I wore a knee brace for 18 years. A little over 5 years ago, I decided I needed to improve my climbing. At the time, standing on the pedals for even 50 yards resulted in great pain even though riding a century was no big deal to me.

Every day, I worked on my technique and improving the distance I could stand. After a little time, I could do 50 yards with no pain, then 100, then 500, then 5 miles, and eventually I got to where my knees weren't what kept me from standing. I managed to toss that knee brace within months of starting my new regimen. My knees now feel better than they did 20 years ago.

If you do decide to end it all, don't forget to post about it afterwards.