I’m an early riser, but I never set an alarm clock. When the sun comes up and the birds start singing, I’m awake. In the summer, that means I’m up around 4:30 or 5 a.m. In the winter, when it’s dark early in the morning and the sun goes down in the late afternoon, I wake up later and go to bed earlier. I find it helps not to be jerked out of a dream by an alarm clock. If you wake up when your body is ready, it’s easier to start your day. (Here are 7 tricks to help you become a morning person.) Once I’m out of bed, the first thing I do is run to mass. Literally. It’s about 4 miles, round trip. From there, I might run errands—again, running from one place to another to log miles. Almost every day I run to the jail, where I visit with inmates. When the weather is nice, I’ll bike about 45 miles roundtrip to a lake near me and then swim about a mile or so. Because I never really know what my schedule will look like—I do a lot of volunteer work and end up going where I’m needed rather than sticking to a set itinerary—I squeeze in my workouts whenever I can and wait for nature to tell me what to do. But I do run every day, and I swim about three times a week. MORE: 7 Incredible Results You’ll Get From Walking 30 Minutes A Day I’m lucky I don’t sweat a whole lot, because some days I’m so busy volunteering and training that I don’t even have time to shower. Yesterday, I hopped in the lake for my swim and that did it for the day! By the time I got home and ate dinner, it was so late—I was too tired to do anything but plop into bed. As for my diet, I keep it pretty simple. Breakfast is usually coffee and something light—a bun or toast, for example—and then after mass and errands, I’ll get home and have some yogurt with blueberries, granola, and chia seeds mixed in. I sip sports drinks throughout the day to stay hydrated and keep my electrolytes balanced. I find that as I get older, my appetite isn’t so big—even when I’m training a lot. If I’m out and about during lunch or dinner, I’ll grab a Clif bar and that solves that. When I’m home, dinner is usually a small portion of chicken or fish along with potatoes or rice, and I always try to include fresh veggies. (Short on time? Try these delicious 10-minute meals that will keep you full and have your energy soaring.) Years ago, I used to train with other people, many of whom were (and still are) 20 years younger than me. Now most of them are on grandparent duty, so training has mostly become a solo adventure. (Customize your own walking plan with Walk Your Way to Better Health and lose up to 5x more belly fat!) When I first started competing, I would get quite nervous before races. I think it’s because I always wanted to start off pushing really hard and either pass or hang with my competition. Now that I do triathlons, I notice I don’t get those butterflies so much anymore, and I believe it’s due to the fact that when you start a race in the water, it takes much more concentration. I’m concentrating on stroking away and just trying to keep on top, rather than focusing on beating other people off the bat. That said, I still have a competitive streak, even though I’m usually bringing up the rear these days. Back when I was 60 years old, I promised myself I wouldn’t race if I was going to come in last, but things change. I still love racing, and I don’t intend to stop anytime soon. In my last race, I was the only woman in my age group, but there was one man who was just six weeks older than me. It was fun to beat him by 4 minutes—even though I came in fourth from last. Before your run, do this essential warm-up: When I’m doing a long race, one of my tricks to keep alert is to focus on the beautiful scenery. If something in nature catches my fancy, I’ll create a Haiku in my mind and keep repeating it over and over again. I have lots of Haikus. I also enjoy photography, and I belong to the Spokane Camera Club; one day I plan on matching all my Haikus to pictures I’ve taken. People often ask me how my faith and spirituality has impacted my training and racing. When I answer this question, I often refer to “the five Ds.” First, you have to Dream about whatever it is you want to do to fire up the second “D,” which is Desire. Then you need to acquire the Discipline and put forth the Dedication that will keep you Determined to do what you set out to do. PREVENTION PREMIUM: 50 Best Walks In America I started running decades ago after a priest talked about its benefits for the body, mind, and soul—how it harmonizes all three. That’s what caught my attention. I remember thinking at the time, “I’m not just a head or a heart or a physical piece. I’m a whole piece. And if it doesn’t work together, you get off balance.” That’s what inspired me to start running—which led to racing triathlons—and I think it’s what’s kept me hooked all these years. Sometimes I pray when I’m training or racing. During an Ironman, when I reach the point of feeling utterly wasted, I’ll think of people I want to pray for, and that carries me through. I pray for anyone who pops into my mind and ask the blessed Mother to love and protect them. It really keeps my mind off of me and helps the miles fly by. One of my mantras that keeps me going—and that I share often, particularly with the inmates I visit with in jail—is this: God, help me do my best, and you do the rest. When you think about it, it’s a bold statement. Little, measly me is telling God what to do? But I think that’s the way to go.
