Over 60 and losing interest in running. Help.

OP, you've only posted twice on this thread so we don't have a complete picture, but you sound a bit depressed. I understand. I have been there. It occurs to me that you should have your T level tested. Low T can cause depression and is common in older distance runners. It doesn't even have to be clinically low. It can just be low based on your own normal level.

If you're in the 200s (on the lower side of normal), you should take steps to boost T levels. T supplementation is banned, plus testosterone supplementation hinders your body's ability to make T on its own. I'm not a fan of T supplementation for this reason, but you could try it for a month to see if low T is part of the problem. If it is, you could stop taking T and work on ways to boost T naturally. Or, you could just skip the T supplementation and go straight to ways to boost T naturally. That's what I would recommend. (But you should still get a T level blood test to see what your base T level is before you start. Then, you can test again in 3-6 months.) These include...

Weightlifting at least 3x/week.

Sprint 8 workouts ( look it up). It's similar to HIIT. You go hard at something for about 30 seconds and then rest 90 seconds and go again. You can do this on an elliptical, spin bike, steep hills, or you can do sets of weightlifting reps going to exhaustion in 20-30 seconds, then waiting 90 seconds and repeat. I do this at least twice a week. At the gym, I'll do 3-4 sets of an exercise with the last two sets going to total exhaustion. Then, I'll do a couple more sets with another lift. I try to get 8-12 lift sets to total exhaustion at every gym visit. I would suggest that you NOT do sprint 8s by running (except for hill repeats). All out sprinting will probably result in injuries for aging distance runners.

You should be getting around 120g of protein every day split into about 30g doses.

Sleep. If you're not sleeping well, it will adversely affect T level. I'm not going into this because it is a LOT more involved to explain it.

Change your workouts and track your progress in your new workout. You might do sprint 8s up a hill and track how much farther you can get each week. You might do a Billat 30/30 workout (look it up) and track how far you can get in 16 reps.

For recovery days, I do an easy trail run where I try to keep my average HR as low as possible while still finishing in about the same time. It's fun to take a workout that is otherwise boring and turn it into a challenge.

I'm older than you, but I try to keep my T level over 500. It was 735 recently. Twenty years ago when I was just a distance runner, it was 215.

Anyway, I hopes this helps.

I'm now in my late sixties and for myself running always meant training to race. Everything was focused about the next race, the next age group placement etc. Eventually the injuries became too frequent and I realized racing was doing more harm than good. I wasn't sure what to do with myself, I still wanted to run but I needed to find a way of running without focusing on the pace, the distance, the weekly mileage etc.

Finally I came across the web site City Strides. It takes your Strava data and maps it against each city. The goal is to run every street in your city. It's a bit cheesy but it does become addictive. My routine now is to plan a route, cycle to the starting point, run the route, cycle home. Then swear at myself when I realize I took a wrong turn and missed a street.

It may not be for everyone but it works for me.

I am 63. To my surprise, 2 days ago I completed a 5 mile race with a faster time than last year at the same race. My advice to the OP: Try walking the same distance you previously would have run. That stage of your life may have arrived. Motivation to run is difficult to maintain after age 60. In the last 3 years, I have learned why there are so few runners left by age 70. That's 7 years away for me and it is likely that my running days will be over by then. Running or walking after 60, just be thankful you're alive and your legs still work.

May 21, 2023. Age 63. 5 miles in 42:21.
May 22, 2022. Age 62. 5 miles in 42:23.

64 and your post makes a lot of sense. I always thought I'd run until my adult kids said- DAD!! You're gonna fall and kill yourself, you can't go out running alone anymore!

I don't want the day to come when I physically can't run at least 3 miles but I guess it's inevitable.

I do the same, and it is highly motivating for me. I went out yesterday on a City-Strides run to 'get in some streets'. I'm trying to complete my city (Cupertino, CA) and was at 97.4% with just two clusters of streets left to go. Biked out there to one of them, which happened to be in the foothills which is why I hadn't run it yet. I knew it'd be tough but, holy carp, the hills were steep. Did a number on me, probably can't run today. So even that can mess you up! But I did get to 98.9%. Yay.

Pro tip, Raddison: Use something like RunGo on a phone to map out your runs and get turn-by-turn guidance. Works really well. I used to write down turns on a scrap of paper I carried with me. This is way, way better.

Thanks! I have been reading all the great suggestions for sure. I think I'm just in a rut. After reading the comments I feel I need to change it up and stop doing the same neighborhood course, and same mileage/pace, etc. I love running intervals (not necessary to time them in my case right now), and started getting back on the track, where all my memories come alive. I know that these sessions make my long runs seems easier as I build strength. Also driving to other trails, courses to change it up and not worrying about pace or distance. Just getting out there consistently is what I think will get me where I need to be mentally. And as someone mentioned, watching track meets and marathons does really inspire a runner to get there, which definitely works for me! Thanks everyone! - Track rat forever (no matter what).

No shame in that! Be glad you are still able to run when you want to, and when you don't, bike, swim, lift weights, golf, hike, whatever. Stay active and find things you enjoy.