okansas.blogspot.com Occassional thoughts about orienteering
Wednesday, February 12, 2003
Getting older
Yesterday was my 39th birthday. Getting older is interesting. Figuring out how to best train as you get older keeps things interesting.
Here are a few words from a x-country skiing web page about some top 40+ skiers in the U.S.
How do they do it? One thing they all have in common is that they live healthy lifestyles. Their weight is the same as when they were in their prime and the body fat is kept to a minimum - Gut – no glory! I doubt that neither Aalberg nor Engen’s body fat is above 6% - that’s comparable to fit World Cup skiers! As my friend Gordon Lange said about Bruce Cramner: "Torbjorn, this guy can kayak - all day down in The Grand Canyon and when the day is over he drinks some water and eats a prune"
How can you beat them? Well start training – every day, year round. Rollerski, bike, run and ski – these guys are not waiting until the fall to get started. Distance, intervals, weights and time-trials are all on their year-round menu. They are in shape all year and never let up – much from when they were on top in the Nation. Can they be beaten? Sure, but it takes dedicated training over many years, a certain portion of talent and years of racing.
