Thread: Getting Soft
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Old 04-16-20, 06:29 PM
  #17  
OldTryGuy
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Originally Posted by downtube42
In the last 6 years a lot of crap has happened. Laid off, moved twice leaving behind my cycling group, put on some weight, diagnosed with hypertension and put on meds. I've kept up the randonneuring, finishing two more 1200s but it's clearly harder. On brevets, I've gone from a front-third finisher to a last-third finisher. October last year, just after finishing a tough 1000k, I fractured my neck in a bad crash, setting things way way back. Basically a six year downhill slide with an exclamation point.

I'm finding the recovery harder than expected. Not because of loss of fitness; it's the lack of willingness to suffer. Just 6 years ago at age 54, in 24 hours of focused effort I covered 400 miles. Tonight I went out and did hill repeats, and I'd say my intentions to lay down some rule #5 were not met due to general wussiness.

Getting slower with age is expected, and even to be embraced as yet another challenge. But this... basically I feel like I've gotten mentally soft, and that is creating an existential crisis.

wtf.
DT42, I'm going to be 70(hopefully) in July, a little broken neck bike crash in 2011, bi-lateral orchiectomy( look it up) in 2015 to begin my treatment for Gleason 10(look it up) Prostate Cancer, 141 miles last Tuesday and took until last night/this morning to find legs for another ride of 121 miles. I've got it easy compared to my PCa Brothers so my suggestion is to keep in mind that just one crank rotation at a time gets you places and ENJOY whatever you can do.
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