What age did you take up running?
1 - 20 of 31 Posts
Joined
·
16,223 Posts
I ran my first half-marathon without any training (I played basketball then) when I was 17.
One year later I ran the second and have been running ever since.
So I think I would say 18.
Almost all of my track PBs date back to 1999 but then I guess I never had the will nor health to train so intensely for the track.
Same goes for the road. It's been a few years since my best results (except for the Marathon but that's still a new event for me) but I haven't trained properly for any (again - except for Marathons).
I feel that I have a lot of PBs ahead of me still.
And I am planning on - may injuries stay away - attacking 4 or 5 of them in 2008. 1.500m, Steeplechase, 5K, 10K and maybe half/marathon or Marathon.
Wouldn't that be great...
One year later I ran the second and have been running ever since.
So I think I would say 18.
Almost all of my track PBs date back to 1999 but then I guess I never had the will nor health to train so intensely for the track.
Same goes for the road. It's been a few years since my best results (except for the Marathon but that's still a new event for me) but I haven't trained properly for any (again - except for Marathons).
I feel that I have a lot of PBs ahead of me still.
And I am planning on - may injuries stay away - attacking 4 or 5 of them in 2008. 1.500m, Steeplechase, 5K, 10K and maybe half/marathon or Marathon.
Wouldn't that be great...
Joined
·
3,059 Posts
I must've been about 6 or 7 when running captured my imagination (1969/70?). I remember being mesmerized by a 5k or 10k track race on TV... Probably involving Dave Bedford. Since then, running has been all I've ever wanted to do.
First organized and competitive running was probably primary school cross-country when I was 9 or so.
Joined the local athletic club at 11...
... Stopped improving sometime in my early/mid 30's (mid 1990's); although this was due to a dip in enthusiasm brought on by a long-term injury (which never actually stopped me completely, but prevented me from doing the training necessary to maintain the "upward curve") rather than a "natural" peak.
Nowadays, all the effort is centred on trying to slow down the decline.
Good idea for a poll, Trinity: should be interesting.
First organized and competitive running was probably primary school cross-country when I was 9 or so.
Joined the local athletic club at 11...
... Stopped improving sometime in my early/mid 30's (mid 1990's); although this was due to a dip in enthusiasm brought on by a long-term injury (which never actually stopped me completely, but prevented me from doing the training necessary to maintain the "upward curve") rather than a "natural" peak.
Nowadays, all the effort is centred on trying to slow down the decline.
Good idea for a poll, Trinity: should be interesting.
Joined
·
9,640 Posts
I used to be competitive with the best at school over a number of distances but never did any training, so I think my true birth as a runner was 31, although I've always followed athletics avidly. My inspiration was the 'Cramy' kick of the mid-eighties, glorious times for British middle distance running!
My last PB (10k) was in August this year at 34 and I think I still have decent chunks I can knock of my times as this is the first year I have trained even vaguely consistently.
Dave - you've only scratched the surface! You've got a massive 1/2 marathon PB waiting for you in 2008 if you convert your latest 10k performance.....
My last PB (10k) was in August this year at 34 and I think I still have decent chunks I can knock of my times as this is the first year I have trained even vaguely consistently.
Dave - you've only scratched the surface! You've got a massive 1/2 marathon PB waiting for you in 2008 if you convert your latest 10k performance.....
Joined
·
9,640 Posts
Dave said:
you'll breeze it
Joined
·
13,089 Posts
I've gone for 20-30,
I first ran at school and absolutely loved it (any distance), my dad was a runner/triathlete who'd started in his mid/late 30's and I always wanted to be like him. I never trained and always did well at district XC events. I didn't run as I got older (my grammar school promoted rugby, rugby, and more rugby, any other sport was a waste of time - except cricket in the summer!) though I did get the school record for 3000m without any training! After that things went downhill once I'd learnt to drive.
I started running properly aged 21; well I say running 'properly' when I really mean running regularly... my run was more 'waddle' like back then when I was 3 stone heavier :embarrassed: Anyway, I'm still progressing fairly rapidly and most races I enter are PB attempts (typically with success). I still feel I have quite a bit in me to progress and ultimately I'm aiming to podium at a race one day. I think if I didn't have this goal i'd be much less focused on running and more focused on playing as many different sports as I could (e.g. I've just given up a weekly football session to allow for another 8mile run).
Perhaps I'm being over-ambitious but I can't see any reason why I can't get there with determination and hard work!
I first ran at school and absolutely loved it (any distance), my dad was a runner/triathlete who'd started in his mid/late 30's and I always wanted to be like him. I never trained and always did well at district XC events. I didn't run as I got older (my grammar school promoted rugby, rugby, and more rugby, any other sport was a waste of time - except cricket in the summer!) though I did get the school record for 3000m without any training! After that things went downhill once I'd learnt to drive.
