The Loneliness of the Long Distance Runner was a short story and movie in the early 1960s. These seniors may be familiar with the title, but they don’t necessarily believe it!
Here’s a new concept for a New Year’s Resolution. Why not run a marathon? Senior Living was a sponsor of the 2014 Victoria Goodlife Fitness Marathon on last Thanksgiving Sunday, October 12th. We interviewed four people who ran that 35th annual road race and hopefully they will motivate others to participate in this coming fall’s event. So, mark this date on your calendar and plan for it – October 11, 2015 – the 36th Victoria Goodlife Marathon. You won’t be alone, and there are lots of ready-made programs to assist you with your goal.
Amazingly, there are two people who have competed in all 35 marathons; one of them is Ken Bonner, who was featured in the July 2014 Senior Living issue. He finished 6th in the 70-74 age group. There were almost 1,600 participants, in total, running the 26.2-mile race last fall and they ran for an average of four hours and 18 minutes. That’s a long time to be pounding the pavement, as it were, but none of the seniors interviewed minded that a bit.
In the seniors’ category for the marathon (ages 60-79, male and female), there were 116 runners; 79 men and 37 women. The fastest time was a remarkable three hours and three minutes, just over a seven-minute/mile pace, which means something to the pre-metric generations. The longest time was a gruelling seven hours and 12 minutes, but it still came with the satisfaction of finishing a huge accomplishment.
Brenda Simeoni is 65 years old and has trained for and run two marathons; her best time was four hours, 53 minutes and she finished 5th in her age group. Christel Spitzer is 60 years old, with two marathons under her belt; she ran this one in four hours and 31 minutes and finished 8th. Mei-sheng Shanks is 70, ran in five hours and four minutes to win her age group, and has completed two marathons. Jim Swadling is 67 and a veteran, running 40 marathons over his 48-year career and finished 1st in his age category in that fast time mentioned above.
Motivation
So what does it take to motivate these people to run such a distance and for such an amount of time? The reasons are myriad.
Brenda used running to lose weight and to improve her health. She lost over 100 pounds and found that her asthma was less bothersome, her osteoarthritis less painful, and abdominal issues meliorated. She finds the running to be a balanced approach to competitiveness and sociability.
Christel says running helps her to find joy again. “When I run I feel better. I love the outdoors and I have my music, my dogs, and I think. By the end of a long run, I just know everything will work out.”
Mei-sheng wanted to see what she was capable of after retiring. She started with walking and running shorter distances and she kept challenging herself. It’s not without pain, either, but she has a good brace for her knee and lots of companionship with her running group.
Jim, who has been running since he was 19, says running marathons has been a fabric of his life. He likes to have at least one marathon planned each year as incentive. When asked who could be motivated to run a marathon, he insisted, “Anyone who welcomes a challenge. For most active people (and some not so active) it is an attainable goal, and I can guarantee it is one of the most satisfying things you will do, especially for those who may be less naturally gifted.”
Jim has a lifetime of running to draw on, but still marvels at the amount of support everyone gives each other in the marathon. But how does somebody train and get ready for such a race?
Preparation
Christel was a competitive sprinter in her youth. When she came back to running, she had to learn that having adrenalin for only 500 metres was not going to cut it. It was “relearning” for her, and her husband, an international rowing coach, helped her.
Both Mei-sheng and Brenda joined running groups for support and training schedules. There are many guides out there. The Victoria Goodlife Marathon website has an 18-week program for experienced runners, and a 23-week one for first-timers, which outlines running distances for each day of each week to follow. Running franchises also have marathon clinics one can join.
Brenda mixes up running in groups and alone, as well as cross-training and gym workouts on off days. She says, “I love training in these groups because age does not seem to be a factor – everyone is a friend. I believe running with 20-, 30-, 40- and 50-year olds keeps me young at heart and it also pushes me to work harder, so as not to be left behind.”
Even post-training rituals are a bond. She adds, “After the long runs, my group tries to go and soak our legs in the ocean for several minutes. We roll our shorts up as high as we can and swaddle our upper bodies in coats or blankets against the cold. We wade in to our short line; some all the way to their waists. It is fun seeing the people on the beach watching our group. I have run enough that even if at the beginning of a run I feel tired, I know that by the end I will feel re-energized.”
Mei-sheng agrees, “Key to my running success and pleasure has been the many running buddies who motivate and inspire me. We’ve struggled, laughed, trained and run in all conditions together.”
Jim’s regimen is based on his own history. He says, “I run every second day, with either a fast walk or slow jog on the off days. I need more recovery time than when I was younger. I don’t keep track of distance but, over the summer, it would average maybe 80km per week… One long, slow run per week on trails (three to five hours). When training for a race, I incorporate some specific training. For example, when preparing for a marathon, my long runs will be on road instead of trail, otherwise it is just steady running.” He adds, “I run almost entirely by how I feel and what I’m training for. The aim is to enjoy every run, so if I feel like taking it easy, I do, with no second thoughts.”
All of them expressed a certain Zen attitude towards preparing for and running a marathon. Christel says that exercise is very important to her, it keeps her brain going; plus, it’s important in life to have a purpose and find something you enjoy. Jim says there were so many benefits to running, “but they could all be covered by saying it makes me feel better and makes me a better person, both physically and mentally.”
Perhaps Brenda, who ran her first marathon at age 64, was most practical. “I believe that anyone who can run an hour without stopping could, with the proper program and training, run a marathon. Simply completing a marathon gives one a tremendous feeling of accomplishment. The people one runs with are always happy.”
She left me with a story and perhaps it will be all you need to take up the torch. “I ran a lot of the race with a young fellow in his twenties. He was visibly struggling and I said, “Come on, stick with me. If I can do it, so can you – I’m a senior.” And so they did.
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