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closeName: Kay Rich.
Age: 69.
Home: Bellingham.
Career: Rich retired from 30 years of service at Western Washington University in 2004, where she worked as the director of housing and food services since 2000.
Learning to slow down: While some of her peers have had trouble adjusting to retirement and pursuing personal ambitions rather than work goals, Rich says it has "been a delight."
Running into retirement: Rich started seven months of training for the 26.2-mile Venice Marathon in Italy to help make the transition. Her strategy gave her a goal and structure. She started training every morning, sometimes spending half the day running, walking and working out at the gym. "Because I had time, I really trained well," she says.
Perks of age: Fewer people compete in the older categories —"the great thing about entering an event as you get older. I'll do anything for a gold star on my refrigerator."
In the 2004 Venice Marathon, Rich competed in the 65-70-year-old category and placed second among three women. Of the approximately 8,000 participants, about 2,000 women competed.
Running the mile: Rich started running 41 years ago after her first child was born. She brought her newborn daughter to the high school track and set her first running goal: to run from one goal post the next.
Progress: Rich worked her way to running the mile. "I ran the mile for a real long time and thought I was just a star," she says. Then she started running two miles, and eventually was running three. "It became part of the fabric of my life to exercise."
Rich in family: Rich's two daughters have always been supportive, even if it meant dinner was served later than usual so she could go running. When they were teenagers, Rich was a single mother. "Mary (her daughter) has always been my cheerleader."
Benefits for life: Training for marathons helped Rich structure her life after retiring, and forced her to set goals for the future, when the rewards feel far away ("the glorious feeling of being done").
Team in Training: Rich joined the Washington/Alaska chapter of Team in Training program in September 2000 to prepare for her first race in 2001 — the 13.1-mile Maui Half Marathon, which raises money for leukemia. The national program coaches participants running or walking in half and whole marathons. "I paid $100 for the privilege of raising $4,000. It's a good hook, and a nice way to give."
Bringing her training home: Walking and running for a cause made Rich more generous, she says. "The needs are so immense in our community. The whole business of giving and doing rubs off in other ways. You get a kind of high from that."
Aches and pains: Rich's knee started feeling sore 10 years ago. "I respected it," Rich says, but it never slowed her down. She iced and rested it as needed, but only in the last few years did the pain increase. "I chose to stay at the edge," Rich says. By pushing herself, she says, it was surprising to see how much she could do. But recently she learned from an MRI that the cartilage in her knee was wearing out. Recognizing her limits, Rich decided to stop running.
A perfect record: Until now, Rich had never had a serious injury, she says. At first she couldn't figure out why one knee went but not the other, but her latest woes aren't just from running. As an ice skater in her teens, Rich would jump from her left foot to her right. "You fall 100 times for every one time you accomplish a jump." Also, she realized she carries her suitcase in her right hand to leave her dominant left hand free, which puts extra weight on the left side of her body.
Past the hassle: Rich, who travels abroad once every year, wears a knee brace for extra support — but it's a hassle in the airport. "Going through security with the brace on, I'm frisked every time."
Surgery strategy: "It's not a devastating diagnosis for me," Rich says. "It's an inconvenience." After her knee replacement, Rich will continue to walk. "I feel blessed that there are solutions."
Growing up is hard to do: Rich says she anticipates the frustrations of aging. "I'm blessed with really good health." She attributes her physical — and emotional — fitness to exercise. Her own mother passed away at 69. "When I think of my mom and dad, they were hardly mobile at my age."
Slowing down but not stopping: Rich has walked three miles a few times each week for the past 18 years, and she doesn't plan on stopping. "Since I quit running, I picked up my walking schedule," Rich says. She usually adds a 7- to 8-mile walk to her weekend.
Looking forward: Rich, who also hikes and bikes, is planning for the future. "My goal is to be skiing at 80 so I can get a free ticket."
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