What happened when you quit running?

A couple years after college, I got my first office job. I moved in with my sister in the middle of a large city, had to commute to work for the first time ever, and really started to feel the effects of a sedentary life. I gained about 10-15 pounds, my back started hurting, I felt a whole lot stiffer all the time, and I felt tired most of the time. Energy was in low supply. Part of that was related to working in an office, the other part was related to not doing any physical activity for the first time in my life.

But here was the most unexpected effect of not doing any physical activity. For the first time in my life, I had a raging sex drive. Seriously. I finally understood what most teenage boys felt like. Unfortunately, this came about after the gold mine that is college. I will not assume everybody will feel the same once they stop running, but that's what happened to me.

OINK OINK OINK wrote:

This is a good approach. Too many competitive runners view it as "all or nothing". They're either running 100 miles a week, doing intervals, tempos and long runs, or they're sitting on the couch eating donuts.

There is a middle ground known as "healthy exercise".

Yep. Lots of competitive runners can't deal with becoming a dreaded hobby jogger, so they quit entirely. Over half my college teammates never ran a step again after graduation. It's just too rough on the old ego to jog along when you're used to a fairly high level of competition and training. Much easier to just mail it in and get fat.

Former college runner here. After college, I spent about 10 years seriously training and racing. Got down to a 2:40 marathon, 34 minute 10k, and similar times. Nothing special, but I was one of the competitive local guys. Then age and shifting priorities took their toll, and my running performance declined pretty rapidly.

I was dissapointed in my slowing down, but discovered that I still really liked running. I still run pretty much every day, and still enter a lot of my old favorite races. Sure, it was a sucker punch to my pride to post times so much slower than my best, but I eventually got over it.

I am now happy to be a hobby jogger. It keeps me healthy and lean (I weigh the same I did in college), and I look forward to entering whatever race looks fun on the weekends. I enter races with no expectations other than getting in a good effort and having some fun. If I happen to pick up an age group trophy (which I used to make fun of), it's just a nice, unexpected bonus.

If you can feed your ego to the fire and get over the fact that you're no longer what you used to be, running can still be enjoyable past your prime.

crappy runner wrote:

Working a real job did it to me. Wake up and am too tired to run. Come home and too tired to run. I'm just too tired to run.

You need to go for a run.

Give me a break. Your job tires you out? Your family tires you out? I'm a health care worker that can vouch for countless nurses and doctors who work their asses off, yet still have time to get in some type of workout to stay fit. The statement that you live in a rural environment so your "fitness activities are limited" is nothing more than an excuse. You can't do pushups? SItups? Walk? He's depressed and out of shape...I'll bet he makes heated comments on training threads too. Classic letsrun.

crap excuses not acceptable wrote:

crappy runner wrote:

Working a real job did it to me. Wake up and am too tired to run. Come home and too tired to run. I'm just too tired to run.

You need to go for a run.

I get out there every once and a while. Some days I might even dip below 7 min pace if I'm feeling chipper enough. They're just fewer and further between than they used to.

I understand there are doctors/lawyers/whatever out there who work 80 hour weeks and still get in a full week of training, but they're already determined. They were determined enough to get to where they are now, so their drive will get them to run. Me? I work a lousy 9-5 office job that demoralizes me as a human being. It's not that I don't love running. Everytime I get out there and get a great run in, my life turns around. I feel that need to train again. Sometimes it happens and I get out there for a few days, even weeks. I'm not looking for a pity party here, I'm just saying I'm not one of those people who are so insane that their addiction to running/working out determines they're life.

I'm tired.

the reason you're tired is because your not running. After the initial shock and soreness you will get used to it again and feel much better with more energy.

The sedentary people in my office end up getting sick all of the time and come in late, need to go to the doctor, etc. and complain of being tired.

I put in 60 miles a week, am fit, and rarely get sick (and never call in) and I feel better than I ever have even though I am smaller and lean. When I first started my job I was 15 pounds heavier, always tired, and stressed which lead me to drink more.

I stopped pretty abruptly because of persistent injuries. The first year the weight gain was minimal, 5 lbs tops. My metabolism was still high. After that the pounds started to pile up and I eventually ended up back at the weight I was before I started running (in my late 20s) which is 30 lbs above my lowest weight when I was doing 85 mpw.

I became an alcoholic and trolled letsrun

Actually I don't make heated comments on these boards, in fact I rarely post. Also, don't pretend to know know anything about me or what my life has been like. Thanks.

I got skinny fat.

I got about 100K+ miles in 35 years. Ankles were getting more and more painful, to the extent that I walked like Walter Brennan in The Real McCoys. Went to the local ankle specialist (team doctor for local MLB team) and had both ankles reconstructed--shaved bone spurs and tightened ligaments. Pictures showed what looked like a coral reef. One spur was so big it apparently permanently mis-shaped the talus, so I'm done. Do some cycling, go to the gym some. My weight is the same (mid-140s) but I have lost much of my quad definition and added some jiggle to my midsection. Hence, skinny fat.

