HANGING IN THERE
Even in a wetsuit the water was so friggin’ cold—54 degrees—that I almost quit before I’d begun. Fog also filled my entire panorama: I could barely see the first buoy I needed to swim to; and the furthest one—the one I’d have to go round before I could return to the beach—I couldn’t see at all. Still after five minutes, I’d somewhat acclimated to the ocean cold and decided I could hang in there for the rest of the swim.
This was the Morro Bay Sprint Triathlon last Sunday: 1/2-mile ocean swim; 13-mile bike ride; 3-1/2-mile run.
I was exhausted coming out of the water and only walked to my bike. I slowly peeled off my suit and pulled on bike shoes and a long-sleeved jersey (because even the air temperature in the fog was cool). My biking was unhurried. But I still felt weary as I started the run—which for me came down to a mixture of slow jogging and fast walking since much of it was on beach sand. I was one of the last to come in, but I felt relieved just to have finished the event.
Both my speed and stamina are diminishing by the year. Now, at 79, I no longer compete in Half-Ironman or even Olympic-Distance triathlons. And I might have run my final half-marathon last February—I was drained by the end of that race. Now I sign up for 10K runs—about half the distance of a half-marathon.
Still, the object of my relating this to you is to (again) use myself as an example of hanging in there. Even if you also have challenges, you’ll hopefully carry on with your activity, whether it’s weightlifting, playing volleyball or basketball, swimming, biking, running, or walking. Staying active will keep you from becoming overweight or obese and lessens your chance of having a heart attack or getting dementia. And, from my experience, it will also help you to stay young in spirit and enjoy day-to-day life.