Psychological support needed (Read 764 times)

Browse this thread...... you'll see a lot of people who are much more healthy since running and I bet there are a lot of marathon finishers in there too. Before and NOW pictures! You will get a lot of advice here but the most common and best advice is Listen To Your Body, it will tell you when you are doing too much. Jason

Urano....if you asked 100 different people what they thought, you'd get a hundred different thoughts. But none of those thoughts are your thoughts. Thank those people for their input, solicited or not, and then use your mind and thoughts to determine what's best for you. People, and their ideas, come into our lives for a reason. Mostly we'll never know what that reason was, but many times we do. Likewise, you have come into their lives for a reason. Just maybe that reason is to show the good things that running can provide.

Hi, I'm 40, started running a little bit more than a year ago, really enjoy it, and plan to keep running "forever". The reason I'm writing now is because I need some "positive" arguments to convince my family. I'm the only runner in my family and I get the feeling some of my relatives think I'm not "normal" Just to "help", my doctor told me that running more than 3 times per week is not too good, the pharmacist told my wife that the human body is not "built" for running a marathon, and if that wasn't enough today my wife's gymnastic teacher told her that I'm too old to run the distances I'm doing, that she knows somebody who was preparing for a marathon and almost finished in a wheel-chair ... Guys, help ! Rafa

Your wife's gymnastics teacher? What is she 13? And the gymnastics teacher is saying that you're too old. That's rich. Here are my thoughts: Your doctor is a clown who obviously subscribes to Runners World. The pharmacist is sampling the products. 10-1 says either the doctor or the pharmacist is overweight (the body is not "built" to carry that extra poundage) and/or smokes (the body is not "built" to snarf on carcinogens). If the body is built to do anything, it's built to run. Before my great great great uncles and aunts invented the wheel, that's how we got our food and avoided getting eaten. You didn't have to be fast, just faster than the person next to you. So run. Run run run as much as you want within reason. Sorry, your wife's gymnastics teacher? Really? I thought I'd seen everything with Mary Carey taking ballet on Celebrity Rehab (is the body built to watch VH1?) Where's Long Run Nick when you need him?

I believe it was in 1983 or 1984; they had a race in Australia between Sydney and Melbourne--it was something like 580 miles or so. They had all the famous ultra-marathon runners from all over the world came to run this race (a big prize money). They had a 63-year-old man entered this race. He started running like 3 or 4 years earlier (but was a sheep farmer so quite active I would assume). Clif Yound, I think, was his name. Now, you've guessed it; yes, he won the race. The thing was; while most of the contenders were getting 8~10 hours of sleep a night, he kept on running with something like 3-hours-a-night sleep. He had 30-mile lead on the first day and he won it by something like 30-miles. The following year, he married to a girl who was 24 years of age. If this is not a good reason to keep on running, I don't know what is...

You've come to the right place for help on this subject. I did some internet research and came up with the following from a very good source. Because it's great being fit Because on a "good run" the feeling is absolutely fantastic Because you want to find where your limits are Because it's a very good way to burn the stress of your work Because not being fat is not necessarily equivalent to being fit OK, I stole all of them from your profile. They happen to be excellent reasons, and easy for you to remember. Maybe most important of all, you're setting an excellent example for the handsome young men flanking you in the photo. When somebody tells them that running isn't good for your body, they can say "but I personally know a healthy old guy who's really happy..."

Hang in there, Rafa! I get negative comments, too. So weird! Fortunately, my husband supports me, so I have it easier than you. I agree with BadDawg - just keep thinking of your boys to motivate you. All 3 of my kids (9, 12, and 15) are running now. The 12-year-old is overweight, but he keeps plugging! He's so proud of himself when he runs 3 miles. I don't see how anybody could see that as a negative! The other thing you could show your wife is a listing of marathon results. It always amazes me to see the NUMBER of people that are running, as well as their ages! You're not some oddball doing this - lots of other people run! Good luck! Teresa

Get a new doctor for starters... I had bad knees until I STARTED running. 40 is old if you are sedentary. It is young if you are a runner. I plan on running until I die. If I live to 120, then I will stop running and live out my years on the porch rocking chair. To old for the distance...that's rich...the older people tend to do MORE distance. MTA: But the sad truth is you will NEVER convince people. Just smile and say "Thanks for your concern!"