I am well aware that this blog might make me sound pompous and self-aggrandizing, and I hope I'm neither. I am posting it anyway. It might help prove my contention that it's possible for old age to be fun, exciting and rewarding.

But there's a price you have to pay. Good health is an absolute essential and it takes lots of hard work, determination and self-discipline to stay healthy, strong and physically fit. Maintaining a positive, happy outlook on life is equally important. For me, all this involves eating sensibly, following a regular and rigorous, five-days-a-week year round running and full-body workout routine and staying very busy both mentally and physically. The rewards for me have been well beyond my wildest dreams.

Way back yonder when I had just turned 90, shortly before competing in a Senior Olympic track event, I asked my very special family physician, Dr. John Dryer, if he thought I should have a physical exam. His response was, "Why waste money on a physical? You've already had a good, long life and I can think of no better way to go than to drop dead running." I was a bit taken aback at first but soon saw both the humor and wisdom of his words. Since then, my goal has been to drop dead running but not before breaking a world record. I am now at the midpoint of my 95^th year on this planet and I've won 17 gold medals in state and national senior Olympic competitions and have broken four national NSGA records since Dr. Dryer's classic response back when I was 90, but that world record is still in my future.

You might say that to drop dead running is my long-term goal since I still have absolutely no health problems, feel great and expect to break that world record next year at the National Senior Olympics in San Francisco. If I do break it then, who's to say, if the good Lord doesn't, that I can't still victoriously cross several more finish lines before I cross that final one and drop dead?

– Jim Hammond

EMAIL PRINT

posted at 11:22:07 PM