I used to run.

Never liked to do so, but I ran.

I was never built for speed, but I ran stadium steps and did tons of line drills. Walking lunges, even carrying weight plates, were also part of my training regimen.

With a good jump, I could go from first to third with correct form, but I never had the jets to turn on rounding second base. So I mostly stayed put and hoped a teammate would drive an extra-base hit in the gap so I could jog home.

Of course, all of that scampering occurred when answering machines, dot-matrix printers, dial-up modems, and bulletin-board systems were cutting-edge.

As my competitive sports days faded, I shifted to treadmills, ellipticals, and stair climbers at the gym. Fortunately, during this era, my bored self could watch as many as a dozen TVs in the gym while straining to meet timed goals.

Jogging? Never appealed to me. I deemed it voluntary running in place, but with scenery. Plodding with purpose just didn’t seem worthwhile. By the time I realized I wasn’t fit for jogging, I was usually too far from home to walk back, which was depressing. Also, hills don’t go away. They’re evil. They wait for you.

My conclusion was that jogging may indeed extend my life, but that extension was pretty darned close to the exact amount of time I’d spend jogging. So why torture myself?

My Last Run

In recent years, my knees creak just from standing, an action that elicits all sorts of effort-related noises. Last year — one full knee replacement. This year — the other knee. My running days are officially over.

That reality actually hit home a few years ago when I let my eager Labrador retriever (I believe that is redundant.) jumped out of the car after a long drive. He got away from me, heading toward a lake that I was sure was home to a family of gators. With rain hammering down, I sprinted after my boy, pleading/yelling for him to come back to me. Adrenaline kicked in, and my “sprint” advanced me about 20 yards before cramping and bone-on-bone pain stopped me in my tracks.

My wonderful wife, NOT suppressing laughter at my excruciating self standing in the middle of the lawn with torrents of rain coming down like an old cow peeing on a rock, calmly called her pup back to safety.

“You okay?” she asked after leashing her favorite breathing male in our family. I couldn’t move. Couldn’t fall down. Couldn’t scream. Couldn’t talk. After realizing that I was unlikely to become a permanent lawn fixture, my better-half and pup went into the house. About 20 minutes later, soaking wet, I limped into the house, humiliated.

From that moment on, realizing that pain and embarrassment were inevitable when I kicked it into gear, I walked. I officially chalked up my refusal to run as resistance training.

Later, after drying off and collapsing onto the couch, my darling passed by and said “bear” with a mischievous grin. Her one-word message was simple: Living in the NC High Country, where we occasionally see bears on our property (see right, October 2022), my better-half wouldn’t worry about such an encounter because she knows she could outrun me. Gotta appreciate that degree of true love.

I Get It

I have friends — both young and seasoned — who seemingly need to run. Their logic extends to an illogical thought process: “I’m tired. I’m going to go for a run.”

I admire their drive (Sidebar: Wouldn’t that be easier to get from point A to point B?), though I don’t understand them.

But I recognize the benefits.

Whether you prefer sprinting, long-distance running, or a more leisurely pace, any cardio that gets your blood pumping can strengthen your heart and build muscle. You don’t need to be a marathon runner to see the benefits; even a 10-minute jog each day is enough to improve your mental and physical health.

Running also supports weight management and offers mental health benefits such as reduced stress, improved mood (thanks to the runner’s high from endorphins), and enhanced cognitive function, all while potentially extending your lifespan. Even small amounts of movement — some studies suggest as little as 50 minutes a week — can reduce the risk of chronic diseases, making running a powerful activity for overall well-being.

While running is not an option for me these days, staying active — whether through walking or other forms of exercise — is sound advice at any age. The mantra is simple: move it or lose it.

Running Observations

Recently, I’ve spoken with young’uns we love who have taken to training for longer runs — 5K, 10K, and even a marathon. They are resolute that long training runs teach them how to handle suffering and push beyond their limits. Ergo, I suspect that running is cheaper than therapy. These discussions also disclosed that one cannot be a runner without the proper attire. True running aficionados must wear stylish shorts, top-brand accessories, and expensive shoes.

The mindset of these go-getters is inspiring. Their running efforts are not just about how far their legs and lungs can carry them. As much as anything, their training is about how far their minds can take them down the road. Moxie drives them. They don’t stop when they’re tired; they stop when they’re done. Impressive.

