50 Years Down, 100 to Go

That’s right, I said 100 years to go. I recently turned 50 but I don’t see that as middle-aged. I see it as only the first third of my life expectancy. I fully expect to live to be at least 150 years old. Now stop rolling your eyes and shaking your head, I have thought this over and I truly believe this to be a realistic goal for a number of reasons. First, three of my four grandparents lived well into their 90s. Second, my parents are both in their 80s and still going strong. As a matter of fact my father has done so with only one lung for the last 48 years. Third, I just bought a house on a mountain in Mandeville, Jamaica where I will retire to in a few years. There I will be able to grow my own vegetables and fruit all year round as well as take advantage of the clean air and miles of trails nearby. And finally, I’ve had both knees fixed and my left Achilles reattached within the past two years so I should be good for my second 50 years. Also, with rapid medical advances by the time I reach 100 I should be able to transplant my brain into a cyborg body and then who knows? My point is, after several major injuries, mostly from soccer, my body is fixed, I’m walking well now and I’m ready to start training again. My immediate goal is to run pain free for the first time in three years. I’m looking forward to getting back out on the Whites Bog trails with my dog Sparta. Another goal is to do some traveling this year and find some beautiful places to run. I also plan to run the Batona 50 mile (actually 53.4 miles) trail point-to-point next winter. These things will happen and more. I’m taking my wife’s advice to stay off the soccer pitch for the year so I can focus on my trail running. 2016 is going to be a great year.