My new job is counter sales at an old-school lumber yard. Last week the owner of a prominent local running shoe store came in. I recognized him and we chatted a bit about running. I told him I was experimenting with"minimal" running and he warned me to be careful and that it is a dangerous fad. He came in yesterday to pick up the things he ordered. He asked about my running and we chatted some more. I told him I was thinking of running in a local half marathon with a ROTC kid from work. He told me that he had run four marathons and that was enough. "Too many 100 mile weeks." I told him that I had taken a rest day--which I take very seriously. He said that was good and then cautioned me that men our age (mid 5os) have to be careful. I got the impression that he was too beat up to do much running anymore. This is interesting because if, as I understand it, he had embraced that "dangerous fad" early on, he would still be running.