Why Athletes like to Celebrate Birthdays that End in Zero or Five
Yesterday I hit one of those “milestone” birthdays that end in a five. Yes, Hawaiian Shirt Ray turned 45 and I was reborn! I know what you are thinking, I am not reborn in a religious way though. I will share the secret of why athletes like to celebrate birthdays that end in zero or five.
Hawaiian Shirt Ray turned 45!
The Mental Anguish of Getting Older
A lot of people that I know have a hard time mentally accepting hitting a milestone birthday. With athletes it is different. Why? Because we enter a new racing age bracket. At 45 I am now the baby in the 45-49 year old age bracket! Look out all you old farts, this young pup is ready to race! And I am still middle of the pack for the 40-49 year old age bracket.
Plus for runners who are trying to qualify for the Boston Marathon you gain extra time. For me hitting 45 I gain an extra 10 minutes! My qualifying time went from 3 hours and 20 minutes to 3 hours and 30 minutes. Trust me, I need all the extra time that I can get.
Want to feel Better About Milestone Birthdays?
My suggestion would be to start entering some organized events. Even if you are not the super competitive type you will find yourself looking at the results and seeing where you placed in your age group. Then you will go and look at how many younger people you beat. And trust me, there will be people older than you that finished before you! Those athletes are my hero’s and I aspire to be like them with each and every passing birthday.
Hello Geff,
Glad you found my site. I have to say that growing up together you were a positive source of motivation of working out and being fit. Heck, I still have the blue weight-lifting bench that you gave me to start lifting.
As you know, I will be in town in November to get together for my Mom’s “celebration of life” party at my brother’s house (I sent you an email through Facebook), and both of my parent’s burial. My dad pasted down his skills of woodworking to me and as a final tribute to both my parents, I crafted their urns. It was great therapy after my Mom past.
I hope that you and your Mom can make it, and Mike too if he is still in Ohio.
Take care,
Ray