Old 05-21-17, 03:19 PM
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speshelite
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Originally Posted by Don in Austin
71 year old MONO-athlete here. Sudden cardiac arrest slowed me down two and half years ago, but I have come back pretty well. No centuries lately, but I can ride 40 miles with "B" youngsters. And I expect to be ramping up the distances in the near future. A childhood knee injury does NOT seem to compromise my cycling much at all, but man am I clumsy going up a set of stairs! Going down is much worse and it is all I can do not to resort to half-steps.

I tried to do a 5 mile hike a while back and every time I had to go downhill on slightly compromised surfaces I was afraid I was going to fall on my ass! I was struggling at the end barely moving and almost tripping over every
pebble and here comes some little old lady who had stopped to take pictures and passes me running! I have been trying to do things at the gym and its maybe helping a little. I remember being younger and walking from one end of Manhattan almost to the other.

Walking wears me out faster than all but relatively competitive cycling. Running? I don't think I even know how! It is a combination of running out of steam and stiffness that makes walking hard.

I have a friend a little older than me who rides briskly 5k miles every year -- can't walk more than a mile without back aches.

Comments? Don in Austin
Start off with walks. Know your limits. If it's half an hour (1.5 miles), start with that. Work your way up to an hour.

Then, try a half hour hike in more challenging terrain. If 15 minutes if your initial limit, start with that.

You definitely need to engage in weight bearing exercise, but start slow.
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