“I perspire to inspire” – Mike Fanelli, 56, San Anselmo, California

What can you say about a guy who has logged over 100,000 miles of running by age 56; completed 100 miles in 16 hours 40 minutes; run a marathon in 2 hours 25 minutes; run a mile in 4 minutes 16 seconds, – and 4 minutes 56 seconds at age 50; won and placed highly in numerous marathons, and served as Head Coach of the USA National Track and Field Team in 1992, 1996, and 200?  What can you say but…Wow!

It makes sense that this endurance runner is a former Marine who has never known the meaning of ‘quit.’ He loves the beauty of his sport and he loves to compete. But his motivation to run underlies a lifelong passion to promote fitness and to practice what he preaches to an extreme. And now he’s taken on a new challenge – switching from marathons through mountains to jailbreak sprints on a track in the 2013 National Senior Games Presented by Humana.  Read on to see

what this running expert has to say about attempting to turn back the clock- and his passion to inspire others to reach for their personal best.

 

History

Have you always been active?

I started running at age 12 after watching the 1968 Olympic games in Mexico City.  I started competing in high school with cross country at 14. My team won the Philadelphia City Championships, and I’ve never stopped running since.  I was just your typical Philly kid, playing pinball, sneaking smokes, playing stickball. But with running, I literally found my path.

My first marathon was the Philadelphia Marathon when I was a nerdy 16-year old.  The idea of running beyond the limits of exhaustion because you believe you can do it fascinated me.  It was the perfect self-experiment for me. Last November, I returned to run the Philadelphia Marathon again 40 years later. It was a moving experience of reflection to take it all back to the roots.

I think my Marine Corps experience underscored the sense of discipline I’ve always had. It enhanced my ability to be absolutely meticulous in preparation, focus and concentration.  For the Marines, quitting is not an option and you are trained to survive in the worst situations. I barely missed making the United States Olympic Team trials in 1980 and 1984 but that just motivated me to continue my journey. There are always setbacks and obstacles. I had meningitis at 40 that almost killed me. Once you get to a certain stage with enough life experiences, stuff doesn’t rattle you.

 

You are a career endurance runner.  What’s the challenge for you to compete in shorter track events?

What I’m trying to do with the senior games is opposite of the way most people go in running. Most start with shorter distances and continue to move up and slow down with age.  I’m trying to reverse that aging process and go all the way back to what I did as a youngster running track.  I figure I can always move back up from there again!

When I turned 50, I ran in the California State Senior Games and won the silver in the 1500 meters. Then I had some injuries and other issues that kept me out of pursuing track much further. Last year, I regrouped and competed in the World Masters Championships and then the Bay Area Senior Games. This year I was in the Palm Desert Senior Games and won the 3,000 meter event. I will go to the Bay Area games again and also the Pasadena Senior Games all in prep for my big goal in July. This will be my first National Senior Games.  I hope to bring home something nice and shiny – preferably gold!

 

Talk about running 100,000 career miles. It’s mind boggling.

It’s amazing.  Fewer people have done this than have climbed Mt. Everest.  It’s not something you set out to do from the beginning because there are so many variables. To run that far you have to run every day for 40 years.   It became a lifestyle and I’ve been able to maintain my body and build the volume.  It was just something that came with the

territory of always trying to do your best, to be your personal best every day.  The personal best message you are now sharing is the same message I share every day.

Goethe said, “Boldness has genius, power and magic in it.” He said that way before Nike ever came up with “Just Do It.” When you take a bold step, it takes on a life of its own and all the pieces fall in behind it to accomplish your goal.  But you have to take that first bold step.

I wrote a quote once about endurance running that has been passed around a lot. “Divide the race into thirds. Run the first part with your head, the second part with your personality and the last part with your heart.”

 

Motivation & Inspiration

What motivates you?

First and foremost it is competition that motivates me. I like the beauty of my sport. It’s black and white and quantifiable in distance and time and I know exactly what each performance means, the significance it has and where it fits in comparison to my previous performances and in comparison to anybody else who participates in running and in track and field.

But simultaneous to that I am a strong proponent of fitness. My first career was in sports marketing, my current career is as a real estate broker, but I’m in the process of phasing back into coaching, but in this case coaching with ‘gray America’ to help people realize their true potential. You want to be healthy, you want to be mobile, you want to be independent.

If I could reinvent myself as Jack LaLaine I would. (Laugh)

 

Who inspires you?

I met Dr. Walter Portz, head of cardiology at Stanford, when he was running races over mountains at the age of 80. He wrote a fascinating book called “We Live Too Short and Die Too Long.” The premise is that when you are killing yourself for years and years and not looking after your health, by the time you retire you’re so broken you can’t enjoy it. We need to reverse that, live more fully and healthily so we’re not just in the process of dying. Staying fit gives you the quality of life you deserve.

Living in Marin County I’m surrounded by healthy, fit people in the 60’s, 70’s, 80’s. Guys like that are my heroes, much

more than an Olympic gold medalist. It’s very uplifting to see seniors so active. They are my role models, and I hope I am a role model to those behind me. I want to pass the health and fitness message forward. I like to say I perspire to inspire. (Laughs)

 

What do you say to people who are not as active as they should be?

So many of my peers don’t get up off the couch because they have this issue or that issue. You know, the body is an amazingly adaptable machine. It’s capable of far more than what most people use it for. So if you’ve got an X-Y-Z issue or ailment, let’s figure out what it is and how you can get mobile to work through it. If you are athletic maybe you can’t do your primary sport but there’s probably another sport that you can participate in. You have to keep moving.

 

What else besides competition are you looking forward to at the 2013 National Senior Games presented by HUMANA?

When I heard the nationals were going to be in Cleveland this year it motivated me more to get back to the track and qualify. I’m a big rock and roll trivia buff and I want to visit the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame. Now I hear there’s going to be a Rolling Stones exhibit there.

The Stones, Bob Dylan and the Beatles are my top three so I’m excited about that.

 

Training & Preparation for Competition

How do you approach training for track competition as a career endurance runner?

This is a total athletic paradigm shift. The natural process is you lose strength and speed over time. The natural progression for middle and long distance runners is to go up and it’s really hard to go back, especially when you’ve taken as much pounding as I have over a hundred thousand lifetime miles.

I’m going all the way back to my roots to do track speed events. The gun goes off and it’s an all out sprint to the end in the 800. You really have to change your mindset and the training is quite different- there’s a high degree of specificity. Instead of doing something with slow twitch muscles you’re working with fast twitch muscles and something explosive and powerful.

As I enter the competitive season with a lot of meets lined up I’m on the track three times a week doing even higher intensity speed training and foregoing much of the endurance work. In June and July I have nine meets lined up and the final one is my goal peak event at the National Senior Games in Cleveland.

I don’t really have a zero rest day going into the day of competitions. A few days out I’ll just do two to three miles daily of easy, easy running, almost like yoga and then finish up with a bit of neuromuscular firing, like six to eight 100 meter strides extending into nearly a full sprint. Then, two days out I’ll just go out and do an easy two or three miles to stay loose.

Training in fact takes ten days to have an effect on your fitness; there’s a lag time. So at some point the best way to gain your best fitness is to be rested. That has to be factored in. I’m a diligent student of exercise physiology and its practical application to sport.

 

Does your wife also get involved with running or sports?

My wife Renay also runs, in fact we met at the 100th Boston Marathon. But she’s not super competitive like me. This past weekend it was my first time to support her. She ran her first ultra marathon – a 50 kilometer trail race – and she did it, she finished. That’s a really big deal to be 55 and go out and do something extraordinary that she had never done before. She just had this desire to reach out beyond her comfort level. She’s from Scranton Pennsylvania and proved she is coal country tough. I’m really proud of her. If only she had decent coaching she’d be all right (laughs).

 

Fitness & Nutrition

How do you normally train?

