.  Who on earth should we believe?

 

You can access the Ageing runner podcast on:

Subscribe or follow and leave a nice, big 5 star rating, Thanks – Chris

References

The Way of the Runner retreats. (2023). The Way of the Runner. [online] Available at: http://thewayoftherunner.com/podcast-episodes/interview-sports-scientist-nick-tiller.

Fuller, S.  (2022) The Epistemological Compass and the (Post
)Truth about Objectivity, Social Epistemology, DOI10.1080/02691728.2022.2150988

Fuller, S. 2020. A Player’s Guide to the Post-Truth Condition: The Name of the Game. London: Anthem

Season 1 Episode 1 – Post Truth and Objectivity – cjfielding.com. [online] Available at: http://www.cjfielding.com/?p=1539 [Accessed 14 Oct. 2023].
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Sep 20

Ageing Runner Podcast #2 – The Loneliness of the Ageing Runner

In the second episode of the Ageing Runner podcast, I battle a noisy rainstorm to pass on the wisdom of John, an 82 year old former national fell running champion who is still going strong. We pick up on the theme of loneliness from last time and delve into a post by academic and ultra runner Sabrina Little and consider what success looks like if we are not judging simply by the stopwatch. Come and join in.

You can watch on Youtube below or on most podcast platforms (Apple, Spotify, Amazon and Google)

Click subscribe or follow and please leave a nice big 5 star rating. Thanks – Chris.

References

Fielding, C. (2023). Loneliness of the Ageing Runner. [online] Ageing Runner. Available at: https://ageingrunner.com/2023/08/28/loneliness-of-the-ageing-runner/ [Accessed 20 Sep. 2023].

Little, S. (2023). Taking Humanity Seriously in Sports. [online] iRunFar. Available at: https://www.irunfar.com/taking-humanity-seriously-in-sports

X (formerly Twitter). (n.d.). https://twitter.com/parkrun/status/1699322523270230032. [online] Available at: https://twitter.com/parkrun/status/1699322523270230032.

Age 40, R.A. (2023). Overdrive at 60+; Mastering the Art of Racing with 5 Key Considerations for Running at 60+ – Running After Age 40 – Podcast. [online] Podtail. Available at: https://podtail.com/podcast/running-after-age-40/overdrive-at-60-mastering-the-art-of-racing-with-5/ [Accessed 20 Sep. 2023].

The Way of the Runner retreats. (2023). The Way of the Runner. [online] Available at: http://thewayoftherunner.com/podcast-episodes/interview-sports-scientist-nick-tiller [Accessed 20 Sep. 2023].

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Sep 06

Taking Humanity Seriously in Sports – Sabrina Little

This month’s ageing runner reading took me to Sabrina Little’s monthly column on irunfar.com. Sabrina is an Assistant Professor in Ethics and Moral psychology at Christopher Newport University as well as being an elite athlete. She looks at running through the lens of virtue ethics and says:

 To take humanity seriously in running is to recognize and honor the dignity of persons in our sport

I could not agree more. Sabrina discusses the way we tend to see running performance using’ the parameters of youth’ and that this communicates the ‘superiority of youth over old age’. I think we fall into that without realising it because so many of us measure running success by our personal best times.

I think am as much in danger of doing that to myself as to other people. Perhaps more so. Maybe I view my own current running performance using the parameters of my youth.

No-one owns running. It is a universal human activity. It doesn’t belong to elite athletes who are involved in that niche part of the running spectrum that may be regarded as sport. Running is much wider than that. Sabrina urges us to tell stories that are not just about peak performance. She says that she is ‘as much of a runner when I am pushing a stroller’. Again, I could not agree more.

For me, running is not about winning races, it is a way of life. I was as much of a runner when I hardly ran at all during five years plagued by injury. I was just a runner who couldn’t run. Recognising and honouring the dignity of all runners is why I find myself engaging with and applauding every runner who takes part in our local Parkrun on a Saturday morning. Every person taking part has a story and somehow running has become an integral part of it. Their efforts deserve recognition. Respect to them all.

