A woman can change her mind, right? Yes, I just posted last month that I was signing off this blog for good. Then I started thinking: (1) as long as I don’t devote lots of psychic energy to feeling guilty about the occasional (ok, frequent) long gaps between posts, who cares how often I publish? It’s not like I have advertisers or sponsors to satisfy. I have a handful of readers who, like me, are trying to stay active in the second half (or so) of their life, and who show some interest in the links and sources and adventures I publish. And (2) 2024 is going to be kind of a big year for me: God ..read more

Maintaining this blog has always been a bit of a juggle, since I launched it just before I also started a career shift. But it HAS been fun. And it’s been a great excuse to keep reading sports magazines and stalking social media for inspirational role models and challenging workouts. But it’s time to admit that I don’t have the bandwidth to keep it up. In some ways, the timing is ironic, because I’ve finally shifted into a higher gear in my own fitness pursuits. In August, I signed up for a 90-day “vegan transformation” program to get more serious about veganism AND workouts (I call myself “95 ..read more

(Cover image borrowed from here; covered by creative commons license.) Sometimes, not breaking one’s personal best is a good thing: I didn’t let four months pass between posts! First a quick update, and then I’ll share some goodies… Me and my patient running companion. Safe to say I’ve had a lot of false starts over the last few years in my journey to reclaim some lost fitness. Juggling – no, bobbling is more like it – a job, seminary, and pastoral internship, and then starting a new call as the pastor of a church 40 miles from home has presented some time- and energy-management challenges. Bu ..read more

For the longest interval between blog posts on Fifty is the New Forte! Apparently I’m still in that time-management challenge phase where I can either fit in exercise, or fit in writing about exercise, but not both. I’m telling myself I’m improving, but I can’t prove it, yet, so don’t ask me to. For now, fitting in weight-lifting and some cardio takes priority. I rowed 60K in January as a fundraiser for the American Cancer Society. I’m trying to transition to the treadmill this month, so that I can try my hand – or legs! – at a 10K this spring. Jane Fonda, 1980s workout wear Anyway, I’ve been ..read more

(Photo above of 80-year old Jacinto Bonilla borrowed from Men’s Fitness magazine online. See details below.) I’m not going to change the name of the blog, but I’ve entered a new decade! And while I ended my 50s in a fulfilling place vocationally, fitness-wise I need to step up my game. It took a couple of startling photos and a couple of alarming readings at my annual physical to shake me up — but consider me shook! There’s been too much commuting, too much sitting, and too much convenience/prepared food-consumption in the past 12 months. So I entered October with the Great Cycle Challenge alr ..read more

During my first year as a full-time pastor, I’ve put a zillion miles on my car, and somewhere between 7-10 pounds on my frame (does anyone else find their weight bouncing +/- 2 or 3 pounds any given morning?). The increased sitting and increased reliance on convenience foods have done a number on me. But I’m signed up to do some stationary cycling for the Great Cycle Challenge again this year (if you’d like to kick in a few bucks toward my fundraising goal, click that link!), so that will get me on the bike every morning in September. And I’m signed up for the Towpath Half Marathon on October ..read more

I’ve been promising some book “reviews” or recaps, but I keep prioritizing reading over writing! Spare time is in short supply, and the unread-or-partially-read book pile is embarrassingly tall. But I’ll tell you about a couple of good ones in this post and the next. First up is Next Level: Your Guide to Kicking Ass, Feeling Great, and Crushing Goals Through Menopause and Beyond, by Dr. Stacy Sims and Selene Yeager. I’ve heard Stacy Sims on several podcasts this year (I linked to this one from the Run to the Top podcast in my last post), and I learn something from every sentence she utters. I ..read more

This wonderful feature in the New York Times profiles four runners, 90 years old and above, all competing in the 2022 National Senior Games, who drop some wisdom bombs for the ages. Like Walter Lancaster: “You got to keep moving.” And Roy Englert: “Keep moving, keep moving, keep moving… And have a little luck.” To that end, hop over to the website Well+Good for an article on the six best mobility exercises for staying nimble as we get older. If you’re an overachiever, Livestrong has a similar post featuring ten balance exercises. I’ve been steering my female friends of a certain age to this ep ..read more

I had another inspiring Zoom conversation with ultrarunner and coach Loretta Tobolske-Horn. She’s 50 years old, now, so a legitimate “50+” role model (we made her an honorary role model when we last talked). In this chat, my chronology was all messed up; I think I correctly remembered when we last talked, but I had her 2021 races out of sequence (you can also see her race history on UltraSignup.com). We catch up on her recent race results, her coaching, and her racing plans. But even more importantly, Loretta shares her personal experience and some super-useful information about a problem tha ..read more

I’ve said before that I don’t do New Year’s resolutions, but this is going to sound like one. Image borrowed from Lifespan Fitness. For the last three months, I have been inhabiting a new vocation as a full-time church pastor. I’ve also been a part-time college instructor, teaching on Zoom. My pastoral call is 45 minutes from home (5 minutes shorter than the drive to my former job, but now I can telecommute only one day/week, instead of 2), so I sit in a car at least 90 minutes a day, 4-5 days/week. There’s a fair amount of sitting in a typical church office day, too: sitting in meetings, sitt ..read more