When did you start running?

Don't you get this question from time to time: "and so, when did you start running?" Every time, I have a bit of an hesitation. Unless you were born with a special condition, every kid has run at some point, without even thinking about it. Because, like Christopher McDougall remind us in Born to Run, humans are meant to run, and actually run quite well and for a long time. At least before the couch was invented and more digital progress after that, dang!

(Picture from: Brookes Publishing Co.)

I typically respond to the question with: "running seriously? Since I moved to California, at the end of 1998" and explain that, back then, we were supposed to stay in the Bay Area only for 2 years, on a international work assignment and, thinking that everybody was running in California (right? ;-) ), made a resolution to run one marathon before returning to Europe. 501 marathons and ultra marathons later, the passion isn't fading at all, on the contrary!

Running is really universal. Actually, when you look at race walking, not running, that is having always at least one foot on the ground, is really hard, running is way easier and more natural! Like horses would naturally gallop rather than trotting. Running can also be useful if you need to rush to a tight connection in an airport for instance. In other words, you don't have to be a runner to run.

For me, 1998 was really a tipping point because I switched from running occasionally and no more than once a week, to running almost every day. The difference was huge: when you run occasionally, your body and muscles quickly forget what it takes, you get sore and have to relearn on the next run, start from scratch again and again.

I started logging miles on a piece of paper on our fridge back in 1996, then in a spreadsheet when turning "serious" at the end of 1998 (4,630 entries and counting! And still doing it manually in addition to Garmin Connect and Strava tracking; albeit not manuscript like I think Camille Herron still do). It's January 15 and I already logged 209 miles in 2023, more miles than the entire year of 1996 (157) and as many as the whole 1997 (208). Time flies and I did make some progress, certainly running more seriously, for sure!

15 years and 715 blog posts later, I chuckle re-reading my very first post (Running: my genesis) which was about that question, the switch to serious running. And seeing Chihping's comment about his dream of running in the Alps, back in 2007: a dream he has more than fulfilled since, spending whole summers over there!

A companion question, which is more introspective, is: "how long can and will you keep running?" With my 2018 hamstring injury, which took almost 4 years to heal, I was so afraid to be done. It's not rare to meet running buddies who had to stop because of joint issues in particular (knees, hips, ankles), or concerns with their heart. To me, the question also came up when I got this mini stroke (Transient Ischemic Accident) when breaking that 31 year-old M50-54 American 50K road record back in 2016. Thankfully, I was only out for a month, toeing the line at the American River 50-mile shortly after. Some have not been that lucky. It's so easy to take running for granted when not injured. I'm certainly more appreciative after these few hiccups, trying to be more reasonable and less ambitious to avoid another injury. And yet, I love speed and pushing hard...

Persistence, motivation, resistance, are key factors for a sustained running career or passion. Some have kept competing through their younger years and lost the eagerness or appetite to keep pushing the enveloppe. Some started later. Helen Klein for instance, who just celebrated her 100th birthday, started running seriously at 55 then became an ultra running legend, setting many records, 5-year age group after age group, for decades! Bill Dodson set a few of the M80+ records after starting in his 60s. In our area, Mark Murray impresses me for his consistency on the marathon in particular, having stayed at the top of his age groups for 45 years! And Rich Hanna as well. A few years ahead of me, Mark Richtman was an inspiration, he left us way too early, and so mysteriously.

And, so, when did YOU start running?