What happened when you quit running?

Quit running for a year, gained 30 pounds. Started running again, took a year to get back to my former weight. Took another year to even get close to the level of fitness I was at before.

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.

I think that your teammates were being fairly sensible. I don't understand why someone would participate in a sport at a lower level than they did in their past. Having said that, they should seek out new challenges rather than just get out of shape. Find a new sport where you start at the bottom and work your way up again.

Competitive running is a pretty demanding hobby (and let's face it, for 99% of us, that's all it ever will be...a hobby). To be your best, you have to devote a lot of time and effort to training, often waking up an some ungodly hour to get it in before going to work. You physically hurt a fair amount in training and even more in racing. You have to watch your diet, get adequate sleep, say no thanks to parties and happy hours.

In order to keep doing that for no monetary reward year after year, decade after decade, you have to REALLY love the sport. Most people do it for a time and then move on to something else. Hopefully, you'll chose to include some form of exercise, even if it is hobby jogging.

Justin91 wrote:

I don't understand why someone would participate in a sport at a lower level than they did in their past.

Maybe because they still enjoy it?

big bill wrote:

Maybe because they still enjoy it?

Sure. Everybody's different and everyone has different preferences. I get that. My point is that most competitive runners tend to be in it partly for the love of competition and the desire to keep constantly getting better.

Put it this way. There are two levels at which participating in athletics is fun. The first level is the "joy of movement" level. They let you get in the flow and there is kinesthetic joy in the movement. The runner feeling smooth and effortless at a good clip. The snowboarder holding an edge at high speed. The soccer player making a sharp cut to shake off a defender. The rock climber in a state of flow as they gracefully move from hold to hold.

The second level is the level of improving and competition. Some people are in sports because they love that competition and the process of getting better and moving up the ranks. For many people, that is just as much fun as the sport itself. In fact, I wonder if for most people the second level is the primary source of enjoyment.

If that second level is a significant part of your motivation, then I submit that you would have a more rewarding athletic career by taking on a new challenge than by progressively getting worse at running. Take up cycling, or rock climbing, or squash, or kickboxing or something else.

I suspect that lots of college runners don't really love running. They do it because they're good at it and it helps pay for school. It's no surprise that they quit after graduation.

Some do really love running. I'm one of those. I continue to train and compete, even though I'm long past my prime. I still enjoy it. Every five years, I enter a new age group, and I wipe the slate clean to start chasing new age group PRs. I still like trying to beat Bill and Joe for age group awards at the joggerville 5k. It's still a good sport, and I still enjoy it a lot, even though my best times are in the distant past.

What I don't get is how you can one get to a good level without LOVING running. Isn't training a drudge chore if you don't love it?

I love all of it. Winning tace down to counting how many other runners I see on the trail. And when I am not running PRs I will start new goals. al

parkside wrote:

What I don't get is how you can one get to a good level without LOVING running. Isn't training a drudge chore if you don't love it?

I love all of it. Winning tace down to counting how many other runners I see on the trail. And when I am not running PRs I will start new goals. al

Love of the sport certainly helps, but natural talent can take you a long way.

I had a college teammate who made no secret of his dislike of running. He'd barely run a step when the coach wasn't watching. He'd come in to cross country each August in terrible shape, but by the end of the season he was our 4th or 5th man. He was the type who would have much rather been hanging out at the student union playing guitar than at track practice. He just seemed to be counting down the days until he could be done with it forever. He was a talented runner; who knows how good he could have been had he actually cared. His heart just wasn't in it. He did it for the scholarship, and because his dad would have killed him had he quit.

Yes, I knew runners like that too. I was also responding to the posters that think that there is no reason to continue running if you have passed your potential. I think the runners that don't truly enjoy the act of running never hit their potential ever. Just a thought. Ehhh, maybe not... I do know some runners that were very fast, but stopped after big events, like the Olympics. I just don't get that. Maybe people care what other people think about them and worry what they will think if they run races relatively slowly? I'm 38 so I still have hopes that there are still some PRs in some distances out there for me. I am thinking about what my goals will be when I do pass the point that all PRs are complete. There are still so many types of goals. Beat your age group competition. Outlive your age group and go after AG records. I used to wonder why people did silly things like marathon in 50 states, but now I can see the point. A goal is a goal. I can see myself doing ultras one day as well. And honestly for me, as a small boned woman, any weight gained goes straight to my upper thighs, so training every day to keep weight off is nearly enough motivation for me to keep going. More than anything that I hate, I hate being fat. Even a bad run is better than any night in front of the boob tube eating a bag of chips!

I was an NCAA track and xc runner on a national-caliber team. I wasn't the best, but I did run a sub-33 10k, and competed at xc nats. after my junior year, i broke my ankle and had to take some months off. it was never the same since then, though. i started training back up again during senior year, but was plagued with frequent injuries - probably just from trying to get back into shape too aggressively. i was always a little over-zealous. i never had very much talent, but i worked harder than anyone, putting in 85-100mpw during my "heyday." long story short, it's been two years since i've competed, or had any sort of workout whatsoever. i run maybe once a month, just for the nostalgia and the occasional high, but, at this point, it seems that all the overtraining has caught up to me. i'm not old, but my body certainly feels like it. i long to get back into it, and maybe get some PRs before i pass my prime, but i just can't seem to get over some extremely persistent PFPS. i went to a sports dr and confirmed moderate cartilage damage. he told me to crosstrain for a while, but swimming biking just don't give me that amazing feeling.

basically, i haven't gained much weight (10lbs maybe - but i was 135 in college), but i can tell i'm out of shape by the fact that there's no way i can do anything faster than a 7mm

I never really quit running but competitive running I quit! I never wanted to stop as I actually enjoy running on trails and getting out exploring! I was much happier not having to focus my life around recovery, workouts, double runs, ect. I gave the competitive thing a go and time to have a life!

I haven't quit... but the longest period of time is about 6 months and I went crazy.

I quit a few times after getting injuries, but always came back and learned the mistakes i made that caused the injuries.I quit anywhere from 6 months to a year.