First of all, I train every single day. I haven’t missed a day running since 2010 and now I’m trying to reach 1,000 consecutive days. What I’m doing now with this track event focus is more of a blend of endurance and speed. So I’m on the track with high intensity twice a week and the rest of my days are either longer endurance runs or active recovery runs. My hard days are on the track running repeats of 400 and 600 meters starting at one mile race pace and progressively increasing that pace.  An easy recovery day might be five miles, pushups and sit ups.

I prefer to train alone because I compete alone and only listen to the conversation between my ears. Controlling that dialogue helps me to be comfortable with being extremely uncomfortable.

 

What kind of diet do you follow?

I’m not quite on a ‘paleo diet’ but I’m typically on an organic rabbit food type diet through the week and on the weekend I’ll cheat a little bit and have a pizza if I’m not competing. Your muscles don’t recover as quickly with you get to 50, 60 and beyond. Proper nutrition and hydration is an important component of that recovery process, the time between stress activity where your fitness actually takes place.

 

You can’t run 100,000 miles and not have to deal with Injuries.  How do you keep going at such a pace?

Chronologically I’m not that old at 56, but because of what I’ve endured over all those miles I sometimes feel like I’m 157 athletically. I figured 100,000 miles is 22 million plus running steps with so many of them being high intensity even in my training going all the way back. My knees are doing fabulously well, but my feet are pretty damaged. My left foot needs surgery and I’ve had two procedures done that seem to be holding me up well enough to get through July. And that’s my good foot! My right foot has sustained some nerve damage.

But I’m doing a lot of ancillary therapy work and always in constant management mode to make sure all my pieces are in working order, especially after hard training sessions. I do Rolfing deep tissue work, active release therapy and active isolated stretching that help keep things in check.  When I’m getting this deep tissue with nerve therapy, that’s when it obvious I’m a former U.S. Marine because some of my utterances are not pretty.

 

Epilogue

We were eagerly anticipating having our 100,000 mile man complete his experiment to transition from endurance runner to track competitor at the 2013 National Senior Games Presented by Humana. But this was not to be. Despite the disappointment we share with him, his response and resolve to face the challenge provides ample proof that Mike Fanelli was a worthy choice to be an example of being your personal best. In Mike’s words:

My quest to the National Senior Games was going well through the spring. I won the 800 meters at Wine Country Senior Games, the 3000 meters at Palm Desert Senior Games and the 1500 meter event at the Bay Area Senior Games held at Stanford University.

In mid June, however, I got some really bad news. I had been feeling “poisoned” and it was due to the retention of an astounding amount of urine…as much as 1000 CCs. Tests showed I had developed a severe prostate condition that will require surgery.  It does not appear cancerous but iffy until surgery is done in September – they are waiting for the effect of drugs and catheterizations to lower my bladder’s enormous current retention.

I am MOST disappointed to miss the National Senior Games. It was to be the peak of a long season with a lot of athletic discipline. I wanted to win the gold in Cleveland and see the Rolling Stones exhibit at the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame.  I’m honored by this Personal Best recognition. However, in the end I will have ‘no satisfaction’ in 2013.

I should be able to begin training again and so have my sights set on competing on the track again in the spring. VERY high on my list will be qualifying for the 2015 National Senior Games…I’ve got some unfinished business there and intend to eventually have my ‘satisfaction’.

In the meantime, I shall use this obstacle as a stepping stone towards motivating others to aspire towards great fitness of both body and mind…I shall again “perspire to inspire”  and beat this bump in the road.

In the end I shall prevail because I do not believe in any other possibility.

Making Up For Lost Time…Fast – Oscar Peyton, 60, Accokeek, Maryland

Oscar Peyton always knew he had natural athletic ability and could run fast, but he didn’t discover how fast he really was until his fifth decade of life. Taking up formal track competition at the age of 49, the man people say deserves the title “SpeeDemon” has sprinted to capture a slew of medals – mostly gold – in Senior Games (state and national) and various masters events.  According to World Masters Athletics, Peyton is currently ranked #2 all-time in world for the men’s 55–59 100 meters outdoors (11.46) and  #3 all-time in the men’s 55-59 200 meters outdoors (23.47).

It makes you wonder what might have been, and Oscar Peyton wonders about that too. But the competitive nature of the young Peyton was more focused on finding a successful career path to run. From early on he did not feel that track and field would lead to the success he dreamed of. The path out of Bogalusa, Louisiana led to a business administration degree from Grambling University and then to Washington DC  where he worked as a computer specialist and programmer for the federal government for the next 31 years. Peyton reveals that some of his work required a top secret clearance.  What he realized as he neared retirement was that he held a personal top secret – an elite sprinter had been inside waiting to emerge. But Peyton looks beyond the competition and sees that the real gold he is earning is his good health, and paying forward what he learned from others who helped show him the way. That’s what really represents his personal best.

 

How did your inner athlete wake up and decide to run track after so many years?

It started when I was just a couple months shy of 50 years old. I was five years from retiring and thinking about what things I might want to do.  I had just had a physical and my cholesterol was above 200 so I knew I had to become more active.  I played around in the sandlot growing up in Louisiana but I just never pursued anything in organized sports. I was always a natural athlete, always fast.  Speed was in my genes. So I was watching the world track and field championships on TV and wondered if there was anything like that for people my age that I could try.

I got on the computer and discovered the senior games. So my very  first attempt at an organized track meet was at the Maryland State Senior Olympics in 2002. I didn’t have any formal training, I just went on out there and ran – and I actually won the 100 and 200 meter events! I knew I could sprint but that was really something for me.

Six months later, I decided to go to Boston for the USA Track and Field Masters Indoor National Championships and got introduced to the really top level of track athletes in the country. Again, I just showed up and ran and I won the silver in the 60 meters. But I injured my groin muscles and couldn’t do any more there. I didn’t know how to train, I just ran some treadmill and did a lot of stuff that was wrong for me. It was time to get to work.

 

So what did you do when you realized that even with natural talent you needed to train to avoid injury?

First, I got to talk to all of those elite guys in Boston and picked up a lot of good advice. Secondly the Internet has a world of information.

You gotta put a little sweat and work into it. Some of the training is tough and competition is even tougher. Good health is just not going to come to you either. Like anything else, you have to work for it, and then you have to work to keep it.

Actually I’ve now collected a lot of useful information and created my own  “PeytonProject” website as a quick reference source for anyone looking to find training help like I needed when I got started. It’s especially geared for people to improve their speed as well as their health. I try to cover all the phases, training, diet, the importance of nutrients and drinking enough water. You need to pay attention to all of that if you want to be the best that you can be.

At the same time I wanted to extend out to anyone who knew me and anyone interested in masters track exactly what I’ve been doing along the years. I guess you could call it an athletic biography.

 

So it’s the competition that drives you?

I’m just so highly competitive by nature that I don’t look outside for motivation. It’s just the kind of person I am. I cannot deny that I enjoy competing and enjoy winning, but that is on the back burner. First and foremost, I know I need to exercise and it gives me the motivation to get healthy and stay healthy.

There’s another thing that’s more important to me. The older gentlemen I met when I got started would bend over backwards to help me. That’s the kind of camaraderie we have in this world of track and senior games. Everybody is willing to help others especially in areas of injury prevention, maintenance and treatment.  It just had to rub off on me. So what was given to me, I’m trying to give back.

But there is one other thought that does motivate me to strive for my best.  Back in the day,  I didn’t have interest in track and field because it’s an amateur sport and I couldn’t see a future in it for me. How could you make a living at it?

Now I think  I let it all slip away when I was younger. I want to put some marks down now that I’m older so people will say “I wonder what would have been like if this guy had been competing back when he was at his peak?”  I guess I just want to make up for the lost time in a way.

 

Beyond your website, is there anything else you do to help others with your sport?

