This collection explores competitive athletics, fitness, and healthy aging through the perspective of a lifelong athlete Richard Geib. Topics include tennis, swimming, strength training, endurance, injury recovery, mobility, nutrition, Tai Chi Chuan, and the discipline required to stay active and competitive as we grow older. The essays combine practical experience with reflections on resilience, performance, and lifelong physical health.
I woke up last night around 2:30 am and I was AWAKE. I lay there for a few minutes and realized I would not be falling asleep again anytime soon. This happens now and again. I have no idea why. Occasional trouble sleeping is a problem which arrived to me in my fifties. I try … Read more
NOTE: On December 1, 2021 I received notice of my USTA reclassification as a 5.0 NTRP tennis player. The following is my letter of appeal in response: December 11, 2021 To Whom it May Concern, I am writing this letter to appeal my rating bump from 4.5 to 5.0 NTRB rating. I suspect my recent … Read more
I was teaching my second period class this morning when I received the text. A friend informed me I had been booted up to the NTRP 5.0 tennis level for the next year by the United States Tennis Association. “Noooooo!” I had seen this happen to others. They are moved up to the higher 5.0 … Read more
Two days ago, on November 7th, 2021, we ended daylight savings time. Now it gets dark as soon as 5:00 pm. That is early. This is what is on my mind tonight. The change in time has got me a bit off my game. The clock says it is 7:30 pm but it feels like … Read more
A day in the life — Sunday September 17, 2021. A snapshot into my daily existence. An exposition on the choices we all make on how we choose to live. I woke up yesterday and went to the grocery store with my wife, who needed milk to make pancakes for our daughters for Sunday morning … Read more
My school year comes to an end tomorrow. It was my 27th. But my first full one during an epidemic. So it has been a long year of (distance) learning. I taught my students the best I could over the Internet using Zoom (and Canvas). I was there day-in, day-out for my students as much … Read more
Today I took my last bike ride of the summer. I will be back in the classroom tomorrow, but this afternoon I was next to the ocean with the wind in my hair and the sun on my face. The view to my side looked something like this: It was a wonderful ride from the … Read more
So I turn 52 years old this week. And my father turns 80. Our birthdays are only two days apart, so for many years our tradition has been to celebrate our birthdays jointly. We drive to be together on the long Memorial Day weekend in late May and have a birthday party where our whole … Read more
So I changed my health insurance last year so that this year I could have “PPO” rather than “HMO” health insurance. It has been worth it, even having to spend some money. As a result, I saw a quality physical therapist in January who took the time to train me about a longstanding issue I … Read more
Last weekend I was at the PAC-12 tennis championships in Ojai, CA with my daughter and father where we saw the UCLA men’s team defeat USC. As we watched these incredible student athletes compete, my father asked me the following: “Do you regret the decision to stop playing tennis, Richard? You could perhaps have been one of … Read more
I recently finished Gerald Marzorati’s new book, “Late to the Ball: Age. Learn. Fight. Love. Play Tennis. Win.” I enjoyed the tennis references, of course, but what I most enjoyed were the meditations about retirement and aging, friendship and connection — and on learning to do anything new and grow in the process. For Marzorati, this … Read more
A BLISSFUL AFTERNOON: A PHOTO ESSAY“Oh, how I love to escape to the Malibu canyons for a bike ride!.” In the late morning of November 15, 2009 I drove to the Malibu canyons to ride along the Santa Monica Mountains. It has been a long time since I had been here. Before marriage and larger … Read more
Of Bees and Men: A Tragic Collision OUCH! If a person bicycles enough, they accumulate stories. Most of the time I bike through the desert canyons and citrus fields of Ventura County without incident. It is just me and the occasional car passing by on a rural highway. My legs work, my lungs burn, and … Read more