[cafard]

The fall I turned 30, I ran in three marathons and one slightly longer run. (Nothing elite, but the times were respectable for a recreational runner--three or four times that would qualify me for Boston now, and one that did then.) That I ran only two more marathons after had more to do with increased responsibilities than any immediate falling off in strength or health.

As for the OP, I applaud the author's attitude, even if I smile a bit at his surprise.

At a skosh over 27 * 2, I will leave you with Byron's words in a letter to Tom Moore: "Damn your nel mezzo camin--'the prime of one's life' is a much consoling expression."