Runner’s World+ Member: Lynn Rathjen
Lynn 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.
I had always been active with high school sports (football, basketball, track, cross country and baseball) and city league sports after college (softball, flag football, golf, basketball, volleyball), but I resumed running at about age 33 when my older son started running road races. We ran together all the way through his high school years and then during summers while he was in college. My younger son, who is now a 175 pound dedicated runner was a 225 pound football player in high school and college. He ran a 2:00 800 meter on his high school 3200 meter relay as a sophomore but gave up track to concentrate on football. He and I also had many running ventures together. Even my wife ran some but after her first 5K race, she returned to walking and biking as she found the 5K race to be very painful! So it has been a family affair even to this day as my seven older grandchildren all run and compete in running events. Some times we have five or six family members running in a race.
I enjoy running so it is easy to keep up the exercise, and I run to stay fit and healthy. Doing a couple of races each year keeps me consistent with exercise especially when conditions are not so favorable in getting out the door.
Weather in Nebraska can be brutal at times in the winter as it was in February this year with temperatures ranging from -20 degrees to 20 above zero for most of the month. Some treadmill and water jogging helped keep up the fitness level. Otherwise, I try to get out on the jogging path which is just a couple of blocks from my home and runs through the neighborhood and by churches and schools. I sometimes drive to the county park and run the one mile circle within the park. It is surrounded by massive trees which provides shelter from wind and sun. I have my cross country runners practice in this county park.
I used to run races with my younger son’s T-shirt that he had from participation in Nebraska’s Shrine Bowl football game, but I’ve worn that poor shirt out so it now is a retired relic.
I always tell my cross country runners to glorify the Lord with their running, so I do that myself and nothing can be better than that!
To keep running as long as I can.
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