About 25 or so years ago, I thought it might be fun to run a marathon. I kept that idea in the back of my head for many years, but as I got older and I realized how much training was involved, I woke up and decided that my dream of becoming a marathoner should stay just that - a dream.
On Friday I read an article in the WALL STREET JOURNAL about a woman who was competing in her 21st consecutive NYC marathon. She's my new hero. Her name is Joy Johnson.
She started running at age 58. She's a retired gym teacher and her goal this year was to run the race in less than six hours. Unfortunately, it took her six hours, five minutes and 58 seconds. Last year she finished in almost seven hours and decided that it was too long to be on the road, so she decided to train harder. During the summer, she ran 50 to 55 miles each week instead of 30 to 35. She rises at 4:00 AM in San Jose, CA, reads her Bible for an hour and then sets out on her pre-dawn run.
She has sturdy, pointed shoulders, smooth tan skin that resembles soft leather and a leggy, slim-waisted figure many younger women would kill for.
Did I mention that she's 81 years old?
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