I started running properly aged 21; well I say running 'properly' when I really mean running regularly... my run was more 'waddle' like back then when I was 3 stone heavier :embarrassed: Anyway, I'm still progressing fairly rapidly and most races I enter are PB attempts (typically with success). I still feel I have quite a bit in me to progress and ultimately I'm aiming to podium at a race one day. I think if I didn't have this goal i'd be much less focused on running and more focused on playing as many different sports as I could (e.g. I've just given up a weekly football session to allow for another 8mile run).
Perhaps I'm being over-ambitious but I can't see any reason why I can't get there with determination and hard work!
Joined
·
6,493 Posts
This is proving to be quite interesting
I hated all sport at school...I was the chubby one who never got picked for teams and was useless at everything else.
I first started running when I was about 18, don't really know why, it was a fitness thing I suppose. Shortly after I watched the first ever London Marathon and it caught my imagination. The following year I took part in the 2nd London marathon. I then spent the next 7 or 8 years running obsessively at all times of day and night...it wasn't unusual for me to go out on a 20 mile run at 10pm! I ran 12 marathons in those years, 5 of which were London.
Consequently I burnt out and at the age of 27 I hung up my trainers for good...or so I thought.
Then at the age of 38ish I had a bit of a mid-life crisis and started running again...just to get fit.
Before long I was training for the Bristol half...and then something sparked in me and before I knew what what going on I'd joined a club, was running marathons again, then ultras and racing regularly.
It's been really tough being injured since April 2006 and although this year has proved that I can be quite successful at shorter distances, I am a long distance runner at heart, and as I see the weeks, months and years slipping away unable to train like I need to, and run distances that I want to, I'm wondering how long I have left when it comes to improvement and setting new PBs.
So, setting up this thread poll was also for selfish reasons...trying to give myself some hope, but it's also interesting to see people's motivations and how they've got to this point in their running
I hated all sport at school...I was the chubby one who never got picked for teams and was useless at everything else.
I first started running when I was about 18, don't really know why, it was a fitness thing I suppose. Shortly after I watched the first ever London Marathon and it caught my imagination. The following year I took part in the 2nd London marathon. I then spent the next 7 or 8 years running obsessively at all times of day and night...it wasn't unusual for me to go out on a 20 mile run at 10pm! I ran 12 marathons in those years, 5 of which were London.
Consequently I burnt out and at the age of 27 I hung up my trainers for good...or so I thought.
Then at the age of 38ish I had a bit of a mid-life crisis and started running again...just to get fit.
Before long I was training for the Bristol half...and then something sparked in me and before I knew what what going on I'd joined a club, was running marathons again, then ultras and racing regularly.
It's been really tough being injured since April 2006 and although this year has proved that I can be quite successful at shorter distances, I am a long distance runner at heart, and as I see the weeks, months and years slipping away unable to train like I need to, and run distances that I want to, I'm wondering how long I have left when it comes to improvement and setting new PBs.
So, setting up this thread poll was also for selfish reasons...trying to give myself some hope, but it's also interesting to see people's motivations and how they've got to this point in their running
Joined
·
1,799 Posts
As I said in a previous post, I took up running as an alternative to work after being made redundant in Maggie Thatchers reign. Until the age of 54 I'd never run in my life, but I had to do something to get my body back into shape. Stepping out of the door and jogging (as I called it then) was all I could afford to do.
Someone happened to notice I could jog rather fast and invited me to run a two mile fell section of a 4-stage relay as part of a pub team. I'd never even heard of the pub I was representing, but I agreed and we came away with first pub team prize and 48 cans of ale! Two weeks later I ran my first 10K (43.09) followed the very next day by my first half marathon (95.21). One week later I lowered my half marathon time to 92.56 - and one week after that lowered my 10K time to 42.34. I've run a lot faster than that since.
In 1987 I had my first 'proper' win when taking the MV55 title in the Pennine Marathon. The following year I broke the MV55 course record. I ran the 'Pennine' with it's 2,000ft of ascent five times and won my category on every occasion. Winning had become a habit! I hated to lose. A Sikh friend persuaded me to run 'London' which, being a country bumpkin, I was reluctant to do. But he insisted - "You'll beat them all" he enthused. In 1993 I went, was given board and lodging by his Sikh relatives, and duly arrived home with 1st MV60 prize. To prove it was no fluke I repeated this win two years later with an even faster time, my PB of 2.53.04. Ajit, my Sikh friend, was right!
At 75 I'm still maintaining the winning habit, having won 15 of 18 races in the last six months. The three races I lost were to a World Champion sprinter, a European 1500m Champion and the current English Fell Race Champion.
I doubt whether I'll go on much longer. Over-use aches and niggles make training more difficult and less pleasant. I'm currently working out on a treadmill and all the phantasmagorical machinery of my local gym - which is less stressful than pounding the hills and fells of my preferred training haunts. As yet I have no racing plans for 2008.
Cheers!
