The Meaning of Relaxation

Linda and I returned from Baja Mexico last night. Wednesday morning I ran for about an hour in the desert and returned for an early lunch. I was told that a passenger arrived at the airport in Loreto an hour before departure to find that his seat was sold to another passenger. So I mentioned this to Linda and we decided to get to the airport about an hour and a half early. At arrival, the news was that our flight would likely be about an hour late. This meant we could relax in the air-conditioned airport. Our plane arrived and we boarded for a two-hour and 20 minute flight to Los Angeles. Arriving in Los Angeles, we were driven to immigration and got in line . So far so good. After leaving immigration we then proceeded to U.S. Customs. Another wait in another line.

In essence, we left our Casa in Loreto about 1:15 PM. After customs, we proceeded to Southwest for a 9:15 PM flight to Sacramento. Our airport wait totaled more than the 3 1/2 hour flight time between Sacramento and Loreto. Oh yes, Tony and Deb met us in Sacramento and drove us the hour plus ride home.Yesterday, we did a lot of sitting and waiting.

The trick is to be able to relax either flying to or from a vacation spot. Easily said and difficult to accomplish. It's no wonder you can feel wiped out after vacation. Sitting down getting up sitting down and waiting is downright tiring. Prehistoric man didn't have to deal with this modern age. My suggestion is to focus on breathing and stretching as often as possible. It does not hurt to stand and walk when you can. Walking is good sitting is bad for your physiology. Movement, movement, movement. Tomorrow, I'll tell you about the trip.

Tony arrived about 9:00 AM and we did a short 5 mile or so run. We started off at a comfortable pace and at the last half-mile or so Tony showed no mercy. He picked up the pace and I followed. I have felt better. Maybe tomorrow will be different. Thanks Tony.

Vagabundos&Happiness(Wellbeing)

Tomorrow, Linda and I leave for Baja California. We fly from Sacramento to Los Angeles and then to La Paz. The plan is for Fred and Gloria Jones of the Vagabundos to meet us at the airport. We will spend a few days there before traveling to Loreto. Fred and Gloria simply put are the Vagabundos. My next blog will come from somewhere in Baja. I have my running shoes and expect to work out and get in a lot of heat training. I am going to emphasize heat. I will keep you posted.

On the 15th, and in the Wall Street Journal , there is an article titled "Is Happiness Overrated "? There are a few things to be noted. First "eudaimonic well-being" is referred to the type of well-being that comes from engaging in a meaningful activity. On the other hand, the pleasure that comes from an entertaining movie is called "hedonic well-being". As you can see, we are comparing a short-term feeling to something very different . It is about long-term well-being. In my book I'm suggesting that by engaging in a meaningful activity that is passionate is more likely to result in eudaimonic well-being for the individual. Simply put, finding significant meaning in one's life is existential extremely important . What can be better than to have both meaning and passion in your life.

Also important is the benefit from eudaimonic well-being and your health. Research found that having a lot of eudaimonic well-being is associated with lower levels of interleukin-6. This means lower levels of inflammation associated with cardiovascular disease, osteoporosis, and Alzheimer's disease. Further findings suggest that these individuals live longer(57%), have better mobility, and more likely able to take care of themselves at home. 27% of people 65 and up say they are "very happy" while 20% of people 65 and older say they are "not too happy".

These findings suggest that better health can be found in what we do and how we think about our lives. My book highlights finding meaning, passion, and engaging in aerobic exercise. It's becoming more clear that we have more control than previously thought. How we think, how we challenge our thinking, how we set goals, and the activities we do help define who we are. Health, wellness, passion, meaning, and joy can be within our reach.

Depression & Anxiety

It is common knowledge that anxiety and depression both affect children. According to the nonprofit child advocacy group "zero to three", the prevalence of emotional disturbance is approximately the same rate as the adult population. This is not a good statistic because having an emotional diagnosis as a child correlates highly in a positive direction with mental illness as an adult. As you might know by now, one of my major prescriptions for better health is exercise.

Within the past few days, I came across an article that suggests "exergames"(which requires physical movement, and help youngsters sweat) can be enough to be equated with moderate to physical activity. So of course, just equip the school's with games and forgot about sports, gym etc. Are you kidding me? Is this what you want for your children? Do you want your children to play inside and not to experience the joy of being outdoors with all it's benefits?

Today, Tony joined me for our trail run. It rained Sunday, Monday and is still raining. The temperature might be 50 and the trail filled with puddles of water. Two choices -either to deal with the elements or stay inside a warm dry house. Guess what we did? Yep, we ran in the wet, cold, and sloppy trail. Did we initially feel thrilled about going out for our run? If you decide to run based on feelings, more than likely you won't. The decision has to be made rationally thinking through the benefits. Of course after the run today, I felt great. Was I cold, were my shoes wet ? You know the answer. It didn't matter. I felt better after the run than I did before the run. This is not the first time and won't be the last time. The moral of the story is don't always do things based on how you feel.

