What do you find motivates you in running after the age of 35?

One thing that has helped me is to do events (which can be races but don't have to be) that are worthy bucket-list type challenges. Have you tried random sports and challenges that are not just 5km to marathon, time-based, PR-centric running races?

Obviously at age 50, I am not going to beat my marathon PR from age 28 when I had no injuries and running a sub-6 pace was basically a "talking pace." Sub-6 is a huge deal now (for a single mile!). So PRs are off the table.

But at age 50 I can afford to do things like run the Trans-Alp, or fast-pack segments of the PCT, or ride a double-century, or swim across the Bosphorous, or climb Mont Blanc for example. Those are things that require me to stay in very good shape but don't require me to hit specific paces.

If my training were based on paces and PRs, I would be depressed. But this way, it is all about reaching a fitness goal that allows me to do something "awesome."

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i agree with the poster proposing sprints. if you want to run competitively again you really need to (a) forget what kids run and (b) switch to new events that you didn't do at your competitive peak. if you are stuck on how fast you ran before, it will be depressing, old you always loses to young you. and if you run the same events, same thing. you're chasing a ghost.

or, just pick up a new sport entirely and use running as fitness work. the fun might come back if it's more about running some to be fit and less hung up on time.

maybe run somewhere natural and pretty where it's just a joy to be out and about.

last point, but instead of being depressed about your state, focus on how you have transitioned to passing on what you know to kids you're coaching, and just view the jogging as keeping yourself healthy for your family and team.

it's either that or you need to come to terms with old you runs x and that is what it is. that your need to shift from PR to SB or your best time in a masters range.

I put competively in quotes because I was not quite competitive.

Sure, I never finished last in college cross country, but I was the guy whom the race officials tried to pull off the track on the last lap of the 5000 so as to not "delay" the meet.

I ran that last quarter in 73 or so, and finished the race with the blessing of my coach.

I like this advice. I've always wanted to run the Big Sur Marathon. It's always during track season though... Lol

Im slightly older and for me I spend less time building my mileage as again motivation and boredem. So what I do that helps is I start threshold workouts etc sooner than in the past to make it less boring. But to counter act that I start with mini workouts. So instead of doing say 2-3months of mileage building back up after a break and starting with a threshold workout like 5-6xmile i'll do maybe a month or so of building back up and the first workout i'll do 2xmile at my threshold pace and just add a mile every week or so etc. I generally try to do two peaks as well. If you like to race in the summer I would do a summer peak and a smalller block in the fall to take your break around xmas. This also helps with no running as much in the snow/winter if your in colder climates. Especially if you don't run indoors or have access to indoor facilities. When you start to get going in workouts the weather is starting to warmup.

What's helped me is just finding reasons internally--health, being able to sleep better after running that day, and helping my Irish Dancing. In turn Irish Dancing is great cross-training--I went from 4:03 to 3:25 simply due to better cross training from '22 to '23...not fast by any means but cross-training also keeps you fresh for running too.

I'm 34 and still run quite consistently. I've had various bouts of lack of motivation over the last 10 years so don't think I've fully maxed out my potential.

I am not even sure there is that much difference physically between what I was 26 and 34, but the idea of running a 1500m session after work is quite daunting, so you naturally change your training and move up.

I think with the shoes these days you can come close to running as well as in your 20s, but it takes sacrifice and understanding from your partner.

The mirror.

This is accurate.. I try to do hills instead of speed sessions but usually it's a cop out.

The point being, as another poster said, don't force it. Know thyself. Do what you love, and save disciplined drudgery for tax time, where the government provides motivation via the threat of sanction.

Nah, I don't want advice from you. You've already outed yourself as a dbag from your original piece of "advice."

I think what my potential issue is that I used to regularly run 110-120 miles per week back in my heyday and now it just seems pointless to jog around at 30 miles per week. I always loved training as I could directly equate it to my success on the track and roads but as my performance is now declined I'm just not that excited to go out and run a 16-17 minute 5k or something like that

Maybe starting to do trail races where time doesn't matter would make things fun again

bro, literally just do masters races. 35-40, 40-45, etc. it is super competitive all the way to the top level. chase records / titles. you can do it all the way until old age. literally why it exists

My least motivated years were 28-38. That is when I stopped PRing and when my kids were little. I wanted to be with them as much as possible, to do things that were more "around the house" and with the family. When they got a bit older and busier, it was easier to put in more mileage or drive somewhere to do a big trail run (or whatever).

Turning 40 definitely helped as well. I got back into "running only" and dropped the other stuff to less than 20% of my training. Swimming, biking, rowing, hiking, climbing, triathlon, snowshoeing, etc. got me through my 30s (and my injuries) but in my 40s and 50s I have found it easy to stay in love with running (see my above post for details).

Join a local run club. Might make it more fun. Maybe you will find training partners too. Running alone is hard sometimes but running with others is a good distraction.

Do what all older runner do: switch to the marathon.

this is either trolling or illogical. you said no 30 mi per week, no 100 mi per week. emotions or jerking us around, this should then logically rule out the marathon idea you just got excited about. how do you plan on racing 26 and change if you don't want to train 30.

you then said no 5k if it's not pretty quick. you implied without the mileage you can't make the time. ok, being logical, you just ruled out everything 5k and above, inasmuch as the first set above ruled out distance work, and the second set here rules out 5k.

logically, you are then 3k/steeple down. perhaps practically down even further than that unless you're cool doing 3ks off <30 mi per week. more like 2 mile road races or 1500/mile. to me there is some cool stuff like the fifth avenue mile i always wanted to do.

if this is then pushing you into events you don't feel "sprinty" enough for, you either have to adjust, treat it as a masters/PR challenge. or we're talking you're done competing and just get over it and run some for exercise, or start a new sport.

if you're not following this logic then you're just emotionally venting or trying to pick fights or something.

piece of advice is when you brainstorm ideas for new hobbies or off ramps, you will get 20 of them but you can't try everything and it pays to be mindful of why the ones that you're getting sick of, bother you, lest you repeat your mistakes like some teenager. eg if you are sick of mileage for the time being, then a marathon might have been a dream in the abstract, but it's not the bright dream to choose rationally, as you're already telling us you're sick of mileage.