CLEVELAND, Ohio – Aging isn’t my favorite hobby, but it sure beats the alternative. Sadly, the very thing that might allow me more energy has never been in my wheelhouse. I’ve never had an affinity for physical exertion which, of course, includes exercise, team sports and PBs, PRs and sometimes PBRs (after competitions). My PR (personal record) in running was set in the second grade, racing boys out on the playground. I always won. Then.
Being cognizant of the importance of exercise is not enough to make one exercise. Even though every issue of AARP’s publications includes some sort of health article or pictorial of easy exercises, information doesn’t inspire inclination. Warding off senility and a family tree highlighting deaths caused by poor cardiovascular health still aren’t enough to scare me into action.
Human behavior is certainly mysterious. But – wait for it – I may have found my movement muse.
Her name is Jeannie Rice, and she’s from Mentor. She has run since she was 35 years old and now, at 77, she is a master athlete who has competed in 134 marathons, set multiple world and personal records and shows no signs of slowing down. Scientists are studying her because she is living proof of how age and aging are two different things. I don’t understand all the data, measurements, comparisons, charts and so on, but the experts say she has the cardiovascular health of a 25 year old woman.
Several factors have contributed to Jeannie’s amazing running career. Evidently physical features like length of certain muscles and body parts, along with how well your mitochondria create energy, plus much more, can set a human body up for exercise success. But, what I think helped Jeannie become a powerhouse is not about physical traits or cellular components. It’s her passion.
Jeannie’s life is full of wellness building blocks. Born in Korea, she grew up eating fresh fish and vegetables. Her diet remains much the same today. She trained in Korean dance. She’s never liked sugar. Her competitive spirit is matched with a nonchalance about age. She doesn’t tell herself she’s getting old and should slow down. In fact, her running habits remain unchanged since she started – averaging 50 miles per week and increasing it prior to her next marathon. She likes winning. She weighs a small handful of pounds less than she did in school. And she loves running.
A comparison…
I grew up eating roast beef with mashed potatoes and gravy, pork roasts with dumplings, dessert practically every evening and graham crackers and milk before bed. I’m kinda competitive but with word games, crossword puzzles and logic problems. No dance lessons in my history. No team sports. When I moved to music in the 90s and aughts, my children laughed. Rightfully so. Half Czech and half UK mix, I resemble dinner rolls.
But the real difference is this – I have no passion for any physical activity. Every part of me, inside and out, wants to be comfortable. Sedentary is my mode and has been since I was 8. Reading replaced running. Now, four babies and five-plus decades later, I weigh 40 pounds more than I did in high school and have the cardiovascular health of a donut.
Many things can kickstart the pursuit of a healthier body – a health crisis, a birthday, a lab report, a sudden feeling of “if I don’t do something different, my demise is nigh.”
But – my passion is highly questionable.
It’s not that I want to die any younger than I must. Year after year I set fitness goals. Year after year I leave them unmet. Jeannie may spark the gumption I need. And there are others, I could look to – like Diane Friedman. She started running at 69, took 17 years off after losing her spouse and then began again at 95. She’s still running at 103. What started with friends’ discouragement is now a career of world records, gold medals and a very large fan club.
Jeannie understands. “I know I’m going to get slower in the coming years, but I will keep trying my best,” she told Marathon Handbook. “I want to set a good example for other older women to show them what they can do.”
I hear you, Jeannie. I see your example. I know the truth of being able to start where I am with what I have and who I am. But it seems to be a staggeringly tall climb.
She also says, “The most important thing is just having fun and staying healthy. I don’t think much about my age. It’s just a number.” And that, Jeannie, is where I want to be. Having fun. Staying as healthy as possible. Ignoring the calendar years and paying attention to the moment.
I know passion for any kind of movement which causes sweat, sore muscles or maximum heart rate will elude me. But if I want to delay death or dementia, I must move. Walk. Run. Pedal. Lift. I’m responsible for the body that carries me around. Plus, if I stick with it even 50% of the time, I’m ahead. I like being ahead. Like in second grade.
None of us are promised tomorrow. It’s an old phrase, yet still true. I would like to have many tomorrows. But that, in part, depends on my todays. And today is a good day to take a short walk.
Leslie Kouba columnist for cleveland.com and The Plain Dealer. January 14, 2022