fitness, strength, and wellness over 50
I know summer is not over, yet. Technically, we're barely halfway through. But so much of it has zipped past me, and so many Fall things are looming, that I feel like I've already missed it! Last year's work and school "shut-down" - challenging in so many unpleasant ways - at least created more opportunities... Continue Reading →
There is a terrifying but triumphant story behind that image in the picture above. Kelly Herron was four miles into an afternoon training run when she stopped to use a public bathroom in a Seattle park. A man was hiding in a stall and attacked her, pummeling her with his fists and attempting to sexually... Continue Reading →
Oiselle makes running and exercise clothing I can't really afford, but I do love this: they are sponsoring a team of 3 runners, all over 70 years of age, called the Elite Grannies. Two of them started running at age 60 or older! (The article dubs this "adult onset running." 🙂 ) Read more about... Continue Reading →
More evidence that it's almost never too late to start running. In this most recent study, individuals who began running in their fifties exhibited - within ten years - similar lean muscle mass, body fat, and running speed to same-aged runners who began running decades earlier. That's encouraging!* I'm having to contemplate either proceeding with... Continue Reading →
I'm old enough to remember when barefoot running, Pose running, and chi running were "new" (to a lot of people in the US) and seemingly revolutionary. It was about ten years ago, and the revolution was instigated in great part by Chris McDougall's exhilarating page-turner Born to Run - which was in great part about... Continue Reading →
Submitted for your approval: biker shorts that "imbue average people with superhuman walking abilities." I can see the therapeutic possibilities for restoring mobility in people who have lost it, which helps to redirect my thoughts from their otherwise inevitable trajectory to "The Wrong Trousers." Moving right along... I don't know how I missed this in... Continue Reading →
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 →
♥ 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 →
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 →
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 →
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 →
Almost exactly two months ago I mentioned the goal I've set for myself this year. (Cripes, that was just two posts ago, too; "real life" has not been friendly to my blogging aspirations this winter.) And that I was working with a physical therapist in hopes that I might get myself running again. Not surprisingly,... Continue Reading →
50 is the new "forte" 