Training mind or body?

I’m training for a triathlon.  It’s in a week and it’s my first one.  It’s a 1K swim, 23 mile bike and 4.4 run.  I am really excited and a little nervous.  Today I went swimming first and then  running.  It was like a mini practice triathlon by myself.  I think a lot when I exercise.  It cleans my brain out too.  It’s really great.  So today I was thinking about getting older.  It happened because I’ve noticed that there are a lot of really fit women in this town that are over 40.  And a lot of them race.  Then I was thinking about how we are created.  How when we are young our bodies are sharp.  This girl who must have been no more then 16 raced by me this morning on the trail with her extra fit boyfriend.  They must have been running a 6:00 minute/mile pace.  It got me thinking more about how much our young bodies are capable of.  That girl hadn’t endured the stress of years yet.  The babies.  The aging bones and slowing down of body.  I envied her.  Then I thought back to a woman I saw at the pool earlier after my swim.  Toned back and avid swimmer.  She was 40 at least.  And it all got me thinking.  As we age, we lose in body, but we gain in mind.  The women that are fast at the races are normally not the girls in their 20’s.  It’s the 30’s and 40’s who are fast.  And it’s not because of their bodies.  It is because of their minds.  They race fast because they believe they can.  They are older and wiser and have learned that they can hurt, and run and be in pain and keep on and finish strong.  (I’m not saying that girls in their 20’s aren’t fast, they are amazingly fast, and if they put their mind to it they can run faster because of a young body and strong mind)  But what I am saying is that anyone has an edge on life if their mind is strong.  If you believe you can, you can.  There is  only  so much we can do to keep our bodies strong.  (And I recommend doing whatever you can for as long as you can)   But just as important is the exercise of the mind.  Keep it sharp.  You are capable of doing so much more than you know.  If your mind believes it, you can do it.  Aging is a trade off.   As you age, you lose in body but you gain in mind.  Work hard to tone your body but be grateful for the years that you have been given, and remember that they are a gift to you from the Universe.

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