Oh, to be young

Two women were sitting on a park bench. The evening was shaping up to be nice and cool after the rain had passed through. It looked like they were sitting in relative silence -- perhaps mother and daughter, one in her 70s the other in her 40s.

I passed by them as I trotted through my easy-paced run, rounding the traffic circle they were watching and preparing to head home from my second workout of the day.

I smiled as I went by and offered a "hello."

The older woman smiled back and said, with a laugh, "Oh to be young."

It's not the first time I've heard that sentiment. Running in my neighborhood I pass my fair share of older women, those who have lived two or three lifetimes compared to mine. On days when I feel old and wonder exactly what it is that I've done with, or packed into, my 30-some years of living, I usually come across someone like the woman on the bench. And it gives me plenty to think about.

Her observation (and she stands in for other women like her I've come across) is never bitter. It's never filled with anger that she herself is no longer young. It's a bit wistful. A bit of longing. A bit of wishing she had the energy and the health now that she has the experience and wisdom. It's one of the great ironies of life, isn't it? Like the line in the movie It's a Wonderful Life -- "Youth is wasted on the young."

But it's more than just the energy and health of youth. It's enjoying the newness that each day brings. It's realizing that where I am today is a product of everything -- good, bad, indifferent -- that happened yesterday. We can let yesterday define who we are, or accept that yesterday put us in the place we are today and that we have the ability to change our direction, to find a new place, today.

Perhaps that's the gift of being where I am in life right now. I still have the energy to make things happen with a bit of life experience in my pocket. Might I have been a better athlete if I took my health and exercise seriously in my 20s? Possibly.

But then my races and my training would be void of the experiences I enjoy. I'd have different expectations. Different goals. Different motivations.

I, quite simply, would not longer be me.

So I take my mixture of youth and experience into my first intermediate distance race at Tri in the Buff on Sunday. My goal? To finish. But not in the "I hope I can finish" sort of way. I know I can finish. That's the not the issue.

But my life experience tells me setting a time goal right now is wasted energy for me. (Emphasis, by the way, on the for me part. Others love to set high performance goals. It's who they are and I celebrate that with them. However tt is not, I am learning, who I am.)

I want to have fun on Sunday. I want to challenge myself, see what I can do at a longer distance. From a training perspective, I want to get my body acclimated to swimming, biking and running for longer periods of time. I'm working on creating a solid base of endurance and fitness for Muskoka in September.

Most of all, I want to create some more bankable memories for the days when I'm sitting on a park bench.

Comments

[Jill Graney]

Good Luck on Sunday Amy. You are going to have a great race! You definitely have the right attitude. Enjoy the day and appreciate your amazing fitness level.

[Ted G]

Well said Amy. You are set up to have a great day on Sunday!