The Top 10 Places to Live for Alpine and Nordic Skiers Steamboat Springs, Colo., bills itself as Ski Town, USA. We happen to agree. The marvelous downhill skiing of what may be the best resort in the country is combined with great cross-country skiing up on Rabbit Ears Pass -- not to mention the Olympic jump at Howelsen Hill overlooking downtown. Everything you can do on two skis you can do in style in Steamboat. And our praise of Steamboat takes nothing away from the other nine towns on our list, which span the country from Truckee, Calif.; to Hayward, Wis.; to Stowe, Vt. Read on to see the rest of our choices for the best towns for Masters skiers. . . . keep reading...>> Go green, get on your bike BLOG ENTRY FROM JOHN ROTHCHILD... This just in from Bob Mionske's "Legally Speaking" on cycling website VeloNews.com. Minoske got it from Andy Cline's piece ("Two-Wheeled Wonder") in Sierra Magazine, March/April 2008. It's not for the over-50 crowd, specifically, but great for everybody with a bike, so I'm passing it along: "What if there was something you could do to improve your health and fitness, save money, reduce our dependence on foreign oil, improve air quality, and reduce your carbon footprint, all at the same time--would you do it? . . . keep reading...>> Dara Torres is the 2008 Euflexxa Masters Athlete of the Year Usain Bolt's wins at the Beijing Olympics in the 100-meter and 200-meter dashes electrified the world. Michael Phelps' quest for eight gold medals in eight races mesmerized an international audience for a week. But for Masters athletes, the story of the Games was swimmer Dara Torres' three silver medals. The 41-year-old, competing in her fifth Olympics against athletes young enough to be her children, placed second in the 50-meter freestyle by 0.01 seconds, the slimmest of margins. Torres, the mother of a toddler, also helped the United States take silvers in the 4x100-meter freestyle and the 4x100-meter medley. In front of all the world, Torres' performance demonstrated that age isn't the barrier we've been brought up to think it is. And for doing that with grace and humility and strength, Dara Torres is the Euflexxa Masters Athlete of the Year for 2008. . . . keep reading...>> The Games Down Under The World Masters Games are slated to take place in Sydney, Australia, Oct. 10-18, 2009. The Games, which are usually held every four years (the most recent games took place in Edmonton, Alberta, Canada in 2005), is an Olympic style event. In Sydney, 28 sports, ranging from swimming and soccer to rugby and baseball, will be contested. Shane O'Leary, the CEO of the 2009 World Masters Games Organizing Committee, will preside over a Games that likely will attract more than 25,000 athletes, age 25 and older. Two previous World Masters Games were held in Australia: Brisbane in 1994, which attracted 24,000 athletes, and Melbourne in 2002, which attracted 25,000 athletes. By way of contrasts, Portland, Ore., hosted the Games in 1998 and attracted less than 12,000 athletes. We asked O'Leary why Australia is such a Masters sports mad country, how he's attempting to lure Americans to the Games and about his own training regimen. . . . keep reading...>> Farrell, Thornton win Comeback Masters Athlete of the Year Awards Former Olympic swimmer Jeff Farrell and 3-on-3 basketball player Sharon Thornton show grit and determination in overcoming various physical issues to make it back to competition. For their courage, the pair are named the Comeback Masters Athletes of the Year for 2008. . . . keep reading...>> Asanas for Athletes Behind the closed doors of a darkened yoga studio, music reverberates off the walls in a mesmerizing chant: ganapati om jaya ganapati om, ganapati om jaya ganapati om. On spongy mats scattered across the hardwood floor, practitioners stretch and hold their bodies in a series of flowing movements--each one accompanied by deep exhalations. The relaxed vibe is the antithesis of a track meet, bicycle race or triathlon, and partly why so many athletes--and Masters athletes in particular--incorporate yoga into their daily training regimen. "Athletes push their bodies to the edge in a very specific way; train harder, go faster," says Lauran Janes, the yoga class instructor at the Pure Austin gym in Austin, Texas. "Yoga brings in an essence of non-competitiveness. With yoga, the only way to get to the edge is by letting go. And with older athletes, you don't need to convince them this is beneficial. They know if they don't take care of what they have, they'll lose it." . . . keep reading...>> Add it up Just a few no-fuss food add-ons can easily result in a big nutritional boon, especially on the playing field. Here are six add-ons to improve your meals. An example -- Add Ricotta cheese to scrambled eggs, smoothies, pancakes and toast. Here's the payoff for this addition: Unlike most cheeses that are made from milk curd, ricotta comes from the top-notch protein whey. Whey protein is particularly effective at repairing and building lean body mass. Try spreading ricotta on toasted slices of whole grain bread or English muffins, and dust with cinnamon. . . . keep reading...>> Ruff Riders Take up cycling and you're sure to get involved with the animal kingdom. In my first 5,000 miles, a mockingbird pecked me in the back, a seagull dropped a present on my head, a bee crash landed in the back of my throat and a golden retriever met with my front wheel (launching me over the handlebars). This was Miami, where the wildest of the wildlife drive cars. One rear-ended me, and I luckily escaped with just a purple thigh. In Miami, compared with the drivers, the dogs are civilized. On the outskirts of Edenton, N.C., it's the other way around. We bought a home in the coastal flatlands: sleepy two-lanes, nice place to road bike. Or so I thought, until my exploratory spin, where I played fox to revved-up hounds from three different farms. I escaped by hitting speeds I'd never reach in a race. Let dogs loose at a starting line, and who'd need steroids? . . . keep reading...>> Cycling, triathlon resisting recession Both Masters cycling and Masters triathlon appear to be immune to the recession -- at least so far, according to recent reports released by USA Cycling and USA Triathlon. The number of licensed competitive cyclists rose for the sixth straight year, according to USA Cycling. The national governing body for cycling reported that it counted 63,280 licensees on Nov. 30, a 2.9 percent increase over the same time in 2007. . . . keep reading...>> Raschker named USATF's Masters Athlete of the Year Philippa Raschker, 61, was named USA Track & Field's Masters Athlete of the Year for 2008 earlier this month. Among other accomplishments, Raschker won six gold medals at the 2008 World Masters Indoor Athletics Championships, which were held in Clermont-Ferrand, France. At that meet, Raschker, who lives in Marietta, Ga., set a world record in the W60 age group with a high jump of 4 feet, 6.25 inches. She also set an American W60 triple jump record with a mark of 29 feet, 10.75 inches. . . . keep reading...>> More

