www.50athletesover50.com

Hope to see you there,

Don McGrath

Bill Hansbury and his Friend Jake

The story that Hansbury has to tell is a testament to the power or being receptive to opportunities. Bill is a 72 year old cyclist and runner, who lives in Saint Petersburgh, Florida. Bill became active late in life, at the age of 28, when a friend he hadn’t seen in couple years visited him, and Bill thought he looked great. Bill asked him how he managed to look so great, and his friend told him that he had taken up running. Bill went to his bedroom, put on some sneakers and said his friend, “let’s go!” Bill stopped smoking and lost a lot of weight, and has been running regularly ever since. Bill went on to run under three hours for the marathon, run ultra-marathons, and take up cycling. A couple of years ago, Bill lost a leg to an aggressive, anti-biotic resistant infection, and he shared with me how he has begun helping others with disabilities live a better life by helping them get prosthetic limbs.
Bill has a touching story to tell and the best way to understand it, is to watch the following video. You judge if it’s a miracle. 

http://www.tampabay.com/features/humaninterest/a-crusty-man-becomes-perfect-mentor-for-boy-dealing-with-amputation/1013640

John has done rock climbing, ice climbing and mountaineering all over the globe and has some fun stories to tell and good pictures to show. He also has kayaked rivers and creeks all over the place, and skied volcanoes and other wild places. You can find his website, which has some of his stories and pictures on it, at.

http://web.mac.com/johnmattson2/dancingontheedge/Home.html

http://www.nytimes.com/2010/01/08/us/08aging.html?emc=eta1

I want to be these folkes when I grow up. A 90 year-old wing-walker…How wild?

I’m getting ready to launch into a final edit and organize marathon, that starts tonight around 6pm mountain time and ends Sunday at midnight.

I plan on starting final formatting and editing for 50 Athletes Over 50 Teach Us How to Live a Strong, Healthy Life, and I need this final push to sweep up all the little details. I’m very much focused on sending the book for print the first week of February, with first copies available in early March.  I have two talks scheduled in March and I would like to have the book in hand for them. Wish me luck!

The second book, Let’s Talk Fitness, is by Tony Naturale, a 77-year-old ex-police officer, who strikes me as a modern-day, East Coast Jack LaLanne Junior. A self proscribed ”fitness-nut”, his book is a collection of short summaries of active people, mostly friends, neighbors, and acquaintances, which range from age 17 to 100. What I liked most about Tony’s book is that the people featured are for the most part, real people and not super-athletes. From talking with many active people over the age of 50, it appears that people like Tony features are just as inspiring as Uber athletes. Tony is also a funny guy. You can find out more about this book at http://www.tonynatch.com/

The third book I read was Lee Bergquist’s Second Wind. This book has in-depth features of 18 athletes, who are for the most part, very accomplished. Lee presents some inspiring stories of athletes over age 40. Featured are runners, skiers, lifters, bodybuilders, cyclists, skaters, as well as athletes from other sports. The story that I liked most from Lee’s book was one of a heart transplant patient who took up running and eventually ran a marathon. You can find out more at http://www.humankinetics.com/2009-releases/2009-releases/Bergquist-Second-Wind-Press-Kit

One way that my upcoming book, 50 Athletes Over 50 Teach Us How to Live a Strong, Healthy Life differs from Tony and Lee’s books, is that, aside from telling the stories of the athletes I interviewed, I am focused on distilling out lessons to share with the reader with the hope of helping you develop habits that lead and sustain a strong, healthy life that is full of fun and adventure. I hope you will enjoy it.

I hope to do more interviews like this, so I would love your comments and feedback.