I am glad to have found Sabrina’s column. Check it out for yourself.

References

Little, S. (2023). Taking Humanity Seriously in Sports. [online] iRunFar. Available at: https://www.irunfar.com/taking-humanity-seriously-in-sports.

 

Aug 28

Loneliness of the Ageing Runner

I read a post recently by a fell runner called Ann from North Leeds Fell Runners which has stayed with me. She described becoming more injured as she gets older and the loneliness that can bring.

Being laid off is no fun, in fact it is depressing and isolating, especially if a lot of your friends are in the same game.

It struck a chord. About fifteen years ago, club running made up my entire social life. I loved the chats on club runs and the camaraderie of competing against other local clubs. As the injures kicked in, it was the loss of connection with other people that hit hardest. I cheered them on at races but it wasn’t the same. The layoff grew longer and I eventually just dropped out of the scene. It was tough.

I have never felt more alone than at my local Parkrun a year or so ago. Hundreds of people all sharing smiles and stories. Chatting and laughing. I have lived in this town for most of my life but I didn’t know anyone. I ran my race, clapped a few people in and then went home. I hadn’t spoken to anyone. It was painful.

I have a thing about loneliness. I experienced it badly a couple of times as a young man. In my first year at university, I lived in a bedsit and the evenings and weekends were long. My first year in the working world was the same. I was surrounded by people all day but then went home to an empty place. It was painful. I didn’t understand that I needed to invest time in making new connections.

I am now in my fifties; my family is grown and I have been feeling something similar again. I have spent so much time focussing only on work and ferrying the kids around that I have forgotten to look after that part of myself. I looked up and realised that I hardly had a friend in the world.

In one of Richard Osman’s books, a young police officer sobs to an elderly friend, ‘Why does nobody dance anymore’. She is craving the connection brought by the heady days of her youth. He tells her gently that those days are gone. She needs to remember them fondly but accept that they are not coming back. She was on top of a mountain but is now in a valley. She needs to work at climbing a new slope and make the new connections that may bring her happiness.

If life is a series of mountains and valleys, I realised that I had been in a valley for too long. I was looking backwards and not forwards. I joined a local running club and I also joined a local choir. I was not going to put all my eggs into one running basket. I didn’t find either easy. I can find social situations hard to navigate but I kept going. There are many times when it would be easier to stay in the house. I have forced myself to be consistent and slowly, slowly I have begun to make a set of new friendships.

I have also begun to volunteer at that same local Parkrun and something else that Ann said hit home.

An older runner feels invisible, slow, in pain 

 I am not going to let any runner, young, old or in between feel invisible. It is awful. My job is to see runners and give them some warmth and a smile. To recognise the right of every single one to be part of the running community and celebrate their personal achievement with them. It is unconditional positive regard in action.

I walked home from our club session recently with a big dopey grin on my face. I couldn’t shake it. In an impromptu ceremony at the side of the road, I had been presented with an old, repurposed medal. I had come first in my age group in a mile uphill race a couple of weeks ago. It wasn’t the medal that was making me grin, it was the connection. The fact that people had taken the time out to do that and have a laugh. People can see me.

I plan to make my next thirty years the best ever. They are going to be about people. Loneliness is a dreadful thing and can happen to anyone at any time of life. No-one should feel invisible. To every single runner out there, I see you. Top job!

Photo by Sasha Freemind on Unsplash

Aug 26

I love the enclosed moving space that I inhabit when I run alone – Ageing Runner

I have run a few barefoot miles this week and I have not done that for a few years. When I ran barefoot every day, I ran very early in the morning and met all the same people. Most got used to me, we had a chat and they understood what I was doing. I am now meeting a whole new set of people and finding myself having to explain things again. Workmen were out and I found myself not wanting to run past their wagon. I almost went the other way. I anticipated comments and sure enough they came. Nothing nasty but I find it hard. I am not running to be noticed. I like to be in the background. I quite like running in the dark and in the fog in my own bubble. I remember resenting the lighter morning as spring arrived. I enjoy the camaraderie but also the enclosed moving space that I inhabit when I run alone.

