| GoHoos |
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Reading thru this thread I was looking for some reason to feel as though all the running and training I missed out on for the last 15 years was not worth worrying about. Didn't happen. No, I don't regret a single moment I spent running: I only wish I had run more. I grew up in with demanding parents who directed me and my two sisters into stressful careers (two MDs, one attorney). As a young boy I loved all types of athletics and this was repressed by my parents in lieu of academics. At age 30 I started running and from my first 5K I knew I had found my niche. Too gutless to walk away from a career I don't like, I have persevered and now at age 45 have a million bucks in the bank and a big house but am struggling to come even close to running a decent 10K (eg, "break your age" for 10K as a goal). I spend most of my training runs either dreaming about how fast I might have been if I had started training at age 16, or trying to figure out ways to get faster now. I ran sub 35 at age 33 and my pals who had running careers always said, dude you have talent and you could have run sub 29 in college. If I had it to do over again I would chuck this career I am doing now, made myself a name as a runner and then parlayed that into a career connected to athletes and athletics. Yes that assumes it would have worked out that way but after all I *AM* an overachiever; who's to say it wouldn't have happened?? Don't EVER EVER EVER regret your status as an athlete, least of all not because you believe the other 99% have so much "better" lives than you. They don't. |
| just another runner |
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No regrets. None at all |
| runner232323 |
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bump |
| you're missing the point. |
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what i think VOXBOX is trying to say is that if you're in it for the recognition and accolades, then, yeah, you've picked the wrong "passion." Most of the people who have pursued it this far and doing it for much different reasons. |
| dfsg |
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bump |
| asdflhgsa |
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bump |
| mandingo |
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I do not regret for one moment all the hours I spent running over the past 28 years. The benefits have been great including the people I've met, experiences and goals achieved. I do wish there was a computer program to tell me how good of a golfer I'd be if I had spent all that time golfing. I"m just curious if I'd be a two handicap. |
| CraZy StreaKER |
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regret taking up running? not even for a second, everyday I want to do nothing but run. I dont run for goals or for time, I run cause its fun and the people you meet and experiences you go through are great. I run for myself and no1 else. Running teaches you life and thats why I love it. But running shouldnt stop you from pursuing a career or spending time with your family. At a certain age you have to realize its only a hobby and family should come first. |
| i heart it |
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i was injured for over a year and have recently been able to pick up running again. the runs now are unbeleivable. everything in my life is more colorful because of running. the food tastes better (and i can eat more) . i sleep deeper. i'm in a better mood. i'm trimmer and more toned. i don't sweat the small stuff because i know that i've got that endorphin soaked hour waiting for me at the end of the day. i think being hurt for so long gave me a newfound appreciation for running too. last night i finished work at 10 pm (a 13 hour day). as soon as i got home i couldn't wait to lace them up and before i knew it i was out on a tempo run busting out mile after mile of 5:30's, breathing deep, hurting a little bit and feeling ALIVE! how many office drones slave away day after day in their insulated existence, driving to their airconditioned offices everyday in their metal coffins? they might as well be dead already. you and i my friend have something that is special. don't ever regret it. |
| runn |
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Over 25 years ago, after about 10 years of running, I gave up because of injuries. After about 18 months or so, a running friend told me to just go out for a run. He said that most people don't know what it's like to feel good, but as a former runner, I would remember. He was right, I felt like crap on that 1/2 mile run, but I kept at it and now, 25 years later, I enjoy every run. I am very thankful that I devoted most of my life to running. |
| johnnydajogger |
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Regret devoting so much time and energy to running? do I regret devoting time and energy to sleeping and eating? You might need a month or two off such as what some of the Kenyans do every year. |
| TPaine |
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yes. |
| deer in headlights |
