I want to thank all of you who have either contacted me to participate or agreed to an interview. I am amazed by the stories that I am hearing from people as I get to know a little bit about them. So far I’ve heard from people who participate in track sprints, hurdles, in-line skating, handball, field events (high-jump, javelin, and pole vault), distance running, extreme unicycling, swimming, and cycling. I’m amazed at the high level of achievement I’m seeing. More than a few national and world record holders. I’ve heard from people from across the US, and I’m also excited to have the opportunity to interview someone from the Netherlands! I’m extremely excited about this project and I hope you will all be interested in hearing how things develop.

As for my story, I still recall the medical check-up that I had in my mid-thirties where I complained to my doctor about my lower back pain, acid reflux, and a few other small ailments that were bothering me. When he responded to me half jokingly that I was “on schedule”, I started to realize that maybe I needed to take better care of myself. Turned out that with a little physical therapy and a tweak to my diet, I began feeling better. In fact, by the time I hit 40 years old I felt better than I had since my late twenties. The insight I gained was that I needed to employ different strategies than I had in my twenties.

Now that I am in my mid-forties and still very passionate about my sport, I am looking around the bend to my fifties and beyond and thinking about how I can continue to enjoy this important part of my life. Casually looking around and seeing more and more athletes in their 40s, 50s,60s, and even beyond makes me believe that one can continue to make progress and yield big returns from sports well into what many would consider over the hill. Examples like Dara Tores who competes at World Class levels beyond forty are not just a curiosity, but an outcome of a growing awareness that with the right focus, our bodies are capable of more than we expect and that age is not just chronological, but can be modulated by the lifestyles we choose. Two sites that are worth checking out are http://www.geezerjock.com/ and http://www.masters-athlete.com .

I’m giving the first interviews this week, and will be posting summaries and takeaways later in the week. In the next post, I’m planning on sharing some things that I have learned through research I’ve been doing into why age matter for us athletes. Stay tuned!