Prepare yourself! You're going to gradually become happier with your life, but your overall running decline will become less gradual. Injuries will appear out of nowhere - as a result of nothing specific that you can recall. These injuries will take longer to heal. Your sex drive will remain high and sometimes higher than ever as your testosterone levels bounce. Unfortunately, your wife's sex drive will continue to decrease at an ever escalating pace.
Good luck!
50s Rule wrote:
Turning 59 soon. The 50s are great. More flexibility, less stress, kids really starting to come into their own. I saw a study that said that men’s happiness is at its lowest point at age 50. That may be true. But the 50s after that are great.
I could see the part I bolded as being true. Most men before age 50 still look ahead and see up to 20 more years of working, and that can seem daunting. Also, as you mentioned, lots of extra work with kids still at home if you have them. Nice to have kids still at home, but a lot of a work and responsibility too (if you do it right).
I am now 56, and to the OP, I am healthier today than I have been in 15 years. I began to really focus on that when I turned 50, so for me turning 50 was a great thing.
It really is just a number. You make of your life what you want to.
Every time I age up into a new bracket, I tell myself “I’m going to kill these guys” invariably in my first few races I realize that the best runners just don’t stop competing. When you hit 30 there are still guys wearing high top basketball shoes who think they can run a marathon. Nobody at 60 gets a wild hair and jumps into a race unprepared
Naperville Runner wrote:
Every time I age up into a new bracket, I tell myself “I’m going to kill these guys” invariably in my first few races I realize that the best runners just don’t stop competing. When you hit 30 there are still guys wearing high top basketball shoes who think they can run a marathon. Nobody at 60 gets a wild hair and jumps into a race unprepared
Whilst there are certainly many runners in their 30s where I live, there are also many 40 and 50 year olds who are very competitive and racing 4 minute miles. I honestly don't think it matters hugely if you're in your 40s or 50s but still motivated to train.