If you're having trouble getting motivated on the treadmill, you should take some inspiration from Ida Keeling. The 102-year-old track star has raced all over the world, breaking several world records. In 2016, she ran the 100-meter dash in one minute and seventeen seconds - a new record for women between ages 100 and 104. And how did she celebrate? Dropping to the track do push-ups, while the crowd went crazy.
But life wasn't always so thrilling. Ida grew up poor in Harlem, working odd jobs to help the family get by, after her father's grocery store went out of business. During the Great Depression, her husband died of a heart attack, leaving her to raise four children all on her own. A single mother, she moved the family into a one-bedroom apartment and took a job at a sewing factory. Years later, her two sons enlisted in the Army and the Navy. When they came home, they developed crippling drug additions. They were murdered in separate incidents that are suspected to be drug-related. Both crimes remain unsolved.
After her second son died, Ida sank into a deep depression. At the time, she was 67. Her daughter, Shelley, a track-and-field coach, thought that going for a run on the track might cheer her up. Ida was skeptical at first, but once she got over her initial clumsiness, she felt reinvigorated. "The good part was the sad part left," said Ida, in an interview with Runner's World. ""Feeling miserable is a bad thing; it slows you down. I don’t like to slow down. I want to be ready to move... Running to me is like medicine."
The centurion stands four foot six inches tall, and weighs eighty-three pounds, but has a seemingly boundless supply of energy. So, how does she do it? (Right now I'm feeling pretty embarrassed about how often I've skipped exercising this week.)
Ida says she credits these four things for running strong: One, morning motion. When she wakes up, she does leg circles in bed. While she cooks and cleans, she does squats. Two, rest. She gets plenty of sleep, and takes a break from running before races. "If you get tired, don't push it," said Ida. "Put your legs up on the couch." Three, good nutrition. She eats greens, fruits, nuts, orange juice and cod liver oil. And four, Hennessy. That's right, Hennessy. She says the cognac aids her circulation, so "I put a little bit in my coffee or in some water." (But only three or four times a week.)
Last year Ida missed out an a big race due to a broken femur, but she's not giving up. After all, the title of her memoir is Can't Nothing Bring Me Down. This February she's going to try to break the 60 meter record for women aged 100 and over. She still works out three or four times a week, although it's harder to stay active when you're older. "Your balance is more off than normal," said Ida. "You have to think everything through before you make your steps. So you pay more attention to things, stay alert."
When asked if she had any advice for younger runners, Ida said, "Stay strong, love yourself, and do what you need to do, not what you want to do." That advice could be applied to life as well.
