Racing Over 40
It’s never too late to learn new things and have fun staying healthy!
For the past year and a half, since the Lahaina Wildfire, life has been a challenging one, full of change and uncertainty. When foundations are ripped from us for any reason (tragedy, loss, divorce, disasters) we have a choice of how to take our next steps. We can choose to live in the past and wallow in the state of victimhood, or we can choose to look forward and ask ourselves: What would my Superhero Warrior self do?
My life as a master’s athlete is far from easy. When training to win the World Championship title in the 400, I lived, ate and breathed running my best 400. Times have changed and I’m now more interested in seeing what new challenges I can give myself with things I might not know how to do or even might be downright terrible at (hurdles, haha)! I started my journey in multi-events 2 years ago and although I may not have made the progress I was expecting or wanting, I am feeling very fulfilled in the PROCESS of practicing these events and learning so much as I go.
As we age, we need to keep our brain plastic — meaning the nerve connections should stay active. Learning new things- especially things that cause discomfort or risk (think-pole vault!) keep the brain healthy and active. Perhaps you have never sprinted and want to learn but it causes discomfort to breathe hard during intervals, so you avoid it. It’s my advice to put yourself in situations that challenge you physically and mentally. You don’t have to learn pole vault, although that has been my new favorite event encompassing sprinting, jumping and strength — it can be a simple as showing up and doing a hill workout each week with the aim to get faster. Or, it could be incorporating plyometrics into your weekly training. I have a great, free plyo workout called Wonder Woman Wednesday on my YouTube channel.
Whatever it is, envision your Superhero Warrior self. Do not place your own limits on it. Say to yourself: Sky’s the limit- I can do this!! You never know how far you can go if you keep learning and growing one small step at a time.
I am thrilled to share that this past weekend I challenged my Superhero Warrior Self at the USATF Masters National Championships! I signed up for so many events, I competed TEN times (5 times in one day in the Pentathlon) in 4 days. My body was sore and challenged but I did everything I could with food, supplements and recovery methods to keep it going strong. I ate mostly red meat, squash and sweet potato. I added extra electrolytes to my water (4-6 scoops a day) and stayed well hydrated. I took both warm Epsom salt baths AND later, ice baths before bed nightly. I took all of my supplements twice a day. I slept well with Yin Reserve’s help. I gained extra energy with the help of Enos and Keto Brainz in my coffee.
I did everything I could to channel that WARRIOR and I ended up leaving with 4 gold medals (Pent, shot, HJ, 4 x 4) and one silver medal (Pole vault). Although I have had no facility to practice in my new place of living after the fire, I have still done my best to fit in FUN training and live my life supporting my husband and family in our new beginning, which sometimes means not being as serious about training as I was for the 400 before.
I might not always be the best or win every time, but it brings me joy to express my Superhero Warrior self and I encourage you to try the same!!
CM competed in the National Masters Championship Pentathlon and the 4x400-meter relay, taking home four gold medals and one silver