These seriously fit individuals are the select few who make it past the initial running stages and enter the realm of running for fun and competition, whether with themselves or others.

One of my relatively new-to-running devotees told me, “When your legs can’t run anymore, you run with your heart. The first mile sucks. Get through that, and you can run anywhere.”

Measured Activity

What was the one device familiar to runners of decades past? A stopwatch, of course.

Today, using a stopwatch to track time would be akin to using a paper notebook and a pencil to manage a complex project. The advent of modern smartwatches and smart rings has transformed running from an activity measured by time alone into one driven by data, detailed performance metrics, and sophisticated recovery insights.

Imagine the performance gains legendary runners like Jesse Owens, Roger Bannister, Joan Benoit Samuelson, Carl Lewis, Usain Bolt, Wilma Rudolph, and Paula Radcliffe might have achieved had they had access to such technology.

The introduction of the GPS running watch fundamentally changed the sport. Modern smartwatches have evolved into comprehensive health and fitness companions, offering metrics like heart rate, cadence, stride length, training load, stress levels, and even sleep quality analysis. These devices provide not only advanced metrics for distance, elevation, and routes but also motivation through in-app challenges.

Many runners use both: a dedicated GPS watch for detailed running metrics and a smart ring for tracking recovery metrics like resting heart rate, body temperature, and overnight sleep data.

Are there downsides to using this technology, which, like everything else, will only become more intelligent and sophisticated over time? (Wouldn’t it be cool if, one day, they could run for you?) The only con I can think of is that the endless stream of data (Garmin Gigabytes?) from habit-forming dopamine loops could lead to an obsession with numbers, which may detract from the simple enjoyment of running and listening to one’s body. Interestingly, my research on this topic revealed that some elite and recreational runners advocate occasionally ditching the watch/ring for easy, effort-based runs to focus on feel rather than pace.

Great Running Observations

Of course, I’m not the only observer who has studied those who must run through the lens of a non-runner. In addition to the familiar proverb and exercise motto “no pain, no gain,” here are some of my favorite reflections on running:

• I run every day for 15 minutes. If I miss a day, I simply add 15 minutes to the next run. This has truly been a game-changer. Tomorrow, I’m supposed to run for 33 months.
• You only grow in the discomfort zone.
• Never mess with a woman who runs 26.2 miles for fun.
• I don’t think jogging is healthy, especially in the morning. If morning joggers knew how tempting they looked to morning motorists, they would stay home and do sit-ups. (Rita Rudner)
• How do you know if someone ran a marathon? Don’t worry, they’ll tell you. (Jimmy Fallon)
• The quicker you run, the quicker you’re done.
• “It’s all downhill from here” is the best thing a runner can hear.
• Don’t be a jogger; they’re the ones who find dead bodies. (Amanda Brooks)
• Life is short; running makes it feel longer.
• Thank god for Facebook, or I’d have to call 150 people to tell them I ran today.
• The only reason I would take up jogging is to hear heavy breathing again. (Erma Bombeck)
• I like my morning run more than I like most people.
• Distance runners will know that special feeling. Most people won’t even drive 13 miles today.
• The race always hurts. Expect it to hurt. You don’t train so it doesn’t hurt; you train so you can tolerate it.
• Your body will argue that there is no justifiable reason to continue. Your only recourse is to call on your spirit, which, fortunately, functions independently of logic.
• You are one long run away from a good mood. Two long runs away from feeling like a superhero. Three long runs away from considering opening your own gym.

Lastly, my favorite observation comes from one of my all-time beloved social commentators, Will Rogers, who may or may not have been thinking about runners when he noted: “We can’t all be heroes because someone has to sit on the curb and clap as they go by.”

Will I ever get back out there, even at a plodder’s pace? Likely not. I’m pretty good at warming up my couch, remote in hand. I’m currently training my body to appreciate stillness.

That said, I wish all my running friends Godspeed, endurance to the max, and heart rates that stay steady and recover quickly.

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Addendum From LSomerbyCooke …

No article about running would be complete without Forrest Gump’s classic, “I just felt like running,” including his loop up into Grandfather Mountain, about two miles from my home. Run Forrest Run, indeed.