You guys who critique me for the limitations of BMI aren't telling me things I don't already know.
It's no mystery why I focus on body weight and BMI. I have physical limitations that prevent me from training hard. Weight is just about the only variable I can control. So I think about it a lot. Since January 1, I have dropped my body weight from 184 to 157. Now my BMI is 18.6, so I can't lose much more--or maybe any more--without overdoing it.
So I have that one key variable, body weight, under control for now, although it wasn't easy for me to do that--not at all. (The people who say to me at parties, when people are talking about weight, "It's easy for you," have no idea. They just aren't willing to work out every day like I am, and lie in bed at night with their stomach growling, like I am.)
Also I spend a ton of time stretching and strengthening, in a vain attempt to "injury-proof" my body. I still have aches and pains everywhere, but I like to think my efforts help a little.
What's next? Running seems to be the one part of my training that I have least control over. Right now, I can't do any fast running. So I am focusing on trying to do some running every other day, just to stay in the game, so to speak. If this works, I plan to slowly increase my mileage, without doing anything fast.
Maybe someday I can try to run a race again. Right now I'm shooting for a 5K on Jan. 1. We'll see.
I like to read stories like KCgeezer's. I really do. But when you think about it, it's very different for someone like him than for someone like me. He starts up running again, has early success, and his efforts are validated. He gets faster and actually wins races. As he keeps getting validated, he is motivated to keep doing the hard work to continue getting better. It's not easy for him, and the improvement probably isn't a straight line, so I give him all the credit in the world. He's doing the work and getting the results.
Then there are people like me, who are perfectly willing to do the work, but they can't do the work. So they don't get the results, and no one validates their efforts. They focus on tangential stuff like body weight and BMI because that's all they seem to be able to control.
This isn't a "poor me" post, it really isn't. Because I am actually VERY HAPPY that I am still able to run at all. If I could run more, and run faster, that would be very nice. But I honestly enjoy trying to do the best I can with my very limited means. Because you know what? It's much more of a challenge. It's a physical challenge, because I have to listen to my body constantly and think about my stride, footfall, etc., to avoid getting (more) injured. It's an intellectual challenge to devise training routines that are hard enough to produce a training effect without injuring me. It's psychologically challenging, because in the external world, I'm not going to get validated like KCgeezer or Coyote Montane or Coureur des bois or any of the fast guys and gals here. I'm not going to win races or impress people with my workouts. I have to generate my own enthusiasm in order to continue doing the work. I do that by reading a lot of running books and articles, watching a lot of Youtube videos, and trying to educate myself about training methods.
Frankly, as older people who like to run, we are all in the same boat. My boat may just be a little leakier than most. I am sure the fast guys and gals have their own frustrations because they can't do things they used to do, or because they don't get the same results from doing things they used to do.
Anyway, as Forrest Gump said, that's all I have to say about that.