We’ve all heard the line: “Retirement is a marathon, not a sprint.”
It sounds reasonable on the surface. You’ve got 20, maybe 30 years ahead of you. Take it slow. Pace yourself. You’ve got all the time in the world. But after seven years of living this retirement life, I’ve realized something important:
We’re better off living retirement as a sprint.
I ran a marathon during my running years (3 Hours, 56 Minutes), and I know what a marathon entails. Start slow, pace yourself, save it for the end.
As I reflect on the past seven years, I’ve realized that’s exactly the wrong way to live our lives in retirement. The reality is that the best years of retirement are front-loaded. Pace yourself in the early years, and you risk missing your most vibrant window of life. These are the Glory Days, after all, and they will pass you by.
Today, a reminder to stop holding back. Stop waiting until tomorrow. Get out there and live life to the fullest.
While you still can.
Most people treat retirement like a marathon. The truth? It’s better lived as a sprint. Share on X
They don’t call them the “Go-Go” years for nothing. As I mentioned in that Glory Days post, the average age at which our health declines is 63.9 years. The reality is that your health and energy typically peak in your 60s, and you will inevitably face a decline.
One of my favorite retirement creators these days is Dan Haylett (you can listen to my appearance on his podcast here). Ironically, as I was writing this article, he made an excellent post on LinkedIn that highlights the reality that our health will decline years before we die. From his post, the current gap is 12.4 years between “Healthspan” and “Lifespan”. Remember that name, you’ll be seeing something from him on this site in the near future. Sharp guy, that Dan. (Also, if you don’t already get his excellent weekly email, sign up for free here)
The Bottom Line: If you’re not enjoying your “Go-Go” years now, you may wake up tomorrow realizing you’ve missed your chance. By your mid-70s, you’ll likely be in your “slow-go years.” By your 80s, the “no-go years” will be upon you. It was for exactly this reason that we took our trip to the Arctic this summer, and we’ll always savor the memory of watching those polar bears.
This isn’t a race you’ll run at the same pace.
Run fast early in the race.
Don’t hold yourself back, thinking you can wait to knock off those bucket items when you have more money. Sure, you may have more money later in life, but you’ll likely have less health. In your early retirement years, you’ll have both money and health. The previously mentioned Dan Haylett does some great drawings, and this one is appropriate for today’s article:
Don’t miss the opportunity represented by the left side of that drawing.
Start running.
3 Short Stories To Bring It Home
We all know people who have faced sudden health crises in their lives. You’ve likely said the phrase, “But they’re so young.”
In my little corner of the world, there are Gene and Sally (not their real names), who retired early and moved to the mountains. Gene is in his early 60s, and they’ve enjoyed life on their “gentleman’s farm,” complete with goats, chickens, and a nice pond. Gene had a stroke a few years ago, and their life changed forever. He’s handicapped for life, and they’ve hired a farm hand to help manage their property. Their RV sits idle, slowly decaying away in their driveway.
Or Bob, a vibrant late 60s guy with a twinkle in his eye. I stopped to chat with him one day on the road and was saddened to hear he had a bad prostate result and was going to have to go in for testing. As they prepared for that test, they discovered a major blockage in his arteries, and he had to undergo a triple bypass surgery. He’s still recovering from that, worried about the prostate issue that hasn’t yet been addressed. His eyes seem to twinkle a little less these days.
Jonathan Clements
Finally, we all know the sad story of Jonathan Clements, the long-time writer who passed away in September after losing his battle with cancer. His final article, Farewell Friends, was published after his death and is a stark reminder of how quickly we can lose it all.
A side note: Jonathan’s articles through his battle with cancer were some of the most heartbreaking and transparent articles I’ve ever read. I remember first learning of his diagnosis in his first post on the topic, “The C Word”, an article everyone should read. In “No Slowing Down,” he shared the steps he took while preparing to leave his affairs in order. Then there’s “Extra Innings,” and “Letting Go.”
It’s hard to believe he’s gone, but death is a reality we all must face.
Sprint Early
Sprinting doesn’t mean burning through your nest egg recklessly. It means front-loading your joy, purpose, and experiences while you’ve got the health, freedom, and energy to enjoy them.
I love the concept from Die With Zero (Amazon affiliate link) about prioritizing your goals in life. If you want to climb Mount Everest, don’t wait until you’re 70. Develop a plan, and make it happen while you’re still able to do it. But it doesn’t have to be Mount Everest.
