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People in their 70s are running marathons these days. So I beg to differ about your acceptance into a sluggish and inactive lifestyle simply because of aging.
Yes there are people in their 70's, and above running marathons, but they are comparatively few, and far between. It really isn't that common. Races are divided up in age groups. When I did my last 10k in 2017 at age 69 I walked about 3/4 of the way, lots of hills. It was the Trolls Gone Wild race. When I checked out the results I looked at the next age group I would be going into, women 70-74, and there were only three women who finished. I thought, yay I might have a chance at finishing in 3rd place woohoo.
As people age in running the participants of older age groups drops off precipitously. In men the sex hormones decline more gradually than in women, but still has a great impact. Even life changing. If these people are on bioidentical hormones it does help them to remain competitive longer than those who don't. The loss of hormones makes a huge difference in athletes. It's not fair at all to denigrate a 76 yr old for not being able to do what few 76 yr olds can do anyway under the best of circumstances. That serves no purpose whatsoever except to make them feel worse about their situation. If they could force themselves to start a daily walking program at the very least, it would help tremendously. Even if it's only once around the block, it's a start. Older folks are able to see improvement too. All is not lost. But browbeating them is not helpful.
Here is a short informative forum discussion between older female endurance athletes as they talk about how menopause has hurt their beloved running.
And yet, there are the very rare 100 yr old + runners who are still going at it. Amazing! There is much to learn about aging. But being kind to those who are frankly struggling is paramount. Some people never even get to make it to 70. Never give up. Hugs.
My father lived until 87 and was walking a couple of miles a day every day until almost his end. He got into a pattern of sleeping a few hours after being awake a few hours, not having a 16-hour awake day and then 8-hour night sleep. I think that is a common change as we age, that we sleep on and off. Maybe an afternoon nap is the beginning of that change.
Actually, it is the consistent pattern throughout life that mental acuity dips in the early afternoon.
And you have each other which helps a lot too. That's a pretty neat routine you guys have there. It kills at least two birds with one stone. It's not stupid at all. I like it, well done.
Thank you! We met a city worker this morning who was doing the same thing, but paid by the city. I had no idea our city was doing that.
FWIW, we are the mountain biking capitol of the northwest. There are big vans that haul groups up some of the hiking/biking trails in the area. I've met some of them biking down the trail I was hiking up...yikes! Bailing off the trail downhill has saved me a few times.
Thank you! We met a city worker this morning who was doing the same thing, but paid by the city. I had no idea our city was doing that.
FWIW, we are the mountain biking capitol of the northwest. There are big vans that haul groups up some of the hiking/biking trails in the area. I've met some of them biking down the trail I was hiking up...yikes! Bailing off the trail downhill has saved me a few times.
You are very welcome, and I meant every word. Last evening as I was walking in town (eastern Oregon) I was thinking of your post, and how I should do something similar. I haven't gotten past the thinking about it stage yet, but it's a worthwhile consideration. There is no doubt more trash than there are workers to pick it up. So you two are doing a great service to the community, and the land.
Sometime yesterday I was researching Ellensburg, Wa, and came across a MB video from there. I was thinking that the trail would be fun to hike on, if it weren't for those MBs running you over. That would ruin the day, lol. They don't like to slow down for anybody. I imagine some are polite about it, but not the majority. And they are a real issue for people on horseback. Some of those trails don't have much room to move over to besides going over the cliff. I've been trying to find a hiking group out here, but can't find one person who wants to go with me . It's depressing. Oh well, maybe someday.
Actually, it is the consistent pattern throughout life that mental acuity dips in the early afternoon.
I sure wouldn't know, after working third shift for many years (32) and having a near-death sleep on my night off, like 18 hours of heavy sleeping. As ruinous as the schedule was, I'm sure I wouldn't normally have gotten up in the morning and had a "normal" day of working. I think my mental acuity dropped from about 1990-2018.
Yes there are people in their 70's, and above running marathons, but they are comparatively few, and far between. It really isn't that common. Races are divided up in age groups. When I did my last 10k in 2017 at age 69 I walked about 3/4 of the way, lots of hills. It was the Trolls Gone Wild race. When I checked out the results I looked at the next age group I would be going into, women 70-74, and there were only three women who finished. I thought, yay I might have a chance at finishing in 3rd place woohoo.
As people age in running the participants of older age groups drops off precipitously. In men the sex hormones decline more gradually than in women, but still has a great impact. Even life changing. If these people are on bioidentical hormones it does help them to remain competitive longer than those who don't. The loss of hormones makes a huge difference in athletes. It's not fair at all to denigrate a 76 yr old for not being able to do what few 76 yr olds can do anyway under the best of circumstances. That serves no purpose whatsoever except to make them feel worse about their situation. If they could force themselves to start a daily walking program at the very least, it would help tremendously. Even if it's only once around the block, it's a start. Older folks are able to see improvement too. All is not lost. But browbeating them is not helpful.
