What happened when you quit running?

i have/will always run. To honor the Gods, to be fighting fit, to check out beautiful women, to get to work, and many other little reasons like its good for nature to opt for running to places. This yr i transfered and my scheldule went off course, but my love of rich food never waned. In 9 months ive gained 20 lbs all in my ab zone. My speed and stamina has dropped as well as (most importantly)my "roar". Before this i was a scary S.o.b. now i look like a normal runner. If i was a normal person i too would completely quit and die by 60. Luckily my life is getting normal again and racing the train to work is returning. Long live the Gods and all those who are pushed by an INTERNAL engine. Be Well Strong ones :)

I quit competitive running after dropping out of college and quit running on regular basis after starting my overnight job (which can be physical) last Christmas. Although I haven't gained weight (I eat the same oddly enough) my fitness definitely dropped way off from my college days.

When your post begins "Not to be an ass but..." you might want to pause and think for a moment before you hit the "send" button. The gentleman has been divorced and has experienced depression. He's clearly struggling, and to this you add the possibility, implicit in your question, that he might not look very good on top of it. Try to be thoughtful and kind. I hope the gentleman finds his way back to fitness and a more satisfying life.

I quit the track team as a college senior. A falling out with the coach, plus my heart wasn't in it anymore. I went from 50-60 miles per week of middle distance training to about 20 mpw of low key running.

After 7 years of obsessive training and racing, it was a great relief to take a step back, long overdue. The last couple years of the 7 were not fun. I freed myself from some unfortunate ideas about the process of training and racing.

Three years later I upped my mileage and intensity and returned as a 5 - 10K road racer. I had an easier outlook and enjoyed it a lot. I got fairly fast but I was not aspiring to be an elite. Running had found it's appropriate place in my life. I'm a cartoonist, so that is where I shifted the full focus of my ambition, and it's worked out well.

This is the way I went. I went quietly. I still run but lately have been incorporating more walking into my workouts.

100,000 plus miles and 45 years of running.

When I go to a now and then race, I jog in the back. I was a 15 minute 5k runner. Now I run in the 24's if I tempo it a bit. Otherwise it can be as slow as thirty minutes.

Have gained about 5 lbs over my racing weight.

Thanks for these posts...interesting that girls started flocking to the "overweight" 170lb guy, and kudos to those who keep their weight in check after many years removed from the training.

Well, I've stopped running for 6 months to a year a few times, but I never stopped exercising. Usually, I would just get sick of running and training for races, so I would switch to lifting a few days a week and cycling a bit. I still gained what seemed to me to be a lot of weight. For example, over the course of 6 months I went from low 130s to low 150s. I definitely gained quite a bit of muscle, but also fat as well. I was still probably running 5 to 10 miles per week and cycling about 25 to 30 miles per week.

When I got back into running I eased into it by increasing both cycling and running and cutting back and eventually quitting lifting. When I first started running again I felt huge and bulky although realistically at 5'9 155 I was still pretty lean compared to most people. The muscle melted off pretty quickly and within 3 months I was back under 140 and not too far off from where I'd been in the past. My recommendation is to continue exercising and staying in shape. if you do that, you should be able to bounce back pretty quick.

@ 21, I quit.

@ 27, got really fat (beer and junk food) 140->225

@ 35, started exercising, and running, got down to 150

@ 40, ran, did marathons, going full-tilt 60-80mpw for 5-6 yrs

@ 45, had a minor knee injury this summer and have backed way off

Now I run a few times a week, 4-5 miles each time. I weigh 175, which is a bit heavy, but not a disaster. Running is enjoyable, and without stress. I can focus on family, career, etc without worrying about when I can fit in a run. If I miss 1-2 weeks, that is fine. Life happens.

There are a wide range of things to accomplish in life. Those who tell you, as an adult you, "should" wake up @ 5 to get a run in, do not know what they are talking about. Being healthy and happy are much more appropriate goals than, "getting into great racing shape".

Ran in high school 16:18 5k and 4:16 1500m, Ran off and on in Uni, 35:50 x-country 10k. Got injured.

Stopped running but was active for next 5 years.

At 26 did a 5k time trial, just broke 20:00. 5'11 155

Started training and gradually building mileage plus modified crossfit (max 70miles) avg (40-50), after 6months 37:00 10k, 1 year 36:00, 2 years 33:18 10k, 5k TT 15:00, half 1:17. Was starting to build up for marathon. weight 150

31 now, nursing an achilles issue (no running for 2 months now). Weight 160. Should be back up and running by January.

I had injuries off-and-on for about three years before finally giving it up. Turned to drinking and drugs. Gained 30-40 pounds in five or six years. It was bad. Just started running again in July and have dropped 15 or 20 pounds, but I'm still nowhere near my old race shape.

I ran in HS, college, post college. Quit in my mid 30s due to injuries and surgeries. Moved on to other hobbies and interests. Jog a few miles here and there to keep in shape. I don't really miss it. When it is time to move on it is time to move on.

