81-year-old athlete keeps body, mind fit Writer, poet competes in running, cycling contests
By Jewell Cardwell
Beacon Journal staff writer

Published on Monday, Jun 30, 2008
V.E. ''Ed'' Bixenstine may have a leg up on the ''poetry in motion'' moniker than most. And with good reason.
It's not just that Bixenstine — a retired Kent State University professor of psychology — is the author of professional works and novels, including a couple with cowboy themes and a soon-to-be published book of poetry.

What really got him motivated to lace up his sneakers and pursue running was his wife taking up the sport a few years ago.
''I wanted to encourage her, so I started running, too,'' Bixenstine said.
Before long, he won his first race.
''So, I started entering foot races,'' said Bixenstine, who stands 5-foot-10 and weighs 170 pounds.
His son Bart, a Shaker Heights attorney who competes in duathlons, invited his dad to join him.
That's when Bixenstine really began challenging himself.
''I heard about this very-much celebrated man — Jimmie Georgas from Canada — my nemesis who is exactly my age,'' Bixenstine said about a man he would soon find himself chasing and, to his delight, even passing.
Bixenstine, who has competed all over the world, is the proud owner of three hard-fought world championships (2002, 2006, and 2007) in his age group.
His workout routine, as you might imagine, is a rigorous one. He runs, does weights and works out on a stationary bike.
But the payoff, he said, is beyond rewarding.
''I do believe that we don't do a good job preparing ourselves for aging,'' the clinical psychologist in him said.
''You know, I don't believe in retirement. My observation is that people who do not retire in a traditional sense tend to extend their life spans. I just wanted to continue doing things that I thought were useful and productive.''
Son Mike gives him high marks in that regard, saying his dad ''remains undaunted by Father Time.''
And there's this:
''As we get older, our metabolism slows. If we maintain the same intake we were accustomed to when we were younger, we're going to balloon,'' Bixenstine said. ''So, I eat very little.''
Bixenstine confesses to taking what he calls ''nostrums,'' a combination of vitamins, minerals and supplements like ginkgo biloba and echinacea.
''I'm not entirely certain that it's valuable. But I think it helps and gives me a sense of well-being,'' Bixenstine said, adding, ''and Nita (his wife) goes along with it, too. ''
Of course, that doesn't mean that his appetite for adventure has fallen off. If anything, it's accelerated.
And then there's that poetry thing.
''Well, I got started with that on a fluke,'' said Bixenstine, who even penned a poem called The Duathlon Race.
It proved to be a writing outlet that doesn't require the same kind of investment as writing a novel.
''You have to have your head in it a good part of the time,'' he said of novel writing or the narrative nonfiction book he's presently working on.
The latter ''covers the case of a woman I saw in counseling some years ago. Sex abuse and its after-affects.''
By the way, Bixenstine also fills his time cooking for his wife and preparing Sunday morning brunches for his family and friends.
He's true poetry in motion.