For the Long Run

Written by Ted Bell

Tip Tuesday

I’ve been told that our HCS Board of Directors has decided to establish new categories in our club records for Male and Female runners aged 80 years plus! I think this is a great idea for our club and I’m using this space to explain why.

Some of my Strider friends know that I’m now less than a month away from being eligible for the 80+ age group. I’m hoping to set some low bars for a couple of the shorter distances. But I really think that these new record categories are good for our club for a lot more than that. I think most of us participate in HCS because it helps us maintain fitness, health and an active lifestyle—while doing this with friends who support and encourage us.

I’ve had the good fortune to sometimes experience a “runner’s high” in the middle of a long, easy run and, I know many of you have as well. I think most of us just feel better, mentally as well as physically, when we establish and maintain a consistent level of running activity. I’ve re-learned and reinforced that lesson many times over the years.

These new record categories should contribute to a focus on the longevity aspect of our running lifestyle. We really do want to promote continued running for a lifetime—a long lifetime!

Among the reasons why HCS is the best is that we are always so very welcoming to new members of all ages, ambitions and running abilities. I think it’s great that our club includes active members in generations, from age 18 or 20-somethings right up to the upper extreme like me. I always enjoy socializing with Strider friends in all of these generations during and after runs, and at all the pub runs, destination runs, SAD’s, etc. And don’t let me forget our continuing support to the B.A.A. and contributions to our local community. All these are long range activities for HCS, and I hope we can keep them going for many, many years to come.

The new categories may just add a little support to the ideas that our club is here to stay and that the long-range aspect of our running lifestyle is important for Striders. I’m rather amazed when I think that it will be more than 50 years until many of our members are eligible to break the records in these new categories. I hope all Striders enjoy many years of running, but keep looking ahead—way ahead—and I hope these records are aimed for and broken many times in the years to come. We should all be aiming for longevity.

So, the essence of my tip for today is:

Keep Moving! . . . For the Long Run!