Oxygen USA – Summer 2021
English | 102 pages | pdf | 52.16 MB
Yesterday, I received a letter from the AARP inviting me to become a member. I wasn’t sure whether I should be off ended that they thought I was 65 or flattered that someone believed I was successful enough to have already retired. I went with option No. 2 because even though I am 52, I rarely feel old. In fact, I am often surprised when I look in the mirror because the reflection I expect to see (of myself 20, 30 years ago) is different from reality … but that’s a discussion for another day.
There are some benefits to being my age, however, not the least of which is competitive sports. The aging process is not kind to the corporeal body, and athletics often get sidelined as collateral damage to circumstance, injury or lifestyle. Of course, everyone makes his or her own decisions about how to spend their days on the planet. But for me,
I need that drive, that adrenaline rush that comes with pushing my physical limits and achieving something I never thought possible.
To that end, I signed up for the 2021 CrossFit Open. For those not familiar, the Open is an annual event that lets you see how you stack up against athletes around the world who are all doing the exact same workouts. This was my fifth time competing in the Open but my first as a 50-something. I’ve never entered thinking I would get anywhere with it or that I’d win anything other than the satisfaction of having survived the challenge, but when the initial results were tallied, I was in the top 20 percent of women 50 to 54 worldwide and had qualified for the age-group
quarterfinals. My competitive gene immediately kicked into high gear.
To their credit, the CrossFit powers that be didn’t take it easy on us because of our “mature” age: We had the same murderous schedule (fi ve workouts to be completed in less than four days) and were given the same workouts using the same weight as the professional athletes had done a few weeks prior.
I can easily say that the quarterfinals were mentally and physically the hardest thing I have done in years, and even though I couldn’t even complete one rep in the final workout (which began with a 115-pound overhead squat for many, many, many reps), you’d better believe that is one of my goals for 2022.
So word to the wise, AARP: If you want our demographic of athletes as members, consider offering a competitive sporting event. Because a home page about pacemakers and failing eyesight and Social Security does not grab me. But pit me against other retirees in a max deadlift competition or a 1-mile race, and I am all in!
LARA McGLASHAN
Brand Director and Editor-in-Chief
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