Unlike my previous life where I used to say “don’t let work
interfere with your training,” I’ve let work interfere with my training. That
doesn’t mean I haven’t been working out – I just haven’t had an objective. As
some of you will remember, my goal has stayed the same, but the road to that goal has changed. Last year, I was going to do an Ironman competition, but work and
life got in the way. In the last several months, I’ve simply taken a look at it
and I’ve said, “My road to the Ironman is still there, but I’m taking different
steps to get there.”
I’ve been unable, though I’ve tried for the past 5 months,
to gain entry into a full Ironman event. Because of the demand for entering these
competitions, these events are closing out within 5 minutes of going online. My
son, however, is doing an Ultraman this year – twice the Ironman distance over a
three day span in August. He’s also competing in an Ironman competition in
Florida in November. At this stage in the game, even if I was able to get in, I’m
not trained well enough to do it.
So I made a decision, two weeks ago, that I was going to
enter a half Ironman. I’m back in training. There are two events – Ironman
Augusta, GA in September and Ironman Miami, FL in October. I will probably
enter for the Augusta Ironman as it fits my schedule better. Ironman Miami
occurs around 4 days before the AAMG, a major medical conference, and my
schedule will become more hectic, so it’s more reasonable that I would attend
Ironman Augusta.
That being said, I have now revised my training to compete
in a half Ironman - a 1.2 mi swim, 56 mi bike ride and 13.1 mi run. I’m very
confident that over the next 14 or 15 weeks, I can get ready for a half Ironman
and be somewhat competitive.
As my dad used to say, “If you keep getting older, all of
your competitors will die out.” So I’m doing that. He used to win events when
he was 75; that’s when he won his first gold medal in the Senior Olympics. I haven’t
gotten to that age yet, but I understand what he meant now – eventually all of
your competitors will die out, so you have to win something. If you live long
enough. That’s what I’m banking on. If I live long enough, I may not get to
Hawaii until I’m 100, but I’ll get there.
In all seriousness, though, I get questions all the time. “Why
do you want to do stuff like this when you’re 71? What’s the purpose? What are
you trying to prove? Why don’t you just eat bonbons and sit on the beach?”
For me, the answer is pretty simple. The major thing that I’ve
learned since starting preventive medicine 31 years ago, and teaching people about
exercise and nutrition for over 40 years now, is that more and more, the key to success for everyone who’s interested in staying healthy
is to either rekindle within themselves the athlete that they were when they
were younger, or, if they weren’t athletic when they were younger, to become an
athlete during the aging process.
One of my recent patients never rode a bicycle on the road.
He’s now one of the top cyclists in Florida at the age of 55, and he just
started 2 years ago. I think that we all were, at one time, athletes. I think
that every one of us, at one time, dreamed of winning the gold medal at the Olympics,
or becoming the best at something athletic. Maybe it wasn’t competitive
athletics, but becoming the best ballerina. It almost always has to do with something
physical.
The more we get into looking at competitors, the more we see
how important athleticism has become. Everyone knows that 20 years ago, tennis
players didn’t run, cycle and lift weights. 15 years ago, golfers never paid
attention to strength training until Tiger Woods showed them that fitness was a
key component to his ability to hit the ball out of a thick rough farther than anyone
else, simply because he’s stronger and more fit. Now everyone is training like
athletes, even golfers, though golf is not a particularly athletic sport.
It now requires you to be athletic in order to be competitive. Racecar drivers
run and lift weights. Every athlete has learned that there is an advantage to
cross training. The Ironman, or triathlons, are, in my opinion, the ultimate in
cross training. It requires that you swim, upper body aerobic conditioning; you
bike, lower body aerobic conditioning; and you run, using all the muscles in
your body. You have to lift weights and be flexible, so yoga and weight
training become an important part of your regimen.
At my age, at 71, if I’m going to be able to complete a 2.4
mi swim, a 112 mi bike ride, and 26.2 mi run, I’ve got to be more disciplined
about how I train. One of the things this has taught me is that the gift of
doing the Ironman in 1984 really was a gift. I was taken out of athletic
competition because of an injury – I was hit by a car and had to stop
competing. It’s a lot harder training to do an Ironman now than when I was 30
or 42, but while it’s harder, it’s also much more meaningful for me. I cherish
the ability to still to get on a bike and compete.
Now I have a very competitive tri-bike that I ride. I’m
faster, and stronger, than I was a year ago, or even two years ago. It’s a lot of
fun to know that you can bring it back.
For everyone, I think that you should pick a goal. Pick a
goal and become an athlete. It could be a one mile walk for cancer, or a charity
bike ride where you’re doing 10 miles, or even 5 miles. No matter what it is,
make it playful. I don’t want this to sound serious. The reason I do it is
because I feel like a kid. I get my cycling hat on, my helmet, and I go outside
and I play. It sounds silly, but it’s true. When I was 8 years old, I played
baseball every single day and I sat outside waiting for somebody to play
baseball with me. Now I’m 71 and I’m waiting for someone to invite me on a bike
ride.
Keep it playful, but remember that there’s a real benefit to
being athletic during the aging process. If we can get everyone in the country
to get back to sport, it would be the best gift we could give ourselves. I
really want all of you to send me questions and give me an opportunity to
answer them. Anytime you want to come and join me in an event or a training
event, let me know and I may let you in. That’s my message for today.