That being said, I have also really enjoyed joining in conversations this week. I ran wearing hearing aids for the first time which meant that I didn’t miss what was being said and I was more able to connect. It is amazing how many people also think that they need to go and get a test. They want to know the process. I will write a post about it sometime soon. I am finding it easier to chat to people in general. It is not something I find easy but the more I do it, the more natural it feels. I approached a runner before Parkrun (I was volunteering) and we chatted about a half-marathon we had both just done and upcoming races. I am finding it easier to say hello, have a quick chat to connect and then moving on. It was great to just sit and chat after a club run this week. Connecting is more about listening than talking. You need a way in, to listen and a way out. It is a work in progress for me but one that I am really enjoying. It is enriching my life.

I did make a mistake though. I was introduced to a runner at our effort session. He had driven over from the other side of town to take part. He is 82 years old. I asked him what his secret was. That felt crass. I need to be better than that. It is though age is all I care about. He is not like most older runners, who seem to migrate towards longer races. Maybe older runners migrating to longer races  is a defence mechanism to avoid facing up to slower times. I think that slower times are OK. It is about the process. It has always been that. Why change now? The times are not the metric, it is whether I have optimised the process and got the best out of myself.

The process has left me waking up twice this week feeling intimidated by both the distance and the pace of runs that I have coming up. I have some pain in foot and I am worried that combining distance and speed will do some damage. I am not used to this feeling. Part of my wants to listen to it and not run as hard and part of me think that this is just a normal part of the process. I am doing something new and I am bound to feel nervous. I felt intimidated last week, did it anyway and was fine. Maybe I just need to stick to the plan.

Plans are part of my nature. I tend to give myself routines to follow and then stick to them. Sometimes those routines do not allow me the time and space to stand back and be strategic. I get caught up in ensuring that my running and blogging schedule is fulfilled that I don’t stop to be more strategic. I know that there is a better way if only I have the time to stop and think about it for a while. As part of this reading, writing and running process, I am trying to develop a second brain and refine my processes. That has meant that I have not been able to keep up with my planned blogging schedule (that no-one cares about but me) and that causes me angst. I guess this blog is as much about how we learn than anything else. I need to do less but do it better. Probably just the same for my running. Less but more quality. I need to build in time to review and evaluate and make it part of the process.

My first running podcast went out this week. It was an emotional experience. I don’t mind if no-one watches or listens. It would be nice if they did but it more a case of giving me a creative outlet. It may develop into a runners’ journal club where we look at a paper each month in-depth. Perhaps I can incorporate a little about how my own running is going in that or maybe I need two pods a month. We will see how it goes. No rush. This is not work, it is play. I need to remember that. 

For now, We run, we chat , we smile! – Chris

 

Aug 19

Welcome to the Ageing Runner Podcast

The Ageing Runner podcast is up and running. I plan to release one a month for the duration. It may be the next 25-30 years. We have to start somewhere.

In this welcome podcast, I introduce both my myself and the Ageing Runner Project. We also take a quick look at the link between hearing loss in mid-life and dementia (I have ended up with hearing aids) and a moving post from a fell runner on becoming invisible as we age. Links to both and a couple of others mentioned are at the bottom of this post. All are freely available.

You can watch on Youtube below or on most podcast platforms (Apple, Spotify, Amazon and Google)

Click subscribe or follow and please leave a nice big 5 star rating. Thanks – Chris.

