"Over the past few years, I have spent many hours speaking with older runners about how to stay motivated and confident in trail running and ultrarunning after their fastest years are behind them. It can be a tremendous challenge for the seasoned long-distance runner to literally see the world pass them by. As an aging ultrarunner myself, I have experienced this challenge firsthand and have come up with three key things that can help us stay motivated and confident in our older years."
"A few years ago, I decided that the best way to do that would be to set goals that were still ambitious, but achievable. For example, last month I took part in the Jackrabbit Jubilee, a 12-hour timed event held overnight on a 500-meter track. I set a goal to run 50 miles and then walk the rest of the 12 hours. I thought that was a reach, but a realistic one."
"As a younger runner in the 1990s and early 2000s, I had many older mentors who shared with me their secrets and taught me the way of the trail. To this day, I am still indebted to these runners. As I have grown older, I've realized that I get energy from mentoring younger runners myself. Whether discussing gear and racing strategies or organizing in"
Many aging ultrarunners struggle to maintain motivation and confidence as peak performance declines and faster years pass. Setting ambitious yet achievable goals preserves drive by providing realistic challenges, such as targeting a specific mileage in a timed event and surpassing it. Mentoring younger, less experienced runners returns energy and purpose by sharing gear knowledge, racing strategies, and organizational skills that were once received from older mentors. Combining realistic goal-setting with community engagement helps sustain long-term enthusiasm for trail running and ultrarunning despite changing capabilities and competitive priorities.
Read at iRunFar
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