Running Madness

Running Madness good Video of Western States Run

Way Too Cool 50K.

Well, Saturday has come and gone. One could not have asked for a more beautiful race day. The temperature was likely in the high 50s to low 60s. Friday evening before the run, Linda made lasagna for our pre-race day meal. Tara and Jonathan Jordan arrived Friday morning joined us along with Tony and Deb Brickel. Victoria Ordway and Susan Smythe-Jackson showed up after dinner.

Saturday morning Linda dropped Tara , Jonathan, and me off at the race site. We were then joined by Victoria. They determined the plan for the day was to run with me. They thought that if they didn't stick to that plan, they might be burned out at the end. I said okay knowing that more than likely they would beat me to the finish. This year's course is different from previous races. The first 8 to 9 miles was at the Olmsted. This meant that the trails are likely to be wet, slick, and muddy for most of that distance and they were. We were pretty much together during that part of the run. After about two hours, crossing Highway 49, I said to myself "it is a long way to the finish" that thought is not good for my psyche. Anyway, Tara, age 40, Victoria, age 46, and Jonathan, age 55 get out in front and stayed in front until I reached the aid station at 21 miles. Apparently they had beat me there by least 5 to 10 minutes. Tony joined me and ran with me the last 10 miles.

The young trio were now in the lead and stayed there. I did not catch them. After goat Hill some 26 to 27 miles I began to tire. The good thing is the fact that I was not hurting. Being tired is one thing but being tired and hurting is a totally different story. Well the kids finished before me and they were delighted. For the girls, this is their first ultra. I was glad that the run was over and I didn't hurt at all. I saw a number of familiar faces and like the encouragement I received when I reached an aid station. Both Linda and Debbie and others cheered and clapped.

For me, a trail run 50 K. takes much effort. A few weeks ago Tony an I ran the 20 K. in the Bay Area and it is a totally different experience. I felt terrific and energetic after that race. I must say that shorter races are different. Doing a longer race means that is important to pace. If I run too fast at the beginning I pay for it dearly. Wellness is important. I'm still evaluating the distance for my races. Health, wellness, and feeling good are major factors. I will keep you posted. Further, it is a terrific experience to be joined by friends at these events. Thank you all.

The Psychology behind my book

It Has Nothing To Do With Age is a self-help book based on psychological ideas.To illustrate, aerobic exercise is considered good for our health.With Unipolar depression,comes significant hormonal and chemical changes in the brain.As a result,medication is generally employed to change brain chemistry.It has been demonstrated that aerobic exercise can also change chemical levels (cortisol,Brain-derived neurotropic factor-BDNF,Corticotropin Releasing Factor-CRF,serotonin,endorphins etc.) . Compare the side effects of medication vs. aerobics .I am not suggesting exercise as a "cure all " but as a consideration.
A cognitive therapy model (Albert Ellis)is demonstrated by challenging Self-defeating thoughts,using internal thinking to influence motivation and drive constantly during exertion periods.An existential philosophy is incorporated by searching for meaning and passion in one's mortality(Viktor Frankl,Rollo May). To quote Thomas Jefferson "life, liberty and the pursuit of happiness", and Democritus(460BC "is an interplay between temperament and fate" suggests that genetics can not account for all the variance. Which means that we have control over the factors that lead to happiness based on our choices. Studies have shown that happiness is not necessarily related to wealth and things.
The social psychological theory of Alfred Adler is employed to incorporate and understand the makeup of the athlete that competes in ultra and unique sports. His model of creative self is a major contribution to personality and motivational theory. These my friends are some of the psychological roots found in my book. Read it and tell me what you think.

Ways to Start

I did my final  training run today  with Tony. We ran a relatively short, easy 5 mile loop.The trail seems to be in pretty good shape.  Tony  is going to join me  Saturday at about 20 miles on the Way to Cool 50 K. run.  If all goes well I expect to meet him after some four hours into the run.
 Tara and Jonathan Jordan are planning to run  the  50 K. as well. They are leaving Alpine, California sometime Thursday. Jonathan and I have participated in this run before. We first ran it  together about four years ago . This is going to be the first time for Tara . Victoria Ordway is also planning on joining us for the run. Welcome to the party. Good luck girls.

My sister Beverly, wants me to give information about running, training, nutrition, etc. One thought occurred to me is talking about getting started in an aerobic activity. One suggestion is as follows:1. Start by combining walking and jogging. The faster the walk the better. The individual could walk 25 steps and then jog 25 steps and do that routine for let's say 15 minutes five times a week for at least two weeks. After every two weeks,  increase the  walking, jogging , and time by 10%. In other words, begin easy to formulate and determine a base line. After a few months, began to eliminate the walking part and  focus on jogging and running. This suggestion is one idea and can be modified easily  to fit any individual.2. Make sure that you carry a bottle of water for hydration. If one bottle is not enough then carry two bottles. Hydration is extremely important  every time in the year especially in the summer .3. Make sure that you are wearing proper clothing. A long sleeve synthetic shirt to assist with sweat and protection from the sun. Cotton clothing is not recommended because the material  does  not remove sweat from your body. 4. Proper shoes are important. I purchase  my running shoes at Empire shoes in Grass Valley.5.Do not forget  a hat or  sunscreen.6. Make sure your course is safe for your journey. The time of day is important. You want to be visible to others.If you follow this prescription, provide me with feedback, please.

