What do runners do when they "retire"?

Some former runners I know have taken up other sports, cycling in particular. That seems to be a popular alternative.

lots of different things, become coaches, Triathletes for fun, weekend warriors etc. For myself many have asked...are going to try for 2004?....you should you can make it. That is really inspiring. I makes you think about giving it one more shot! But I think about the time you have to put in just to get to that elite level is whooooo. Priorities change quik when you have a family.

Limp alot.

Get fat! Your appetite stays the same, you're just not burning the calories anymore.

Damn it! Where did I put those Chili Cheese Fritos?

After hobbling through ten miles of the Oly trials marathon in '92, I decided to quit "cold turkey." (I had a severe metatarsal stress fracture at the time, which made the "decision" relatively easy.) I did little or no running for the next five or six years. When I returned to running, I quickly upped my training quantity and intensity, and got very serious about it again for about a year, but was a bit discouraged by the results, which were decent for a "master," but not what I expected. (Apparently, age makes a difference.)

For me, the difficulty is in getting comfortable with a moderate level of running or other exercising. (Grete Waitz used to say that, for her, it had to be all or nothing.) I remember talking to Ron Dawes ("The Self-Made Olympian") about all of this shortly before his untimely death. At the time, he was really enthusiastic about cross-country skiing, because you could totally trash yourself in training without getting injured. (Actually, he said that you could "kill yourself" in training without getting injured, but his words took on an unfortunate irony a few months later.) Typical attitude for a life-long hard-core endurance athlete.

I have an exercise retirement program ...

At about age 36 to 39 I will get into triathlons and multisport. You don't need as much talent for this - just throw money at it for 'fast' equipment. Your running should have you strong. I will also spend time doing weights so I can wrestle with the growing kids.

(You don't wan't your 10 year old beating the crap out of your old runners frame)

I was a "Cold Turkey" offender! I basically hung them up in June 1996, after failing to get an Oly trials qualifier in the steeple, I supposedly had a provisional time at 1500, I ran 3:43 flat at Santa Monica? After years of eating raman and scrapping by, which was easy to do when I was single, but not something I wanted to put anyone else through, it was really not that hard of a decision. And speaking of BlackJack, Arizona will now have BlackJack and i have my audition to be a BlackJack dealer the 1st week of December, I work for Casino Arizona and they offered free BlackJack dealing classes to all the employees who wanted them, so hopefully i pass my audition and get hired on to deal some BlackJack, then I can make some serious bling bling. but back to the running aspect, I do need to get back to at least doing something, just for my general health and to keep my mid section in check, I find it hard to jog, probably more of a mental thing, on the occasion I do go for a run the ol' flashbacks start playing their evil games with me and I run too fast for my fitness level. The masters is still a few years away (I am 37) but not likely, but who knows, I would have my work cut out for me, I would have to drop about 35 pounds to get back to my old racing weight of 140.

Some runners start up DJ services and print laughable business cards saying that they are available for public appearances. These same retired runners like to post messages on Letsrun about how much $$$ they made while running when everyone that trained with them knows they don't have two nickles to rub together and that their parents are still flipping the bill.

Stay in school kids. Retiring from running before you even start is the best financial advice I can give you.

Retire? Real runners don't retire.

Chucko,

great response.

Chucko wrote:

Retire? Real runners don't retire.

When I stopped competing, I referred to myself as a "retired" runner somewhat in jest. Being a runner seemed so much a part of who I was that I really didn't think that I could ever truly see myself as an ex-runner. As time went on, however, I found that it was very healthy to think of myself as a "retired" runner, in part because it gave me the freedom to return to the sport on my own terms if I so chose. One great thing about retirement is that it doesn't have to be forever.

I guess I was never a "real" runner after all,hmmmm started competing when I was twelve and tried to run as fast as I could through thick and thin,til I was 31, part of a state championship high school team, JUCO All American, full ride to a D1 school,and an Olympic trials qualifier, your right Chucko I guess I was just a "faker"?

Ok, if real teachers don't retire they just lose their class, then what happens to real runners???

Quite simple they write books on training philosophies that they themselves did not use.

Personally, when I retire I'm going to write a book called "Handing Yourself Victory." The number one principle of this guide to training is when your legs start feeling tired you should run on your hands for a while to save energy. It takes a little bit of practice and some strength but the benefits are tremendous. By taking walking on my hands breaks at regionals last weekend I set a 28 second pr in the 10k!!!

Wrong, the correct answer is that they con folks into sending them money for coaching over the internet. They may also get jobs in shoe stores.

My advice to runners who quit would be to keep jogging a little bit, but regularly, if for no other reason than to stay decently trim. Then, when the inevitable time comes that you decide to make a comeback (I bet 90% of runners try to make a comeback) it's not so difficult and you don't have so much weight to lose. And if you never do make a comeback, at least you are staying in decent shape with something that comes fairly easily to you.

bump. Doesn't anyone know what elite athletes do after running. I have not heard of many being succesfull at anything besides maybe earning more appearance money from races they already won.

when i read the topic, all i could think was:

"they don't go to heaven where the angels fly"

I think retire is the wrong word here. I think you mean you quit at age 31.