Lay out a timeline for what you want to accomplish and when. As mentioned earlier, for us, it was our Trip To The Arctic. For you, it could be anything:
- Dive into that hobby you’ve been procrastinating about
- Start (or volunteer at) that charity you’ve dreamed about
- Host a family reunion, and pay for a large Airbnb for the family to stay in
- Take your grandkids on a vacation
- Hike a portion of the Appalachian Trail
- Build the memories you want to savor when you’re older
Health is wealth in retirement, and your health will be gone before your money is.
Health can change. Caregiver needs can arise. Markets can wobble. Don’t wait, assuming you can do that “thing” later. Maybe you’ll be able to, but maybe you won’t. Don’t have that future regret of “I wish we hadn’t waited.”
Treat your health as the scarcity it is, and avoid the trap of complacency.
Sprint while you can.
How To Sprint Smartly
The key is to sprint intentionally, not recklessly. Here’s a framework:
1. Decide What Matters Most
Think about the things you most want to accomplish in life, and prioritize the things that you won’t be able to do when you’re older. Remember that your regrets will come from the areas where you think, “We’ll do that someday,” but don’t. What matters most to you to accomplish in the next year? The next 10 years? What can wait until you’re in your Slow-Go Years?
“Most people regret waiting. Almost no one regrets doing too much early.”
Avoid regrets. Make a list of what matters to you. Prioritize it.
Execute.
2. Budget For Phases
Recognize that spending during “the sprinting years” will likely be higher than the years that follow. There’s nothing wrong with having the pace of your spending reflect the pace of your run, as long as you don’t exhaust your resources prematurely. As Bill Bengen highlights in his new book, he’s not against using a Safe Withdrawal Rate as high as 5.5%, as long as it’s part of a well-thought-out plan. Design your spending to be flexible. If your budget includes some discretionary spending that you can cut out when that bear market hits, it increases the confidence of being able to withdraw a bit more during your sprint.
If spending is the thing holding you back from your sprint, consider hiring a professional or modeling some higher spending years in Boldin (Affiliate link). (You are using that amazing software, right?).
Chances are, you’ll discover that you can afford to run, as long as you recognize the need to walk later. Don’t walk now, just because you’re worried about the financial side of things. Chances are, you’ll die with more money than you need, and you’ll regret that you started walking too early in the race.
3. Prioritize Health
Enjoying a MTB ride in Tennessee
We all want as many healthy years as possible, and the single most important thing you can do to increase the odds of that happening is taking care of yourself NOW. Work to decrease the gap between “Healthspan” and “Lifespan.” If you need motivation, read Outlive or Younger Next Year, either of which will demonstrate the incredible benefits of exercising in your 50’s – 80’s. Exercise is as close to a Fountain of Youth as you can find.
It’s time to stop making excuses.
It’s never going to get easier to start exercising than today, and your future self will thank you. It’s been proven that you CAN add more healthy years to your life, and the data shows that exercise is the best way to increase your “healthspan.” Nobody wants to spend their last 12 years with mobility issues, but you’re increasing the chances of that happening if you continue to make excuses. If it’s been a while, start easy. No need to sprint. 😉
Go for a walk this afternoon. Do it again tomorrow.
Your future self will thank you.
4. Follow Your Curiosity
If you don’t have anything to sprint towards, it’s time to experiment. One of the true joys of retirement is having the freedom to experiment, and it’s been proven to be the most effective way to climb out of the dreaded Phase II of Retirement (Lost & Loss).
I’ve written a lot about the process of following your curiosity (for a step-by-step guide, check out The Experiment). When thinking about retirement as a sprint, it’s important to recognize the lost opportunity if you’re struggling in your early years of retirement. You’re giving up some of your best years, and it doesn’t have to be that way. Don’t procrastinate and expect things to get magically better on their own. Chances are, they won’t. This one is on you (or, if you’re struggling to figure it out, hire a retirement coach).
Experiment. Now.
The race is moving on, with or without you.
Conclusion
Retirement isn’t just about endurance – it’s about urgency.
In the race of retirement, running a steady pace is the wrong approach. Conserving energy now for “the future” can be a path toward regrets when you realize in those future days that you should have been running earlier.
“Health is the real wealth in retirement. Use it while you’ve got it.”
Sprint now, and seize the opportunities that matter the most to you.
- Take that vacation you’ve always dreamed about.
- Splurge on taking the grandchildren to Disney.
- Prioritize the things that matter to you, and start picking up your pace.
If you don’t start running, you’ll likely have regrets tomorrow.
Sprint now, savor the memories later (when you’re no longer able to run).
The finish line isn’t the point. The point is to run while you still can.
Avoid regrets.
Start sprinting.
Your Turn: Are you pacing yourself for later – or sprinting while you’ve got the chance? Why? Let’s chat in the comments…