Someone happened to notice I could jog rather fast and invited me to run a two mile fell section of a 4-stage relay as part of a pub team. I'd never even heard of the pub I was representing, but I agreed and we came away with first pub team prize and 48 cans of ale! Two weeks later I ran my first 10K (43.09) followed the very next day by my first half marathon (95.21). One week later I lowered my half marathon time to 92.56 - and one week after that lowered my 10K time to 42.34. I've run a lot faster than that since.
In 1987 I had my first 'proper' win when taking the MV55 title in the Pennine Marathon. The following year I broke the MV55 course record. I ran the 'Pennine' with it's 2,000ft of ascent five times and won my category on every occasion. Winning had become a habit! I hated to lose. A Sikh friend persuaded me to run 'London' which, being a country bumpkin, I was reluctant to do. But he insisted - "You'll beat them all" he enthused. In 1993 I went, was given board and lodging by his Sikh relatives, and duly arrived home with 1st MV60 prize. To prove it was no fluke I repeated this win two years later with an even faster time, my PB of 2.53.04. Ajit, my Sikh friend, was right!
At 75 I'm still maintaining the winning habit, having won 15 of 18 races in the last six months. The three races I lost were to a World Champion sprinter, a European 1500m Champion and the current English Fell Race Champion.
I doubt whether I'll go on much longer. Over-use aches and niggles make training more difficult and less pleasant. I'm currently working out on a treadmill and all the phantasmagorical machinery of my local gym - which is less stressful than pounding the hills and fells of my preferred training haunts. As yet I have no racing plans for 2008.
Cheers!
As always, inspired by Running Fox's story!
I took up running this year, at the age of 31. Was always rubbish at all sports (and still am ) but wanted to get fit and found running was actually pretty good fun. Have had a few problems with back injury this last few months so running has dropped off somewhat but still have no intentions of giving it up and am determined to improve all my times in 2008...and beyond...
I took up running this year, at the age of 31. Was always rubbish at all sports (and still am
) but wanted to get fit and found running was actually pretty good fun. Have had a few problems with back injury this last few months so running has dropped off somewhat but still have no intentions of giving it up and am determined to improve all my times in 2008...and beyond...
Joined
·
1,799 Posts
GoSlow said:
Joined
·
664 Posts
A latecomer, much like Runningfox, and still some improvements to come I feel. (though wouldn't expect to quite achieve RF's Pbs, but then I suspect there had been an undiscovered international class athlete lurking inside him ! ) I suppose we all may have aptitudes never, or late, realised.
Joined
·
50 Posts
That was inspiring , Runningfox! I guess running is one the few sports where age is just a number
Joined
·
10,185 Posts
Same here - but bizzarely, the only thing I was good at was running, on the two occassions the actually did it during PE class in secondary school. The rest of the time it was football, hockey, rounders and basketball. I think the only reason I did not too bad at it was because every else sprinted from the start and I was running at a steady pace (probably the right thing to do, but I didn't realise it at the time).Trinity said:
I hated all of it because it was hard work. I didn't actually take up running until I was 27. Even though I had been going to the gym, I knew I wouldn't be able to do a 10k. So I built up to being able to do a 5km first, then joined a running club to train for the 10k.
I hated running at school.
I was really fat and I was not happy at all.
I was on holiday in 2000 and I was 15 years old, i remember really wanting a girlfriend but was upset that no one liked me. (Typical sulky selfish teen)
My mum said that girls like athletic guys, which was maybe a weird thing to say.
and I asked how I could go about being athletic, and she said join an athletics club.
So when I came back from Holiday I joined one, I looked out of place for a while there and my legs ached for a week after my first 2 mile warm up run.
I joined in september 2000 and by Xmas I had lost 4 stone.
That was a while ago, but I think thats one of the best things I have ever done.
My confidence grew no end and I enjoyed most of my late teens as a direct result.
At 23 I am not much better of as a runner but I enjoy it more now than I did then.
Im gonna throw myself into running next year with my first half marathon, the longest distance I will have ever faced.
I was really fat and I was not happy at all.
I was on holiday in 2000 and I was 15 years old, i remember really wanting a girlfriend but was upset that no one liked me. (Typical sulky selfish teen)
My mum said that girls like athletic guys, which was maybe a weird thing to say.
and I asked how I could go about being athletic, and she said join an athletics club.
So when I came back from Holiday I joined one, I looked out of place for a while there and my legs ached for a week after my first 2 mile warm up run.
I joined in september 2000 and by Xmas I had lost 4 stone.
That was a while ago, but I think thats one of the best things I have ever done.
My confidence grew no end and I enjoyed most of my late teens as a direct result.
At 23 I am not much better of as a runner but I enjoy it more now than I did then.
Im gonna throw myself into running next year with my first half marathon, the longest distance I will have ever faced.
Joined
·
13,089 Posts
is it narcissistic to say I was one of the annoying guys at school who was good at everything sporty? :embarrassed:
Problem was the only way things could go was downwards
Problem was the only way things could go was downwards
1 - 20 of 31 Posts
Join the discussion
