Superaging: Spilling over tea/coffee April 2017

~ Chocolaterunsjudy

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Mostly I’m thinking about my last race today. Not so much in a “I should have done this” or “I should have done that” sort of way. More in a “I’m just kind of shocked” kind of way.

Have I ever told you the story of my engagement to Mr. Judy? I don’t remember (guess there goes the superaging thing). Well, the short of it is we got engaged, many years ago, around my birthday. It was a rather unplanned proposal, no ring involved, nothing like what they young’uns get up to today.

When I got home (we live about 400 miles apart at the time), Mr. Judy-to-be called me to ask if I’d told my parents. I hadn’t told anyone. I wasn’t sure it was real.

Yeah, that’s how my PR feels.

Confessions of a Mother Runner

Today I am joining up with Coco and Deborah for their ultimate coffee tea date.

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Shocked at the finish; yup!

If we were enjoying high tea . . .
I’d tell you that I am still rather in shock over my PR in NOLA. I think a lot of thanks goes out to Rachel @ Runningonhappy. Sure, I did the work, but she was able to push me without pushing me right over the edge. She was always there to listen, and knowing I’ve struggled with injuries, she was always asking if the paces felt right.

Most of all, she believed in me. Maybe more than I believed in myself! I knew I’d put in the work, but I have always sucked in heat and humidity. I guess now I can lay that one to rest! I know that on a day about 20 degrees cooler, if nothing had gone wrong, this most likely would have been an even faster finish time.

If we were enjoying high tea . . .
I’d tell you that I also believe that those last few overdressed runs helped a lot. Sure, they couldn’t even come close to duplicating the humidity that I faced on race day but . . . they got me somewhat comfortable with being uncomfortable.

We’ll never really know, but I don’t think I’d hesitate to do the same things again facing the same circumstances.

If we were enjoying high tea . . .
I’d tell you I don’t know what finish time Rachel was actually targeting for me. I didn’t do the math, and thankfully she gave it to me in paces, not overall time — which is what I prefer. I know that it was faster than what my actual time ended up being.

I told her I wanted to target a PR for this race. Given the flatness of the course, I knew it was possible. That doesn’t mean I expect every half this year to be a PR (I don’t).

If we were enjoying high tea . . .
I’d tell you that they say that new runners, no matter when they start, have about 10 years to improve their times, and then it’s downhill from there. I’m about 8 years from when I started to run. I do wonder about  how long I can improve (and there’s that pesky age thing, too).

If we were enjoying high tea . . .
I’d tell you that this last half actually approached the finish time I’ve said I would need to be able to do to even consider running a marathon.

Having just put that recent finish time in a calculator, and come up with a potential time of 5:30 for a marathon . . . no, I still don’t think I want to run for that long. Plus I know that those calculators lie!

Now, I know all sorts of people take much longer to finish a marathon. And that’s fine and dandy. I simply do not want to run that long. I’m not saying never, but with aging parents and furkids, I don’t see my time freeing up anytime soon. A half is doable even when your life is kind of stressful and crazy. I think a marathon might end up being just one more stressor right now.

Don’t worry, I definitely have no plans to run a marathon this year. I’m way too busy running halfs

If we were enjoying high tea . . .
I’d tell you I don’t know if I have what it takes to be a SuperAger (just google it, if you’re interested).

Talk about them seems everywhere these days, and while yes, staying active is one of the things I do to try to age well (eating healthy is another thing), I’m not sure I really push myself enough mentally. I don’t really play brain games, I no longer knit, I’m not learning a new language or instrument . . . is blogging good enough? Probably not.

Maybe I can just be a good ager.

Tea? Iced Tea? Coffee? Decaf? Or something else?

Does it matter to you how long you’re out there running?

Do you wonder about how long you can improve?

Seen all the news about the SuperAgers lately?

38 thoughts on “Superaging: Spilling over tea/coffee April 2017”

  2. I have wondered how long I can improve. I started running 2 years ago at the age of 52. I had a 5k on the bucket list. Followed a training plan for some who never ran in her life. I needed up doing two 5k’s that year. Last year was my first 10k, two more 5k’s, a 4 miler & finished with the 5 mile Turkey Trot. I am still on the fence on doing a 1/2. I am not sure if my body can physically handle it. My goal is to continue running through my golden years!

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  3. congrats on that PR you earned it! I don’t want to run long enough to run a marathon either- I understand it completely! have a great weekend!

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  4. You really did kill that race! I’m so glad the coaching worked out for you. I don’t buy that 10 year on getting faster limit – I think it depends. I’ve gotten faster as I’ve gotten older because I’ve done more training to get faster. But now I don’t care about that as much so my paces are leveling off not because I’m older, but because it’s not my priority. Anyway, congrats again!!

