One of the reasons I chose the race for my first 50k this year was for the quality of the aid stations. 
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I’m approaching my 40th bday* in several months.
Have a goal to run 30 marathons all in my 30s.
So far I have 29 in the can and am about halfway through preparing for my last one. It’s kept me sane and very disciplined regarding my health.
Plus half the fun is cooking up playlists of music to study and/or music to drive me forward.
*the guy in my profile phot is about twice my age. He’s a famous physicist whom I borrowed the Geon branding from as a tip o’ the hat
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running is kind of my go-to activity since the pandemic. for years, i cycled a lot — waking up early to ride 20-30 miles with a group a few times a week, bringing the kid to school, commuting to and from work. my cycling fitness was solid, but it became hard to maintain motivation to train at that level over time. when the pandemic hit, the little bit of structure around commuting and regular exercise in the middle of the day evaporated. in high school, i was a 400/800m/middle distance runner, so all my context there is like 30 years old. my first couple of 5k races with minimal training were encouraging, which made me stick with it.
these days, i try to get out a few times a week, sometimes doing a targeted workout like hill repeats or track intervals. a couple of years ago, i set a goal of running a sub-6:00 mile on the track. after 4 weeks of workouts, i got very close. considering my fastest mile ever when i was a fit teenager was something like a 5:25, running just over 6:00 30 years later felt pretty good. i’d like to hit that goal in the coming year and lower my 5k PR by a bit, but we’ll see.
speaking of which, i’m going out for a longer slow run right now. i never listen to music on rides or runs (or even just walking around); never really understood how people can do it, but go for it if it helps. the hardest part these days is finding time to do all the things in a given day/week while making time for family, work, house stuff, etc.
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Another runner here
I used to do 10k regularly until I got injured, then moved to France and gained weight and started running again slowly recently
Got myself the nb 1080 v12 and it’s a lot friendlier to my knees than the nike flyknits I bought from 8 years ago
I wonder if the recent max cushion supershoes trend with 10 metres of heel would help my knees more. Anyone with those can chime in?
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What was the injury exactly? I know you mentioned heels…
I run a lot. I once had plantar fasciitis, which gave me a lot of heel pain and I found a really good model of stabilizing running shoes: Asics Gel Kayano. Maybe coincidentally, maybe because of the shoes, the next 10k I ran I smashed my personal record.
I’ve never tried the kind of shoes with the big heel though. Like Hoka? Maybe those are cool. No idea though
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No shade (I agree that correct footwear is important) but I love how this has turned into yet another gear thread. Gotta love Elektronauts
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Running 2 to 3 times a week 8k. Approx 45 min.
Only way to keep pace with the younger in my mma gym. ( I’m the oldest, 46 years old and discovered JJ only 3years ago ).
I spare “for fun”, and don’t compete in any official tournament except between clubs.
Running has proven to be invaluable to be able to train with competitive mates in a fun, injury free, and reliable way !
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Yeah GAS for running is cheaper though! Pair of shorts, tank top, shoes… That’s pretty much it for me.
Regarding gear in general: I try to run 40-50km a week at least, but sometimes when I lose running momentum I treat myself to something new, like a new pair of running shorts to motivate – it sounds silly, but when I get new running gear I immediately want to go out and try it. Although, sometimes accumulating running gear is less about the gear itself and more about having to do laundry less often!
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not sure if they count, but my shoe of choice these past few years has been the nike zoom fly. the design changed a bit last year. the fly 4s are still good, though the 3 felt better to me. they do seem to wear quickly, though.
minimal shoes left me sore. pegasus are fine for around town but always felt flat and lifeless to me. the nike freerun line is great for every day. running in them felt fine, but they also gave me some pain after awhile.
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My knees, got injured playing footie. I don’t have plantar fasciitis fortunately
They joke but the difference of running in my old pairs with the nb pairs I got are like night and day. It’s not about how I felt during running, it’s more about how my knees feel the next day…
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That’s how I feel about my Saucony Triumphs. My knees feel great after a run and really strong the days after so it makes me a lot more confident
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I could see the shoes with big fat fluffy soles being nicer on the knees!
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I like the Hokas. (Though, if anyone knows what their current shoe with a fit similar to the old Clifton 3 is I’d be grateful.) I switched to them after I ended up with a fractured tibia while wearing some Nike Frees.
I have stuck with running even though it is really hard for me. I often feel like having an afternoon nap on the days I go out. Runner’s high? Maybe one or two out of ten runs. But it’s an interesting challenge, particularly on my route from the last couple of years with a lot of elevation gain. I quit listening to music and just listen to the birds and count off bars, which has improved my rhythm in playing keys and stuff.
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+1 for the Kayano. I have had zero issues and I keep buying new pairs every 1000km.
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Regarding shoes, I had problems with my knees and my back sometimes. And a bad posture in general. I switched over to bare foot shoes for daily usage and to shoes with zero drop for running. If you want to try this, be gentle 
I think it needs a few months to adjust to zero drop shoes.
My posture got way better and I don’t have problems with my knees anymore but I also listen more closely to my body…
But once you do, you may develop a forefoot strike over time which, at least in my case, is better for the joints because the body is built for this kind of strike. This does not mean that you need to change your shoes immediately, it may be of help for some people though.
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I tried to keep gear out of the equation, mostly because I use very modest NB runners, I use 520s, they’re cheap, comfy and in plentiful supply although I do find they’re the only brand of shoe I have to size up half a size… but yeah you’re right, gear heads gonna gear 
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I’m on my second pair now and I think I’ll just keep getting those now that found them.
I don’t replace them every 1000km, but I should start tracking that. I think I might go closer to 2000km on each pair… That’s probably not great.
The last pair I got look kind of “blocky”, but I don’t care how my feet look. The newer ones look a little better though
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More cushion may help, but generally, higher drop shoes shift the force from your lower leg (ankle, calf) to your knees and hips. Heel striking isn’t necessarily bad if you’re landing under your center of gravity, but heel striking and over-striding is a recipe for knee injuries.
If you’re not sure about it, get a gait analysis done and they can give you better advice.
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Another runner here. I picked it up a decade ago in my late 30s, on a whim, because a neighbor committed to do a half marathon. Prior to that, I hadn’t run anything more than 2 miles since I was a teen. When I’m in training season I usually target 25-40 miles per week.
I prefer to run with ultra-minimalist shoes and it’s pretty wild to see how the body changes over time. The minimalist shoes force my foot fall to my toes instead of my heals and benefits include a strengthened back and abdominal muscles, and a softer overall foot fall. This will be familiar to those that have read Born To Run, as mentioned up thread. My knees don’t bother me from running, inactivity does.
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It’s almost the main reason to do one. Plus once you complete it you can eat guilt free for a bit.
The best aid stations I ever had was in Switzerland. They were serving up premium Swiss cheeses and meats every few kilometres!
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