How Old is Old

Age had been a regular theme in my running blogs over the last few years.  I don’t feel particularly old (most days), but every once in a while I have to face some situation that reminds me I’m not as … (fill in the blank…strong, fast, handsome, hairy, mobile, etc.) as I once was.   No surprise here but it does raise two questions: how old is old these days and when does the brain catch up with the reality of the body.

The oldest person in the world is currently 118 years old.   In a Scientific America article, researchers projected that if you are not killed by cancer, heart disease or being hit by a bus, people born today have the potential to live to be 120-150 years old.    Of course, your mileage may vary based on your life choices.    Until fairly recently, anyone over 65 was considered old.   I honestly didn’t think of myself as old when I ran Boston at 65.   These days people are doing things at 70 and 80 that would have been unheard of a generation ago.   That’s especially true in sports.  A runner from my city here in VA completed the Boston Marathon last year at the age of 81.   Johnny Kelly, who won the Boston Marathon twice, ran it 61 times, the last time at the age of 84.    There are now age group records for the marathon for runners over 85, 90 and even one set by a 100-year-old man.

My children consider me old…too old in fact to be running Marathon Challenges.   For me, the best bellwether of aging (and my health) has been the yearly marathons/marathon challenges.   It was symptoms while training for the Boston Marathon that sent me to the doctor and ultimately diagnosed my leukemia (and likely saved my life).  It was also difficulty running while getting ready for my Marathon Challenge that resulted in my Parkinson’s diagnosis.   And it continues to be running that not only allows me to assess my health but measure the progression of Parkinson’s as well.    At the same time, I recognize the reality of the physical challenges I’m facing in the coming years.   My new mantra is “acceptance is not surrender”.    That is why I’m enlisting family, friends, and well, anyone who has been touched by cancer to join me in the Miles for Smiles Virtual Run/Walk to raise funds to help children and their families battling Pediatric Cancer.  You can register at:

2023 — Miles for Smiles — Race Roster — Registration, Marketing, Fundraising

or donate directly to Help in the Nick of Time at:

Essex County Community Foundation (etransfer.com)

Join this old man and be part of bringing some joy and a smile to a child in midst of the fight of their life.

I’ll see you out on the roads….

No Brain....No Pain

 I've often heard distance running described as a “brainless activity”.   The kindest interpretation is while running you can turn off your brain and just let your legs go.   Other interpretations are much less polite.    I’ve been delving into the affects on the brain of running/exercise to try to understand the impact it might have on my Parkinson’s.  

My initial hypothesis went something like this….Given Parkinson’s is caused by a lack of dopamine in the brain and dopamine is what causes good feelings (like the high you get from drugs…not that I would know), then the runners high you get when you run long distances should be generating dopamine and therefore alleviate the symptoms of Parkinson’s.   Sounds good in theory but I’m totally wrong (nothing new).     Turns out the brain has multiple chemicals it uses to affect our mood, emotions, body functions and movement (Serotonin, Dopamine, Endorphins and Adrenaline).   Dopamine affects mood, movement, motivation and to some degree, pleasure.  The runners high comes from endorphins that also get released from exercising, eating something sweet, and sex (the latter two being much more enjoyable than a long run).

OK, so running doesn’t have a positive impact on Parkinson’s, does Parkinson’s have a direct effect on running.  I don’t need to know anything about brain chemistry to answer that.  It does, and it sucks.    The best way I can explain it is imagine for a minute that the brain divides the body movement into the left and right sides.   When the brain gives a command to the right side of the body to “run” it responds “yes sir”.   The same command to the left side gets the kind of response you would expect from a typical teenager asked to take out the trash.    “ Do I really have to?” (add the eye roll and heavy sigh here).      To keep from falling on your face the right side has to slow down to match the delay of the left.   My resulting “jog” looks more like a shuffling zombie.     

 That said, I am still preparing for the Marathon Challenge, it just may be a bit more challenging this year.  To assist me I’ve recruited some family members to run along side for part of the distance (more on this in a future blog).   But recognizing I may not be able to do this for another 10 years, I’ve started an annual Virtual Run/Walk (Miles for Smiles) to give more people to get directly involved in helping to raise funds for the children suffering with Pediatric Cancer.     Last year we doubled the number of families we helped and this year we are hoping to reach even more.  If you are interested in participating, or might know someone who would, you/they can find out more and register at the link below. 

https://raceroster.com/events/2023/72063/miles-for-smiles

It’s a win-win, you put a much needed smile on the face of a child while helping yourself get healthier.    

More on how the training is going in the next blog.