I started running in November of 1998 at the age of 41. It was at the relentless urging of an older officemate who had been a regular runner for the past 10 years. I’d always looked at running and thought: “Why do that? None of the runners I see hitting the roads seem to be enjoying themselves, and they are wearing out their joints.”
However, being that my favorite past time and only source of exercise (I was an avid barefoot water skier) was limited to weekends during the fall, winter, and spring, I caved and gave running a try. Shortly thereafter, my officemate encouraged me to try some races. After two races, I was hooked.