Sunday 15 January 2012

Musings of an O/F!

I'm a Trail Runner and I'm an O/F!  I consider anybody over 60 years old, an O/F (Old Fart), and the following musings might encourage a few more O/F's to hit the trail (figuratively speaking of course), cause you're only too old if you want to be, and let yourself be..............
We just got back from a weekend of trail running in the Blue Mountains, west of Sydney.  This, as most trail runners know, is the venue for the world-renowned The North Face 100 (TNF 100), a brutal 100 km course from the Fairmont Resort in Leura, around to the start of the 6ft Track Marathon (up my nemesis, Nellies Glen), then around to and up Kedumba Walls track, back around to the Fairmont Resort.  This weekend 15 of us trail runners from NSW and QLD ran from Scenic Point (where the Three Sisters can sometimes be seen if there's no fog), down into the Megalong Valley, up Kedumba and then around to Conservation Hut. All in all we covered about 28-30km.  Not to be outdone by this effort, and after a day of rest, we all backed up for a 20km night run along another section of TNF 100 called Narrowneck Ridge (this section occurs straight after leaving Checkpoint 1).  The two runs were like 'chalk and cheese'; Kedumba is a relentless climb, while Narrowneck is comparatively flat with a few undulations.  The difference then??  The weather for Kedumba was ideal; cool to warm and even a slight breeze sometimes.  The weather for Narrowneck was cold, dark, foggy and raining.  So both runs had their challenges.  And everyone of our team met and accepted the challenges with guts and determination.  Now, here is where I start my musings.  Most of the folks who ran this weekend are under 55 years old, most are under 50, some are under 40.  Two of us are over 60 years old.  Now don't get me wrong!  I'm not the least bit jealous of the youngsters who are able to thrash my compression shorts off, and I'm not p.....ed off with always finishing up as a BOP (Back of the Packer), and always clocking a time that means everybody has consumed the snag sangers and coffee, packed up and had a shower and got changed, before I finish the run.  Oh OK, I am jealous and I do get p.....ed off.  But now I understand that I'm not going to be able to keep up with the younger runners, and I will probably always now be a BOP.  It's OK because I see my friends attack these runs and not only accept the challenge, but each time try for a PR......and they enjoy that.....and it's great for them...and me!  I realise now that I'm much happier trotting along at my own sweet pace, taking in the scenery, getting a few photos with the GoPro and watching everybody's face light up when eventually I do arrive.  Sometimes they even save me a sausage sanger (not often though).  I am a trail runner because I enjoy the trail, and the bush, and the surroundings...I love nature and all it offers...beauty, bush sounds, tranquility, and freedom.  Once again, don't get me wrong, I'd love to win my age group and I will win a Bronze Buckle in this years TNF 100, but the important things for me don't revolve around competition and fast times.  I can still train with the youngsters (albeit a bit slower), and we can still enjoy each others' company, so the important things for me relate to the facts that I can still run, I can still start with the rest of the youngsters (even though I don't finish with them), I am still able to enjoy my surroundings, I can still ruminate about the trail with the best of them and, I hope they all look to me for what I can do, not my inability to keep up with them, and most important of all.......even though I'm an O/F (Old Fart)...I can still say, 'I'm a Trail Runner!'  ;~))

2 comments:

  1. Nice work O/F. You put a lot of the youngsters to shame Dean. If I'm in half your shape when I am an O/F i'll be very happy. I regularly train with a 60 year old in Rocky and am always inspired by him. Keep up the great work mate and I look forward to catching up again at TNF100.

    P.S. Put your foot down and make sure they save you a decent amount of food, you being left out would not happen if I was in charge.

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  2. Well said Ben .. :o)

    Dean my darling, you DO inspire so many of us and I for one think you are amazing .. as you know, you are my hero. Like Ben, if I can run half as well as you when I am an OF then I will be very happy. Run for YOU and be the best you can be .. can't ask for more than that. xox

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