A saga of acknowledgment

In a recent post Terry Lonergan in his blog Running on Empty refered to an article in last weeks Athletics Weekly about Ron Hill - and I can only agree that Ron Hill is a living legend.

Last weeks AW however, also had another article titled The Long Kiss Goodnight written by Will Cockerell which was a light hearted look at athletes growing older or as he put it, as he " grimly peers into the abyss of aging athletics."

Maintaining running and racing as one grows older as a topic has also frequently been refered to in a number of Terry's other posts. (Am I growing paranoid but does everything I read these days refer to growing older - even my mail this morning consisted of a letter/advertisement from Saga).

Anyhow, Will Cockerell's article revolves around attending a meeting (Ageaholics Anonymous) of ageing athletes who have difficulty in accepting the fact that they are getting older. As a result of attending the meeting he is given a 12 step programme for those struggling with the condition:

Step 1 - Acknowledgment
Step 2 - Acceptance
Step 3 - Pluck out all white hairs from head
Step 4 - Reduce alcohol intake to a minimum
Step 5 - Take a weekly massage
Step 6 - Start swimming regularly
Step 7 - Increase strength conditioning and flexibility work in the gym
Step 8 - Run easier recovery days
Step 9 - Leave parties just as they're getting going
Step 10 -Cut out desserts and Frappachinos
Step 11 Replace trainers more frequently
Step 12 Bring bed-time forward by 25 minutes

From a personal point of view I am still probably skirting around steps 1 and 2 (although I nearly read that letter from Saga this morning). However, steps 7 and 8 have definitely sneaked their way into my training schedules and although not to the minimum, alcohol intake has reduced.

Ah - sorry, I have just remembered what is missing from my shopping list - Horlicks!

A steady 6 miles last night, knees still painful but the swelling is down. Back on the track tonight.

Comments

Terry Lonergan said…
I just thought that Will Cockerell was being slightly premature writing that article at his age, don't you think, Alan? He's only a V35!!!
Trust you are icing those knees. Any clue to why they are swelling up?
Alan Dent said…
Yes, must admit I feared the worst when he said he was peering into the abyss of old age and then went onto say how old he actually is. Does not bode well for 20/30 years time!

Not sure what problem with knees is - cant seem to isolate the problem - but yes plenty of ice being used and thankfully still able to run