Does anyone regret quitting competitive running?

Your situation sounds familiar to mine and probably many runners.

I am 55, competed from age 8 to 45. Accomplished all the goals I set out for myself and a PR is not going to happen again. I am still in 17:45 - 18:00 5K shape and do a weekly treadmill 5K sub 18 each weekend as it is something I look forward to. I am still running 30-35MPW and could do well in regional races etc.

At 45, I just did not want to run 55+ miles per week, have the pressure of getting in 2 weekly speed sessions, getting up early in the morning to drive to a weekend race where I could pretty much tell you what my time would be give or take 15 sec. either way (5K) and then feel obligated to stick around for a plaque that I put in a box and never look at it again. Basically, I found great enjoyment of running 30+ miles a week / doing my 5K effort on the treadmill each week / going to the gym to workout 5X a week and doing other things -good luck, 100% do not regret it

Competition is just a nice dessert to me, I really enjoy training and spending time with my running buddies. Personally I love competing it would suck, but it's the pursuit of pushing my limits is what I love about any athletic endeavor from running to cycling, or climbing.

It doesn't matter if anyone else regrets it. Only what you want. This sounds like a healthy attitude toward fitness.

Only thing I can say is this: "
it is freeing to not have to schedule my vacations around road races or track meets any more."

You never had to do this unless you lived somewhere remote. Just running local races and then taking day trips a few times a year to bigger races would have been enough for most anyone not running subelite times. Its possible to pr without going to CIM or running a track meet in Boston or California.

I don't live somewhere remote. Speaking of Boston and California, I have gone there to race (did the BU Terrier meet and the Oxy Distance Carnival), and you're right - I ran fast in both locations, but my PRs aren't from either one of those meets.

The whole thing about scheduling vacations around races was something closer to "There's a great deal on this flight, hotel, or travel activity, and it's a convenient time for some days off as far as work is concerned. But I don't want to take an extended vacation since my running may suffer and since there are a few good races in my area right now."

You say you're done with competitive running now, but you'll get back into it. They always do.

No. The pressure is off now. I don't have to stress about getting workouts in, and I don't have to worry about how many miles I run. I learned last week that a the wife of a cousin once removed is going to run the same marathon I do annually. I told the person who broke the news, "She'll probably beat me." She most likely will, and I don't care.

In all seriousness, if you do it regret it, you can always come back. It takes some time to get back to your previous shape level, but taking it easy for a while can help you regain the fire. Also you'll be 40 in a few years- so while maybe you won't be chasing new PRS, you get to race in a new category!

You're free to do as much or as little as you want. If you no longer enjoy the things you've been doing, you're totally free to do other things.

You don't have PRs at the 10K, HM or marathon distances, however. That means that you don't have to race against your younger self, and the training can be more enjoyable than shorter distances, and you can schedule one or two races a year and be done with it. Keep it in mind as something you might enjoy doing if you tried it sometime.

My PR is from when I was 19, and I don't regret quitting competitive running as soon as college ended. I wasn't going to be an OT qualifier at any point. You have to sacrifice a lot to ever be in PR shape.

You either enjoy the process or you don't. If you don't, then by all means, move on to something you do enjoy. Life is too short, and leisure time is WAY too short.

That said, as a hobby jogger, you even get to decide what the process looks like. If you don't like the training needed to set PRs, then don't do it. Train however you do like.

Also. since it's a hobby, quitting doesn't have to be permanent. It's not like you have to file retirement papers with the National Hobby Jogging League. If after some time away you decide you want to start again, there'll be nothing stopping you. Running will always be there.

I think another part of the process that's burning me out is the whole periodization thing. There were a lot of times during the hot summer days when what I really wanted was an interval session with near-full recovery. Run a hard 150 or 300, rest in the shade for a few minutes, and repeat a few more times. But since I had XC or road races in early fall (and no track meets), I was "forced" to slog out a long run in the heat in order to get the mileage in and race a good 5K/8K.

Conversely, there were also some cold rainy days in winter where a long run or a treadmill run wouldn't be too bad. But trying to run a hard interval workout in those conditions was miserable, especially if you were running them solo and wanted to hit your goal race pace. And since some good 800/1500/mile races were coming up, you pretty much had to go the track and get the speedwork in if you wanted to run well.

The whole "train however you do like" approach and not worrying about times or races is liberating. If I'm fatigued, I'm going to do a short slow recovery run instead of trying to hit a weekly mileage target. If something doesn't feel right, I'm going to stop that day's workout instead of pushing through it and icing it afterwards since there's a key race coming up soon. And if I do feel good, I'm going to run hard and not worry about conserving energy for a race the following morning.