After I used up my NCAA eligibility, I was so frustrated with being injured all the time that I stopped training for about three years. I still went for runs, but not nearly as much mileage and absolutely no workouts other than sometimes doing hilly runs. My mileage went from 80+ miles per week to maybe 25 miles per week, sometimes 0 miles a week.

Here's what happened:

* I lost about 15 pounds. My appetite just wasn't there anymore, so I would forget to eat much more often. Also, I probably lost a significant amount of muscle mass.

* My normal running pace slowed a little, but my fast running pace slowed a lot. I could still run seven minute miles without much strain, but any faster than that quickly became too much.

* I had a hard time adjusting to not having running goals. I liked having something to work toward. It made me feel a sense of purpose, and it was exciting to look forward to getting a new PR or doing well at a big meet. Not having that source of purpose was weird for a while.

I recently (as of July) got back into training more seriously. I'm at about 50 mpw now (with Sundays off), and I've just started doing workouts again. I felt pretty slow and uncoordinated in my first couple workouts, but I feel like I'm bouncing back now. I haven't raced yet, but I've got a couple scheduled in November, so we'll see how it goes. I'm trying to think more long term and not get over-eager.

Iffley Road wrote:

It wasn't good. I went from being a competitive college runner to overweight in about 4 years. After college, I trained but not at the level I was used to. Throw in a injury that kept me from running a step for 6 months and then some personal problems( divorce, depression) and you have me at my current weight at 215. I weighed 135 in college. I carry the weight well, but when I have my shirt off it's really bad. Trying to start again but living in a real rural environment with no real training options is tough. Right now, I can barely run 5 minutes without stopping. Moral of the story, don't ever get out of shape if you can help it, because time and circumstance is not on your side.

Here's what you need to do, based on actual experience and similar numbers.

First, take almost everything you ever did and ran, pack it into a little mental box and forget about it for now.

Second, get out the door in the morning six days/week. Run as slowly as possible, and wear a shirt. Aim for 15 minutes; if you can only run five, then resort to intervals -- 1 min on, 1 min off, and increase the on segments until you're running for 15 minutes.

You know that it will get better after six weeks. Eventually you'll have a run that actually feels kind of good. That moment will get you out the door looking for the next time.

Third, work on dropping some weight. The basic idea is to eat less. I had some luck by substituting a protein candy bar for dinner. And drink lots of water. Weigh yourself every day in the morning out of bed, but count only the Monday weigh-in as official. Aim to lose 1-2 lbs/week. The number likely won't budge for a bit, but if you keep at it, one day soon you'll be at 209 and then you'll feel like it's possible.

Fourth, do a bit of strength training. I suggest going simple -- push ups and sit ups in the privacy of your own home. You will feel like you're getting something done, and this will help you get out the door.

I started reading letsrun that slowly turned into Letsaccuseeverythingnotamericanofdoping

I weighed around 140 when I was racing collegiately. I haven't ran more than 40 miles in a week for 11 months and I'm not even at 145 now.

Running too many miles caused arthritis in my knees. Doctor suggested I take up another sport so I switched to swimming. It's like starting all over again and I don't think swimming is a sport that you can start in your middle age years and become good at. It's a kinda a pain in the ass to do the whole routine everyday - drive to pool, shower, swim, shower, drive home.

Almost identical story here, HS 4 sports, College Track and XC and went from 135 to 215. Its all about priorities and Ive put grad school and work first. It never gets easy thats for sure.

Now in early 50's but have developed atrial fibralation....you got to see the doctors freak out when they don't know me and nurse takes a cardio....two almost sent me to the emergency room... I tell tham to relax that I use to be a pretty good marathoner 2:22.......so they say keep running, take an aspirin a day to thin the blood to prevent stroke... one wanted me to take a beta blocker as my resting pulse is constant 95... but I don't want to take meds...so I rest more than I ever did during 40 yrs of running, maybe the heart will find its own solution..... weight gain is shocking, I weigh 270 whereas in college I ran at 160....... diet? Can't. I eat like a race horse. Can't stand the thought of golf, I mean its a great sport but not for former runners.

Never say die runner: if I could lose 100 lbs and the atrial fib cured itself, I could see running 80 miles a week and kicking some 55+ ass....old runners never quit, they just fade away..............

I went from 128 to 175 over a 3 year period. Mostly because I had no transportation or funds to buy good food. Never was doughy or had rolls, just skinny fat. I would still run maybe 5-10 times a month maybe 6 months out of the year. I recently got back down around 145-150. Sadly I am having trouble getting my average pace back down to the old times. Bit of a downer because I am still under 30.

I never want to go back up into the 170s again. That out of shape feeling is horrifying. Although at 170, I got more attention from women.