Scott at Ironman Arizona
Kevin "KP" Purcell
My dad (in red) and cousin Jim lovin' life at ages 75 and 60
Not for Sissies
Scott Molina and Kevin "KP" Purcell introduce "Fitness Over Fifty" health and fitness camps.
As older athletes we are constantly reminded that our health and performance issues have been changing over time. The whole idea of the older athlete is still a relatively new one. Historically all training protocols, re-hab from injury, dietary advice for performance, etc has all been driven by the need to provide advice for young people.
The older athlete's needs are different. Thus far there's been a void in the body of advice that integrates all of the areas that apply specifically to an veteran athlete.
Even though I still have the desire to perform at a very high level and compete my own training and health maintenance has changed to such a degree that I really am approaching it from a different angle.
Both KP and I want to be healthy and fast for another 20+ years and those goals are often completely at odds with each other. The compromise involved in this process is individual to us but there are some general tools and guidelines we've arrived at that have practical application to all vet athletes.
In his chiropractic practice KP has had many dealings with older athletes seeking information on how to adjust their expectations for themselves as they progress through the age groups.
Some of the questions that older athletes are asking are:
- Do I need to adjust my nutrition?
- Do I need to add specific supplements to my diet?
- Do I need to do anything different to prevent deterioration to my flexibility?
- What can I expect as far as changes to my training?
- How much do I need to adjust my expectations relating to bike position?
- How much racing should I do?
- What's a reasonable amount of sleep for a person over 50? Over 60? Over 70?
- Should I consider Hormone Replacement Therapy (HRT) and what are the ethical considerations with competition?
- How do I beat Joe Bonness?
- How do we keep Karen Smyers in the pro ranks for the next 20 years so she doesn't embarrass us???
Perhaps we can't answer those last couple of questions conclusively! But we do aim to help older athletes deal with all of the other issues here.
Other areas where these camps/retreats will differ from the existing offerings are in the area of accommodation and ambiance! We aim to provide an incredibly enjoyable experience with all aspects from food, weather, wine, scenery.
These camps aim to be a training camp, an educational retreat and a holiday all rolled into one with the additional aspect of sharing the experience with like-minded people.
We hope you'll come away from this week with some new contacts you'd like to spend more time with in the future and perhaps meet up with again in future camps.