Zenaida prompted me a while back to reflect on this topic.
In August of 2015, I posted about what I hoped that I’d be doing In 5 Years. Here’s what I wrote:
- Working at the same job – I am too old to change careers. I would like to afford to be retired but I doubt I will be able be.
- Playing tennis – I love my friends and enjoy playing this sport on a limited basis. I won’t be playing seriously on a team but I plan to plan socially with my friends at least once a week and continue our annual tennis vacations.
- Enjoying weekly Friday night mah jongg games – I play with a great bunch of women and I love the game.
- Going boating in the summer on the weekends and hanging out in the bays or on the islands.
- Running and racing – I hope to be still running the occasional half marathon. I hope to continue winning awards in my new age group. If I lose my mind and someone trains with me, I may have run a full marathon…but that’s not in the plan!!
Since it has been more than 5 years, I can now see if my predictions were correct:
- Working at the same job –Nope. Not by choice. My position was eliminated but I have a new job which involves lots of travel (before the pandemic. Now I am working from home.)
- Playing tennis – Nope. Due the new job and travel, I dropped my tennis club membership and no longer play at all. My tennis friends are still my good friends. We see each other monthly (before the pandemic) and continue to spend a week in Naples, Fla.
- Enjoying weekly Friday night mah jongg games – Yes. At least before the Pandemic. I’m looking forward to playing again.
- Going boating in the summer on the weekends – Yes. But many of our boating friends have moved or sold their boats. Still I am enjoying the lake’s beauty with the hubby.
- Running and racing – Yes. I am happily still running and racing. And I just ran my 43rd Half marathon (+6 more virtuals) and my first MARATHON in 2019!
me? a marathoner! – a surprise!!
So now what about in the Next 5 Years?
- I hope that I will be HEALTHY. – As we age (and I will be over 70!), we unfortunately may be losing some of our friends. (I have already lost several friends to cancer.) Good health is key to all things in life.
- I hope to still be RUNNING and RACING. I don’t plan on another marathon and it may not be 1000 miles run a year. But I hope (as long as my feet let me) to be out there running with my friends and competing in races.
- I hope to stay in touch with all the friends that I have made through the various activities that I have participated in (school, work, mah jongg, quilting, knitting, reading, tennis, running, blogging, etc). As they say “Friends are the family that we choose for ourselves.” My friends have always been important me. And social media has made it so much easier to stay in touch. I hope to make even MORE friends.
friends for over 50 years!
- I see myself still working. I am not a stay at home “Suzy Homemaker” kind of person. I would LOVE to work LESS but we’ll see how it goes. I enjoy having $$ to do what I need to do. That means working.
- Hopefully I will continue to take race-cations and return to FRANCE!! – I love to travel and I have seen some wonderful places due to traveling there for a race. However, Paris is still #1.
I need to go back!! Maybe in 2022?
Since today is Tuesday, I’m linking up with Zenaida and Kim (Kooky Runner).
I’m also linking up here:
with co-hosts Coach Debbie Runs, Confessions of a Mother Runner, Mile by Mile, Runs with Pugs, and Laura Norris Running.
Happy Running! 5 years ago, what do you think you would have predicted you’d be doing now and what about in five years? Please share.
My First 5K and More... 
That’s a great idea…looking back five years and looking ahead 😉 I might have to steal that idea for a future post! You said it with perfection…health is key!
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I forgot that I posted this once and then I realized that it was at least 5 years ago.
Exactly. Without your health, nothing else matters.
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I love the lookback to 2015 and to compare to what has materialized 5 years later.
Well done on staying fit and healthy, Darlene!
I am sure you will still be running as a 70-year old. Make Paris a priority and plan it for 2022. You need to do go back!
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I do need to go back to Paris!!!
That’s funny about hiking. On my recent hike, I bumped into a lady that seemed VERY old. She was slow but I was impressed. She even climbed to to top of the fire tower!!
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How fun to look back in the time capsule. I would say that my biggest surprise is being in the same job since 5 years ago I was in a job hopping phase. Here’s to good health, lots of running, and lots of races 5 years from now.
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Thanks. Hope you are right.
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It is fun to do this! I remember doing an in 5 years post too it must be time to update that. Hope we are both running and traveling in 5 years from now!
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Yes, I’d love to see what you predicted 5 years ago.
Of course we will be both running and traveling in 5 years!!!
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Hmmm yeah I have no idea what I would’ve predicted for myself 5 years ago. Probably finishing the 6WMMs would be in there. And I’m thrilled to have that checked off.
I think you’re so on target to value health and friendships!
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That is a major achievement. Congrats.
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That lake looks beautiful. And you did a marathon! So true that health and friendships are the most important aspects of life. Carry on Darlene, looks like you’re doing wonderful!
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Thanks. Looking forward to lake time.
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I like your predictions- healthy, running and racing. I also love how you want to make even more friends. Sounds like you have (and will continue to have) a nice, full life!
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That’s the plan.
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In 5 years I really hope we have moved, but I’m not holding my breath on that either. I definitely hope to still be running.
Losing friends is one of the hardest parts of getting older. My mom has very few really close friends left, and none that are able to go see her anymore. Even though she’s doing well, I’m not sure how much she really wants to go on.
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Same with my MIL. She is not happy to still be alive. None of her friends are alive. My SIL is moving back here. So at least all her children and grandkids are nearby.
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Nice predictions! I hope they come to fulfillment for you. For me, I know I will have moved but still in the same vicinity and I really hope I have the same job, although for a different boss because mine is not well now. Beyond that, I hope I have run a half in all 50 states by then and am still running regularly.
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Hope your plans come true too.
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This makes me want to go back and look at my posts from 5 years ago! Its weird to think about what will be happening in 5 years. I hope to still be running alot and be back to doing races!
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I am sure you will be.
Any more kids in your future?
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I love this. I should do the same and then check back in in five years.
Funny where life takes us sometimes.
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You should.
And yes you never know about the future.
So Carpe Diem.
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This is so cool! It is so hard for me to imagine 5 years from now, but I hope to still be able to keep up with running and good friends :).
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I am sure you will.
Another baby, maybe?
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I love this and glad that your predictions for running/racing and socialising came true! And although tennis fell away, at least the relationships didn’t! Wishing you many, many more healthy years and age-group awards!
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Thanks I hope so. Maybe I will go back to tennis.
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What a fun exercise! I often wonder what five years will bring – the plan is now to be doing ultras and a PhD program, but who knows what it will actually be!
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Good luck with your 5 year plan. That’s pretty ambitious.
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