Senior Distance Running Essentials is Launched!

It took over a year with various stops and starts, including a key decision this fall to plow ahead with published chapters rather than incurring the time and expense to put all the material on YouTube.  The 14 chapters of Senior Distance Running Essentials went live this past week!

Now that it’s done, I wonder why it was such a grinding decision to make.  As noted in Chapter #1, video episodes can be created at any time, either to accompany or replace the written chapters.  It will also be an opportunity to gauge interest in this material and who else might want to join the effort.  My intent has always been to involve others in the work and outreach of The Senior Runner.  Had I pressed on with me as the sole presenter, this might not have left space for others to be involved in future videos — maybe even being the presenter or co-presenter of a topic.  Who’s to say?

As I reflect back on this project and the process it involved, it brings up feelings of deep appreciation for what has allowed SDRE to be created.  Here is an excerpt from my 2023 holiday greeting that captures some of that:

“Senior Distance Running Essentials was launched on December 8th….It has been a collective effort, with various people serving as advisors and reviewers.  And while It draws on studies I undertook at UVM after moving back to Vermont in 2017, it really is a compilation of 46 years of competitive road racing, enriched by those I have run and raced with. That includes many of you!  I am most grateful for these friendships and look forward to more shared experiences down the road.”  

This pretty much sums it up.  Running for me has always been about the people as much as the times and places in races.  There will be a time when I cannot run, either temporarily or permanently.  But I trust the friendships will endure.  And that is worth celebrating.

I hope you have a good holiday season and that running is part of your 2024!