If you could never run again

The End of The World wrote:

Suppose you found out tomorrow that you were permanently injured and could never run again. Also suppose that it was an absolute certainty and that no amount of effort or will power would allow you to recover. What would you do? Would you consider suicide?

Running clearly has too much importance in a person's life if they would consider suicide over not being able to run.

I'd:

Play more piano (and keyboard)

Play more guitar

Do other forms of exercise

Write more songs

Enjoy the people I love

Get a Wii

Travel

Research MMA exercise and you'll find how challenging it is. It's not the same as running, but that doesn't mean it's worse either, just like nothing's the same as weight lifting. An example of an MMA exercise (brief one) is the following:

Pushups - 1 minute

Burpees - 1 minute

http://www.frixo.com/sites/fitness/exercises/burpee.html

lat pulldowns - 1 minute

foward lunges - 1 minute

Repeat the above in 45 second, 30 second then 15 second segments. All zero rest. Done in 10 minutes.

I would still believe that there was a way to run again...am currently going through that exact scenario, and have been clawing my way back for the past year. In the meantime, I have found other cross training that simulates (to some extent) the energy used in running - like the elliptical.

Ok all of you retards... Do you think Meb/Ritz/Torres or any of those other elites would kill themselves if they couldn't run anymore? Answer honestly, because I am as close to positive as possible (yes, neither me nor you knows for sure) that there is no chance in hell they would commit suicide if they found out they couldn't run anymore. So what makes you think you others out there have a valid case to do it?

Improve your lives, the world is a great place. It actually bothers me when I see people born into privilege here that can't enjoy life, when there are others around the world working incredibly hard, yet rarely get to experience joy.

You people should be ashamed of yourselves.

Maybe people would consider suicide because they never achieved the recognition in the sport they thought they could achieve, whereas Meb, Ritz, and Torres have achieved quite a bit of recognition. Just a thought, but that might be the source of incredible frustration for some.

i'd focus more on surfing like I wish I always could but running sent me far away from home to a school without a beach. Maybe I could even pick up some sponsorships like I had in highschool.

Well I know I wouldn't be too involved in a healthy lifestyle. When I don't run, I tend to hand out, drink a lot, etc... I ven tend to drift that way when I'm in between training cycles.

BUT if I could never ever run again, I think I'd try the bike and even look at Kayaking.

Look at the some of the great runners. They don't blow their heads off because they can't even run a 15 min 5k any more. Maybe you can go into coaching, that keeps you close to the sport w/o participating.

i would finally be happy to be doing it for me not my mother.

i would finally give the time to help myself instead of just trying to please her....

it would lift the world off my shoulders

Cycling with the "clip into the pedal shoes" gives me the next closest aerobic workout to running. I can pedal for twice as long time wise every day at 80 to 90% max heart rate and suck in the 02 like I'm in a race. What running does that cycling does not is it beats your legs up and also gives your upper body more of a workout than cycling.

XC Skiing probably would be even harder aerobically, but would still not give you that "beat up body" feeling that we all crave after running for a few years.

runhrd wrote:

......very dedicated, loyal-to-the-sport runner, which we're all "supposed to be" here on this site!!

For all of you that said they would move on, etc., why don't you MOVE ON off this site and get on a message board about something you love. Obviously running is not that important to you if you would consider moving on to something else IF you were injured.

If you truly cannot run then see what you think about moving on...........

So being able to move on with life after I'm no longer able to do the sport I enjoy means I'm not serious about it? Everyone here who is at least 14 years old has lost something in life that they loved. None of them have blown their heads off. Most of us still enjoy life. The fact that you are able to continue to lead a happy and fulfilling life after running does not make you a less serious runner It makes you a healthy person.

To answer the question for myself, I would continue to do all of the other things that I do now. I'd probably spend more time on music. I've played the guitar for a while, but have never really had the time to get to get to a level where I would feel good about performing or joining a band. With the two or three extra hours of free time, I'd be able to do this. I would miss running, but life would go on.

I would play as much paintball as possible with a full auto flatline A5.

my doctors tell me i am in that boat, so i just stay a fan and go on sites like this, hearing about others trying to pursue their dreams.

I would have all that unprotected sex that I've always wanted too. yeah it would be nice.

i'd grow up.

I'd coach other runners and become a Chess Grandmaster.

runhrd wrote:

......very dedicated, loyal-to-the-sport runner, which we're all "supposed to be" here on this site!!

For all of you that said they would move on, etc., why don't you MOVE ON off this site and get on a message board about something you love. Obviously running is not that important to you if you would consider moving on to something else IF you were injured.

If you truly cannot run then see what you think about moving on...........

Seriously? I have to believe you're a troll. Clearly YOU have never had a really bad injury. You're very lucky. I really hope that you never get hurt badly enough to end your running career. But if you did, and you didn't move on, you wouldn't be much of a human being. I've lost people I loved a LOT more than I could ever love a sport-- and I do love running-- and I'm still alive and going on. You do what you can. I had to take two years off of running due to a very bad injury, and I won't ever be able to run very far or frequently again, and I hate it, and it sucks, but you have to find something or you have no life.

The real question would be this!

Would you accept the curse of not being able to run again, ever... and breaking the world records in the mile, 5k and 10k

or

enjoy running for the rest of your life?

Drink...moreso

douchebaggery wrote:

i'd grow up.

Didn't happen to me--30+ years later, still injured and still immature as hell.

Yeah, I coached (not too successfully). Just another way of postponing adulthood (for me--maybe not for the good coaches).