Here is a short informative forum discussion between older female endurance athletes as they talk about how menopause has hurt their beloved running.
And yet, there are the very rare 100 yr old + runners who are still going at it. Amazing! There is much to learn about aging. But being kind to those who are frankly struggling is paramount. Some people never even get to make it to 70. Never give up. Hugs.
It’s not just hormones either. I was a runner (just a few miles), and I used to walk everywhere. I lived in a very walkable area, and would easily cover 6 or 7 miles just doing errands. But even at 57, I have arthritis that has pretty much ended my ability to walk far. I have a very active job but by the end of the day m walking n the side of my foot because of the pain from arthritis in my big toe and pad of my right foot. I have spinal degeneration from arthritis and had an L4-L5 laminectomy a few years ago. Where I would have walked 4 miles on the thickest part of the beach, now my back starts to hurt after a few blocks. I used to compete in weightlifting competitions but I have 3 herniated discs in my neck and now have to limit to 5 pound dumbbells. As a result I don’t have nearly the muscle mass I used to and my energy has declined as well.
I am on bioidenticals (pellets) which does help (I would take them for the libido benefits alone however as nothing about aging bothered me more than loss of libido did). But it’s more than just hormones at least in my case.
I also wake up during the night more and often can’t get back to sleep, which contributes to feeling tired the next day.
Yes there are people in their 70's, and above running marathons, but they are comparatively few, and far between. It really isn't that common. Races are divided up in age groups. When I did my last 10k in 2017 at age 69 I walked about 3/4 of the way, lots of hills. It was the Trolls Gone Wild race. When I checked out the results I looked at the next age group I would be going into, women 70-74, and there were only three women who finished. I thought, yay I might have a chance at finishing in 3rd place woohoo.
As people age in running the participants of older age groups drops off precipitously. In men the sex hormones decline more gradually than in women, but still has a great impact. Even life changing. If these people are on bioidentical hormones it does help them to remain competitive longer than those who don't. The loss of hormones makes a huge difference in athletes. It's not fair at all to denigrate a 76 yr old for not being able to do what few 76 yr olds can do anyway under the best of circumstances. That serves no purpose whatsoever except to make them feel worse about their situation. If they could force themselves to start a daily walking program at the very least, it would help tremendously. Even if it's only once around the block, it's a start. Older folks are able to see improvement too. All is not lost. But browbeating them is not helpful.
Here is a short informative forum discussion between older female endurance athletes as they talk about how menopause has hurt their beloved running.
And yet, there are the very rare 100 yr old + runners who are still going at it. Amazing! There is much to learn about aging. But being kind to those who are frankly struggling is paramount. Some people never even get to make it to 70. Never give up. Hugs.
Thank you mlulu, I spoke out of turn and shouldn't have said it that way. Thanks for reminding us to be kinder.
Back on the topic, I've discovered yoga is something one can do regardless of age. It is invigorating and just the best practice a human can do (probably dogs as well). But yes, I can see that it would be hard to get motivated if one is in pain, or even lacking confidence in their abilities, and all the other issues facing our beautiful aging population.
Enjoyed reading about your running experiences. Great post! and thanks for the link.
It’s not just hormones either. I was a runner (just a few miles), and I used to walk everywhere. I lived in a very walkable area, and would easily cover 6 or 7 miles just doing errands. But even at 57, I have arthritis that has pretty much ended my ability to walk far. I have a very active job but by the end of the day m walking n the side of my foot because of the pain from arthritis in my big toe and pad of my right foot. I have spinal degeneration from arthritis and had an L4-L5 laminectomy a few years ago. Where I would have walked 4 miles on the thickest part of the beach, now my back starts to hurt after a few blocks. I used to compete in weightlifting competitions but I have 3 herniated discs in my neck and now have to limit to 5 pound dumbbells. As a result I don’t have nearly the muscle mass I used to and my energy has declined as well.
I am on bioidenticals (pellets) which does help (I would take them for the libido benefits alone however as nothing about aging bothered me more than loss of libido did). But it’s more than just hormones at least in my case.
I also wake up during the night more and often can’t get back to sleep, which contributes to feeling tired the next day.
Yes I agree. We get hit from every which way as we age. And it can eliminate, or severely change what we used to do to keep in shape. It's very frustrating. We can only do what we can. If one thing is too much then we can try something else. For me the loss of libdo has been shocking as it used to be way in the other direction to the point of being too strong. I hate what has happened to it. But it was better on BIHR. I just have to work it into my budget. I like the idea of the pellets. You sound happy with them.
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. It's depressing. Oh well, maybe someday.
