I'M GETTING SLOWER, BUT I'M STILL CHASING THE FUN

Last Wednesday, I was out doing a steady hour in the forest. On the way I bumped into Ash, an old clubmate. He's a great runner, in his late fifties; and like many of this generation, plagued by injuries. We do the familiar hamster wheel of topics for the ageing runner - speedwork is tough nowadays, I just can't run as much, my body keeps breaking down. He's limping heavily. It's his meniscus.

- PAUL TONKINSON

Ah... the meniscus. This is one of the secondary effects of getting older as a runner: you learn more Latin. "I had a problem with my meniscus," I reply. "How did it happen?" he asks. "Oh, nothing... just driving. It just went wrong. Yours?" I say. "A dog ran into me." Hazards everywhere - dogs, driving.

I know a guy who can help, and I give Ash the details. It's an industry, helping ageing runners to run - physios, masseurs, personal trainers. Usually people over 50 have a bit more disposable income, so it all kind of fits.