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Finding your greatness

This is an excerpt from Running Past 50 by Caolan MacMahon.

One problem I see with runners—and this applies to all ages but can really undermine the progress and enjoyment of older runners—is that you can get caught up in the numbers, measuring and remeasuring yourself against others and even comparing your current self to your younger self. As C.S. Lewis aptly put it, “Comparison is the thief of joy.” Comparison is hard to avoid and important to address. It’s likely that you do it to some degree. You want community; you want to share your stories and adventures with those who share your passions. You want to inspire and be inspired. But when you see others doing amazing things, does that inspire you to also take on big things, whatever that may be for you, or does it make you feel smaller? When you look at what you’ve done in the past, does that make you feel more capable, or does it make you feel like nothing but a shell of your former self?

Returning to my story about Aristotle in chapter 1, let’s suppose you want to live your best life: You want to flourish now and always. Remember, this is a process of being. It’s not something you achieve once and then you get to coast for the rest of your life. Achievement in the past only matters if it leads to a full and excellent life throughout the years. The classic story of the high school football star who lives forever in the past, reminiscing on the good old days when he was young and strong and happy, is not what you’re after here. Likewise, if you feel you’ve somehow not lived a flourishing life in the past, that does not mean you cannot change the story starting now. You can still achieve your greatness, whatever that is, and it’s up to you to define it and create it.

An excellent human being, a person who is living a good life for and as a human, exercises human virtues. Virtues are those admirable characteristics that suffer neither deficiency nor excess. So courage is a mathematical mean of action, where one feels just the right amount of fear—not too much and not too little. But here’s the catch with courage: The courageous act in any situation is not the same for everyone. It’s also not relative. For me, given who I am, my skills, my genetic gifts and handicaps, the courageous act is one specific action; I just have to figure out what that action is. And it will be a different action from the courageous act for you, because you are a different person with different skills and genetic strengths and weaknesses. But for you, there is also only one right action. And then there is the situation. Every situation is different. Each individual and each situation yield one right action.

Let’s suppose you’re standing on the beach. The surf is rough and dark, with menacing waves rolling in fast and furious. You see someone flailing about in the water, calling out for help. You don’t know how to swim. Should you attempt to save the person? Well, given your ability, it would be foolhardy of you to wade in after the drowning swimmer. Likewise, it would be cowardly to simply run away in fear or become hysterical. In this situation, you have to ask: What is the rational thing to do, given the situation and my abilities?

Now let’s suppose you are an experienced swimmer and a certified lifeguard. This situation is significantly different because you are different. Everyone has a mean of action—an absolute that is relative to you—but that mean varies from person to person depending on their skills and strengths, their experience, and even their physical makeup. And this will also vary over a lifetime.

What does this have to do with finding your greatness and your flourishing life? Well, your greatness and your happiness are your own. Your greatness is where you push yourself, given your particular situation, not compared to anyone else or even yourself at a different time. Your greatness today is not about 30 years ago—it’s about today. Your greatness is not about what others do—it’s about what you do. Your greatness is about finding what makes your spine tingle when you think about it and then going after it.

Today, runners are busy completely upending what was previously believed to be possible for older athletes. You’re learning that you don’t have to give up the things you love just because you reach a certain age. You don’t have to fear starting something completely new. It’s never too late to start, and you can continue for as long as your creative mind allows. And for those who have been running for years, pursuing goals remains attainable and important as you get older. Likewise, continuing to do something you have benefited from for so long doesn’t change over time. Your goals may change relative to where you are in life or just shift in interest or priority, but that is irrespective of age.

A 2018 study following male runners from the age of 45 to 95 found that there was a linear decline in race times of about 1 percent per year up to the late 70s (Fair and Kaplan). After that, the decline increased significantly, but this certainly suggests that things do not go downhill as quickly as previously believed. Many still believe that your ability to run either faster or longer declines precipitously after your mid to late 30s, but both anecdotal examples and research indicate that this is not the case. Study after study clearly shows that remaining active significantly slows the normal decline as you age but doesn’t render it nonexistent.

In a study of 415,000 masters runners above 50, marathon participation increased at a greater rate than in younger age groups, and the top masters runners improved their marathon times at a faster rate than younger runners. What this means is that the top marathoners show an improvement in average marathon times, and this improvement is seen to a greater extent in older athletes. The number of masters athletes running marathons is also increasing faster than other age groups (Jokl, Sethi, and Cooper 2004). This shows that the limits for older athletes may be well beyond what you’ve reached thus far.

This matters not just for those who wish to test themselves competitively but also for those who want to continue running or begin running for their physical and mental health and for social reasons as they age. These studies don’t just show that performance declines more gradually up to the age of 70 but also that running slows the declines you often see with aging. So, that’s good news, whether you want to keep racing competitively or keep running to retain a vibrant and active life.

More Excerpts From Running Past 50

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