00:00So I've been there, had been there 10 times prior to this.
00:04So this was my 11th time racing there.
00:07And so I thought that probably I wouldn't go back.
00:12I was there in 2022 when I was 77.
00:16And I thought it was pretty hard.
00:18And I was only 10 minutes away from the cutoff time.
00:23So that was kind of cutting it kind of close.
00:26So but my training has gone really well.
00:28And I decided to do an Ironman last year at 79 to see how it felt, see how I did with an Ironman at that age.
00:38And I had a pretty good race given that I had a flat tire and the roads were flooded during a lot of the run.
00:45But I still got in under 16 hours.
00:48So I decided the next day that my friends kind of encouraged me to go ahead and take the slot to try to race in Kona at 80.
00:58I'm never close to giving up.
01:00No, I'm never, ever close to giving up.
01:03I would never give up.
01:05I went into the race with a little bit of a hamstring injury.
01:10So I was a little concerned on the bike because I could feel it.
01:15So I backed off the bike a little bit, which was probably a good thing because I think I took in more nutrition.
01:23And this year I did three 70.3 races.
01:29And at the start of the run, each time I cramped up a little bit.
01:34I'm a little concerned about that, especially with Kona being so humid and hot because once you start cramping on the run, then you really have to stop and kind of work that out.
01:47So I think because I took it a little easier on the bike, I really got my nutrition, my salt in, and I had no problem with the run.
01:57If you have any advice to folks who want to stay fit into their, you know, 70s, 80s, 90s.
02:04I think consistency is a big part of it.
02:06You can't just pick it up and, you know, you have to be careful that you don't get injured and then discouraged.
02:14So I think for me, I always like to move.
02:17And sometimes it's been, you know, early on it was tennis and then it was just running and now it's triathlon.
02:24So whether you choose pickleball or, you know, dancing or whatever, I think it's just really important to move your body and stay strong.
02:37I think when, especially as you get older, when you feel strong in the body, then you feel strong in the mind too.
02:45And they go together and gives you confidence and, you know, you really just have to keep moving and whatever appeals to you.
02:56You don't have to do triathlon or, you know, some people can't run or their knees or whatever.
03:02But I think it's just important to move and to do something.
03:06So I would say to be consistent with it.
03:09And for me, it's never been something where, oh, gee, I have to do something today.
03:15You know, I've always, I can't wait to get up and say, oh, I have a bike today.
03:20Good, you know.
03:20So for me, it's so easy and I can see where maybe it's not for other people.
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