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ForEliteAtheletes to FunRunners
31
HEALTH: OUTLOOK
for a more positive route at any point in our lives!
I’ve witnessed people in their 50’s and 60’s out on
an Obstacle Race course and have slowed my pace
and take the time to speak to them!
And I’m so glad I did!
They are not driven by the prospect of a podium
place, they are not out there to achieve a best
time, they are there because they want to be, they
are there because they enjoy it and they are there
because they are doing something that society said
they shouldn’t be... they are the old age rebels,
breaking the mould and generally being super cool!
My 85-year-old grandmother certainly fits this
description, dressing in designer clothing, indulging
in facelifts and firmly stating that her age will not
dictate how rebellious she can be!
Who set the rules that state we shouldn’t have a
tattoo of our grandchildren’s names when we’re 60?
Who said that only the youngsters should feel the
unadulterated thrill of playing in the mud?
I’ve been described as many things; bubbly, nutty,
pocket rocket, Tasmanian devil and Dynamo! Yes,
I’m small and yes I have super crazy energy levels
and yes, I travel through each day, traversing each
activity and project at a million miles per hour! I
even speak fast (much to the amusement of my
grandmother who can’t understand a word I say, but
still listens with intent enjoyment, or so I think!)
I certainly don’t feel 41 and rightly or wrongly,
I certainly don’t act it!
Ask any person what they imagine when you say the
word grandmother and they will likely describe grey
hairs, wrinkles, dentures and a house coat!
So when I tell people I am a grandmother, I am no
longer surprised by their reactions, which range
from over animated ‘No Way!’ to stunned silences
complete with mouth gawping facial expressions!
Time stands still
for no one, and
in truth, it only
gets harder as
we get older!
They are old age
rebels, breaking
the mould and
generally being
super cool!
Do I feel like a grandmother....yes, of course! There
is no feeling better than holding my grandson.
But do I feel like a ‘grandmother’?
Hell no!
I’ve never felt more alive, I’ve never felt better in
my skin and I have never felt more challenged and
inspired to improve who I am as a person!
We have to work faster, we have to train harder, we
have to fight against the inevitable changes that
growing older brings.
But that drives us even more!
Yes, we may have less energy now than we had in
our youths, but this only makes us more determined
to push that bit more. Yes, our joints creak and they
groan, but this reminds us to be thankful for the
years of dedicated service our body has provided us.
Yes, we have gained a few wrinkles, but each one
was created by a chapter in our life story. And yes,
our heads may be adorned with a few more grey
hairs, but each one was earned as we have travelled
a road, rich in experience.
In my lounge, there hangs a picture of my partner
and me. Our faces fresh, young and full of
excitement, as we waited to see what life had in
store for us.
In my lounge stands two very different people now,
still my partner and me. Our faces a little more
weathered and older, but they are faces that have
mellowed and matured together, and are still full of
the excitement of what the future holds for us!
Growing older is an inevitable course we all hopefully
have the pleasure to endure, but it needn’t be a bad
thing. After all, age is just a number, it doesn’t define
us.
So, what have I learned, from this journey?....I don’t
care how old I may be, I will always want to play in the
mud and my age category box will just be a number,
one that states that my age is inappropriate for my
behaviour!
