Getting fit later in life

When you think of athletes, what pops into your mind? High school varsity players who exude youthful energy? Collegiate athletes and their hours of daily training? Professional athletes who appear on ESPN and in the pages of magazines like “Sports Illustrated?”

Or would you think of someone less traditional, someone unexpected? Would you envision an overweight 40-something woman who showed no athletic ability for the first four decades of her life? Probably not.

Two years ago, at the age of 40, I released my long-dormant and previously undiscovered inner athlete. First, I started biking again after a 30-year hiatus. Then, I dove into the pool even though I generally don’t enjoy swimming. Next, I explored yoga. Finally, I tried running. As it turns out, running is my passion, one that surprised me more than you can imagine. I certainly didn’t understand why people did it. I mean, come on, who in their right mind would go out and run for pleasure? I do and I love it.

You might be thinking, “So what? Lots of women run, bike, do yoga and participate in lots of other sports and athletic activities.” For me, however, it was a BIG deal. Not only was I 40 and a first-time runner, I was also, as I mentioned before, overweight—not just a little overweight, but a LOT overweight. At the time, I was 5-feet 4-inches and weighed more than 200 pounds. This is first time I have ever admitted this publicly. I am still the same height, but luckily I no longer weigh that much.

The healthy weight for someone my height is 111-141 pounds, so at my heaviest, I was seriously, horribly, frighteningly overweight. I had various aches and pains related to the heavy burden I was placing on my joints, plus I was at a higher risk of a variety of illnesses because I was overweight. I’m not even going to get into the emotional pain of my related self-esteem issues. I have since lost enough weight to make my doctor happy, but I still have more to lose in order to reach healthy numbers.

Surprisingly, even when I was at my heaviest, I was a reasonably active person, having been an avid walker for years. (Stress eating, excess snacking and some other bad food choices were a large part of my weight problem.) Having that foundation of walking made my foray into running and other physical activities somewhat easier. Changing the way I eat has also made a huge difference in my health.

In the past two years, I’ve gone from not being able to run even a half mile, to logging three runs a week. I don’t run more than that because it’s hard on my body, so I cross-train in between runs. I bike, walk, swim, stretch and do a little light strength training. I usually exercise in some way five-seven days each week. I try to take one day off per week to rest, but sometimes my family will go for an ambling walk downtown on a day that I’m planning to rest and I wouldn’t want to miss out on that time with my husband and daughters!

This past summer, my running schedule was usually a “short run” of 2-3 miles, a “medium run” of 4-5 miles and a “long run” of around 6 miles. I had hoped to run a 10-miler and possibly a half marathon (13.1 miles) in 2012, but a non-running injury has postponed those plans for now. Instead, I’ve been rehabbing my body and getting back into exercise after a short break following surgery on my knee.

At my blog, Jen on the Edge, I have written about my adventures in running (and biking and swimming and other activities) and have been thrilled with the feedback I’ve gotten from my readers. I’ve been cheered on and I have cheered others on. Dozens of readers (mostly women) have told me that I’ve inspired them to start running or take up some other new activity. In return, I have felt incredibly inspired by them.

Starting in January, I will be writing monthly at Charlottesville Woman magazine’s website (http://www.cvillewoman.com) about my adventures as a mid-life athlete under “Blog” and “Midlife Athlete.” I’m going to tell you how I got into running and some of the other activities I’ve tried, including my short-lived relationship with my Wii Fit. I’m going to talk about injuries, personal safety, gear, talking yourself into a better mood, and so much more. I am really excited to share my love of running with you!

I’d love to hear from you! If you have any questions or specific topics you’d like for me to cover, please see my blog http://www.jenontheedge.com and click on the “About” page. There you’ll find different ways to get in touch with me.