I train at local high schools and while I’m there the coaches give me the green light to help out. So when I go out there I enjoy helping the sprinters with some drills to improve their technical skills. The coaches do a good job of getting them into great condition, so I focus on the sprinters like me with both the technical and mental side of preparation.

 

Has anyone else told you that you are their inspiration?

Oh, a ton of people have done that. A lot of the kids at the high school tell me that.  I also participate with a local track club and I’m the oldest one there. They all look up to me. It’s the same when I go to USA Track and Field masters events, because you can participate starting at age 30 and a lot of the younger guys come up and say I inspire them. There was a spectator who came up to me and said he had not run track since high school and watching me inspired him to get back into it. So I was able to share with him the steps he needed to take.

At the Senior Games it’s a different situation. It more like we are helping each other move ahead.

 

Like many, you got busy with your life and got away from being as active as you could have been. What do you tell people you see about getting out of the rut?

I tell them just to be active -even to people I don’t know because I care about everybody. I try to tell the older persons that it doesn’t matter what you choose to do but that you have to exercise. If you are taking medications you’d be surprised how much just a little regular exercise can do to get you off a lot of that stuff. And if you do it right and often enough, you might even find you can get off your medications completely. Then, if you stay active you may get motivated to get into something organized.

 

You mention you have an athletic gift that you now put to use. Are there any other sports you might take up besides track?

I’ve actually been bowling a lot. I’m in a senior league and enjoy that. I haven’t pursued it beyond that for senior games. There’s a lot of sports I’ve tried that I know I could participate in – basketball , volleyball, swimming. I love doing it all. I stick with track and field for the serious competition.

I can’t think of anything that will get you into better shape than running track. I’ll tell you this: if you take all the elite athletes in different  sports, and you put them into some kind of competition in a variety of activities- running, kicking, throwing, what have you, I’ll bet the sprinter will probably turn out to be the best overall athlete of the bunch. I remember some TV competition like that with guys from football, baseball and other sports on an obstacle course, and the  track guy came out on top.

Pencil Me In – Mary Lauffer, 95, Annapolis, Maryland

You would think a golfer would talk first about getting two hole-in-ones in a lifetime. But Mary Lauffer likes to talk about her pencil collection. You see, her hobby has been to collect one of those skinny scoring pencils at each course she’s ever played.  She has over 400 of them from decades of walking and whacking balls. She loves playing new courses and looks forward to picking up a special pencil when she competes in Cleveland for the 2013 National Senior Games Presented by Humana.

The former PE teacher has always advocated fitness for life and shows the benefits by her example. Mary inspires everyone around her – follow her story and you will be inspired, too.

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History

Have you always been active?

Yes. I started doing a lot of sports at my college. It was called Beaver College in Glenside, Pennsylvania but it’s now called something else. I was kinda mad at them when they changed it. I played on the golf team from ‘36 to ’40. I think I played every sport there was except lacrosse.

I was a physical education major and was a PE teacher for a few years. When I had kids, I stayed at home with them but I did get out refereeing youth sports, playing some softball and basketball and I was even on a hockey team for a time in Philadelphia. But it’s been golf that I’ve done through my life. I won some tournaments and was women’s champion at my club twice during the ‘50s and ‘60s. I especially enjoyed the Philadelphia Cup – It’s a prestigious event with all the clubs competing against each other. I played every golf course in the Philly area. It was a most interesting time.

I also have two hole-in-ones. The first was in Wilmington, Delaware during a team tournament, and the second was at Palmetto Dunes Country Club in South Carolina while competing in a senior’s tournament there. I’d like to get another one but I just don’t drive the ball like I used to. But you never know.

I have served on two golf boards too: the Delaware Women’s Golf Association and the South Carolina Women’s Golf Association.

 

How did you get involved in Senior Games?

My husband passed away 4 years ago. I’m on my own and doing well but have to be smart about taking care of myself. I started senior games around that time. I didn’t know what it was and found out about it from someone I play golf with at my club.

This will be my second time to the Nationals. I won the gold medal in Houston in 2011. There was no woman in my age group so I competed against myself. They paired me with a group of men so I just played off the men’s tees with them. They were very gracious and fun. They all had family there so there was a cheering section of maybe 20 people following us around the course. I had a good time.

When I wanted to qualify for this year, the dates at the Maryland games didn’t work for me. But I looked around and made it to the Delaware games. I was glad that they let people qualify in other states. When I qualified in 2010, I was playing with a group of women but this nice man Ted Wroth rode with me. I thought he was keeping me company. I didn’t know he was the main guy running the games. When I shot a 51 on the front nine he left. I guess he figured I knew how to do this. (Laugh)

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Motivations & Inspirations

How long will you continue playing golf?

Forever if I can!  I don’t hit the ball as far, and my handicap has gone sky high. But that doesn’t deter me because I love to play and be out in the sunshine. Golf is something you can do all your life at any level and still do your best. You may not be as good as others, but that’s not what matters. I don’t ever plan to stop.

 

Are you an inspiration for anyone around you?

Oh, everybody here at the golf course! They say things like ‘you make me keep going’ and ‘hope I can play as long as you do’

 

What would you say to people who aren’t staying active and taking care of themselves?

It’s terrible to see people that are obese – they don’t exercise and their eating habits are dreadful. They don’t understand what they’re doing to their bodies.

Unfortunately, my observation is that people who were sedentary when they were young continue to be sedentary when they grow older. It’s hard to get them motivated to try something new. I tell them there’s always something you can do. Go to the pool. The main thing is to think to the future about what it will be like not doing anything. People who are active really last longer and enjoy life better. It’s good that most of the people I know at my club are active. Some of them have limitations but they fight it off and keep going.  They tell me I am an inspiration to them.

You have to get people started when they are young. It’s terrible that schools stopped having physical education. Don’t play kickball, somebody might get hurt.  I think it’s babyish. If they don’t do anything they will get hurt!  But now I see they’re starting to put it back in there.

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Training & Preparation for Competition

How long will you continue playing golf?

Forever if I can! I don’t hit the ball as far, and my handicap has gone sky high. But that doesn’t deter me because I love to play and be out in the sunshine. Golf is something you can do all your life at any level and still do your best. You may not be as good as others, but that’s not what matters. I don’t ever plan to stop.

 

Does your routine change to prepare for competition?

When I get ready for a tournament, I concentrate on putting. I’ll still play a bit, but chipping and putting is my main focus of attention. I love to practice. When you can’t hit it all that far any more you have to make it up somewhere else! It’s very disturbing to see the ball isn’t going as far as it used to.

 

Is competition important to you?

Oh, I love to compete. Unfortunately I now have to compete against the score because after I hit 90 there wasn’t anybody in my age group registered. But I don’t want to make a fool out of myself. I’m a self motivated person but if there’s no one in my group I pretend somebody is there and concentrate on my game and the score.

 

What are you looking forward to going to Cleveland?

I love going to new golf courses. I’d love to get around and see some of the sights but I’m not sure how much of that I’ll be able to do. I won’t rent a car-I don’t like driving on interstates- and where I’m staying by the golf course is a little ways from the things going on downtown. My son has come with me before to make sure I’m settled in but he can’t make it in July.

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Fitness & Nutrition

Do you work out regularly?

I exercise and walk all the time. You just have to. I’m busy with a 50 up community here and they are very active. Of course I play golf when the weather is good. There’s a mixed group that plays on Fridays, that’s fun. I’m fortunate that I have been able to stay healthy and keep doing what I’m doing.

Nutrition has become important. Absolutely. My husband was on a very strict diet for over 20 years and I cooked for him and that’s what I ate too. Our diet was low salt, not many sweets and controlled portions. It’s important to eat healthy and I’ve done pretty well and don’t hardly get sick.

 

Do you surprise your doctors?

Yes.  Funny, when I went in to have this stupid rib X rayed, they made me fill out all of these forms. They asked me ‘What medications you take?’ Well, I don’t take any. They said ‘What? You don’t take any medicine?’ I said no, I take vitamin D and vitamin B12. ‘Oh. Weil have you ever been sick?’ I said no. ‘Any operations?’ Yeah, I had my knuckle operated on once.  I’ve been very blessed.

