Welcome to the asylum, sorry meant run club 👍🏻

The biggest lie I tell myself? If I have a day off from running, I’m suddenly not a runner anymore. I know it’s nonsense. I know rest days matter. I know strength training helps keep me running longer, stronger, and hopefully in one piece. But my brain seems to be wired a little differently… probably held together with old race bibs, energy gels, and questionable decisions. As an older runner, I’ve learned that recovery isn’t optional anymore. Gone are the days when I could smash out a run, sleep for six hours, and wake up feeling brand new. Now my hamstrings send formal complaints, my calves hold grudges, and getting out of a chair after a long run can feel like an extreme sport. I know I need the rest days. I know I need the strength work. Yet part of me still looks out the window thinking, “You could just squeeze in a few easy KM’s And when I’m injured? That’s when the real battle begins. Logic says rest. Experience says rest. My body definitely says rest. But my brain is over in the corner shouting, “Maybe just a little run…” The truth is, being a runner isn’t about running every single day. It’s about showing up consistently over time, even when that means lifting weights, stretching, recovering, or doing all the boring stuff that keeps you moving. Especially as we get older. It’s a vicious circle in my head, but I’m learning that sometimes the strongest thing a runner can do is not run. Now, if you’ll excuse me, I’m off to convince myself that a rest day doesn’t mean I’ve been kicked out of the Eat Cake Run Club 😂

@Valarie Wofford I used to believe you couldn’t walk in a race either. Then one day I was plodding up a hill, still technically running, and all the people I’d passed earlier came cruising past me… walking! That was the moment I realised maybe I’d been doing this whole hill thing wrong. These days I walk most big hills in races. It’s the perfect time to eat, have a drink, take in the scenery, and pretend I’m making a tactical decision rather than avoiding an argument with my legs. I also catch myself looking at old times and thinking I’m a lot slower than I should be, or slower than I used to be. But like you said, training for endurance is a completely different game to training for speed. The goalposts move, the priorities change, and sometimes being able to keep going for hours is far more impressive than knocking a few seconds off your pace. I did manage to beat my 5K PB this year, but I’m fairly certain it nearly killed me. The recovery plan afterwards was somewhere between lying on the floor questioning my life choices and wondering if I should notify my next of kin. So maybe there’s a reason I’m focusing more on endurance these days! Although my brain still likes to remind me of that every now and then… the little weirdo. Sorry for the long reply 😂

Some days I just need to escape my own brain, so I lace up and get out the door. The first few KM are the warm-up and the therapy session rolled into one. Most days I do a few stretches and dynamic movements before I run. Nothing fancy, just enough to remind my hamstrings and calves that we’re about to do something voluntary. As I’ve got older, skipping the warm-up has become a dangerous game of “what’s going to tighten up today?” The run is for my mental health. The warm-up is for damage limitation. Running Weirdo life.

You smashed it, it has been super hot and not the best to run in, let alone do a triathlon🔥

Mate good to see you back on the trails👍🏻