You can quit running. It will be ok.

Well said man. I think it is really important to not prioritize it and just check the box. I have had those dark times too... And truthfully, it held me back a lot in my career and relationship life. All up until I realized, it's okay to take a step back... Re-prioritize and enjoy life. I still run, but I have set a hard rule as a post collegiate runner... of no more doubling. I run once a day 30 to 60 minutes. Some times a workout if I need it, sometimes a long run, everything else is easy running... And honestly, this small step back has changed so much in my life and stopped me from going insane trying to run 100 to 140 a week. Well said, there is so much more in life to enjoy. Embrace change and try different things.

You do you. I am not a hater. Most people don't run and they seem very happy and normal. Running is not a "must" for happiness. I agree with that.

However, I have been running for 36 years (started in 9th grade and just turned 50), and it still brings me immense happiness almost every day.

In the last month I have done some epic runs (trails, glaciers, frozen lakes, etc.), I have raced for my Masters team, today I did a dirty 20 miler with friends where we talked the whole time (I love those runs the most), and I have decompressed after work with some nice, easy mileage every day.

I wouldn't trade running for any other hobby. My friends and I love it.

p.s. I reached the point a long time ago when I stopped "stressing out" about times and paces, so that plays a huge role in loving the sport.

How much are you running? And how hard (no pun intended)? You are likely over-training.

I was never a high mileage runner (50-80) for most of my peak years and do 30-60 miles now (as a Masters runner). But I was also just a DIII schlub, so I was not ever close to over-training.

And as I aged, I would say running has had the opposite effect for me. Being fit and lean as we get older makes up for so much of what the "average American" is going through with obesity and diabetes and so on. I feel awesome after most of my hard workouts and it carries over into my non-running life.

I would guess you have somehow suppressed your endocrine system through over-training. Does that sound like it might apply to you?

I've been going through a transition away from competitive running as well. This last season-ending injury was the last straw for me. That, plus plateauing after 13 years of competing.

It feels great not having my life revolve around running. I have other hobbies and interests. I'm content with supporting my friends from the sidelines.

How would I even know if I had ED? I post on letsrun

Amen to all of this. I maintained 70-80 mpw in college and quit running (besides the occasional easy run) when I started working full time. I realized that running was sucking the energy out of each day, and it was impossible to dedicate the time, patience, and energy I needed to my personal relationships and job while also training. At first the loss of daily purpose was overwhelming; with running it felt like I had a very clear goal to work towards every day and quitting caused that to instantly vanish. After a few months away, though, I really started to understand that stepping away from my running goals was making every other aspect of my life better. More time to spend with family and friends, less stress about eating clean and staying lean, more energy late in the day (and less grumpiness generally). Instead of running I was able to pursue other goals, and that's just as fulfilling. Sometimes I lift, sometimes I go for a 3 mile slow run, sometimes I just come home and hang out with my wife and don't worry about it. It's easy to look back with rose-colored glasses and feel nostalgia about running fast, breaking PRs, etc, but I remind myself often that the cruddy times with hard training were TRULY cruddy, and not in a "rise and grind" kind of way... In a "this is definitely worsening my mental health" kind of way. No shame in walking away, no shame in continuing to love running hard either. But yeah if anyone else is feeling like this, don't feel bad about putting yourself first and hanging up the shoes.

I should probably add that despite loving running, the weekly grind of: Tuesday Tempo, Thursday Fast Intervals, Saturday Race, Sunday Long Run came to an end about 4-5 years after college and I did step way back from running to explore cycling, swimming, triathlon, and mountaineering.

But I never truly "quit" being a runner in my heart. I still loved it as a sport, I just needed to recharge and explore all the other things (they were just as great, btw).

At about age 38, I reduced all other sports and went back to running 90% of the time (with 10% of my workouts reserved for all other sports).

You need to read some Cormac McCarthy bro. Good stories don't need punctuation.

Everyone needs to understand that at the end of the day NOBODY cares about your running but you. So if you're doing it for others or out of pure misery you should just stop because it won't get better.

After my accident I was just so grateful to be running again.

I lost to a Fleet Feet competitor in the 2021 Cbus Marathon and they got faster over the next year or so, plus they gained even more popularity on social media that I could only dream of. I got injured in December and was struggling a bit even before that, and then got hit by a car July 21.

I got even slower than I was in 2021--but at the same time, I was just grateful to complete a marathon 12 weeks after the accident! So now, running is just to stay in shape and lose weight--and see new neighborhoods and areas in Cbus I haven't seen before!

I think this is an awesome post. It’s something I’ve really been struggling with as I’m at a bit of a crossroads with my running.

Last year was nothing but exciting for me, because I had just made a D1 track/XC program, and I shaved off 8 seconds in my primary event, the 800m, over the span of a year.