References:

Dixon, E. (2023). Listen up, there’s a link between hearing loss and dementia. www.thetimes.co.uk. [online] 20 Jul. Available at: https://www.thetimes.co.uk/article/listen-to-the-evidence-on-dementia-j82c2f3n3 [Accessed 23 Jul. 2023].

Jiang, F., Mishra, S.R., Shrestha, N., Ozaki, A., Virani, S.S., Bright, T., Kuper, H., Zhou, C. and Zhu, D. (2023). Association between hearing aid use and all-cause and cause-specific dementia: an analysis of the UK Biobank cohort. The Lancet Public Health, [online] 0(0). doi:https://doi.org/10.1016/S2468-2667(23)00048-8.

North Leeds Fell Runners. (2023). The ageing fell runner: a meditation. [online] Available at: https://www.nlfr.co.uk/the-ageing-fell-runner-a-meditation/ [Accessed 6 Aug. 2023].

Askwith, R. (2023). How to keep running in your 60s — and why it’s never too late to start. www.thetimes.co.uk. [online] 30 Jul. Available at: https://www.thetimes.co.uk/article/how-to-start-running-50s-old-midlife-health-fitness-tips-2023-p83f6rhzd?gclid=Cj0KCQjw_O2lBhCFARIsAB0E8B87j1LAO9D3k-uNO74E9xL4Gc0mlTCaIydM8Ie6T44vks4joeR9unsaAiSWEALw_wcB [Accessed 30 Jul. 2023].

chloewilliamson (2022). Physical activity impacts the Cocktail of Healthy Ageing. [online] BJSM blog – social media’s leading SEM voice. Available at: https://blogs.bmj.com/bjsm/2022/10/17/physical-activity-impacts-the-cocktail-of-healthy-ageing/ [Accessed 30 Jul. 2023].

 

 

Aug 16

My first ageing running tweak was hearing aids – I didn’t hear that coming!

My first big ageing runner tweak. I now have two hearing aids. After reading about the connection between untreated hearing loss in mid-life and dementia in later life, I went for a hearing test and found that I have a moderate loss in both ears. I am sitting here with a new hearing aid in each ear. First impressions are that I have been missing out on conversations. I am looking forward to running in a group with them on. I think I will miss out on much less. I will let you know how I go on.

Whilst sitting in a hearing test waiting room this week, I had a jarring experience. I had read a post by a runner who said that as an older runner, she felt invisible. It had stayed with me. I then saw an assistant approach an elderly woman and her daughter. They ignored the woman and spoke only to the daughter about her. It was as though she was not there. I am beginning to notice that everywhere. I can’t let ageing runners feel invisible. I see you, I value your efforts and where you are at. It feels an important mission.

I am now half-way through a 16-week marathon schedule as I get ready for the Chester marathon. I am amazed to have got to this point without injury. That has not happened before. My legs have felt weary though, particularly after the 15 miler over the weekend. For the first time I am feeling intimidated by the distances and the mileage that I have coming up. I need to trust the process and get on with it. I am valuing the rest days more and more as the weeks go by and the mileage increases.

Despite that, I am finding that some runs leave me feeling amazing afterwards. Tempo runs have that effect. They seem to be runs which are in the 85-90% of my max heart rate. I found myself wondering how I can maximise that and make it more efficient. How can I get bang for my buck when it comes to the calming, wellbeing effect that my running has? It is probably the same for everything. How can I optimise the way I eat, run, sleep, connect, give, read and write to maximise their benefit and hit their sweet spot and not go too far with any of them.  

I have been reading about the field of gerontology this week. This looks at ageing as a disease in its own right. I have gone back to not eating in the morning to simulate fasting and also been experimenting with adding cold water at the end of a shower. It left me shivering for quite a long time afterwards. That may be a good thing. I want to know more.

 

I ran Parkrun this week. Times and running quickly seem a motivator to me. I travelled to a route that I know is quick. I had 19:30 in my head and ran 20:02. A runner this week said that it is nice to turn up and enjoy just running it but I enjoy the blast and pushing myself. I don’t mind being 2 seconds over 20 mins. I just enjoy the process and then giving it my best go.  

