Why did you quit running?

There is only one reason anyone ever quits running. It's called the loss of motivation.

Like most things in life, injuries would go away if you ignore them long enough. The same with illness.

If you don't ignore the pain and hobble through every injury and illness until the day you die, you simply don't have enough motivation.

I should really should just quit competing. I think I'm actually a pretty terrible runner for how much I spend doing it. I'm zero talent and all work.

At 45-50 miles a week I could only manage an 18:10 5K and my PR is mid-17's after a 55 mpw training block with lots of speedwork. I think I would need at least 90mpw to run in the 16's.

Despite racing weight being 160 lbs (I'm 6-2), I have terrible legs. My knees are wide, my ankles are somewhat thicker, and my quads are fairly big and long. Despite being skinny looking, my legs are just terribly inefficient. I'm envious of those dudes with rail thin legs because they don't have much to move.

My fastest 400m sprint is 65 seconds. I don't think I've ever broken 29 seconds in a 200m sprint. I just wasn't built for speed.

I dream of the day when I can just run 5 miles in the morning without a watch at not have to bust my ass to run sub-38 in a 10K because I'm a competitive azzhole who can't let it go.

My story is similar to that of many people. I was a decent D1 runner in college, and after graduation tore up the local road race scene. Then I got a real job. The workload was meager by LRC standards (only 50 hrs per week), but that, plus commuting, plus doing workouts by myself and running slower because I had too many competing priorities to train at the only level I thought acceptable, caused me to hate the sport. It was neither something I enjoyed, nor a major source of my identity, any longer. One day about 3 years after college, I decided I was done, and I didn't run a step for 4 years.

About a year ago, I started running about 10-15 miles per week, for general fitness.

It became more difficult to achieve the same results, stay ahead of the younger guys, stay uninjured, motivate and push myself, hide my PED use, dream of new PRs, find new challenges, remain sponsored, be in the zone, catch a thrill and justify all the effort, pain and sacrifice.

Did not want to simply run for fun and/or fitness.

I was never good so the fall wasn't so bad

still at it at 57

If I run local races and place top 15 in a 5k and snag an age group award but run 20-21 5k am I terrible?

Maybe to you but with the local scene I'm a big fish in a small pond and people know me and want to oust me..I think that is why I dont quit. I suck but I'm still better than the jokers locally.

I used to be alright 6:50 half 5:10 mile and 18 minute 5k but injuries have derailed me...Ohh well.

LetsRun2Gether4Ever wrote:

If I run local races and place top 15 in a 5k and snag an age group award but run 20-21 5k am I terrible?

Maybe to you but with the local scene I'm a big fish in a small pond and people know me and want to oust me..I think that is why I dont quit. I suck but I'm still better than the jokers locally.

I used to be alright 6:50 half 5:10 mile and 18 minute 5k but injuries have derailed me...Ohh well.

No. An 18 minute 5K is respectable and something most people can't physically achieve, nor do they have the patience or persistence to pull it off.

When I spoke about why I suck, it's because I see high school kids topping out at 35-40 mpw and running 16:30....while I need to average 65 mpw as an adult to sniff 17:30. The amount of time invested versus result makes it a ridiculous endeavor.

Wanted to see how the other side lived after a respectable D 3 career. Out of the sport for 4 years of overseas work with debauchery (alcohol, tobacco, etc) then 5 years of grad school. Found the sport again, moved up to the marathon (don't miss the terror of the starters gun before the 1500) and probably a life time runner now unless injury takes me off the roads.

At some point you need to give up chasing the kids and appreciate being top in your age group.

No shame in that I liken it to weight classes in sports.

Although on the other end we have a guy in our local club who is over 60 runs a sub 6 pace for a half...Makes me think age is an excuse and what am I doing wrong

Took time off, got fat, started lifting weights, now that is my life. Now I am 35 lbs over race weight with similar body fat percentage. Swoll is the goal. Size is the prize.

But I miss the running community, so I've begun running with my club twice a week. Can still muster 8 miles at 7:30 pace without suffering too badly.

Attempting a comeback is always on the back of my mind.

My son was exactly like you. Tree trunks for legs and only 66 sec 400 speed. He was also 6' 2" and 168 lbs. He had a passion to be his best though and ran 70 mile weeks in high school after a couple years of building and ended with a 5k pr of 16:40. So proud of him. That 16:40 was more impressive than other kids on his team who ran 15:40

Aucun regret wrote:

Seriously, I'm very interested in knowing why people quit running for good.

When I moved from a great running town to an industrial shythole where cars aim for you and dog owners laugh when their pitbulls chase you. I used the treadmill in my building for awhile but then just said fvck it and gave up. On this board trying to be motivated again but it's tough. When you take time away from running it just seems so stupid....going out in the rain for an hour, shuffling along like an idiot.

Injury

Iv always been plagued with injury (Achilles) which mesed with my head and made me slip in drinkin and gamblin (+deprived childhood).

I could have ran a 2h25 marathon with a bit of luck, prob still can...although I have bigger potential on the longer stuff

It's a rich person's hobby that doesn't pay you sometimes even if you're good at it

San Vicente wrote:

It's a rich person's hobby that doesn't pay you sometimes even if you're good at it

Rich persons hobby? Go try golf.

Ditto. The only thing I have left to try is cut the mileage and increase workout quantity.

I got incurable cancer. Weekly chemo for the rest of my life made 8:00 pace feel like 5:00 pace. Not fun to slog 11 min miles. I just live vicariously through my wife and kids running now.

Lost interest when I wasn't getting faster despite rapid improvement when I first took up running.

Got disillusioned when I saw crappy club runners creeping up on my 5k (them going from 20 to 18:40 and me staying on 17:50 forever). Weird thing is my half is signicantly faster than theirs on the same mileage but that endurance never translated over to 5k.