Old Dudes: At what age did you start feeling old?

What do you consider old?

Not as much a physical thing. Just hit 40 and am running very well. Feel more beat up after hard sessions, but not a big problem yet. Started feeling old in my late thirties when the excitement in life just wasn't what it was when I was in my 20s. I remember doing things like going to concerts, skiing, staying out late at bars, buying my first car, taking my first non-family vacation, etc. and how exciting it all was. Now, I would rather have a root canal than have to deal with buying a new car. I get bored with going out and would rather be fresh in the morning for a run. Vacations are nice, but I spend too much time worrying about cost and dreading heading back to work. Life just lost the spark it had when I was younger. There are benefits to age. People actually listen to me and respect what I have to say. I have more responsibility and influence in my community. I understand how the world works and can better navigate life. I have the opportunity to help people who are younger than I am. But, I would trade that to get back that spark and energy of a 20 something. Nothing compares.

It's gradual, but nothing brings it home like when your kids are teenagers with seemingly perpetual energy and you need to take a break. Then, in their 20s, they can party late and you want to stop at midnight and get some sleep.

If I had to pick a number, it would be 45. By then, the idea of getting together with friends at 10:30 p.m. to go out clubbing seemed stupid, and too late to get started. Young people, and me previously, think nothing of it, seeing 10:30 p.m. to 2:30 a.m. as four good hours of fun. By 45, I disagreed.

Old = markedly less energy?

Old = less interest in past activities?

Old = less enthusiasm?

Old = Realisation that you will die?

Im 27 and dont know what this spark is that you older guys are speaking about. I started feeling old and broken down at around 21... thanks to early onset male pattern baldness. what a bitch.

What will most likely happen is that you will continue to feel older as the years go on and you'll look back at a time when you felt old and understand that you weren't really that old then. That is, at 43 you'll look at 33 and think that you were pretty young. At 53 you'll do the same about 43.

Really started to feel it this last year. I'm 26. Can still pound out the mileage, and do two workouts and a long run a week... But I used to be able to do a Tuesday workout, Thursday workout, Saturday race, and then a 20 miler on Sunday. Now I have to cut one of those out, and modify my weeks accordingly...

I'm 25. If it's a weeknight, I'll stay out drinking and smoking cigarettes until around 2-3 a.m unless I bring back a woman, in which case I'll not sleep much at all. Then I roll out of bed and work from 9 - 5 p.m. Usually around lunch I feel sorta tired but I just drink some coffee and it peps me right back up. What job do I have that allows me to show up to work shitcanned sometimes? Well, just your standard 40k a year office job. I don't save any money though.

After work I go run for an hour and do pushups, situps, pullups, and free squats for like half an hour. Then, I go to dinner with my friends and it starts again.

If it's the weekend I stay out at the clubs drinking until around 6-7 a.m. and then I go home. I don't work out unless I'm going to do a race. My last race was about 4 weeks ago and I ran 16:25. Sure, not the 14:40's I used to run in college but pretty good still.

That guy that is 26 and feeling old, I feel terrible for you. You must never get laid.

HRE wrote:

What will most likely happen is that you will continue to feel older as the years go on and you'll look back at a time when you felt old and understand that you weren't really that old then. That is, at 43 you'll look at 33 and think that you were pretty young. At 53 you'll do the same about 43.

.....and at 73 you'll do the same about 63...ad infinitum till you drop off the twig.

I'm 36, and the wheels have fallen off running wise. I was never one of those guys that never got injured, then after 30, the body starting revolting against hard training, or even large amounts of training. I retained some fitness for a couple of years, but I'm a slug now compared to my better days. I ran a 5k in 19:30 recently, and it was a little too hard to be proud of, but I did get under 20 minutes. Baby steps.

But, that being aside, the rest of my life I feel very young. I have MUCH more energy to do stuff than when I was training hard. Sex drive is greater. I have more energy to put into hobbies like learning the guitar. I love vacations now as I don't have to worry about getting a run in all the time. I put on 25 pounds, still look athletic, but am no longer accused of being "too" skinny and I can tell it helps in many areas.

I loved my running life, but I consider it over now, at least to do it as a daily experience. There is a lot to do in life besides running, and not running really helps finding those other things.

wheels fell off at 46. Up to then i was running well, and feeling good. I no longer run, I don't sleep well, and I have put on 20 lbs... Loosing my hair, and generally would rather would be somewhere else.

When my 8-year old daughter smoked me in a sprint (In my defense, she is quite fast). I was 40. As a kid, I was always fastest in my grade. I still can't get over how quickly the decline came.

Man, this is depressing. Have anyone of you managed to NOT feel old, stay relatively fast, and not gain weight in your late 40s, and into your 50s?

I just got back from 90 minutes in the gym. Tomorrow morning I will jog/walk for about 70 minutes. I have been aging for a couple of decades now but I did not think I was old until this year.

I have had an ablation to clear up atrial flutter. I tire quickly so I take a couple of 45 minute naps most days. I blame the fatigue on my medicine and allergies.

Life is still great fun!

47 was the age at which I started feeling like I could not recover and run the kinds of workouts I ran at 25. Most of my hair was gone before 30 so that was not an issue. I can still play and drink with the best, so life is pretty good after 60 :>)

As far as mixing it up on the open scene, if this what you refer to, it was age 35 for me.

I remember flying out to the River Bank Run 25k on the race director's bill and feeling a little guilty, like it shoulda been spent on a twenty-something fresh out of college and hungry. My third Olympic Trials run was over and I knew my last.

I started to feel silly for the first time in flashy short shorts and the hot, elite women began to look like kids that night at the bar (The Bob).

It was a long flight home.

I know some of you out there know what I'm talking about! Sooner or later you gotta accept and move on, but if your 25, live it up! Got news for ya' I started at 24. It's the best adventure I ever took and worth every magic moment along the way.

gccg wrote:

Man, this is depressing. Have anyone of you managed to NOT feel old, stay relatively fast, and not gain weight in your late 40s, and into your 50s?

I'm almost 49 now. I started running again with purpose about 5 years ago. I don't have the speed I used to have, but my stamina is MUCH better than I ever had. And I'm only about 10 lbs heavier than in college. The decline sucks, but running helps me stave off the even faster decline I see with my sedentary colleagues.

When your 24-year old girlfriend said let's do it again, I thought 'damn bitch, we've already done it 4 times. I ain't no spring chicken. Ernie can't contain you, why should I?'

I didn't want to carry the idea to its logical conclusion. But it's also worth noting that I think life is better know than it's ever been.