“You’re never too old set another goal or to dream a new dream.” C. S. Lewis
As I have gotten older, it has become more difficult to motivate myself to train. When I started training for this year’s 31 km Birkenbiener, I often slacked off during a workout or skipped it altogether, wanting to avoid the discomfort of lactic acid building up in my body and the fatigue after a strenuous workout. My motivation level was especially low during the weeks when frigid air from the Arctic made the wind chill temperature close to minus 30 degrees Celsius. On those days, I would rather stay home in front of the fireplace than spend 3.5 hours skiing in the bitterly cold temperatures. “Why should I even bother training?” I thought. “I’m too old to ski faster.”
Then one day when I was skiing at the Strathcona Wilderness Center, I saw another skier ahead of me skiing with no poles. As I got closer, I noticed that she had excellent technique, and I started thinking about how I should do a workout without poles to improve my technique. At the bottom of a steep hill, I was impressed by how she managed a corner without losing balance, and then quickly climbed the hill that followed. When I reached a flatter section, I passed her and had a closer look at who I was following. I was expecting someone younger than me, but to my surprise, she was close to seventy years old. I continued my workout, thinking that she must have been a competitive skier when she was younger. Later, when I saw her at the clubhouse, I told her that she had inspired me to train without poles to work on my technique. What she replied left me fumbling for words: “I don’t use poles anymore because my shoulder is gone, but I can still shuffle around and get some exercise.”
From that day forward, I did not skip a workout and also increased the intensity. I also started paying attention to older cross-country skiers. Some were recreational skiers getting exercise and enjoying nature; others were like me and training for the Birkenbeiner. I noticed a range of skiing abilities, from skiers whose goal was to complete the race to those that were training to win. Regardless of their ability, they motivated me to train harder.
Three months later, it was time for the Birkie. Despite how hard I trained; I was not feeling confident on the morning of the race. I tried to convince myself that my race time didn’t matter, and I should just be happy that I could compete; however, it would be disappointing not to give my best effort. And even though I did not know the cross-country skiers who motivated me, I felt I would let them down if I gave less than a hundred percent during the race.
I set out with determination, skiing at a fast pace right from the very start, unlike the slower pace I usually set for endurance races. There were times my body was screaming for oxygen and lactic acid was accumulating in my legs and I wanted to slow down but I reminded myself to trust my conditioning. I also thought about the woman who had skied without poles for motivation and I was able to push hard the entire race. It was thrilling to finish with a time of 3 hours and 5 minutes, a personal best, and good enough for 18th in my age group out of thirty-six competitors.
When I checked the times of the competitors in my age group, I was astounded by their results. The men’s winner finished with a time of 1 hr and 51 minutes, 15 minutes behind the overall winner. The women’s winner completed the race in 1 hr and 58 minutes, second overall, and 3 minutes behind the 58-year-old winner. However, the most amazing accomplishment was an 81-year-old male – the only one in his age group- who finished the race a few seconds behind me!
Training for the Birkie this year was a learning experience. I never thought older athletes would inspire me and that it was possible to improve my time. I guess I now have no excuse not to dust off my hockey equipment and come out of retirement.
One Last Kick 