Hello,
I am a 72 year old male and have been running since early 2001 when I started training with the Team-In-Training Group for the Marine Corps Marathon. My wife and daughter talked me into it and I’ve never stopped running.
We just finished our 4th annual ultra on June 3. It is called Tom’s Run Relay and is run on the C&O Canal Trail from Cumberland, MD to the Bethesda Naval Hospital in Bethesda, MD. Total distance is 200 miles and is run continually through the day and night from the start to finish. Our team splits the 200 into 4 fifty mile segments.
So you have one person per segment running and the rest of the Segment Team is riding their bikes. When the runner gets tired they swap with a biker and we keep going. Normally you’re out there for about 6 or 7 hours. Rain, bugs, humidity, heat, night time, etc. This year turned out to be my best of 4 years. I ran faster (9:38) and further (10 miles) than any previous “Run” AND I had more to offer; had no pains in my bad knee (cartilage mostly gone); thoroughly enjoyed the event.
I started practicing ChiRunning after my one daughter told me about it. She is a repeat Ironman participant. Then I bought the book. Next it was the CD’s and then the DVD’s. We have two copies of the book and I listen to the CD’s continually on my way to and from work. I have about a 45-minute drive twice a day. I must admit that it was very frustrating at first but then I bought a metronome and it all started to come together. The Gradual Progress improvement is very noticeable.
Like you, I find the metronome to be the one thing that has helped me the most to progress in my running more than any one thing that I’ve done.
Thanks
SK S