Swimmingly There was a great article by Karen Crouse in the New York Times on Aug 12, which I somehow overlooked. Fortunately Donal Fagan did not overlook. He made this post on the TI Discussion Forum about a week ago. The article provides a rare insider insight into the elements of speed. From the NY Times: "(Cullen) Jones, a Bronx native, was third in the final, missing a berth to Beijing by 0.16 second. He was pretty sure he knew what went wrong. His hunch was corroborated by the printout, which listed his reaction time on the start; the elapsed time from when he hit the water after the dive to his first stroke; his splits at 15, 30 and 45 meters; and his stroke-rate count." . . . keep reading...>> Off Their Rockers In case you missed it in Sports Illustrated, the latest "too old to be doing this" but is doing it anyway is Ken Mink. At 73, he's the oldest hoopster in college basketball --- if that's not a record, then George Burns didn't play God. Mink reminds me of Mike Flynt, kicked off his college football team for brawling --- what to you expect from a linebacker? Flynt quit school, bided his time, returned to Sul Ross State (in Texas, of course) 37 years later, tried out for his old position and got it back at 59. He played the whole 2007 season under a coach eight years his junior. All of his teammates were younger than his own kids. . . . keep reading...>> The Wright Stuff I'm about to tell you something that, as a Masters athlete, you already know: Exercise keeps you younger from the inside out! It keeps your muscles powerful, your bones strong, your heart and lungs youthful and efficient and your brain sharp! Did you know that long term exercise is the key to longevity? Now you have even more ammunition to fire back when people think you are crazy for continuing to push yourself. Hot off the presses is a study in the Archives of Internal Medicine from Stanford University that found that "older runners are less likely to become disabled with age and may live longer." . . . keep reading...>> The Irongeezer Chronicles Here are some simple exercises that require no equipment, but can help you boost your fitness if you spend just a few minutes every day. Here's the first one: Dance -- Pop in your favorite upbeat CD and dance. Put plenty of energy into it wiggle your hips, wave your arms and lift your knees up, have fun for three tracks in week No. 1, four in week No. 2, five in week No. 3 and six in week No. 4. . . . keep reading...>> Geezerjocks Yesterday, it was about 6 degrees in Chicago. The wind chill factor was almost 20 below zero. Overnight, it had begun to rain, which froze as the temperature dropped from a high of 51 degrees late the previous afternoon. The sidewalks and roads were a sheet of ice. Nonetheless, after getting the kids off to school, I put on a ski coat, knit hat and gloves and walked 15 minutes to the park district pool. Man, I was freezing as I walked over there. But I needed my fix; I needed to exercise. After a half hour of swimming, I felt like myself again. After missing two days of exercise over the weekend (because of Christmas obligations and the like), I was feeling really agitated by Sunday night. I think it was because I hadn't broken a sweat in 48 hours. Getting my heart rate up for at least 30 minutes a day is an addiction, but I'm guessing it's a good one. . . . keep reading...>> Stone on track M60 thrower Tom Fahey calls himself discusdoc, and it's no exaggeration. In 1972, he earned his doctorate in education from the University of California, Berkeley. (His specialty was exercise physiology with a minor in motor development and biomechanics.) Three years ago, California State University Chico named Dr. Fahey its outstanding professor for 2005-2006 -- the school's premier award, given for scholarship and outstanding teaching. And did I mention that he throws? In 2007, competing in the M55 age group, Fahey took silver at the World Masters Athletics Championships in Riccione, Italy, tossing the 1.5-kilogram disc 167 feet, 3 inches. And did I mention he could write? . . . keep reading...>> Training with Lisa This is the time of year I get the same question from many of my clients; How do you stay motivated when the weather is really poor, the daylight is short and the winter blues have beset you? It is a challenge for those of us who live in climates where winter's clutch is killer. We've had single digits temperatures coupled with high winds here near Chicago. We've already had an inordinate amount of snow and have seen icing on our streets that has no equal in past winters I can remember. So it can definitely be difficult to look outside and say, "Hey! I'd like to go for a run!" Here is what to do. . . . keep reading...>> The Villages Life Sister Mary Aggrsssive (wife Carol) is back in competition and as before in a winning way! We competed in the Army 10-Miler on Oct. 5 in Washington, D.C., with 18,000 other very fit runners. We could not have asked for better weather or a prettier day. As we were waiting for the start, noticed one young lady with "Beat Army" in pink on ther back of her shirt. This typically signifies some connection with the U.S. Naval Academy. I thought to myself, it takes a lot of courage to wear that apparel in an event sponsored by and featuring the U.S. Army! I introduced myself and found that both her husband and her friends were Naval Academy graduates, albeit about 30 years after me! I then offered them lemon drops which I always carry with me when I run. At that point Carol gave me the customary kiss and off we went at the start. . . . keep reading...>>