This Old Body!!!!

Sometimes I wonder how much can one's body take?? When you are young, you don't think about all the aches and pains, you just go because you can. There is no stiffness or soreness and injuries are far and few. You can jump out of bed, put your running shoes on and go out the door in a matter of minutes. The start of your runs are just as fast as the end of your runs and then you are ready to go at the day hard without the thought of a nap to revive yourself!

As I get older, I feel the aches and pains and pray everyday I can make it without an injury. It now takes me about 45 mins. to get out the door for a run in the morning and believe me, I don't jump out of bed anymore!! Most days I live for a nap and that doesn't even revive this body at times!! But, I keep at it because I LOVE the sport, the competition and how it makes me look and feel!! Through all the aches and pains over the years, I have learned alot about myself and have met some really great people. I have learned how to be tough and endure pain that only a runner can imagine. The most painful losses and lessons have made me the runner I am today and I wouldn't trade it for anything. As I start to age and those aches and pains become more frequent, I ask myself why I keep at it, it's because I CAN!!!!!

Today's boot camp made me think of all this, as I'm stuggling to keep up with the youngins'. I constantly remind myself that I am strong and tough, even though I'm almost 50, I CAN stay up with those youngins' and be a role model to them. Hopefully, they look at me and keep pushing themselves. I want the younger generation to realize that with age things may change but it's all good and you can continue to make and reach goals you set for yourself. Yes, you do slow down with age, but I'm starting to realize that you can't fight it. Enjoy it, embrace it, and work with what you have. Believe me, I will continue to strive to be the best runner I can!!

As for today, boot camp that included 1 mile for time in the beginning and 1 mile for time in the end. Remember, this old body needs lots of warming up, so my first mile was only a 7:20 but the second mile was around a 6:50. In between the miles, we did alot of leg work, so I was pleased :) I then ran an easy 5 miles from the YMCA and then swam a mile with 8x50yd sprints. And, YES, I will be stiff and sore in the morning!!