The more I learn and experience the more I am convinced that aerobic exercise is the way to go. For example, my friend Tony stopped  running a few years ago. Then he noticed that he had gained over 20 pounds. For health reasons, he stopped drinking numerous cokes and began running. He is feeling healthy and he lost the 20 pounds. I am sure and he is sure that running has something to do with it.

On the Trail

The Lieberman clan hit the trail for a short 6 mile run and ride. Linda rode  and I ran.The temperature was in the high 50s and the trail in very good shape. There were just a few wet and slippery spots. There were a number of people that we passed who were walking. At about the 17 mile marker, I encountered my friend and pacer Bill who was riding his horse Enterprise.I was in front of Linda and Decca so I had an opportunity to chat with him before Linda reached us. He told me that he was sad because his "other" mother passed last week. Dorothy was 97 and lived in Southern California. He said that he didn't want to go to the AERC convention in Reno because he did not want  to be around people .  It was good seeing Bill even though he was sad. He wished me luck on next Saturday's 50 K.


Linda complained that Decca at times did not want to work. She had encouraged her by using the crop and  her legs to propel her forward. So we finish the ride and run. Afterwards, we saw the movie The Karate Kid featuring young Smith and Jackie Chan.


I'm getting close in sending my book proposal to the publishing company John Wiley . Mike Barlow wants me to work on the marketing section. It seems that I have a lot of work to do. Writing the book is one thing because getting it published is a whole other dimension. I'll keep you posted.

Keeping Young

Tony and I ran the trail today for about 8 miles at a relatively easy pace . The last three quarters of the mile was run at a pace about a minute slower than Tony's best. My friend Wayne Fiske sent me an article titled "Can Exercise Keep You Young" featured in the New York Times on March 3 ridden by Gretchen Reynolds . The article  is about research  conducted  by Dr. Mark Tarnapolsky. In his study, Dr. Mark compared mice that had been genetically programmed to grow old at an accelerated pace . In his study, a group of mice were on a wheel and ran for 45 minutes three times a week. The exercised for five months. The control group were mice that didn't exercise. Findings suggest that the group that exercised either reduced or eliminated  the effect of  aging on the variable studied  . Tony told me "I could have told them that-they didn't have to do the study with mice .

An article that appeared in the Wall Street Journal on February 22, 2011, written by Ann Lukits is titled "Exercise Boost Brainpower ."In this article a year of modest aerobic exercise reversed normal brain shrinkage in older adults by one to two years and improved their memory function. The study appeared in the Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences. As people age, the hippo campus the brain's memory center loses one to 2% of the volume annually affecting memory and possibly increasing the risk of dementia. One group in their late 50s to early 80s walked three times a week for 40 minutes aiming for their target heart rate while the other half did yoga and toning exercises. The hippo campus in the walkers increased by 2% after year and shrank by 1.4% and the controls.

In addition to reading my book, you'll have to exercise in order to take advantage of these findings. My book and my prescription is going to allow you to reach benefits unheard of.

"It Has Nothing to do With Age

"It Has Nothin To Do With Age" is the first book to provide in rich detail how to think "outside the box" by providing examples of how older individuals push their physical, mental, and emotional limits to new frontiers and why they do it. Its focus is on individuals who are optimistic, competitive, and perform at unfathomable levels in grueling events.These intriguing stories demonstrate their evolution to a higher and more proficient level of physical and mental functioning, as well as their unselfish societal contributions.


The book's unique content is based on the author's journey, along with seven in-depth interviews with outstanding senior athletes in sporting events that include the Tevis Cup (a 100-mile one-day horse race across the Sierra Mountains) , the Western States 100-Mile Run, the Swanton Pacific 100-Mile Ride and Tie  (horses and runners), the Dipsea Race ( America's oldest trail race ), the Hawaiian Ironman (swim, bike, run ), the Molokai to Oahu Outrigger canoe race, and national and international rowing.



Read the book and let your journey begin.

A day on the trail

The Lieberman Family hit the soft ,wet trail this cold morning. Linda on Decka , Digger , and me.Everyone did just fine on our short 5 mile loop. Linda enjoyed herself immensely. Being in nature is wonderful . We are extremely fortunate.

My book proposal and Chapters 1-4 are edited. Thank you Kate Reardon. Two Literary agents in New York are in receipt.

I have 7 Prescriptions and adding more in order include one for all 19 Chapters.These prescriptions  are for improving your psychological,emotional,cognitive, and biological self.