I met Suez Jacobson when I sat (briefly) on the board of directors for Great Old Broads for Wilderness, at the same time she did. We bonded immediately over our shared commitment to wilderness preservation, writing, outdoor sports, teaching, and hand-written letters. When I started thinking of “everyday athletes” in my circles that I would... Continue Reading →
“Sink or swim, float or flounder”
Part of me says "hey, wait for me!" And the other part says, "oh, H*** no!" Watch this mesmerizing look at cold open water swimming, featuring the "swim twins," Kari Furre and Kate Rew. http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=wB3THSHPLuQ Read more about Kari Furre and her Outdoor Swimming Society here. The weird thing about this video coming across my... Continue Reading →
“You’re never too old to get started.”
If I'm being totally honest, I'd have to say that after the "high" of completing that 50K walk with my cousins and friends in early October, things have been a bit bumpy. I had a crazy string of colds, flus, and minor mysterious infections, my workout discipline ground to a near halt - partly because... Continue Reading →
“Go ahead. Tie one on.”
Yes, I'm totally stealing that - no, I'm QUOTING that! - from a wellness poster/campaign that ran in the hallways and stairwells of a Kaiser Permanente office where I worked years ago. The poster charmed me so much I threatened to steal it (but didn't; I was completing a PhD in ethics at the time,... Continue Reading →
Hit the links (below)
♥ An article in the New York Times summed up research showing that the muscles of long-term regular exercisers in their 70s are virtually indistinguishable from those of twenty-somethings. In general, it looks like aerobic exercise keeps us physiological "younger" than weight training, but let's face it - any exercise is better than no exercise!... Continue Reading →
Disjointed
Do you ever have the sense that your body doesn't fit right? I've been thinking about this for several days, since gathering with the family for Thanksgiving. After the main meal, and before dessert, my nieces and nephew went outside to toss a football around. Eventually I went to join them. Tossing balls, shooting baskets,... Continue Reading →
Let’s get physical
How many of you remember Allison Roe? Though her reign as a leading female distance runner in the early 1980s was brief, it was impressive. She won the Boston and NYC and Seoul marathons in 1981, and broke Mary Decker Slaney's course record in the iconic Atlanta Peachtree (10K) road race the same year. This... Continue Reading →
I’m an ultra-walker
(Update: no idea how that weird Facebook link got into this page, but it's gone, now!) One full year ago (October 30, 2017), I told you about a health assessment I took that estimated my biological age to be five years older than I actually was. The estimate gave me some extra dings for having... Continue Reading →
The Long Run
Despite being somewhat debilitated and dilapidated from the running perspective, I still read “Runner’s World,” “Trail Runner,” and even “UltraRunning” (a dilapidated girl can dream!) every month. The October issue of “Runner’s World” features a wonderful profile of 58-year old Edison Eskeets and his recent 330-mile tribute run, retracing the route his Navajo ancestors were... Continue Reading →
Stranger in a Strange…Body
As I hope I've made clear since back in the early days of this blog (we're one year old today!), I'm not a fitness expert. I'm just a person trying to stay fit and healthy while navigating some of the typical hurdles of middle age (slowing metabolism, muscle loss, new distributions of fat cells), as... Continue Reading →
Quick Update
I’m saving a few bucks by reverting to WordPress’s free hosting plan and giving up my custom domain, etc. Not sure what this means for your bookmarks, but the new URL will be 50forte.wordpress.com (update to the update: the link will change as of mid-August, I think).
10K tune-up
My 10K tune-up (walking, not running) was a comedy of errors. The parking lot turned out to be nearly 1.5 miles from the starting line, and I pulled into the lot with just 15 minutes to spare. My best walking pace lately has been around 15 minutes/mile, so I was already in trouble. When I... Continue Reading →