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Too Old to Run?
DS2
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We had some friends round for dinner at the weekend and my mates wife made us all laugh with some of her observations. We were talking about running and the subject of age came up. My wife and the other friends are all 43/44 but I'm 49 in April to which she was shocked. She is only 35, but then she made me feel really old by telling me that I was the oldest person she knew!!!
Then she asked what my plans were for my 50th and I told her I was going to run a marathon on the day to which she exclaimed 'No! You'll die!'.
She was, genuinely, surprised that I would consider doing this at such an advanced age.
Anyone else experienced such ageism?
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Comments
She's either a massive muppet or must be locked up in a cupboard all day. How can 49 be the oldest person she knows ?
I dont think its ageism. More that she's a f***wit ?
Good luck with the Marathon - sounds like fun.
I could go into a rant about how youth seems to be regarded as some sort of achievement in itself these days but I don't think it applies in this case. I'm with Cougie - she's a brainless twat - end of.
Millsy's suggestion is good though - also Fauja Singh.
I hope the rest of the conversation was more intelligent. I'm with Cougie on this one, she must be a f***wit
I'm only 39 and I've had folk say to me "Aren't you getting a bit old for all this carry on?" referring to my running and triathlons and suchlike.
Have fun doing your marathon
Hi all,
Thought that would provoke some interest
I think it was all said a bit tongue in cheek to bring a laugh from the assembled crowd at my expense but she was a bit shocked that I would attempt to run a marathon as a way of celebrating my landmark birthday.
I did point her in the direction of some fast runners on some of the forums on here. I forgot about Ed Whitlock! Hope I can think in terms of a sub 3 at 70!!!
Had the good fortune of meeting Fauja Singh at the Edinburgh marathon in 2005. What an inspirational man!
runs-with-dogs - I've heard that a few times. I feel a mixture of amusement and anger.
it's one of the things i like best about running. it's one of the only sports going where it's not necessarily a young man's game.
surely her parents must be older than that! silly woman.
I just did a cross country race at the weekend that had the majority of runners in the 40 and upwards age categories. some of them were in the 70 and 80 age categories!
a friend of mine just recently celebrated his 50th birthday by running 50 miles as part of his preparation for a 100 mile ultra next year.
tell her at 49 you're just getting warmed up. . . .
dude - totally agree and it offers each and every one of us whatever we want from it. I have played team sport all of my life but always enjoyed running, either alone or with company. I can decide how hard I want to train, what my goals are etc. And when I achieve my goals the achievement is all mine. Sometimes it's just about the joy of running. Since I've been running regualrly again I've never felt better - years younger. I can't see that I'll ever stop now and that seems to be the way for many on these forums!
Max's Mum - Some things get better with age! Like a good wine!
Still, at least she was surprised at my age - must be looking ok and, therefore, doing something right!
Your older and wiser. I don't know if its because footballers & olympic stars tend to retire in their early 30s that the genral public tend to think you can't take part in sporting activites beyond your mid-thirties.
Its not even non-runners, I remember chatting with another runner during a half-marathon and he'd decided to complete a half-marathon before he was "past it", which turned out to mean 30!
Ask her what her 10k time is. Bet that shuts her up.
my parents both run and both are in their mid 50's,
I can still manage a few miles and I am in my late 50s, truly remarkable at our age
I bought my first pair of running shoes on my 50th!! I haven't looked back!!!
Since I fitted a mirror to my bike's handlebars I haven't looked back.
Was she blonde DS2?
JF50 - I started at 31, I'm 58 now, and just in the foothills of a comeback from injury sustained in February, but as Ron Hill says at the end of "The Long Hard Road" - "there is no end - I will never stop running and competing"
Birch I am with you, well one year ahead actually. I couldn't imagine a week without a long run and a few shorter ones to break the week up.
There's clearly no hope for me. I was 39 when I started running....I don't know *what* I was thinking....
Iprobably bought a sports car or something stupid being a bloke!!!
I have got a guitar, several actually, I play if I don't run!
I hope when I'm that old I'm trundling along happily
Two names: Jenny Wood Allen and Fauja Singh...
Almost certainly - need to be careful though since there tend to be more than a few teachers on these forums!
Was giving this some thought. No-one older seems that surprised but I was thinking when I was 30ish what I remember and maybe it's only once we get older we realise what we are capable of. Since I've always run to verying degrees it's still natural to do it. I think it's quite something when someone decides to do it for the first time later in life, but then again until they try it how do they know what they can do. Perhaps it stops us putting limitations on ourselves?
To be honest the comment she made sounds like an insult & no one should be mocked for doing something with their life, does she actually do anything or just trades insults out of jealousy? Next time she asked to come round for dinner i'd tell her to fook off.
Crikey, there are some touchy folk around.
Sounds to me like she was enjoying some boozy dinner table joshing at the expense of the original poster. I'm fairly sure she didn't mean any of it, especially the bit about "oldest person i know"