Aging,Running and Racing--It's More Than Just the Physical

Eveyone tends to focus on the physical when it comes to aging and racing. I can certainly understand why. That's because we experience certain things while running and racing as we age and these things can't be ignored. Declining speed,the need for increased recovery time and a tendency to be more easily injured are a few of the issues that arise as we get older.
Every runner has a different age where they realize that they are no longer that seemingly indestructable runner they once thought they were.For many though,this realization comes as a surprise because as Ralph Waldo Emerson once wrote: "Within, I do not find wrinkles or a used heart,but unspent youth."
I'm sure I am like many of you older runners out there, I believe I can still hit times at certain distances that I haven't hit in years.
In looking back, when we were young athletes we had a fear of failure. Many runners can become preoccupied with this fear,it can cripple them as athletes.As we get older,two things often happen, one is that we feel we are  capable of accomplishing certain things but are afraid to try.The reason for this may be due to an unwillingness to discipline ourselves and do the necessary hard work.But,perhaps the big reason for not getting geared up to take another run at  personal athletic success is that we become cynical,we tell ourselves that it just isn't worth it.
The fact is, is that it is worth it. It is every bit as worthy as it was when we were youths. This passion we have for running should not be allowed to be effected by the passage of time and the new challenges that aging brings.The key is to never give up, realize that when you rise to meet the new challenges and all that comes with it,you then experience life to its fullest.