Runner’s World+ Member: Jeff Comerford
Jeff is a Runner’s World+ member. Join him and thousands of others chasing their goals with day-by-day training plans, expert advice from editors and coaches, and unlimited digital access. We regularly feature members online and in print.
Back when I was in high school I was a runner. I was decent, but I got away from running post graduation. I intermittently ran as an adult, but it never caught on. When I turned 50, I realized I needed to make some changes. I was way too heavy which impacted my health. I started to diet and began walking on the treadmill at night. Eventually I was able to run again. I remember thinking that if I could lose about 25 lbs, maybe I could run a 30 minute 5K again. Through diet, initially walking, and then running, my weight dropped faster than ever before. So did my times. I was able to drop 70 lbs, and I went from hoping to break 30 minutes in a 5K to almost breaking 20 minutes.
Besides keeping the weight off, I am very goal oriented. Races help keep me focused on my training. It’s tough to go out for a run when it is winter time. Knowing that I have a race coming up keeps me honest.
The majority of my running is done on the roads. Around where I live, there are a lot of hills, and on my route, the last mile is uphill. What I love about this is, at the end of a run, I am tired, but to finish, I have to make it up a final hill to complete. I think of it like a race— that it’s about working hard through the finish.
I love my Garmin Fenix watch. Currently I have the 6x—it gives me far more data than I should ever have. But I love tracking this stuff.
I have always felt that God has put people in my life to ensure I never get a big head. An example is in 2019 when I decided to attempt my first marathon. I trained for it and finished in 3:48 (at age 52). I was quite pleased with myself. Six days later, while attending an alumni race, I ran into my old high school coach. I was so proud, I told him about the race. He asked my time. After I told him, he paused and responded, “Well, we are all getting older.”
To break 20:00 in a 5K race. (I ran 20:21 in 2019, and last year my best was 21:27).
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