I gave up on racing during my freshman year of college, quitting the cross country team during the fall semester. I went from running approximately 60 mpw to 20ish. During that time, I remained quite fit, and could still go out on pretty fast runs with my friends on the team. My weight did not change from my racing weight of 160ish (I'm 6'5").

I slowly began to run more and more easy miles until I was running 80 mpw in singles for a few months. It was all easy running. I didn't do any workouts. My weight bumped up to 170ish during this time.

Then I got injured and I couldn't run much more than 40 mpw without aggravating the injury.

For the next three years I ran 20-40 mpw with periods of somewhat more systematic training. I could still run with my friends on the track team with ease. My weight was around 180 during this time.

Then I went to graduate school and quickly stopped running. My weight quickly jumped above 200 lbs. I was lifting weights and eating crap during this period. I still looked quite fit, and I could still go for an odd run at 7 min/mile pace without too much trouble.

Then the stresses of life started to come on strong and I gave up on exercise almost entirely. Now I weigh about 220 lbs and I'm fat.

I recently started jogging to try to gain a modicum of fitness. 10 min/mile pace was a struggle for the first month or so. And I still can't comfortably run faster than 8 min/mile for longer than 30 min or so, but I can go out for 10 mile jog comfortably and feel good about myself. So far weight loss has been elusive. But I don't look quite as squishy as I used to.

I've resolved to implement a hobby jogging routine before I turn 30 and my metabolism fails entirely. I don't want to be out of shape for the rest of my life.

I've completely given up on ever running a PR again.

ilikerunning wrote:

Im only 19, but I dont think I would ever really quit training or running after college. I feel like all the work I've put into my body would go to waste, especially at the young age of 23-24.

As a former college coach, I can't tell you how many times I've heard this line. Maybe 10% of the athletes I coached still run.

That annoying thing called "life" somehow always seems to get in the way...

ilikerunning wrote:

Im only 19, but I dont think I would ever really quit training or running after college. I feel like all the work I've put into my body would go to waste, especially at the young age of 23-24.

Blah, blah, blah... wrote:

As a former college coach, I can't tell you how many times I've heard this line. Maybe 10% of the athletes I coached still run.

That annoying thing called "life" somehow always seems to get in the way...

Training does not teach you how to be fit and healthy. That is an entirely different set of activities and skills.

#1 is to not approach running from the perspective of a neurotic. Just have fun.

Flapgole wrote:

There are a wide range of things to accomplish in life. Those who tell you, as an adult you, "should" wake up @ 5 to get a run in, do not know what they are talking about. Being healthy and happy are much more appropriate goals than, "getting into great racing shape".

^ This

At 53 I've quit many times and now I see running as an accoutrement to my life not the central focus. I have a pretty large box of cheap pewter medals (even big one's....) that I see as, you know....cheap pewter medals. Running helped to pay for my college and gave me free gear for a while and I am thankful for that. Now, it's gifts supersede all that.

Got fat (weighed about a deuce) and out of shape. Realized that running and racing was a heck of a lot better. I'm also one of the 100 mpw or nothing competitive types that have been mentioned in this thread. I understand there is a middle ground to running, but I have never been able to do it.

Not to mention, there are a lot of other cool things in life to do out there. I am still very healthy, but my fitness comes from doing other things, hiking, biking, etc. Honestly, there are other rewarding things in life besides training for xyz race. Damn, my medals and trophies, in the grand scheme of things are no different than the medals and trophies from adult softball leagues ... and they seem to have a lot more fun doing it.

GoodOlDays wrote:

I ran in HS, college, post college. Quit in my mid 30s due to injuries and surgeries. Moved on to other hobbies and interests. Jog a few miles here and there to keep in shape. I don't really miss it. When it is time to move on it is time to move on.

my junk got bigger

I stopped specifically training this summer after I finished my NCAA eligibility. So between May and October I ran when I felt like it, which wasn't often, and it wasn't ever that far at all. I was one of those people who was convince I was never going to stop running and that I loved it too much. My weight didn't fluctuate at all (I also may have different physiological changes/experiences because 1) I actually gained weight from distance running and 2) I'm a girl, so jumping up to 200 lbs is not going to happen haha). I did lose a lot of muscle and tone in my body though. My clothes fit, but not as well. And I lost energy. And because I didn't *have* to run the next day I was staying out late and drinking a lot more. It was fun but not what I wanted my life to be at all and I just felt, for lack of a more technical term, gross. My body didn't understand why I was treating it so badly after 10 years of competitive athletics.

Now I just moved to a new area for a job. Knowing no one at all I joined the local running group. I spend time everyday now running but not how I was in college... now it is for enjoyment instead of it being a "job". And I'm relearning how to love running. And that is often jogging beside a 70 year old guy who may not be fast but sure has the best stories. And if I want to run faster, there are some people I can jump into workouts with.

I would love to get back to the shape I was in even a year ago but I'm not going to beat myself up over it. I have re-adjusted my goals for example instead of running a sub 18min 5k on the track, I want to train enough to be able to run sub 19 on a hilly road race. Again though, if I can't, well other things are important now too... such as my job, bills, and exploring life beyond running (sacrilegious statement huh?)