I do have a cracked rib right now. I was getting into bed and got my arm in front of my ribs and fell into it. It was a stupid thing to do. You don’t know how upset I am about it. It’s driving me crazy because I can’t do anything right now. It’s only been 12 days so I shouldn’t get too upset. There’s time to get it ready for this summer.

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Epilogue

As luck would have it, Mary’s golf competition fell on the same day as our Personal Best presentation in Cleveland. While we missed the opportunity to publicly honor her at our event, we’re happy she had a good time at the 2013 National Senior Games Presented by Humana and that she continues to be an admired active senior back in Maryland. In Mary’s words:

I enjoyed Quail Hollow, both the course and the hotel. Everyone was most helpful. Alas, I forgot to keep my pencil! I will have to write to the pro shop and ask them to send me one for my collection.

I played two days with the men because there were no women in my age group available. Their families took pictures and have already sent some tome. As for the golf, the first day was my worst. I three-putted 8 greens! But I came back and took 12 strokes off the next day.

Thanks for the article. A lot of people, including some at my club, have commented that they saw it.

 

“I’m Better” -Howard Hall, 92, Frankfort, Kentucky

You have to watch out for Howard Hall, he’ll sneak up on you.  The retired Army veterinarian rediscovered his love of sports when he retired, and before long ole Howard was racking up the medals in local, state and national senior games.  He’s collected at least 600 to date, but he lost count. Besides, for Howard, it’s the ongoing athletic journey, the people he meets at competitions and the places he gets to go that make for his personal best.

Ask him how he’s doing and he replies “I’m better,” hoping folks will ask if he’s been sick.  When they usually fall for his trap, he gleefully responds “No, I’m just getting better and better every day.” He’s also been better than a lot of his peers in several senior sports and has his eye on a trip to Cleveland for the 2013 National Senior Games Presented by Humana.  Watch out, fellas, here he comes again!

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History

Have you always been active?

My dad was a veterinarian, class of ’16 at Ohio State University and was on a championship soccer team. My grandfather played baseball. So I did my share of sports.  I was the 11th man on an 11 man basketball team at my high school in Waynesville, a little country town north of Cincinnati. The family moved to Columbus with a bigger school, and I changed to track to get onto a team. Nobody wanted a 5 foot 4, 120 pound boy on a basketball team.  I was not a standout in track, but I learned the techniques for running and field events. That training stuck with me all of my life.

I did pick up swimming at 15 and was a lifeguard for 3 years during college. I graduated from Ohio State University class of ’43 and joined the Army as a veterinarian working with large animals. I didn’t do sports for a long time but I sure stayed physically active. It was sometimes strenuous, roping cattle and such. When you get between two cows turning into each other, there’s not much room left. You have to move!

I retired after 37 years as a full Colonel in the Army Veterinary Corps.  I didn’t get near any of the war action but I tell people I spent a couple years stationed in three small islands in the Atlantic – Manhattan, Staten and Long Island. That’s about as far as I got.

 

How did you get involved in Senior Games?

When I retired I was on a bowling team and that was about it. Then in the mid ‘80s my first wife died, and I went to the Kentucky Senior Games looking for something to do.  I didn’t really know how things went. I signed up for three track events and spent too much time sitting around waiting for my turn to come. The next year I signed up for 24 events and won 23.

After that I just kept going to games whenever I could.  I did swimming, track and field, bowling, table tennis, horseshoes, and some of the fun games like billiards that the local games offer.  I didn’t do tennis because I have an eye problem and can’t see the serve anymore.  We used to spend our winters in Florida, and there are many local games all over the state. I went around to all of those I could get to.

So I was picking up 40 medals or more a year and now I have over 600 in the 15 years I’ve been doing it!  They only let you do two sports at the Nationals so I stick with track and field and swimming. I also noticed that many of these ‘fossil athletes’ as I call them would only compete strenuously when they first entered a new age group. Then they would back off as they got up to the last year or two of the bracket.  I keep going.

In 2001, I got one gold and two other medals which were my first at the national games.  I had gotten ribbons at the two national games before that – but I’m just as proud of one of them. It was for 6th place in the high jump but I’m five foot six and jumped against guys who were six feet tall. I thought I was quite accomplished for doing that well.

My brother once asked me if I was getting better or just running out of competition. Well, it’s a little of both because my times did improve over a few years, and other fellas did drop out for whatever reasons.  I’m getting a lot of medals now because I don’t have that much competition.  But there’s a guy named Russ Witte ahead of me in the 95 up category in swimming who beats everyone in my age group. So I have my work cut out for me.

Senior Games are scattered all over the country so this has become a travelogue for us. Orlando, Baton Rouge, Hampton Roads, Louisville, San Francisco, Houston, and all of the regional events we can fit in. I’ve made a lot of friends, and it makes competition more fun.  I know of three people who will beat me but I’ll get my share too.

 

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Motivation and Inspiration

Is competition important to motivate you?

Back in Palo Alto (2009) I pulled a calf in the 100 meter dash, but I got up and kept going. There were six of us in the race and I actually still recovered fast enough to win a bronze medal. I guess I’m motivated enough.

 

You obviously like to win medals. Is that your motivation for competing?

I never started out to collect medals and ribbons. My goal is not to win, just to beat somebody.

It’s become a challenge to beat one of the younger fellas in whatever event I’m in. I also chase the older guys. When I started out in ‘87 my oldest competitor was a Native American named John Pino. At that time he was 102 and I was 76. The top age bracket is 100 plus. My goal was to compete against John one day. When he retired I picked the next oldest guy to go after. It’s a bit facetious to expect people to still be out there at 110 but who knows?

 

Do you have a favorite expression about aging or keeping fit?

When people ask me how I’m doing I just say ‘I’m better’ and they usually look at me and ask if I’ve been sick. I reply ‘No, I’m just getting better and better every day.”

 

What would you say to people who aren’t staying active and taking care of themselves?

Unless you have actual pain or physical impairment, you should always try to do a little more than what you feel like you want to do.

 

Are you an inspiration for anyone around you?

I have two daughters, and both competed in diving and one in swimming in high school. I have a grandson who took up basketball. He was like me in high school, small but quick like Spud Weber. They were all inspired by my activity. I played mixed doubles tennis in a regional senior games with one daughter when she turned 50 because her kids were on their high school tennis team and she wanted to make them proud. We won a silver medal!

 

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Training & Preparation for Competition

How do you get ready for a competition?

I start to get ready several months ahead to be ready for July. I increase my routine and intensity, especially in swimming. But the medication I take for my heart slows down my heartbeat so I have limited endurance. 50 yard races I have no problem; 100 yards starts to get difficult to complete. So I have dropped the longer events and have to listen to what my body tells me.  I got a bad cold in November and laid up in bed for a week so I cut back on my morning walks while it’s cold.

I have an 8 pound ball I swing around and do stretching with to strengthen up my back and legs for my track events – shot put, discus and javelin plus long jump and triple jump. I’ve cut out the high jump, it’s just too hard on my legs anymore and my wife won’t let me do pole vault. But I added hammer throw and triple jump so that got me back up on events. I’ll do as many as I can.  I get bored just sitting around, you know?

 

Does your wife also get involved with sports?

My wife Joyce taught swimming for 25 years and competed in the senior games up until the a couple years ago. She’s had some problems with her rotator cuff and some other things. She’s such a perfectionist that she doesn’t get personal enjoyment out of the competition environment because she can’t get the form and speed anymore. But she just tells people she doesn’t like to go fast anymore.

Our philosophy is to do what you can do as long as you can do it.

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Fitness & Nutrition

Do you work out regularly?

