Running at 6 and 68: Faith Moore
Faith Moore: I have an enormous sense of accomplishment and excitement. I’m 68 and just did my first 10K in probably 20 years – maybe more. (I don’t think I’ve done one since the Bonnie Bell.)
C.U.: Why did you decide on that?
Faith: There were a few reasons…… First, my sister signed me up for this on Martha’s Vineyard to celebrate my birthday. She is a regular runner and participates in road races in New York, and I tag along. We love the Vineyard. We love the “destination 10K”. It’s also fun to support a local charity.
Also I play lots of tennis, probably six to 10 hours of singles and doubles a week. And while tennis is a lot of fun, it’s not a workout and doesn't give me the athletic fitness level I would like.
And I have raced before – I’ve run a marathon and for 5 years running did a sprint triathlon (my first sprint triathlon was when I was 60 and loved it) – and recently felt I had lost touch with my essential self which is an athlete. These individual endurance sports are empowering because you can train on your own, test yourself on your own, and own your results. The confidence from the race is greater than the confidence from tennis.
And finally, I have planned a strenuous hiking trip in early November and wanted to do whatever I could to regain the fitness level I know is important to be able to get the most out of that week.
C.U.: Why did you take a break from triathlon?
Faith: My triathlon buddies fell by the wayside one by one. Having someone to train with fell away. People say they are going to do it and they don’t. So – I wasn’t training at all since I had no goal to work towards. I had put on some weight. That makes it all harder. It happened that the actual triathlon I had signed up for I couldn’t do it with my work schedule. I am an event planner and September is our busiest month.
So in 2015 I had to cancel the event. And I wasn’t training. And I talked myself out of it. I wasn’t riding my bike enough and you do go downhill at breakneck speeds-- it's a little scary to face alone.
C.U.: So how did it feel to get back out there this past week-end?
Faith: I feel excited, energetic. I feel physically very strong. I feel this sense of accomplishment and this sense that what I thought was lost is not. (And I beat my A goal by two minutes.)
Two other thoughts……
….. the physical and the rest of life go hand in hand. The physical leads the functioning in life. If life throws you a curveball, you can still focus on your body. I function best in my life when I am engaging in athletic pursuits. I get the cobwebs out. It’s like starting my engine each day.
……also, I went through some childhood memorabilia recently and saw what I wrote when I was 6 years old. It said “I said I like runing” (I meant “running). ”….. The more I live the more I feel I am like that six year old. I am rediscovering the athletic kid in me.
C.U.: Why did you decide on that?
Faith: There were a few reasons…… First, my sister signed me up for this on Martha’s Vineyard to celebrate my birthday. She is a regular runner and participates in road races in New York, and I tag along. We love the Vineyard. We love the “destination 10K”. It’s also fun to support a local charity.
Also I play lots of tennis, probably six to 10 hours of singles and doubles a week. And while tennis is a lot of fun, it’s not a workout and doesn't give me the athletic fitness level I would like.
And I have raced before – I’ve run a marathon and for 5 years running did a sprint triathlon (my first sprint triathlon was when I was 60 and loved it) – and recently felt I had lost touch with my essential self which is an athlete. These individual endurance sports are empowering because you can train on your own, test yourself on your own, and own your results. The confidence from the race is greater than the confidence from tennis.
And finally, I have planned a strenuous hiking trip in early November and wanted to do whatever I could to regain the fitness level I know is important to be able to get the most out of that week.
C.U.: Why did you take a break from triathlon?
Faith: My triathlon buddies fell by the wayside one by one. Having someone to train with fell away. People say they are going to do it and they don’t. So – I wasn’t training at all since I had no goal to work towards. I had put on some weight. That makes it all harder. It happened that the actual triathlon I had signed up for I couldn’t do it with my work schedule. I am an event planner and September is our busiest month.
So in 2015 I had to cancel the event. And I wasn’t training. And I talked myself out of it. I wasn’t riding my bike enough and you do go downhill at breakneck speeds-- it's a little scary to face alone.
C.U.: So how did it feel to get back out there this past week-end?
Faith: I feel excited, energetic. I feel physically very strong. I feel this sense of accomplishment and this sense that what I thought was lost is not. (And I beat my A goal by two minutes.)
Two other thoughts……
….. the physical and the rest of life go hand in hand. The physical leads the functioning in life. If life throws you a curveball, you can still focus on your body. I function best in my life when I am engaging in athletic pursuits. I get the cobwebs out. It’s like starting my engine each day.
……also, I went through some childhood memorabilia recently and saw what I wrote when I was 6 years old. It said “I said I like runing” (I meant “running). ”….. The more I live the more I feel I am like that six year old. I am rediscovering the athletic kid in me.