70 and still going strong
December 1, 2008
By David Hayes
Squak Mountain resident walks round trip to community center for workout
Margaret Van De Sompele and her husband, René, usually walk the track together for their three-times-a-week workout at the Issaquah Community Center. Photo by David Hayes
For her 70th birthday, Margaret Van De Sompele decided to do something a little different.
The longtime Issaquah resident already amazes her friend and neighbor, Kathy Walsh, with her exercise routine. For the past eight years, three times a week, she has walked to and from her home on Squak Mountain to the community center to work out for 30 minutes, about a three and a half-mile round trip.
“She is in such good shape for somebody her age,” said the 51-year-old Walsh. “I hope I’m in that good of shape when I’m 70.”
On Nov. 26, Van De Sompele eschewed the weight machines and took to the center’s second-floor track, completing one lap for each of her years. According to the center’s staff, 11 times around equals one mile.
“I figure it was about six and a quarter miles, maybe like doing a 10K,” Van De Sompele said. “I used to do a lot of 10Ks. But that’s been some years.”
Society didn’t have many competitive sports for girls when she attended high school, so Van De Sompele got most of her exercise walking.
“I walked to and from school my whole life. It was just a natural thing to do,” she said.
Van De Sompele has led a healthy lifestyle ever since she and her husband, René, moved to Issaquah in 1963. They’ve enjoyed many of the outdoor activities for which the Pacific Northwest is renowned, especially hiking, backpacking and camping.
In fact, in 2001, the couple hiked the Northern Loop Trail at Mount Rainier, a tidy distance of 33 miles. However, Van De Sompele was slowed in 2003 by corrective back surgery for scoliosis. Since, she’s lived with two metal rods running the length of her spine, “from the T2 to the L5,” she said.
“Exercise really helps with my back,” she added.
Where they used to make frequent trips to hike the mountain’s trails, they only made it once this year.
So, the next best thing is her thrice-weekly treks down Squak Mountain and back.
“I just like being outside better,” she said. “I just do the weights in the middle for variety.”
She usually heads to the gym at 6 a.m., when there’s mostly older members working out.
“Most of them do fantastic things,” she said, deflecting her own accomplishments.
On her birthday trek, René kept pace for a while, clicking off the laps, before falling out at 50.
“She is the more fit between us,” the 73-year-old admitted. “I can’t keep up with her.”
When Van De Sompele is not working out, she enjoys cooking and spending time with her 6 1/2-year-old granddaughter. But her week revolves around her walks.
“I encourage everyone to get out and walk,” she said, proving that following her own advice keeps her looking younger than her age. “Doing things helps keep a person moving.”
Reach Reporter David Hayes at 392-6434, ext. 237, or dhayes@isspress.com. Comment on this story at www.issaquahpress.com.
Comments
Got something to say?