Yes, I do calisthenics in the morning. Pushups, ab crunches.  Then I generally walk 2 miles every morning to get a newspaper. During the walk I will sprint 100 yards. I used to jog another 200 yards but I’ve had to give that up. And I try to go swim twice a week.  I bowl and swim 2-3 times a week at the Y in winter time. Sometimes I have to cut out the walk.

 

How has Senior Games helped you to stay fit?

It’s a means of making me do my exercises. I don’t want to look foolish out there so it drives me to stay in good shape.

 

What are you doing to watch your nutrition?

I’ve cut out a lot of red meat but I like to get a hamburger every now and then.  I eat five times a day. I get up with oatmeal and some fruit, a snack like an orange and a half glass of milk, then around noon I have a lunch meat sandwich, corn chips, celery and another half glass of milk. I have another orange or other fruit and some milk for afternoon snack and the supper. I like the frozen French bread pizzas, there’s around 300 calories. I have a large salad with that.  I avoid pastry but like to get a little sweet for dessert like a cookie. Maybe another one as a day snack, a little chocolate.

I discovered I had type 2 diabetes in 1996 and was able to get along without medication for five years. But since then I have had to increase that little by little and it might get worse. But I’m watching it.

 

Do you surprise your doctors?

Yes, when I was 80 I had a new general practitioner and I noticed he wrote on his exam sheet that I was ‘a vigorous elderly man.’ Well, I feel just as active and vigorous now as I was then. I tell people that the newspaper is more boring than it used to be because it puts me to sleep. That must be it.

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Epilogue

Ole Howard, he proved once again he is a sneaky one. As luck would have it, Howard had track and swimming events that prevented him from coming to our July 24th Personal Best event. So we came up with a plan:  NSGA CEO Marc T. Riker and Shellie Pfohl, executive director of the President’s Council on Fitness, Sports and Nutrition, would go out to the track and field venue the following day and surprise Howard with his Personal Best award right after his 3 pm discus competition.

When the NSGA entourage arrived Howard was nowhere to be found. Then came a call from his daughter – Howard got tired of waiting around and scurried over to the swimming venue to compete in two events there and was on his way back to the track stadium for the 100 meter dash with a  gold swimming medal in hand.

In the end, we were able to prove we could be sneakier than Howard. As soon as he caught his breath from a silver medal 100 meter track performance we ambushed the Kentuckian on the track with his award while fans gathered along the fence cheered.

Good luck in 2015 Howard. We expect you to scoop up another armload of medals along the way!

 

Psyched! – Bob O’Connor, 67, River Forest, Illinois

Bob O’Connor was always a good runner and made the most of it. He earned a track scholarship to Loyola- Chicago and set some school records. He journeyed to Mexico City for the 1968 Olympic Games and was inspired by Bob Beamon’s superhuman long jump.  One year later he was part of a University of Chicago Track Club relay team that set an indoor two mile world record. Then, in 1981 the same four athletes reunited and set a masters world record in the same event.

His competition career expanded to include everything from 100 meters to marathons. 2001 looked like another banner year for the senior runner as he made it to the National Senior Games and completed the Chicago Marathon.  But it all came to an abrupt halt when Bob suffered a catastrophic Achilles tear while at a local track with his son. Recovery after surgery was complicated by infection and a wound that persisted for nearly two years.  He literally had to learn to walk again from being on crutches for so long. The surgeon told him to hang up his competition shoes. That doctor didn’t know who he was dealing with.

You see, Bob is a psychologist whose entire career has been devoted to helping people find ways to overcome obstacles and setbacks in life – mental, emotional and physical. It was in both his Personal Best nature and his professional training to refuse to accept “can’t” and he has worked his way back to doing what he loves.  He returned to the National Senior Games Presented By Humana in 2007, and has won the 800 meter event for the past six years at the Illinois State Senior Olympics in Springfield.

Competition will always motivate him, but these days Bob O’Connor is psyched just to be among others who share his love of the sport and staying as fit and healthy as they can be.

 

You still keep a busy schedule with work, sports and family pursuits. You must not have time to think about retirement.

I enjoy my practice.  Mostly I’m a clinician handling people with depression, marital problems, substance abuse issues, all the typical life issues.  But I also have a sub-specialty in sport psychology and have had both professional and amateur clients.  I help them with their athletic performance. But it’s really a small part of my practice that I’d like to do more of.   I enjoy helping people. I have a friend I’ve advised who has run marathons in every state and on every continent.  He just got back from Antarctica!  I also teach psychology part time at Dominican University, and I enjoy coaching grade school kids and volunteering to be an official starter at local track meets. It’s a good feeling to pay it forward!

The commonality is this: whatever your issues, tell me what you want to do and I’ll help you figure out a way to do it.

 

So it’s safe to say “it’s all in your mind” in your view?

I love Yogi Berra and one of my favorite expressions of his is ” 90 percent of the game is half mental.”  A lot of times we limit ourselves by saying “I could never do that.”  In that case, you won’t. I speak occasionally to high school students and I call my talk “Running Stupid.” Some of the best races I ever ran I didn’t even know what I was doing. The first time I try something athletic is sometimes the best I’ve done because I don’t know my limitations. We need to talk to ourselves positively and not be caught in self-limiting beliefs.

Here’s an example: There’s a woman I saw who had depression and an obesity issue.  She was 5′ 2″ and 250 pounds. One of the things I offer clients is to walk and talk instead of sitting in my office for 45 minutes. So I got her to walk, and then suggested she buy some walking shoes. A year later she ran her first 5K, and did a half marathon a year after that. She’s lost probably 100 pounds and just got married. She was just telling herself “I’m a fat lady, I can’t do that.”

Then there’s an 85 year old guy with some health issues who didn’t think he could be active. He couldn’t make it up the 23 steps to my office, so I made home visits to start.  I got him to go to physical therapy. Now he’s getting stronger and he was able to come up the stairs to see me this morning.

I’m not a preacher or anything like that, but I’ve helped a lot of people help themselves to be less sedentary. It’s never too late. That’s what you’re trying to tell people too, right?  You can become more physically fit at any age.

 

Tell us about your injury and road to recovery.

My younger son and I were running at the local track together and he asked me what the sand pit was for. I said it’s the triple jump pit and decided I would just show him what it looked like to do. Big mistake. I hadn’t tried that in a long time. Wham! It was a full Achilles tear. My calf muscle rolled up my leg like a window shade. I knew immediately what it was.

The surgery went OK but I developed an infection as sometimes happens. I had a pretty awful wound and was on crutches for two years.  I couldn’t bike, swim, anything. I was going crazy until I got a hand bike, you know, the type used in disabled racing, and I took long rides and entered a couple of races to stay in competitive shape and spirit.  That kept me sane and in aerobic shape.

 

Did you think you wouldn’t get back to competing?

I’ve always had good persistence.  I’ve often said, “Don’t tell me I can’t do that.” After the surgery the doctor told me “You’ll never run again. You’re 55 years old, your competitive days are over.” My reply was “I don’t think so!”  He didn’t get it. So I found a new doctor (laughs).

I went to Dr. Terry Nicola, who is a marathon runner and renowned physiatrist, which is a rehabilitation physician.   He knew how important it was to me and was very encouraging. He said it was a terrible wound but once it healed with some work I would be OK.  I had to learn how to walk again because all my leg muscles had deteriorated after two years of doing nothing.   But I made it back and I’ve learned to listen to my body and prepare better. I was raised in an era where stretching was something that dancers did, but now I stretch before and after running.  I’ve had no real problems since I recovered. You take a risk in living, and also in competing. I’m willing to take the risk.

I’m not as competitive as I was before, but the 65 to 69 age group I’m in has a lot of amazing athletes.  I still win or place in some road races but haven’t medaled against the top talent. Last year I made the finals in the 800 at the USA Track and Field Championships held here and ended up 20 seconds behind the lead.  But the senior games movement has inspired me to “keep on keepin’ on” and I enjoy being involved in them.