This year, track is more stressful than it is fun. Running a 1:53 distinctly went from a “holy crap! That’s awesome!” To “what do you think went wrong today?”. Going from 1:57 to 1:49 in one year made me naively feel like maybe I was going to be something special in the sport. Now I’m seeing athletes run 1:46 and 1:47 who aren’t training as hard as me, or even worse, training exactly like me. I’ve come to the realization that although I am in that top talent pool, I’m a tad bit off of that threshold of being talented enough to potentially go pro, or to NCAAs, or to the trials.

I get stressed and think, maybe if I lift more, maybe if I run more, maybe if I run faster I’ll shave those seconds and be a 1:46-1:47 guy, but any addition to the training that got me to 1:49 seems to injure me, burn me out, or slow me down on race day.

The fact that 2-3 seemingly impossible seconds of running is what’s dictating between me being able to go pro and to do this for money for a while or just being that one guy that ran in college sucks and it really weighs on me. I’ve still got this outdoor season and maybe 2 years during law school to see if I can make that small yet massive leap to the next level, but it makes me wonder, if this doesn’t work out, is all of this work I’m putting in, time and relationships I’m sacrificing worth it if I don’t ultimately become what I want to become? The bar always moves. I said “if I break 2:00 I can happily leave competitive running behind.” And then make my college team, and then run sub 1:50, and now I feel like I’m pressured and expected to make ncaas which I don’t even know if I’m physically capable of doing. I don’t want to work my butt off and sacrifice my well being for the next 3 years to be disappointed in myself and have my coaches disappointed in me at the end of it all.

Ive tied running so closely to my identity that unsuccessful running is an unsuccessful life, and I think I need to change that. Thanks for the perspective.

I usually don't like the anonymity of the boards but I think in some cases, when people are honest and open and kind to others, it can work as a truly good venting/getting it all out session. I hope you kick arse at NCAAs!

I am having to come to the grips at 39 that I may not be as fast as I ever once was due to a lingering injury that may never go away, yet be grateful I can do 40 mpw EZ just for fitness. No more marathons or races for me--if running does not work I will have my daily walks and Irish Dancing instead.

OP will come back to running when he's 35 or 40, I'm sure.

He will rediscover the love for our beautiful sport.

I did, but not in a competitive way. I probably was not at the same level as the OP, but took a long break from running in my 20’s and early 30’s while focusing on career and family. Realized in my mid 30’s that I needed to get back into some exercise routine for health and remembered that I really loved running. Now I happily get in 30mpw and basically do what I want when I run. It’s fantastic and mixes well with a bit of weight lifting and other active stuff I do with my kids for fun. Also, it’s a blast to coach youth runners. Way more fun than competing ever was. I don’t care that I can only run a 19minute 5k in my 40’s. I’m having fun and staying in decent shape.

Also, thank you to OP for the post. It’s a great post and this has been one of the better threads on the board in a while. Really nice.

It sounds like you never really liked running to begin with - which is fine, you don't have to.

Glad you figured it out sooner rather than later.

These kind of comments just make it look like you actually crave and desire haters and negative responses. That’s a bad way to approach things skippy.

I turned 64 earlier this year. Always been thin and energetic. I run 50 mpw but no one knows it cuz I’m now too slow to keep up with my running group of almost two decades and they don’t wait up cuz they’re in the 40’s and 50’s. Running is part of my life’s fabric and I love doing it. The solitude from solo running is acceptable to me at this age. In my profession, that solitude is required. In my running, it’s the norm now at my age. In passion, I’ve three: my wife, our son and his family, and my running. Enjoy your passions.

I agree with OP. I was super serious in high school in college. I'm sure like many of you, it was all I thought about. Training, injuries, competition... The end of high school, (the state track meet) left a sour taste in me, and I spent the next five years of college having "unfinished business". Even though I was mediocre in high school, it was fun. I truly enjoyed running after school with friends and messing around a bit at practice. But in college I did everything I could to improve and it started eating away at me and I became isolated, moody, depressed unless my running was going perfect, and although it did go well the first half of college, I had a string of injuries that really made me rethink everything. I'll always be proud of my PRs. But that's not the person I want to be anymore. Now I lift weights, run when I feel like it (usually 20 mpw) and bike a lot. Not for fitness levels, but for commuting to stores or to pick items up at places. I feel better now than when I was 5' 11" 135 pounds running 10 times a week.

I think the main problem, and you can probably relate to this, is that we (competitive runners) are TOO disciplined. For the average "hobby jogger" of which I consider myself one now, getting out there and completing a run is more than enough. But for me, that wasn't enough. Everything had to go perfect on that run for me to consider it a success. Was my heart rate under 150? Did that nagging injury reveal itself? I feel a little tired, am I sure my iron levels are fine? Etc etc etc.

“These kind of comments just make it look like you actually crave and desire haters and negative responses.”

Nah…just predicting the inevitable…which happened with a few posts on this thread already…