I think back to when I was young, growing up and remember that first day when someone asked me How old is old? Well when you’re in your middle school years, 20 is old. When you are in your 20’s, 30 is old. When you are in your 30’s, 40 is old. When you are in your 40’s, 50 is old. You can see the pattern here. I became a runner at the young age of 51 after losing 135# during my 50th and 51st year of life. Before that I was just an average obese person who kept saying: I need to go on a diet.” For so many years I just kept buying larger clothes to fit my body as it got bigger. Nothing is worse than trying to wear clothes that are too small and feeling uncomfortable. It was just easier to keep buying the next size up thinking that I was going to lose weight and fit back into that size that was too small. When we went on vacation or visited an amusement park, it was normal (well, maybe not normal) for me to sit on a bench outside of a roller coaster and be asleep when everyone got off the ride. Oh, there is Dad… sleeping again! They would abruptly wake up me up and I’d say “I’m not sleeping, just resting my eyes.” In reality, I could sleep anywhere, anytime, anyplace and never even cared what other people thought. Like I said, it was normal for me. I was always tired. Being over 300# surely didn’t help.
In 2010, I had that light bulb click on in my head that said, enough is enough, I’m sick and tired of being, sick and tired. I weighed it at 310# when I finally decided to get serious and set a goal to lose 100#. What began at 310#, ended at my lowest weight of 175#. In 2011, I had emergency detached retina surgery and I had to have a quick physical the afternoon before my night surgery ands the doctor said I was too skinny. People kept asking me “Are you sick?, My response was YES… I was sick and tired of weighing 310# and I finally decided to do something about it.
Back to old age thing… at the young age of 51 and finally being fit, it was time to do some adventureous things that I never could do when I was fat. I losely can use the “F” word, FAT because for so many years I had been there, done that.
After I turned 51, the adventures began running and completing the 2013 Chicago Marathon. I say completing, because 1-2% of the people who start that marathon, don’t finish it. So, between 500-900 people start but don’t finish. I also never fell down, vomited, crawled or passed out… Just finished! Those were my 5 marathon goals. I clearly remember a women who told me in 2012 that I could never run a marathon. “You Can’t Do That.” I ran the 2013 Chicago Mararthon! The 18-week training program was enough to kill me, but I was committed to running it. I don’t need to run a marathon every month to say that I’m a Marathoner… One and done is fine by me, I will always be a Marathoner!
Speaking of accomplishments, I’ve been able to do many since 2010 all after the age of 50:
Lost 135#’s
Got braces
Was on the NBC Today Show for losing over 100#’s
Had knee surgery
Had cataract eye surgery
Had emergency detached retina eye surgery
Ran 10-1/2 Marathons
Ran the 2013 Chicago Marathon
Had my varicose veins removed in my legs in 2013
Skydived out of airplanes ✈️ at 18,000’
Did 8-Hustle Up the Hancock stair climbs
Got scuba diving certified
Became a Triathlete 🏊♂️ 🚴 🏃
Biked 🚴 numerous 100-milers all in one day
Welcomed 7 grandchildren into my life
Travel the world, thanks to my wife
Became a licensed softball and baseball umpire
Fast forward to 2021… at the young age of 62… I am once again having my varicose veins removed in my legs! I continue to watch 3/4 grandkids 3-days a week, I continue to umpire softball or baseball 5-6 nights a week (now indoors for the winter).
So, if you are down and out and think you will not, you won’t or you can’t do something in life… re-think and say YES, YOU CAN! Age set aside, everything is POSSIBLE, anything is POSSIBLE.
Talk / Text / Email me… Anytime.
Rick Gosser
talk or text 219-808-9888
email: gosserrick@sbcglobal.net