I pushed myself to talk to a couple of people at the end of Parkrun this week. I don’t find that easy but looked for people stood on their own and went and said well done and asked if this was their local race. Both really enjoyed the chat. One chap would probably still be talking now and it was good to let him just share his experiences of running. I stayed behind and got a coffee. I didn’t talk to anyone else but didn’t feel that sense of loneliness that I have experienced in the past. I felt part of the running community.

On the way back from Parkrun, I listened to a podcast interview with Jae Gruenke, the Feldenkrais practitioner. She said that weakness does not cause injury and that movement causes injury. I found myself agreeing. We need to be able to run without thinking about our form. I think that is what barefooting does for me. It imprints a way of moving that does not cause injury and makes everything that needs to be strong whilst running strong. It makes me nervous about the conventional wisdom of strength training. I weighed myself this week. I am gradually getting lighter. That feels important. It may be that I am using weight loss as a way to mitigate my slowing times as I get older. That can’t go on forever but it can go on for a little while. I don’t know where it stops being healthy and can be too much of a good thing. What is a healthy weight for me. Is it linked to body fat? How would I measure that? I need to know more.

This diary is part of a learning process. I have been reading (and listening) this week about how writing both helps us learn and how it can support positive mental health. I agree with both those things. I have long known that I learn through the process of writing. I want to know more about why. How does it help crystallise the conceptual framework swirling around in our heads. How does it limit us and how can we push at the edges of those limits to take us into whole new worlds we are not aware of yet. There is a discipline to writing. It isn’t always about waiting for inspiration. It is about taking a prompt, setting a timer and keeping the fingers moving until the timer ends. Getting the bones of things down. Other times, it is about a feeling of release and giving an outlet to the internal narrative that we all have going on. That resonated with me greatly. When I wrote my first post on Ageing Runner, it was like a dam had burst. It was a relief and a release. I have been podcasting this week and the feeling is the same. It is a creative process.

I sang at the Edinburgh Festival this week with Rock Choir. I left running behind for a couple of days and had a social time with another part of my life. When I made the decision to connect and make some friends, I purposely chose something that would not be affected by a running injury. Although running is important, I cannot put all my eggs into the running basket. It needs to be one part of a balanced life and not everything. It got me thinking about wellbeing. It is something we need to work at and not have done for us or to us. The teacher 5 a day brought me some awareness. Connection, being active, taking notice, keep learning and give. I have some work to do.

I think that I am developing a first set of Ageing Runner principles to live by. They are around having a lifestyle that improves the likelihood of me staying free of disease, injury and maintains my mental health. Healthy, strong and happy seems to sum it up today. It is now for me to explore the strategies that I can build into my life that align with each of those principles.

As far as Ageing Runner as a project goes, it seems that it is about reading, writing, running and connection. Reading and listening to new things. Enjoying the exploration of new topics and the steep part of the learning curve. Letting the restless itch of curiosity run free sometimes and other times giving it some discipline and structure. Writing and talking about those things to process and understand them and provide a safety valve and outlet. Applying them to our lives as runners. It isn’t enough to simply theorise, we need to do something with this stuff and take action. We learn so much more when we do that. Finally, it looks like connection is emerging as an unexpected part of the Ageing Runner project. It is about unconditional positive regard. All are welcome whether they are experienced ultramarathoners or those thinking about taking up running (or not). It is for young and old. We are all ageing. Ageing does not belong to the old. We are all running that race. It is about valuing and prizing the efforts of all, wherever they are at and finally is allowing people to be the runner they want to be. Running does not belong to anyone, it is a universal human activity. If it belongs to any of us, it belongs to all of us.  Life is too short to run anyone else’s race. Run your own, in whatever way you choose.

Run, Chat, Smile – Chris