Another guest post:
“Ever wondered what happens to those of us from the ‘running field’ who drop off the radar? I was doing a little navel-gazing (and also perhaps feeling a little sorry for myself) when I thought that it might be a cool way to give a sort of ‘adieu’ and to let others know what happened to that ‘old guy’ (heading into his 73rd year on this rock) who used to be seen regularly at races, biking and pounding the pavement.
This is how it breaks down:
In the UK, biked and played field hockey, ran track and cross-country. In Canada, went on to middle-distance running, plus a few marathons, including Boston. My times weren’t bad but
marathons just didn’t do it for me. Added triathlons to running throughout the ’80’s & ’90’s and then focussed on Duathlons – (run-bike-run) – participating / winning local, provincials, national and international races. For more than 25 years either qualified for or participated in World Championships as a member of the Canadian National Duathlon Team.
So what? Well, at the end of last year everything came to a ‘grinding’ halt – (pun intended). Knee gave out and now scheduled for surgery – TKR (total knee replacement). That’s an end to running days but that’s not where this story ends………..
While crying over a couple of beers, it wasn’t until I looked back over my log books for the past 50+ years that I realized that I have almost 113,000km logged – that’s about 3x’s the circumference of
the earth – and I have never even been considered to be a distance runner!
Time for reflection. Would life have been better had I not ran so much? Would I have preferred to have been, like so many others, a late starter at running, to ‘save’ my legs? – Not on your life!
I’ve experienced what it is like to run fast. Those times don’t come when you start running later in
life. I’ve had the (humbling) experience of running with some really talented athletes. I’ve had the
privilege of meeting and learning from an eclectic mix of athletes and experienced the buzz and thrill of participating in world championships.
So what’s the take away from all of this? Would I have done things differently if I had I known what was in the cards? – Not a chance! – As has been the mantra for many others in similar situations, ….. “rather be a ‘has been’ than a
‘never was’.”
So what now? Well, there’s a lot to be shared with both younger runners coming into their own as well as late starters; what can be done to protect and maximize what you have; how to increase your (hidden) potential; how to extend your participation in sports; but most importantly, the benefits of having more than one card in your hand – cross train and have other options to fall back on when injured or in need of a rest.
The cathartic experience of giving back and sharing knowledge with others is invaluable and can be a game changer for all parties.
So what’s my plans going forward? Where I can, give back to the community, continue with (road) biking and other pursuits and take up some new challenges. Swimming has always been my weak suite; – (I could ‘fake it’ in sprint triathlons by catching the rest of the field in the bike and the run and still end up on the podium!) Now I’m looking forward to spending more time improving my open water swimming in the Pacific off the coast of Mexico.
When you next see the ‘old guy’ go by on his new-found toy, an e-bike, don’t knock it. Yes he’s a ‘has been’, but we all get there.”
Once an athlete, always an athlete. Way to go Derek!
See you at the pool.
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