Just stay in the game.

Running up to a ridge in an open field Today. There he was. Descending from the hill. The legend.
Larry is known as the legend because he has run trails almost everywhere, day or night and in every weather condition. He has completed runs while injured and kept going when others would quit.
As we ran together our conversation started with the Legend telling me about his hip problems and knee aches. The banter about how now in his fifties, his body is beginning to break down, led to his plans for a possible run at the Javelina Hundred. Just to see if the fire to run long still burns inside him.
We spoke about training at a low heart rate. A new fad? An old idea rehashed? The thing to do at our age? Yeah, That's it. Stay at a Steady comfortable Pace.
I agreed with the legend on the point of our 50+ year old bodies slowing down. I have dwelled too long on just that lately. But for every story I hear and every story I tell about my own body resisting a physical load I am reminded of stories like the 90 year old woman running the Boston Marathon. More recently, the 70 year old completing the Western States 100 miler.
Also recently, I ran into an old friend. John Cantu. I met John over 25 years ago. At the time I had just begun to be more active bicycling and running. John challenged me to go longer on the bike and on the run. Now 65,  John was on a bicycle ride with his wife the other day. Later they were to go to their country home to mow before returning back to town where John was in the starting lineup at shortstop on his Baseball team. Not softball. Baseball!  John said, "I just take it easy now. Not wanting to be a hero. Just trying to stay in the game."