Brain Powered Laziness Gizmo

http://www.cepro.com/article/scientists_unveil_thought_controlled_smart_home_system/K5

Sandy Scott

Sandy Scott (69 years young):

Monday        73.35 miles – moderate

Tuesday        35.6 easy spin ride, afternoon:  weight training: chest, shoulders, triceps, abdominals

Wednesday    35.04 miles – interval training – half mile repeats at maximum effort

Thursday        76.45 miles at a comfortable pace

Friday            35.28 miles – easy spin ride, Afternoon: weight training:  back & biceps

Saturday        76.19 Very fast group ride

Sunday            32.92 Easy recovery ride

Total mileage for the week:    368.83

 _____________________________________________________________________

Jane Welzel (4rth from Left) and Friends

Jane Welzel (54):

Monday:  easy 30 minute run

Tuesday: morning 3-4 miles, pm track workout (see attachment)

Wednesday:  7-8 mile run

Thursday:  7-8 mile run

Friday: trail run, 8-10 mile run

Saturday: 6-8 mile run

Sunday: 12-15 miles on trails

________________________________________________________________________

Who do you want to be in the new decade?

Happy New Decade!

Cheryl Ragsdale Working the Matt

While writing my book, I had put together a slide show, showing pictures of the athletes I interviewed, each with the athletes name, age, and location, as well as a quote from the interview. The most common reaction when Cheryl Ragsdale’s slide emerged was, “She can’t be over 50.” She most certainly is, and is a great example of the magic in leading an active life and having a sense of fun. Cheryl Ragsdale is a youthful 51 year old boxer and martial artist who lives in Boston, Massachusetts. At age 46, Cheryl began working out, taking aerobics classes and lifting weights. She enjoyed working out ,but her life was changed one day when, she joined a new gym, her future boxing trainer told her that she had a long reach. Cheryl didn’t understand, so she asked him what he meant. He said, “Hold out your arm, look how long your arm is,” and went onto explain that he operated a boxing gym in town. He invited her to visit and the first time she tried boxing, she lit up. A little over a year ago, Cheryl took up Brazilian Jiu-Jitsu and kickboxing, and someday would like to knit the skills from these disciplines together. She loves how martial arts allows her to bring out her girl warrior, and how it has unexpectedly increased her gentleness.

Happy New Decade! yes, not just a new year, but a new decade. What will your life be like when you hit 2020? I plan on being an athlete.

Front Cover of Don McGrath's New Book

This book will not only feature profiles of 50 athletes as well as some featured interviews, but will also summarize observations and lessons that I learned in the interview process and in the process of analyzing the interviews.

I will share how these athletes have successfully transitioned to where the sport they do is not something they do, but is part of who they are. I will also share other key lessons from their more than 2800 years of collective wisdom, allthewhile passing on their inspiring and fun stories.

I also have included written exercises meant to aid the reader in applying the lessons these athletes will teach us, with the hope that this will help more people lead the strong, healthy lives that these athletes lead.

Stay tuned. I hope to have first copies available in March, 2010.

R.S. Relaxing in Hawaii

Melody at the Studio

R.S. and Melody Mitchell, 61 and 54 respectively, live in Salisbury, Maryland and own and operate one of the largest martial arts schools in the country. R.S. learned martial arts from his father when he was very young, and Melody got her start when she was 34 and took a women’s self-defense course from R.S. They have, together, incorporated martial arts into their lifestyle, and are devoted to bringing others the self-esteem, self-control, self-discipline, self-defense; perseverance, respect for others, concentration, and physical fitness that results from studying martial arts. They have taught people from three years old and up, offering classes that help the very young develop coordination and strength, as well as classes that help older student defend themselves with a cane. They shared with me some of the astounding changes they have seen in students with ADHD and students with physical handicaps. They love how martial arts keeps them physically and mentally fit, and that they get to do it together.

I just did an accounting and I only have a few more athletes that I interviewed to post on this blog. I’ll be looking in the New Year to continue to bring content to this blog, even after my book comes out in March. I’d love it if you would leave comments about what you would like to see on this blog in 2010. It is a new decade, and I’m sure we are all excited about it. So, please leave a comment and I’ll get busy!