Getting Tougher For Papa J

Sweet little angel-baby, Savannah Grace at 2 weeks old

In a desperate attempt to keep youth on their side, I've heard a lot of folks over the years say, "Age is just a number!"  Let me say that I unequivocally disagree with that statement ... I mean, from a physical point of view at least.  Of course age is "just a number" as it relates to my maturity level ... just ask my wife.  But even though I'm very reluctant to admit it, it's getting so much harder to maintain physical fitness with each passing calendar year.

No, I'm not "old".  Even though I'm a Grandfather of two awesome little babies who call me Papa J (you will call me Jim),  at 45 I'm a young Gramps, and still pretty spry!  But it seems like ever since I turned 45 last December, it's been more of a struggle than ever before to stay at my desired running level.  I put a lot of pressure on myself to reach certain running goals, and lately they have just been difficult to latch on to. I think a lot of it is that I've been much busier at work, plus it was a really long cold winter, combined with a lot of family issues - good and bad.  But I remember feeling this same way when I turned 40.  Not depressed about the age or anything - but rather, like someone flipped a switch and made it more and more difficult to maintain.  Like there were about 12 extra years on my shoulders that came out of nowhere.

Ryder Jackson ... he's a SUPERHERO!!!

I have no doubt that these doldrums are mostly mental, but I have actually noticed a few physiological detractors with age as well.  First, I seem to gain 10 pounds at the drop of a hat, but it takes me FOREVER to shed that same weight.  When I was in my 20's, my weight would fluctuate 10 pounds in a week ... easily!  Secondly, I really struggle to maintain any sort of muscle tone.  My legs are basically okay, but since I've thinned down over the past few years from all the running, I have the upper-body strength of a gnome.  I'm just weak.  And thirdly, I've really seen my speed drop off.  Not long endurance speed - I can still keep that built up fairly well.  But the 100 meter dash bursts are just not there.  I ran a 4.5 second 40 meter dash in high school & college (NFL receivers run 4.4's), but I'm not sure I could break 5.0 now days.

I obviously realize that with age, I'm going to start slowing down.  I mean, we can't fight the calendar forever.  But endurance sports seem to allow the athlete to maintain fitness and ability for much longer than other sports.  I know some runners that still run at top speed into their 50's.  So at this point, I think I've got 4-5 more years of PR ability in me, which is partially because I started recording race times at such a late age compared to some folks.  As I age one things for sure ... the desire is still there!  I often think to myself that if I would have had this drive and commitment when I was younger, I could have accomplished some pretty cool time related goals.  But the wonderful thing about age is that hopefully we learn from our mistakes and train much smarter.  So even though the body doesn't recover as quickly as it used to, I'm able to still get effective workouts in by training smarter.

I have about a week and half before my marathon training for the Pocatello Marathon begins in earnest.  And then after that I'll be prepping for the Indianapolis Monumental Marathon.  I'll be training for my first 3:00 marathon this summer.  And those are the only two races I have on the schedule at this point.  So hopefully I can focus solely on them without too many distractions this summer.  If I let it, the age thing can become a distraction, but I'm excited to begin training again, and get back in shape for some great fall races ... even if Papa J's legs are one year older.
... be great today!