"How Old do I Look?"

This morning I had a great swim and for some reason suddenly felt ready to do this thing....at least physically. Then I got talking to a guy on the beach who asked me if I was in the same age group as him. I said, "Well I'm fifty-three", and he never really responded, so I asked him directly how old he was. His sheepish and somewhat apologetic response was, "ummm, sixty five!" Holy shit...this guy thought I was a senior citizen!

Oh well, just one guys opinion right?

So I headed off to Tim Hortons to get a coffee for me and my sweetheart, (no not my bike!) and before the young lady rang up my bill she said, "and are you a senior sir?" Holy Smokes!. As Arlo Guthrie of Alices Restaurant fame would say, "its a movement"

Do I really care? Does this really bother me? Perhaps surprisigly, I can give you an emphatic NO!. I know that if I grew my hair a little and put a little Grecian formula in it I would not look a day over 60. But what differnce would it make? I would still be the same person, with the same number of years and the same life experiences. I think perhaps it's good for me to be reminded that I'm now an old, or at least oldish bugger. It keeps a man honest to know that his days are numbered. Besides, when I was a very young 37 years old, I smoked a pack and a half a day, drank 5 or 6 beers, regularly ate a large bag of potato chips with dip, and was always too tired to play with my children. I plan on having enough energy to play with my great grandchildren one day. Isn't that a cool freakin idea? And no matter know old I may look, I know it is a realistic possibility.

So back to my morning swim. It was a glorious quiet morning when I slid into Lake Okanagan at 8 am. I spent the nicest 40 minutes in the water I have ever experienced. The lake is quite clean and it was flat as glass. Like swimming in the pool but with no turns.

Besides the senior citizen I also met a really cool couple in the water. Their names were Jim and Janine Boldra from Wisconsin. They have done this race together for the last 21 years straight! Unbelievabe eh? Jim is actually one ahead of her at 22 completed , and if you think that's amazing....my 65 year old friend was also here for his 23rd in a row. I may look old but I'm still just a newbie!

And yes, I do feel more ready today. It's all a mind game now. Staying calm, relaxed and confident. Tomorrow morning I will do a mini traithlon, intended to simulate race day. I will use all my race day gear, and eat accordingly tonite and tomorrow morning. Wish me luck! I'll let you know how it goes.

I wish to dedicate day 341 to my son Jonathan, who refuses to give in to his demons. May he continue to win the battles!

"Never fear growing old; there are many who have never had the privilege"---Anon

“You are never too old to set another goal or to dream a new dream."---C.S. Lewis

“We don't stop playing because we grow old; we grow old because we stop playing."---George Bernard Shaw

love
peter