The MonBRO Doctrine wrote:
50-60. I can see myself going as low as 35 or as high as 75.
To me, 75 mpw is way too much for someone just concerned with all around good fitness. I enjoyed competitive running very much. I had a decent college career and have run very seriously for the last 7 years since college, but now I am really tired of it. I'm not tired of running. I hope I will always love that. But with a young family and a career that is pretty demanding and requires a fair amount of travel, etc, I just can't manage the regular demands of training for competitive racing. I am tired of trying to fit a regimented training program into my demanding professional and personal life. It's just not worth it to me anymore and creates too much stress.
I don't think my ego is too big that I won't jump in a race once in a great while just for fun, but that probably won't happen often. I don't know how much fun it's going to be running a race a minute per mile slower than you know what you are capable of if properly trained. I have a good friend who was a very good college golfer and now he never plays. I asked him recently why he doesn't at least play a couple times a month to stay in touch with the game. He told me he simply has no interest in 'sucking' once a month at a game he used to play very well.
Running is different because there is a clear fitness benefit to running and running, unlike golf, is practically free. So really what I'm after is the ability to enjoy running for the fitness benefit while completely severing any attachment to the competitive side of the sport.