fitness, strength, and wellness over 50
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 →
This New York Times feature on conducting a midlife tune-up has some great information about fitness at midlife, including some short, smart workout routines, nutrition recommendations, and a few recipes. It also includes a link to a modified version of the popular 7-Minute Workout routine (which I have used in hotels with no fitness center,... Continue Reading →
I woke up extra tired yesterday, and skipped my morning exercise routine in favor of slouching at my computer desk, clutching a Diet Coke and reading about how a consistent workout routine can undo the effects of - well - decades of sitting at a computer desk. I also read about a 50-year old woman... Continue Reading →
If your 50+ year-old self needs a little motivation to start something new (or maybe restart something you gave up long ago), I give you Dr. Josefina Monasterio, and Julia Hawkins. http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=1HuM2QlQDSY Dr. Josefina Monasterio took up body-building at age 59; at age 71, she looks fitter and stronger than most folks 50 years younger.... Continue Reading →
For a number of years, I've been a fan of Bernd Heinrich, the natural history writer and biologist. It was only in the last couple of years that I came across his earlier book, Why We Run: A Natural History, and learned about his very successful ultramarathon career. He is no longer competing in ultras,... Continue Reading →
Words of wisdom from ultramarathoner/vegan endurance athlete Rich Roll (who turns 51 this month), quoted this week in Outside Magazine (online): As you age, you will get incrementally slower. That’s just the way it is. So, it’s not about measuring yourself against any other person or what you used to be. You’ve got to train... Continue Reading →
This month, 58-year old American open water swimmer Elizabeth Fry became the second-oldest person to swim across Lake Ontario, a distance of 32.1 miles. She completed the swim in an unofficial time of 15 hours, 46 minutes - fueled on energy gel and... cookies? Fry entered the water shortly after midnight and faced average water... Continue Reading →
I know quite a few people right around me who are doing an admirable job of keeping up their fitness and even their competitiveness as they enter their 50s and beyond. Robert (Bob) Neeley, aka "Zombie" (Bob's work shifts are all over the clock - graveyard, early a.m., etc. - and so are his training... Continue Reading →
I. "It's never too late to get fit" A study conducted at the University of Oslo found that men who began exercising in their 40s and 50s (as opposed to becoming more inactive, as is the norm) reduced their risk of stroke in later life by more than 50%. According to the researchers, stroke risk... Continue Reading →
Earlier this month, 58-year old open-water swimmer Antonio Arguelles became the 7th person, and the oldest ever, to complete the Oceans Seven challenge - a series of seven open-water channel-crossings that includes the North Channel between Ireland and Scotland, the Cook Strait between the north and south islands of New Zealand, the Molokai Channel between... Continue Reading →