 

What other things motivate or inspire you?

I was able to go to the Olympics in Mexico City in 1968. In fact, I narrowly missed making the US Olympic team in the 800. But I was rewarded because I saw Bob Beamon’s incredible long jump. Talk about an inspiration. He later became an accomplished graphic artist and my wife bought me one of Beamon’s works that he signed for me.  It’s on display in my office and it starts a lot of conversations.

A lot of these other senior athletes truly inspire me. I go down to the Illinois State Senior Olympics every year and I recall the last time there was this 95 year old gent who won the gold in five events.  I’m standing in the medal line awed at this guy – he looked so buff and sharp in his singlet and spikes. Honest to God his legs looked like my 21 year old daughter’s. I hope I can be having this conversation with you when I’m 95.  I’m honored that you want to recognize me, but I’m just one example. You could have chosen any one of a thousand senior athletes and they would have a good story to tell.

I have another inspiration now too. My 9 year old grandson Patrick Cadiz and I run together as often as possible. Last weekend we ran in two 5Ks.  He always beats me at the end.  We’ll get to the last tenth of a mile and he’ll say “Now Grandpa?” and then take off. We are a source of inspiration to each other.

 

You said you’ve always been a runner.  Do you do anything else now?

That’s really my thing. I’m basically an 800 meter guy, that’s been my event since high school but I’ve tried other things. I’ve done 7 marathons.   I normally run five days a week, but I also bike to and from work every day. I go skiing in winter with my son who lives in Colorado. And I’m working towards triathlon.  I could always bike and run but never swam. Two years ago I learned how to swim so that’s a fun thing to do now too.

I’m doing a lot right now, getting in some speed work to get ready for the 800 meters at the National Senior Games in July. But I haven’t done a full marathon since before my injury and I’ve made a commitment to run one in November.

I’ll always do something.  I share a saying with others that I apply to myself:  “Do what you can, love what you have, and be who you are.”

Senior softballer proves “If you build it, they will come” – Bill Altman, 82, San Antonio, Texas

When Bill Altman retired from his Air Force career, he was itching for something to do to keep moving. He had played baseball in high school, fast pitch softball at the University of Michigan and had even spent a year on the Air Force all star softball team.  But after flying missions over Vietnam and starting a family, he had not found time for sports. When he learned about senior games having softball, he found some guys his age to make up a team.

It was fun and he wanted to play more. But there were no other senior teams in San Antonio.

Bill Altman changed all that. He and his team found more players, and the  San Antonio Senior Softball League was founded in 1987. He is still its chairman and primary advocate. The league obtained old fields from the city and fixed them up with money they raised. Today there are hundreds of seniors from every walk of life that are sharing the love of baseball and staying fit for life. The league has a plan to expand to a modern complex that will meet their growing needs and can host regional tournaments to bring in tourism. In addition to managing, playing and running the league, Altman has participated in state and national senior games in softball, tennis and track and field events. He’s also been inducted into the Texas Senior Softball Hall of Fame. Along the way he has maintained his Personal Best and helped thousands of others do the same.

 

How did the San Antonio Senior Softball League begin?

The whole effort started because of the state senior games in San Antonio in 1987. I had not played softball since I went into the Air Force and thought it would be a good thing to see what it was all about. We formed a team and it was fun. But at the time there weren’t any senior softball teams to play against in San Antonio and it was frustrating.  But we worked at it and got a few teams going and it just grew from there.

Finding places to play has always been a challenge. We were using a city field when it was available. When the teams grew we moved over to Our Lady of the Lake University with a field we could use all the time. After five years they started a women’s softball team and told us we had to move out. So we went back to the city and they gave us a couple of fields that had not been in use at Normoyle Park. We converted them into two first- class regulation softball fields with about $50,000 or our own money.

We now have over 500 men on 30 teams playing in five leagues each year. It’s one of the largest local organizations in the country now.  The league has been growing exponentially. The more guys we have, the more we attract.  Our players are from every walk of life and ethnicity in the city.

Some men think they aren’t good enough to be on a team. Our motto is “No Player Left Behind” and we try to put everyone on a team regardless of skill level. It’s been 98 percent successful and the players usually improve a lot once they get going. But it’s just about going out and doing it. When a guy eeks out a single it can be the most significant thing that’s happened for him in some time. Everyone enjoys their participation.

 

Why did the San Antonio Senior Softball League become such a mission for you?

I felt it was the way to go for physical and mental fitness.  It was keeping me in shape and I thought others were missing out on this. There was nobody over 60 playing in town back then but our team went out and found more guys with a little friendly persuasion. I remember seeing people our age in the stands watching us and I’d ask them to come join us. At first they weren’t willing to try it but eventually some of them did. Some turned out to be pretty good players too! A lot of people are reluctant to try, but once they do you can’t pull them away from it.

Plus, I have baseball in my blood. My whole dream in life from the age of ten was to be a major league baseball player. I grew up in Detroit and I used to usher at Detroit Tiger games and wiped off seats for a quarter. But watching the game was the big thing – rooting for guys like Birdie Tebbetts, Hank Greenberg and Rudy York was a thrill.

 

What plans does the league have to meet ongoing demand?

We have a detailed $2.7 million proposal to build a softball complex at Normoyle Park with four fields so we can have plenty of room and can host tournaments. This would be good for the citizens and for tourism. I just came back from a tournament in Georgetown and they had four fields running steady from Thursday through Sunday. That’s a lot of visitors coming to town.

It’s been an uphill battle trying to get the city to give us what we need. There is a half billion dollar bond issue of which $50 million is for parks.  They only allocated $500,000 for our park and that was for all of the repairs and amenities, not for softball fields. They seem to have made their minds up on what they want to support and our plan isn’t one of them. We haven’t given up and we’re still fighting for it. Cities like San Antonio need to get onboard and provide the facilities, and not third class facilities, to help seniors stay fit. That’s the battle we’ve been fighting.

 

How do you motivate others?

I just try to be an example, even to people younger than I am. I say keep fit, stay active if you want to grow old – physically and mentally. I want to know who made up “the old fogey rule.” There’s no reason for people in their ‘50s, ‘60s, ‘70s and up to give up sports. There’s always something you can do.

I started the San Antonio Senior Softball League in 1987 because my team couldn’t find other guys our age to play in town. We now have over 500 players from 50 on up to their ’80s having fun and keeping fit playing ball. I guess being motivated myself got others to be motivated too.

One day we were having a practice at our field with a mixture of old guys from 50 to 80 out there. There was a little league team practicing next door and they all came over with their parents and watched us. They told us ‘you guys are a real inspiration for us.’ The parents told them if they stayed active all their lives they could be like these guys. That was really something.

 

Is competition your main motivation for participating in sports and Senior Games?

I love competition and I love the camaraderie. There’s also the mental aspect. Mental and physical fitness go together. That’s the secret I think.

 

Have you always been active in fitness and sports?

I played baseball in high school and softball for the University of Michigan. I played one year on the Air Force fast pitch softball all star team out of Keesler Air Force Base, but I stopped because I got so busy with work and raising a family. My sons both played hardball and I coached a bit with them. There wasn’t much time for sports for me, but I exercised.  Kids and yard work kept me active when I wasn’t in sports.

Besides playing and coaching softball, I play golf about once a week and walk my dogs every morning. It’s also a physical and mental exercise to run the softball organization. All that keeps me going and it does keep me fit.

I played tennis in senior games for ten years but had a shoulder issue and had to give it up. I didn’t want hurt my other sport activities. I still do some track and field at the games too. I qualified in the 50 yard dash for this year ‘s National Senior Games.

 

Do you surprise doctors with your level of fitness for your age?

I do surprise the doctors. I take no prescription medicine at all. I’m an anomaly for people my age with the doctors. I had a pulled groin muscle last year and had a minor shingles complication but got over that pretty well.  Other than that I’ve stayed active and been a healthy guy.

