Running Toward The Fearless Fifty

There. I said it. Fifty. There’s a first time for everything right?

Young full-time RVer turns 50!
When we hit the road I was 38!

Yeah, that’s a significant number for me this year, and you can probably guess why (I was born in The Summer of Love). But instead of having the age fifty freak-out Jim predicted long ago, I’m going to prove him wrong. I’m going to embrace it, darnit.

To do that, I’ve decided that in my fiftieth year, I’m going to run the Colorado Marathon on May 5.

Coachella Canal training in my Topo running shoes.
Muddy runs are better than no runs.

There’s something about announcing my plans here in public that makes it so real (like our Dry Days Dryuary Challenge!). No going back now right? 

The training has added a whole new demand on our schedule, but I’m managing to deal with it. And I’m not alone either. Jim’s doing the race too, so I give him tons of props. He’s run faster and better than he has in his life. Not bad for a 52 year old guy eh? 

We couldn’t ask for a better place to get ready. Training in the desert is so much nicer than having to run in the city, although running along the Coachella Canal is quite rocky, and occasionally muddy.

Rene runs on the muddy Coachella Canal
Slogging through the mud after a desert rain.

But there are no cars, usually no people, and we can run all the way to The Slabs and beyond if we wanted, without thinking about anything but . . . running.

And when we return, FoY’s hot tubs await, along with huge breakfasts like this one Jim made me on Sunday. Training is hard and a pain in the ass, but being able to eat a huge meal like this, guilt-free, is totally worth it!

Guilt-free eating and marathon training
Running 12 miles or more means guilt-free eating!

We chose the Colorado Marathon because it’s in Fort Collins, one of our favorite places. It’s supposed to be a fantastic run down the Poudre and into Old Town. This should be tons of fun, right? Riiiight, I keep telling myself.

8 thoughts on “Running Toward The Fearless Fifty”

  1. Good for you guys, it’s great to set physical goals for yourself, nothing wrong with turning 50, I’d gladly turn the clock back to age 50 in a heartbeat. Our goal at age 50 was to do a Llama backpack into the Cirque of the Towers in the Wind Rivers Range of Wyoming, which we did. I felt really strong back then easily hiking 10 miles a day in the mountains and then going for a walk after dinner.
    Not quite the same as running a marathon. Good on you guys, running with that desert mud on your shoes is like running with ankle weights. One added benefit of the training is that it will force you to disconnect for at least that period of time each training day. Right foot, Left Foot, REPEAT 52,000 times.

    Reply
    • You hiked HOW MANY miles each day? At altitude? That makes a marathon sound easy my friend! Thanks for the inspiration, we’ll think of you and Nancy when we cross that line.

      Reply
  2. Hi Rene and Jim

    I too was on track to run my first marathon in Ottawa Ontario, It’s reckoned to be the flattest course in Ontario, at age 50 as well.

    Then an accident two weeks before the run , which resulted in a fractured skull , ended my running for three years, 10 years before I could ride a motorcycle. I the meantime I had a knee replacement , which ends running altogether as a pastime.

    I had run several half marathons and longer distances but never a full marathon. My running friends with much more talent advised this, if you can run a half in roughly 2 hours, you can complete a marathon if you pace yourself properly, try to pick a flat course and go with a pace setter if available. OH Yea, drink lots of water.
    It’s all about the pace.

    I am thrilled to hear you are going for it and I shall vicariously be right by your sides.

    Your Canadian Politico friend

    Gord

    Reply
    • Oh my gosh Gord I didn’t know that story! Yikes! You had quite a comeback after that accident, talk about strength and persistence. Wow! And don’t think that your non-marathon races don’t count, those are tough too.

      We picked a halfway downhill course in a beautiful place that means a lot to us, so it should give us the inspiration to train and actually finish. Right now we can definitely do a half in about 2 hours so I feel the marathon is doable.

      Thanks for the support!

      Reply
    • Thank you Michelle, you are a real confidence booster! I don’t usually announce things like this but I felt it was the only way to make it “real” so we don’t chicken out!

      Reply

Leave a Comment