Slow and steady

The last time I ran the Saint Patrick's Road Race, in 2013, I was so slow that Ben, who was waiting for me at the end, wondered if something had happened to me.

I was far from last, which made me happy, but mostly I was happy just to do it.

A new study showing slower runners lived longer provides even more consolation.

The study, published this month in The Journal of the American College of Cardiology, focused on jogging, the most popular strenuous activity worldwide. Researches affiliated with the University of Copenhagen studied  the enormous database about health habits among Danes known as the Copenhagen City Heart Study.

 As expected, joggers consistently tended to live longer than people who did not exercise. And the ideal pace was slow.

 In fact, the people who jogged most often and at the fastest pace — who were runners rather than joggers — did not enjoy much benefit in terms of mortality. Their lifespans tended to be about the same as those who did not exercise at all.

Still, I feel better if I go a little faster, so when I am up to it, I try to increase my speed just a bit in between telephone poles or other markers.

I would like to do some hills this weekend, but alas, it seems like once again the weather might not cooperate.