The Art (and Science) of a Successful Life – Leurene Hildenbrand, 81, Hartville, Ohio

This is the story of an Ohio farm girl who dreamed of being a research scientist and persisted until she reached her goal. Leurene Hildenbrand overcame the prevailing bias of her time against women pursuing science careers and became the first female to manage a laboratory in her company. But that’s just the beginning of the story.

Wonder Woman (W2), as her friends affectionately call her, filled her adult life with raising a family and helping her husband run their Ohio cattle farm when she wasn’t studying new uses for polymers at work. When they retired and became “snowbirds” to winter in Florida, the inquisitive senior found out about local senior games and one thing led to another. Leurene drew upon her childhood memories of running, ice skating and bicycling and brought them back to life through senior sports – after thoroughly researching them, of course. She will compete in table tennis and cycling at the 2013 National Senior Games Presented By Humana in Cleveland.

Every year since then Leurene has competed and served as a valued volunteer in local and State senior games  in Canton and Akron and tends her summer home on 25 acres in Hartville. Then, for six months she plays and serves in local games in Pinellas Park and a few other Florida locales. She also stays busy teaching aerobics classes, hosting Bible studies and keeps up her musical skills playing violin in the community orchestra. She’s made such an impact with her “winter family” that her table tennis club took up a petition to urge her to stay there all year, and over 1000 people signed it. Even though she lost her husband of 56 years during a difficult year in 2012, she’s still back in Ohio cutting acres of grass and tending vegetable and flower gardens on her own. That’s where we caught up with “Wonder Woman” to do a little more research on her.

 

You compete in so many sports now and win a lot of medals. Have you always played sports?

No. I was raised on a farm and went to a very small high school that only offered girls basketball in the winter and baseball in the summer. We had no competitions to speak of. We didn’t have that Title IX rule and I when I meet these younger girls I always tell them to go for it, you’re fortunate because I didn’t have those opportunities back then.

Anyway, after school I was too busy with work and my family. I worked full time, and my husband also worked for Goodyear televising big sports events from the Goodyear Blimp. We also did farming in our spare time and built several boats and houses. We had about 100 acres and raised registered Black Angus cattle. So there was no time for sports until after I retired.

We bought an RV and went down to Florida and that’s where I saw an ad about the Senior Games. I was pretty good with table tennis so I thought I would try it out and it went pretty well.  I researched it more and realized there was more to life than just table tennis with all the sports they offered.

I loved to ice skate on the ponds in winter when I was a girl, so I decided to try rollerblading. I loved it. Then while I was out on the trail I saw these cyclists flying over the overpass of the road and thought “Boy that sure looks like fun.”  They were going faster than I could on skates and I wanted to go faster too.   I also did a lot of running on the farm so I wanted to try track and field events too. Little by little I found out all of these things I could do – volleyball, archery, basketball, pickleball, shuffleboard, horseshoes.  I compete in 17 different sports. I like billiards and bocce ball because there’s a little bit of physics in playing that.

 

Physics? You look at sports that way?

Oh yes. I worked at Goodyear Research for 37 years. I started out as a draftswoman. It was during the war and they didn’t have enough guys so there was my opportunity. I worked at Goodyear Aerospace for a time where they had a contract to build Nike Rocket cases. After training and testing I was chosen to be in charge of the spectroscopy lab.  I made a little bit of history there, being a woman and so young. Our work over the years was much more than dealing with tires. We did more research with polymers than rubber, finding new applications and such.

 

In a way, it seems that you approach your entire life as a research project.

Oh yes, I do that all the time. I’ve always been known for my research ability, and that’s what I do in everything. When I went to buy my bicycle I wanted one that was just right. I hadn’t been on a bike since I was a kid and I had to share one with the whole family. There’s so many qualities that go into a bike, so I went to the library and got a lot of information.  I found the bike that fits me and I love it.   I’m the one flying along now too.  Same with my field events. I went to a boot camp in Florida and learn how to throw the discus and the hammer, but I still went to the internet to get more information to make myself better.

 

You managed to qualify for the National Senior Games in spite of some difficulties. What happened?

I went through some trying times last year. First I broke my wrist playing pickleball. My foot stuck on the court and I went down. I got back up and finished the game, and even though it hurt I played another game.  Yeah, it felt bad but I didn’t realize it was broken. When you want to play you play (laughs). Afterwards it swelled up like you wouldn’t believe.

After that, my husband’s health had been failing and he passed away last year. I also needed cataract surgery so I had to deal with that too, as the cataract surgery caused severe cornea problems just before going to the International Senior Games in St George Utah. I did come home with a Silver and a Bronze in table tennis!

 

Did those setbacks make you think you might need to slow down?

Oh no,  I never think that. If anything I might change direction a bit. But you have to expect that.  Life is a journey that’s filled with hopes and dreams and challenges and setbacks and goodbyes.  All of that. You have to make the best of it no matter what. You don’t have to stay on the same road, there’s lots of paths to travel on that journey.   I love the challenges, that’s what keeps me going.

One important thing is that God is in my life. He controls my feelings and I never allow myself to get so discouraged that I can’t do anything. Never, ever. There’s always a bright side you can look at.

 

There are a lot of people who are inspired by your outlook on life.

I don’t mean to be bragging, but people ask me all the time “How do you do all of this Leurene?” Last year down in Florida a woman who beat me in cycling who came up to me and said she was inspired by me.  I said “Phyllis…you beat me in the race.” She said “I know. You don’t have to be the winner to be an inspiration.”

I want to be an example for others. For people who don’t think they can do it or are not good enough to be in it, I’d like to talk to them and tell them “I was there.  I felt that same way. But I found out I am good enough, once I did my research and started practicing and following what others do. You can do it.”

 

You are playing the violin in your photo. You obviously have more than sports that interest you.

I enjoy playing my violin in the 52 piece Pinellas Park Civic Orchestra when I’m in Florida. I’ve been playing it since I was young.  I was self taught on the violin, but finally got lessons when I went to the University of Akron, and that’s actually an interesting story.

I wanted to be a scientist so I took all of the math, chemistry, physics, everything related to science.  I only took the classes that I was interested in and wanted to take, so I didn’t take any of the introductory courses. When it came time to graduate, the Dean said “This is all highly unlikely, we have a problem.”  He explained that for science majors to graduate you have to take ROTC, but as a woman I was not allowed to take that. So after he paced the floor and thought about it, he handed me the next semester’s course book and gave me the option of choosing any other course to make it up. So I substituted violin lessons for ROTC, can you believe that?  It was so cool.” (laughs)

 

I’m Stunned I Can Actually Do This – DeEtte Sauer, 71, Houston, Texas

As she will readily admit, at one time DeEtte Sauer was a mess. The supermom and super-motivated businesswoman had let herself go with decades of inactivity and she became morbidly obese. Her doctors said she was certain to have a heart event within five years.

With one decision and the resolution to change, DeEtte transformed herself and eventually found her second home in the swimming pool at age 58. And no one is more surprised than her to find there had been a competitive swimmer hiding inside. But winning meets is second place to the quality of life she has gained. Read on to hear her “fat to fast” story.

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History

Have you always been active in fitness and sports?

No. I was athletic in the neighborhood when I was young but I did nothing as an adult for over 25 years and gained a lot of weight. It’s probably the thing that I’m most ashamed of in my life.

October 10, 1986 was the day I turned my life around. Our family was on vacation at a lake resort and I was so obese that I could not maneuver myself into a boat. I had gotten morbidly obese partially because I had quit drinking and smoking and just started eating my way into oblivion. So when I couldn’t get into that boat I just told myself ‘that’s it, I’m not going to live this way anymore.’

Being from Louisiana I loved cooking, it was second nature to me. But the foods I ate growing up were extremely unhealthy.  But I learned to adapt my favorite recipes into healthier versions and it has affected my whole family in a positive way. My husband is very healthy and my daughters now cook healthy foods for their families.

