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Richard Swika Designs

So I’m getting slower at running as I get older…

And I’ll be honest with you—I love it. When I was younger, I treated running like a war. Stopwatch ticking, GPS screaming, “You’re off pace! Pick it up!” I used to finish a race looking like I’d just escaped a hostage situation.
Now? I’m older, slower, happier. I’ll stop mid-run to smell a flower. Pet a dog. Wave at a baby. If there’s a lemonade stand, I’ll buy two. Why not? Nobody’s keeping score!
I run half marathons. Thirteen point one miles. And I’m proud of it. Proud enough to slap a 13.1 magnet on my car. That magnet is my victory flag. Everyone who sees it knows I run.
But here’s the funny thing—none of my friends know my finish time. Not one. Nobody’s at a cookout asking, “So, Rich, what’s your chip time?” They just see 13.1 and think, “Wow, that guy runs farther than I drive to get tacos.”
That’s the secret: nobody cares about your pace. Comparison is the thief of joy. Unless you’re me, and a guy in a hot dog costume passes you at mile 12. Then yeah, I’ll admit—that stings.
But slowing down has its perks. When you stop obsessing over the clock, you start noticing things. Like the guy in front of you who’s definitely running in jeans. Or the woman with a stroller who just passed you on a hill. Or that weird moment when the race photographer takes your picture and you realize you look less like an athlete and more like a man trying to remember if he left the oven on.
And you know what? That’s fine. Because nobody’s engraving your PR on your tombstone. It’s not gonna say: “Here lies Richard. Half marathon PR: 2:07. Should’ve trained harder.” No—it’ll say: “Here lies Richard. He ran. He laughed. He slowed down enough to kiss a baby along the way.”
So yeah—I’m slower. But I’m happier. And if I’m still out there at 80, I’ll be the guy jogging in a 13.1 shirt, holding a flower, waving at strangers. And maybe—just maybe—I’ll finally beat that hot dog.

ricswika

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