Has anyone else destroyed their lives over running?

I've pushed myself very hard at times and overtrained but since I'm a late starter to running and not in the ballpark to shatter any world records so I refuse to obsess to the point of shaving a second per mile off my 30 minute 5 miler. As much as I love to pr I want to run until I get put in a box so I listen to my body. If I need to back off I do. At 50 I mainly stick to 1-2 hard workouts a week. The rest of the days I really don't give a shit if I run a 8:30-9 min pace. I just like being out there and looking for the next realistic goal to shoot for. And I certainly feel no need to keep up with the Joneses. If I get beat in a race by 10 runners older than me then so be it. I know I wasn't gifted with elite type genetics and I'm good with that.

when you are in racing shape it might save your life. meaning, it might keep you away from smoking and alcohol or drugs. and it's only 1hr a day during your life. i know people that spend much more time on much dumber things (like world of warcraft). and 1hr per day running is not wasted if you would've spent 1hr or more on the couch.

also, the time spent running is usually less than other sports concerning the time that you practice. a 2-3 hour baseball practice is very common, but a 2-3 hour long run isn't very common even for really good people.

I ran competively all through high school and my first year of college, then i got 3 stress fractures and it really forced me to take a good look at my daily running routine. I knew I wasn't going to ever make it a career, but being hurt gave me a chance to look at how much I loved running, but not the training anymore.

Now adays I still love to go out and run, but man it's hard to start getting back into a groove of training for fun w/o getting hurt etc. Just try to think back at times about the fun you had in a race, w/ friends etc. As much as I miss the competive aspect of it, I'll NEVER go back to hardcore competive racing/training. I enjoy way too much now just going out for a run somewhere random and taking in the scenery.

I think most runner hobbyists have destroyed their lives over running. They'll look back and realize that they don't know their wives, kids, missed out on pay raises, good careers, etc., etc., all because they had to get that one more run in. Running has a very addictive quality to it. The biochemical mechanism is much like drugs or religion. What you have to realize is that you are now predisposed to this addiction. It's going to be difficult for you to stay away from drugs, booze, jesus, etc. Good luck.

There was a guy in Australia who decided to run a race (which the organizers cancelled), when it was too hot, without drinking during the race, and did a lot of permanent damage to himself: liquified and destroyed his thigh muscles eventually needing to have one leg amputated, caused brain damage, damaged all of his organs, and was in a coma for 3 months.

I don't know if he suffered a total mental breakdown, but he did say he felt lucky to be alive.

A simple "no" would have sufficed.

out of high school, i was accepted to uw-madison. when i got the acceptance letter, i was ecstatic. however, i wanted to run in college and despite being an all state runner (1:56, 4:18, 16:05), i thought i wouldn't make madison's team.

so instead of attending my dream school, i settled for a small division 3. i had a successful freshman season (25:08, 1:53, 3:55), but i quit the next year. running stopped being fun. i disliked my school and i disliked myself.

if it weren't for running, i would've gone to madison. granted, uw could've sucked. maybe four unfulfilling years as an undergraduate was my destiny no matter what school i attended. still, i can't help but think that running helped me make a poor decision.

it's common for high schoolers, especially athletes, to commit to certain schools based on a limited set of criteria (i.e. athletic programs). like myself, many of them will discover that they're more than just athletes. other considerations (i.e. academic programs) will take precedence and the importance of athletics will slide.

so to all those athletes looking to compete in college, please see the big picture. you're not just meat. you have emotions, ideas and needs that athletics and running won't be able to satisfy. consider this and be warned.

This is one depressing thread. What are all of you guys doing on letsrun if running is so harmful to your health (physical or otherwise)?

I'm coming from a totally different perspective- I also hurt myself running and haven't been able to run normally since. Recently want back to the doctor and he recommended reconstructive surgery- I wish I would have gone back to him sooner. He probably would have said the same thing 18 months ago but I thought I could handle it myself, so I just went it alone.

...but I can't wait to get back into competitive running. I hurt myself during a competition and if I woke up tomorrow better, I would jump right back in. There was something satisfying about putting in a good workout, a good week of training, a good season. It was great to see myself slowly getting better. The injury was a derailment and I stupidly cost myself more than 2 years of strain and frustration, but that just strengthened my resolve to get back into the routine.

I became way too focused for a while and as a result I lost job opportunities and got injured in the process.

Most of us, bro, most of us.

Why else would be posting here?

Reminds me of myself last year. I hurt my groin so bad it hurt to sneeze, couldn't turn over in bed, sit up or lie flat without pain. Took 5 months of rest to heal.

I destroyed my bones. Have full blown osteoporosis in my 20s. Nice.

Yes. I trained very hard and improved quickly. So I trained harder. I was working a 40 hour a week manual labour job and training at least 200km a week at the peak. One day of training stands out;

AM 12km

work all day digging etc

PM 14 km to track

w/up 10km on the track 32 minutes flat

16km home.

2 weeks later my body was crushed with an auto immune disease (ankylosing spondylitis) and I have suffered chronic rheumatoid arthitis the rest of my life. The drugs that I was prescribed over those years have damaged my kidneys where i am occasional hospitalised.

Was it worth it? Sometimes I think yes, sometimes no. But it was incredible to be that fit.

This happened 17 years ago and you are posting on LetsRun now? I'd think you'd be over the whole thing by now.

That's Great! Thanks for posting!

1. Volunteering is pointless and full of cliques

2. Getting a girlfriend is hard

3. Coach a youth sports team? Get accused of being a paedophile.

Christ. Happy thread.

What till you see what happens in the near future and what that does to a certain segment (majority ?) of Letsrun.com posters.