 

How did you go from doing nothing to becoming a medal-winning swimmer?

First was taking off over 100 pounds. I knew I had to be active and regularly walked around the neighborhood. Then I started going to the gym.

Everything I’m doing I owe to one young coach named Stacy Van Horn who worked with me at the beginning. I just showed up one day, I was just kind of bored of regular gym stuff and decided to try swimming with the swim team. I couldn’t even get across the pool that first time and wanted to quit.

She said ‘No you’re not, I’m going to teach you and you’re going to do this.’ This little 23 year old pipsqueak read me the riot act. Any time I gave her any lip or whined and complained she told me to shut up and keep going. She never let me stop. When I found I was good at it, I started going to masters swimming events and the senior games.

 

How do you view the success you’ve had in competition?

Every medal has been very valuable to me because I’m still stunned that I can actually do this. I’ve never gotten used to the fact that I’ve become an athlete in my senior years. I’ve always admired athletes, and to now be one is just a hoot! I’ve never gotten over it…and I hope I never will.

Winning the medals in Houston in 2011 on my home turf was the most exciting. The pressure was huge because so many of the people I know were aware of it. It was very “in your face” with the fear that I might not medal and embarrass myself in front of the home crowd.

I’ve won gold in other competitions but it’s been elusive at the National Senior Games.  That’s a bit of extra motivation for me going into Cleveland this year.

 

What are you looking forward to about attending the National Senior Games in Cleveland?

I love reconnecting with people that have become friends and I haven’t seen since the last games. I love the excitement that’s created around the National Senior Games. We’ve never been to one where we haven’t had a really good time. And every time I think it’s going to be my year to win a gold medal. So far it hasn’t been but I’ll never stop trying.

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Motivation & Inspiration

Is competition your main motivation for participating in Senior Games activities?

If I didn’t compete, I would still work out. However, it’s the competition that keeps me challenged and motivated and trying to continually upgrade my workouts.

 

What else motivates you or rewards you from your activity?

I love being strong. I’ll tell you something that was very emotional that motivated me. After 9/11 I was in Lubbock for the Texas Senior Games. It was my 60th birthday. They had shut down all the planes so I had to rent a car to drive home to Houston. The whole way I listened to all the reports of the catastrophe and all the people who were lost. There were so many first responders who lost their lives going back in to bring out people, many who were obese, disabled or old. I made this little vow to myself that I was going to get strong enough to where I could be one of those going in to pull people out and that nobody would ever have to go back for me.

 

Who inspires you to be your personal best?

There are so many inspirational stories, but I’m amazed at the blind swimmers I’ve met at Senior Games. There also was a guy at the 1999 games in Virginia who swam the 100 butterfly. His wife would tap him with a stick to let him know when he was approaching the end. And he won a medal. Can you imagine going full speed into a concrete wall blind?

 

Who else have you inspired by your example maintaining a healthy active lifestyle?

I’m the oldest in my swim club by many years. They look at me and say ‘If she can do it, I can do it.’ That’s what I like. It was demonstrated to me, and now it’s my turn.

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Training & Preparation for Competition

How do you adjust your routine for competition?

As I get closer to a competition I’ll start working out six days a week. However, two weeks before the competition I taper off because that much swimming keeps me in shape but I’m also pretty sore and tired. So I rest up a bit to get ready for the event.

 

What obstacles, if any, do you have in your training plan?

I have arthritis in my shoulders, elbows and lower back. That’s why the butterfly events are the most challenging for me.  But I’m going to keep doing it as long as I possibly can

 

Does your husband get involved too?

My husband is 80 years old and is as healthy as he can be.  He does not compete but works out regularly and on other days he walks in the neighborhood. He says he would rather be my handler. (laughs) He travels with me to all of my meets and usually volunteers to help out.

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Fitness and Nutrition

Do you train in your sport year round or only to prepare for competitions?

I do train on a year-round basis. I normally work out four days a week swimming 3,000 to 3,500 yards per session. I work out with a swim team and a coach at Memorial Athletic Club in Houston called the M.A.C Masters. I’m the oldest member by far.

 

How do you approach nutrition?

First of all, we don’t eat out except on special occasions. I cook a good healthy meal from scratch every night. We eat mostly fish and also chicken, but no longer eat red meat.  And nothing white – no white flour, rice, bread. I only cook with healthy, fresh super foods that are packed with nutrients.

 

How else has becoming fit improved your life?

I’ll tell you, the strength that I’m gained through my exercise, workouts and completion has helped me participate in the lives of young people. I mentor at the local high school, my husband and I tutor at an afterschool program at a little Hispanic church, and we also sometimes work with middle schoolers. I also teach mothers nutrition and how to cook healthy once a week at a program called Motherwise. I make myself available for speaking engagements and always advocate Senior Games to people.

We also love to go to the big water parks with the grandkids. My husband and I always find the biggest water slide, sometimes we have to climb six stories and we’ll do it a hundred times in a day. We never see any other grandparents up there. We’re just so grateful we can still do that.

 

Do you surprise your doctor(s) with your level of fitness for your age?

Oh yes. In the late 90’s I went to the Cooper Clinic in Dallas for a workup and they told me I had so much plaque in my arteries due to my previous lifestyle that I would probably have a heart event within five years. That’s at the time I started swimming.  Then, in 2009 I went to the University of Texas Health Science Center and had another workup with Dr. Lance Gould, who is a renowned physician. He told me my heart was 100 percent okay. I asked him when I needed to come back again and he said ‘Never, as long as you continue to exercise and eat the way you do I never need to see you again.’  I was stunned.  Swimming literally saved my life.

My doctor is also surprised about my arthritis. He says my spine is so messed up that I shouldn’t be walking upright. The swimming had strengthened my core that it supports my spine. So I keep going.

You’re gonna hurt, it’s a part of life. But I’d rather hurt from sports injuries than being hurt from doing nothing.

 

What do you say to people you see are not taking care of themselves?

I used to not be as vocal as I’ve become because I’ve seen so many friends struggle and die young from heart disease. I know that I can’t make it happen for them and I hesitate to get in their face, but if I’m ever asked or see an open door for my opinion I certainly make it known. My speaking engagements allow me to tell my story and show people how they can overcome the things that happen with aging and to make their Golden Years really golden.  I’m 72 and my life is full of fun and excitement. I want them to have that too.

I often tell people that aging is fun if you’re healthy and fit…but it’s NOT fun if you’re not. Every day there’s a new problem and life becomes a challenge.  I see so many of my friends suffering badly. Even though I stay healthy and watch what I eat I’m still going to have problems – you can’t escape it. But I have so much more strength to deal with them today than if I had not taken care of myself.

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Epilogue

(Photo by Claire Eggers/ Brooks Institute © 2013)

DeEtte has had a busy year. Her Personal Best exposure has resulted in numerous print and broadcast interviews, and this was further amplified when she was selected to be one of Humana’s Game Changers as part of a national well being media campaign conducted by our champion sponsor. We are all grateful to DeEtte for being such an eloquent and passionate spokesperson for the Senior Games Movement. In DeEtte’s words:

I didn’t get my Gold, but I was fortunate to win Silver in the 50 fly and 500 free, Bronze in the 100 fly and 200 IM, and I finished 4th in 100 IM.  I am so grateful for these awards. It was the toughest competition ever. I have great respect for the women I swam against.

I was really humbled by the company I was in. It is so true that there were almost 11,000 athletes and 11,000 stories there…each more inspirational than the last. The whole week was very emotional. I am in awe of my fellow athletes. Great company!!!

You made me famous among my peers. It was crazy!!! When I walked into the swim center on Tuesday everyone knew who I was. They had either seen the article in Swimmer magazine or my picture plastered all over the program. George and I laughed and laughed. It was just comical. You made me famous for being “fat to fast”. Wow!!!

Thanks again for one of the best weeks of my life. Swimmingly yours, D