I was never much of an athlete in my youth. I was on teams, but I was never a star, or all that good for that matter. Now I am almost 70. Still not much good.

But I write about my "sport" exploits. I run (not walk) the ski jump steps in Brattleboro. I bike up Mt. Washington, Mt. Ascutney and other places. I am slow, fat, very slow. In any race I am in, you can find me quickly by starting at the last finishers. If I make it. Sometimes I don't.

When I look at my age group for races, there are not too many of us. Am I bragging? What I seek to do is to illustrate what is possible as we age. With a little stick-to-ness, perseverance and a willingness to do hard things, we can squeeze our potential. (And this is not simply a "sports" or exercise deal. It applies to all facets of life from knitting to music to volunteer work.)

We all have some potential, different for each of us. My parents had no "aerobic" or "anaerobic" genes to pass on. My siblings and I are more bookworm than athlete.

My family has heart and cancer issues. As a result, I stay away from meat. I love sugar (and just finished a package of cookies. If you are able to eat one or two cookies, you are the object of my admiration). I have a time of it keeping the pounds at bay. But sometimes I try... and sometimes I don't. The other stuff I work at.

Be mindful - we can all work at it. There is nothing "special" about my constitution. Nothing. What I am doing is to reveal what is there, hidden and waiting in so many of us. It is the way we have been created. The Red Sox used to have some kind of slogan - Just Believe. Forget the Red Sox - just believe in your self.