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to run is to live. Everything else is waiting around. I quit running too 25 years ago and I trully lost something I needed in life.A balence,sense of accomplishment,sense of self. Only now with resumed running in my life can I handle some of the challenges and stresses that in my younger years did me in. It's really amazing to witness what your body can do with training , consistencey and positve attitudes and that result can effect every aspect of your life.. Being young you have so many things going for you that you can afford to throw away some things and not pay for it or realize it's vital to your being untill it's almost out of reach. Yeah, I would give anything to be 19 again and just free to run. See how fast I could be, but then again that 19 year old was faced with issues and complexities that seem enormous then too. I am lucky that my body can still handle running. It has saved my life once again. |
| no waayyy |
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no....better to give it your best shot and have no regrets than always wonder what if...... |
| BLCH |
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Regret running? Are you crazy?? I haven't run for many years, but because of running I have seen into the depths of my soul. And I kept hammering!!! I know that everyone I meet has not, and never will, understand what they can become. I live with these pussies everyday of my life. It is not a curse, it's a blessing!!!! |
| i wanted to kill myself |
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i was 15, ran 435 mile i was 17, ran 1540 5k (with same mile pr cuz of injuries) all the talent in the world. trained to hard, devoted my life to running. now i cant run more than a few miles before my knee giving out (i f***ed it up during a 9 mile run, first 4 in 27 last 5 in 30 flat, turned to hard into my street and popped soemhting, i was never the same again). running was my life for the past 3 years, and without it ididnt kno wut to do, i wass depressed i had f***ed up my life, i wanted to kill myself, im serious, i had thought about it. but after all the pain and sadness had gone away, i realized one thing. i had given running my all, 100% everyday. i did everything i could to b the best (minimalism [i still run like a kenyan], high milage, even dipped into vegetarianism for a stint), and i dont regreat that. i may have not made it into the pros, but i was "elite" (only in highshcool) at one point. i will go on thro life remebering one thing, i never help back, i gave it everything i had, and i didnt make it, but it wasnt because i hadnt tried. and i can live with that |
| basetologist |
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I see it the opposite way. I think that running was the keystone of sanity in my life. While all the chaos in the world spins by I have always maintained a calm. Running teaches you about perservernce and pain. It forces you to suffer and not stop, to push through adversity and come out the other side. Whether it is hot, cold, windy, or pain you just keep going-sometimes for no good reason. That's why most runners have that look, the one that says "I've delbt with worse already today", when thier car breaks downs, when the power goes off, or when they have to walk somewhere. Running is the discipline and it is gift that I wish more would discover. |
| Paul |
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All things worth doing require sacrifice. My only regret is that I stopped running in my sophmore year of high school and did not get back into it for another 6 years. I just found out on Monday that the Orlando Runners Club has chosen me to represent them in a half marathon in Japan - which it is paying for. This is an opportunity of a lifetime, and it is possible because I AM A RUNNER. = ) |
| txRUNNERgirl |
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I think the reason anyone would regret devoting so much time and energy to running is if they devote ALL their time and energy to running. As the saying goes, you can't put all your eggs in basket. Plan for the future. Put academics before athletics. Even if you are an extremely talented or elite runner, someone else will always be faster and the second you get a bad injury or something, you will be out of work and no one will know or care who you were. Now to answer the question, no I do not regret the time and energy I spend running. I didn't even go to my senior prom because regionals was that same weekend. Do I regret that? Heck no! |
| Counselor |
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At some point early in life, you've got to decide whether or not it's worth the sacrifice and self-orientation. If you are a solid runner, sure, go to a good college, run competitively, and maybe pursue it for a couple of years out of college. By then, you should certainly know your potential. However, to pursue it vigorously past the age of 25 at the expense of all other facets of your life is, plain and simply, foolhardy. Starting a career or going back to grad school in your mid-20s is hardly late, but some people, like me, waste almost ten years after college pursuing an elusive dream. In my case, it landed me with chronic fatigue syndrome and chronic injuries on the left side of my body, so my bias would say "No, it wasn't worth it." In any event, even if you settle in and pursue other facets of your life, you can still get in a 10-miler everyday, which should keep you in pretty damn good shape. |