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  5. Congrats on the PR!!! I struggle with whether or not I want to do a marathon. I think I do but then I think about the commitment to training and the time it will take. The marathon race it self doesn’t bother me it’s all the time leading up to it that keeps me away.

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  6. That’s a great NOLA picture, Judy! It sounds like you had a good fit with Rachel as your coach. Congrats on a well deserved PR! Regarding the marathon, I had the same time thoughts. I ultimately made the decision based on the fact that — if I was going to do one — I wasn’t getting any younger. My Sunday mornings are usually free so it didn’t seem I was taking away from anything else. And, being trained to run a lot of halves, it didn’t seem like that much more time. I know you are capable of going the distance. I’m just throwing this out there, realizing it’s not for everyone. Enjoy your weekend!

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    1. Right now, I can’t count on anything being free. We hope to get my parents’ house on the market by the end of the month . . . but even once that happens, for the time being, life is truly too precarious.

      It’s not a matter of finishing (but of course there is that, my body aches plenty just training for halfs), but I repeat: I do NOT want to run that long. I truly don’t.

      And if I ever do, I’ll have to find a flat course that’s open a long time in a great location. 🙂 Not Chicago; too big!

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  7. I’m with you on the marathon thing. It has nothing to do with time or speed. I don’t want to put that stress on my body. I want to run for a long time and I still plan to get faster. Though I may be delusional. PRs are just harder now but doable.;

    I’ve never heard of super aging. But a good aging sounds about right. I do do crossword puzzles, knit and play mah jongg to exercise my brain. This new job is certainly doing that as well.

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    1. I actually am just curious about the marathon thing. Maybe next year I’ll think about the 1812 Challenge. Except it’s in August, and I really do hate summer races. But people really like that one.

      That’s kind of how I eased into halfs; I just started doing longer & longer races.

      I think the whole 10 years things is an average, and like most averages, it applies to most people . . . but not all.

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  9. It was a good PR! Enjoy the sensation and accomplishment! You have a lot to be proud of because YOU are the one who ran it.
    And yes, it matters how long I’m out there running. I certainly wouldn’t want a marathon to take 6 hours, but if that’s what it takes, then that’s what it takes. (Does that even make sense, lol) But I’d really really want a burger and pizza afterwards, 😀

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    1. It kind of makes sense. 🙂 But you’ve got your own personal pacer! How fabulous is that? I’ve yet to run with a pace group (even though they had them in this race).

      There are lots of great bloggers who do MCM & hopefully you’ll get some meetups!

      My guess is you’re gonna be hungry for days afterwards . . .

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  10. Congrats on your PR! My PR is a few years old and I’m itching to get there again, but I’m just not at the same place in life that leads me to believe it’s on the horizon. We shall see! I’ve not read anything about superagers, but I’m googling it TODAY!

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    1. Usually the first half of a half is pretty fun. The second half takes a lot of determination!

      I do accept that I’ll never be anything more than an average runner — actually, below average. But that doesn’t mean I can’t improve, too!

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  12. Well, based on “what they say” and my recent stats …I’m on the downhill of my running career. 🙂 I’ve been running for right at 10 years and while I still enjoy it, I’m no longer obsessed with it like I used to be. I’m really ok with running a few times a week and an occasional half marathon here and there but that it. I really don’t see a full in my future for the same reasons as you …if I can’t finish it around 5 hours, I don’t want to attempt it. That’s just too damn long to be out there on my feet. lol

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  13. I think I plateaued earlier than 10 years LOL, but I also know I did a few half marathons at first, then started doing a lot of them (in each season). I never really trained for speed (or PR’s). I believe a lot of my PR’s have happened on days when all the circumstances were in my favor (easy course with great weather and optimal fueling, etc.). Sure, I did play a small part in the PR’s, but I really think it’s a package deal. Now days? I’m over the moon with a PR, but I don’t necessarily base all of my “running happiness” on them (nor do I expect them at each event).

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    1. I definitely don’t always expect PRs, even if I train for them. But I know that eventually the training will pay off (even if it’s not a PR down the road).

      I’ve got a couple more years before I hit the 10 year mark, though. 🙂

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  14. Agree that marathon training takes a lot of time and dedication. Glad I’m doing them now while I’m still single!
    I’m a back of the packer myself, so my runs take quite some time. Just gotten used to it I guess. I’m happy as long as I can run! 🙂

    Cnongrats on your NOLA PR, way to go!!!

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    1. Thanks, Shannon!

      I’m used to being BOTP, and that doesn’t bother me (too much). It’s not a matter of being ashamed of my time or anything like that — just not wanting to run that long, is all!

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  18. I love your engagement story analogy to your recent half PR and how neither seemed real. 🙂 I’m pretty sure there are no PR’s in my future, but I can push myself toward what I call age-adjusted “PR’s.”

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