Help Me Celebrate My 70th Trip Around the Sun
Seeking 70 New Adventures: What should I do, see, or experience?
Title IX granting equity in women’s sports passed in 1972, the year before I graduated high school. Any running I did was a short sprint to the telephone, or a shuttle run in PE class.
I first ran a half mile during my two-week Army Reserve basic training. Then, after enlisting in the Marine Corps in 1976, we were issued heavy, baggy baby blue blouses, skorts, and sneakers to run in. I asked my father to send me some new-fangled Adidas hoping it would somehow make running more tolerable.
They didn’t…and for perspective, sports bras didn’t enter the scene until the late 1970s. As you can see in the photo below of my bootcamp bunkie and I, 1976 Marine recruit running anything but fashionable.
Throughout my active-duty years, we took periodic physical fitness tests (or PFTs) running a mile and a half. The shorter the time, the higher the score. Added to our run time was the flexed arm hang and sit-ups for a total PFT score.
I ran in the Marine Corps because I had to, and I gladly hung up my running shoes when my enlistment was over. If you had told that 21-year-old recruit I’d take up running nearly four decades later, I wouldn’t have believed you.
In May 2015, I posted this picture on Facebook with the following announcement:
Running the Marine Corps Marathon has been a dream of mine and I’m not getting any younger so it’s now or never Baby!! I’ve been training since January, have already paid my entry fee for my bib, and will be paying all my own expenses in DC the weekend of the race on October 25th, 2015)…now to earn my bib by raising money for the Semper Fi Fund, an A+ charity that provides immediate financial assistance and lifetime support to post 9/11 wounded, critically ill and injured members of all branches of the U.S. Armed Forces. Every penny I raise will go to the SFF. Please support our Warriors and the Semper Fi Fund.
My Marine Corps Marathon dream was deeply personal to me. I had started running again after my 2011 divorce. After recovering from a knee injury that set my training back, I finished a half marathon in 2012. I knew I’d probably be one and done. The Marine Corps Marathon was my only shot.
I threw myself a 60th birthday party as a fundraiser.
Not only did I raise more donations than required, but I also ran and finished the 40th Marine Corps Marathon on October 27th, 2015.
My marathon day was a magical mix of serendipity that I’ll talk about next week, but running is never just about the big events. It’s about enjoying and making the most of life along the training trail. It’s about the journey of life’s changes. My life was transformed that day in 2011 when I took my first training run after decades of not running.
“Never limit where running can take you.”
Bart Yasso
In June 2019, my story, Semper Fi, Sister was published in Chicken Soup for the Soul: Running for Good.
It was my first publishing credit…and the icing on my marathon birthday cake.
Hard to believe nine years have passed already. My running days are over, but I come by celebrating big birthdays honestly.
My father never thought he’d live past 30 so starting when he turned 50, he threw himself a birthday bash with a roast, a live country band, and a dance. The last big one he had was when he was 75. By 80, it was just a quiet family gathering at the Bismarck Elks.
When I turned 50, I invited a several friends to a catered picnic and requested they consider donating to Veteran’s Haven, a Michigan-based non-profit helping unhoused veterans. As a female veteran, I’d stuffed my memories and packed away my uniforms long ago. Focusing on veterans helped me reconnect with my own military roots…igniting the dream that ten years later would come to fruition.
With my 70th birthday on the horizon, I thought about walking the 500-mile Camino de Santiago in Spain. I don’t think my achy, arthritic knees would let that happen this year. Maybe for my 75th?
Spending quality time with friends and family fosters satisfaction and enduring memories become embedded in the brain.
Megan Vered
Last month I read a HuffPost article by Megan Vered about how she decided to celebrate her 70th birthday. Megan sent an email to family and friends asking them to help her log 70 experiences for the year with people she loves.
Megan filled her year with unique memories that would not have been possible had she not sent out the email asking for ideas. I love that idea!
On May 30th, I’ll begin my 70th trip around the sun. If I complete 70 new experiences by my 70th birthday, cool. If not, I’ll keep adding to the list. I want to step out of my comfort zone (though nothing scary…and I’ve already skydived) to expand my horizons.
I have a few things scheduled on my calendar for the next year in the areas I’ve tagged on the map. I’d love to get your ideas of other things I can include. It can be a simple as grabbing a cup of coffee for conversation at your favorite coffee shop when I’m in your area of the country. I’d love to hear about any routes, campgrounds, towns, or experiences you can recommend along the way.
I’m looking forward to hearing your suggestions on ways to celebrate my seventh decade of living in a meat suit on this beautiful, blue spinning marble in the cosmos.
Cheers to the years!
This is fun to think about! Buying 70 coffees for strangers over the course of the year? A little more than one per week, if it’s a pain to keep track? Logging 70 miles a month, walking or running? 70 meaningful conversations? I’ll be curious to hear what you add to your list.
My suggestion is to take a trip to Finland, grab an AirBnb and experience part of your heritage.