It's hard to argue against the benefits of regular exercise.  I have the opinion it provides the greatest chance for us humans to live as long as we were genetically programmed to live, likely set at conception.  Things can happen to derail us from that preprogrammed longevity.  Although we can exercise regularly, eat a healthy diet we can still die in an accident.  We could also contract some disease that does us in.  But, those things can happen even if we don't exercise.  So, I would argue that if we don't exercise, in addition to the regular hazards and perils of life, we must dance with the odds that a sedentary lifestyle accelerates our demise.  I choose to exercise and hope it gives me a few extra years on this earth.  Besides betting on getting a few extra years, I like the way exercise makes me feel.  Not necessarily while I am actually doing the exercising but, usually, right after I am done.  I also like the idea of being physically fit enough to accomplish various feats I choose to tackle.  For example, if I decide to hike up to the summit of San Gorgonio (11,401 feet above sea level), I know that I can expect to arrive at the top and actually enjoy the experience.  A less physically fit person probably would not survive the climb and, if they did, they would probably be miserable for a good part of the experience.  I use this example because there was a time in my life when a bunch of buddies of mine held an annual summit meeting on top of Gorgonio.  Most of us enjoyed the experience.

Like almost everyone else, after I got out of high school, physical activity, for the sake of physical activity, was not often pursued.  That was briefly punctuated with a flurry of activity when I was in the military trying to comply with some JFK mandate about making us Americans healthy again.  Then, after the U.S. Navy, I was back to a sedentary lifestyle that was only interrupted by long walks while hunting a few times a year.  I was not in very good physical condition. 

When I was stationed at the Tonopah FSS in 1976 a couple of events occurred which turned me around and triggered my interest in physical fitness for the sake of physical fitness.  Just after arriving in Tonopah, it snowed and I needed to shovel my driveway in order to get my car from the garage to the street.  At 6,000 feet, I discovered I had practically no endurance for this kind of strenuous activity while many of my neighbors accomplished the same job with little effort.  Also, I noted that the local drug store owner would run from the town of Tonopah to the Tonopah Airport almost every week.  This was approximately six miles.  Up to that point, I never knew people could actually run that far.  It piqued my interest and I started running.  I didn't start with six miles.  I started slow and short and began to increase the distance over a period of time.

By the time I transferred to the Salinas FSS in 1977, I was running almost every day and covering four or five miles per day.  Another FSS specialist was also a runner and he would join me on these runs.  Once a month we would run 17 Mile Drive through Monterey.  It was approximately a three hour run but was filled with the beauty of that part of California.

When I transferred to the Ontario FSS, and lived in La Habra, I began competing in 5k, 10k, and 1/2 marathon races.  In 1980, when I transferred to the Riverside FSDO, I joined two running clubs.  One was the Loma Linda Lopers and the other was the Athletic Express Track Club.  These two clubs had vastly different goals and training techniques.  The Loper's trained for long slow distances such as marathons by running long slow distances each week.  The Express had a different idea.  They trained hard by running shorter but at a much faster pace.  They focused more on training for 5k and 10k events.

Although I was never was a very fast runner, I did build up endurance.  Before I stopped competing in organized races I probably ran one-hundred or so 10k races, twenty or so 1/2 marathons, and three full marathons.

Running a first marathon is something never forgotten.  My first marathon was the Los Angeles Marathon in 1985.  Coming across that finish line after running 26 miles was an exhilarating experience for me.  The next year I ran the Los Angeles Marathon again.   My best marathon time was about 3 hours and 40 minutes.  My third marathon was Grandma's Marathon in Duluth, Minnesota.  It was billed as the prettiest marathon in the country.  They were not far wrong.  It started in Twin Harbors and the route to Duluth stayed along the shore of Lake Superior.  I didn't run it to go fast.  I ran it to enjoy the experience.  It took me four hours but I felt great and truly enjoyed the sights along the way.

Running for me these days as I go into my sixties is significantly scaled back from what I used to do.  At this time I am running five days a week but usually for only 30 minutes each run.  My pace is probably ten minutes per mile or maybe slightly faster on some days.

As of the end of 2010, I am only running three days a week for 30 minutes each time.