Considering that I was never an “athlete”, never truly talented, I spent too much time in my younger years devoting time and energy to competition ( for various sports) and training for such. This, as experience and wisdom ( some anyway) has taught me, was at the detriment of family, friends, relationships and career opportunities.
If I had the time again, I’d be making the same decision that I ultimately made, and that you are making now, much, much earlier. In fact, if I’m honest, I doubt that I’d go down the competitive route at all. What did I gain? Apart from a few plastic trophies, and a handful of memories, not much. Even friends from those years are long gone, moved on to other things.

When I’m out on one of those “leisurely” sessions that you are looking forward to, or a long walk, I often think of what I would do differently, if I had my time again. And I always come back to the same conclusions that you are arriving at. I missed out on so much going down that road…

Even my body ( as I’m now in my mid fifties) reminds me what poor decisions I made back then. I wake up in the morning and roll a dice to see what part of my body aches that day. Injuries were part of the reason that prompted me to change direction in my late thirties / early forties. I say this because it was a bit like withdrawal from an addiction. It didn’t happen overnight…so be warned. There will be times when the competitive fires reignite slightly, prompting you to question your decision, as you are doing by writing this post. But trust me, they go away. Just focus on what you benefit from not going back. Eventually those fires get lower and lower.

Not having to compare yourself to others, or standards, or meet training deadlines, is likely a weight off your shoulders. It’s actually quite liberating. It is certainly less stressful.

Good lick with the next chapter of your life. Go and have fun with it.

The other thing to ask yourself is…

Who apart from yourself actually CARES about your times, race placings or medals / trophies.
In my experience, it was just me, and a handful of friends who did the same activity that I was participating in at the time, whether that was running, soccer, fitness events etc. Usually then it was only talked about for bragging rights, so everything was dictated by ego. Learn to control the ego and the whole process of letting go will be easier by far.

In that regard, the person closest to me, my wife, who had no interest in my athletic endeavours, made it easier. She threw out all my old medals and trophies because in her opinion they took up too much space and were cluttering the place. After the initial shock, I kind of agreed with her and never looked back.

Yeah, I'm sure your medals were taking up so much space . . . you let your wife do this?

Do you let her pleasure the neighbor too while you watch?

You don't agree, you are just afraid of your wife.

This is a Grass is Greener situation i.m.o.

If you'd kept at it, as I wonder about myself sometimes, in my twenties say, I could've theoretically been world-class at [insert physiological competitive advantage I have over 99% of humans]...

But I don't think I would appreciate those who *did* spend their twenties/thirties running 100mpw etc. to get to where they are today, or at least I wouldn't appreciate their performances as much as I do now.

I really believe the way society/social media is moving, too, is away from over-specified/specific sport events and towards wellness/balance programs. But wtf knowss.

I'm an absolute shell of my former competitive self. Besides the enjoyment and fulfillment I get from running, the main reason I stay in "BQ shape" is the health benefits of exercise. I stepped away from the sport for a few years and I gained a lot of weight and my health suffered from all of the empty calories and lack doing enough physical stuff. It's just too easy for me to skip one too many days of exercise without some type of goal to keep me out on the roads and in the gym.

This is true of every hobby/personal interest activity. Nobody cares about your wood working, or painting, pottery, or golf, or PRs at the gym, hikes covered, mountains climbed, whatever...

Runners are a self hating lot and think these thoughts and "revelations" are unique to them.

Go for a run, enjoy being outside in nature, run with some friends and enjoy their company. If the competitive spirit hits you again at some time, you can then enjoy the process of getting your fat butt in race shape.

To be honest…I probably am…

But so would you be…I bet she’d kick your skinny a*s. 😂

The neighbour says hi…

Keep in mind that the line of demarcation between serious competitor and hobby jogger isn't as distinct as you may think.

I'm in my late 40s and my PRs are probably older than you are. I did the whole cross country and track thing from junior high through college, and seriously hobby raced marathons for several years after that.

Now as an old guy, I am absolutely, unmistakably a hobby jogger. Yet I still race about 30 times a year. It's great fun, and that's the whole point.

I have a friend my age who always seems to be right around my speed and fitness level, and we have a great time competing with each other in local races. Sometimes I beat him, sometimes he beats me. The results themselves do not matter at all, but we like the challenge, the competition, and friendship.

That's what I meant when I said enjoy the process. If it's only about times and PRs, you aren't going to find it fulfilling for very long. Absolutely no one cares what times I run or how I place. When I win an age group award, it gets thrown in a box and I never look at it again. Those things are not the point.

Fun, challenge, and friendly competition is the point. I still really enjoy the process. The actual results? Absolutely no one cares.