Why I Stopped Running Marathons

Since the San Francisco Marathon, I felt ambivalent toward
running.  Late 2015, thanks to running and diet, my weight
dropped to the low 140lbs and the lightest since college.
Injuries, however, took the joy out of the sport. I tried
cycling and restarted swimming, hoping to come back to
the game and be able to run faster. But over time, running
slowly lost its appeal.

For me, running long distances brings bragging rights but does
not seem functional. It doesn't transfer useful skills to my daily life.
As a means of commuting, for example, it would be too slow and
carrying weight, e.g., a laptop, while running sounds no fun. It's
one thing to enjoy a weekend long-run and occasionally a marathon
but quite another to try to live like a Tarahumara in Silicon Valley.

Compared with weight training, running long distance is a luxury
in many aspects. Running costs more money and much more
time. A couple of KTBs would last forever but running shoes
and apparels need constant replacement. I want to train like
a soldier without the luxuries of an athlete.

More importantly, running doesn't deliever the results I want.
Through KTB training, I have discovered a true passion: to
be strong. Since 2016, I have improved to 24kg and learnt
more about my body. Strength and flexibility training felt so
right. The StrongFirst motto strikes home: be whatever you
want to be, but be strong first.

This March, to remodel a bathroom, I hired my wonderful
neighbor, Fausto, as contractor. I myself didn't have the
know-how in the first place and some tasks were not one-man
jobs.  A very thought-provoking event, however, was for the
two of us to lift one 200+ lbs slab of stone. "It's too heavy,"
Fausto predicted, "We'll need to hire someone from HomeDepot
(parking lot)." I proved him wrong. Even if (or maybe because)
I could run 26.2 miles in less than 3hrs, I wouldn't have been
able to help lifting that stone.

[7grizzly]

回复 '北美大一叔' 的评论 :
Thanks for stopping by. I was inspired by "Born To Run."

[北美大一叔]

Barefoot marathon! You are strong!

[7grizzly]

回复 '暖冬cool夏' 的评论 :
Thanks for letting me know and I welcome comments.

Keep writing and don't be afraid of being alone as we all are and will be.
Sounds smart-ass, I know. But I think it's true.

[暖冬cool夏]

Very delighted and encouraging today to find another blog, written mostly in English too. We are not alone, though I just started (only 3 small pieces including translation) and don't know how long I can keep up. FYI only. BTW, did I bother you to keep leaving message like this at your blog?

http://blog.wenxuecity.com/myblog/69350/all.html

[7grizzly]

Thanks for the kind words and reminders.

So far, sticking to a training plan feels great.
I wish I knew this 20 years ago. But I also know
there are people running in their 90s and weight-lifting in their 80s.
There are so much to know about one's own health, no matter how old you are.
Isn't that amazing?

[暖冬cool夏]

You are really into running and sports. I think you made the right decision to stop running marathons. Whatever the reasons you have, to me, a bystander, if you had or have injuries, you need to recover completely. You must be young now, but as you start aging, the old injuries may come back to you. Over-exercise can do just as bad as no-exercise. Excuse my being nosy, and I might not be right. Go with whatever you feel comfortable. You are a very determined guy with great perservance!