A number of years ago, I was watching a television series with Ernest Borgnine. He was retired, and was playing amateur detective with 2 of his friends. During the episode, he asked somebody if he knew what it was like being old. The guy didn't know the answer, so Ernest Borgnine gave the following response, which I have a paraphased below, because I don't remember the exact quote.
That is exactly how I felt yesterday after riding my bike. I know I'll be 58 years old in less then a month, and I shouldn't expect to be able to perform as well as I did when I was 38, but that doesn't keep me from thinking that I can.
I had done a fairly hard 38 mile ride on Thursday in the hills of Whittier, CA, followed by another hard and fast paced 45 mile ride with one of the local bike clubs in the area on Saturday, so maybe I shouldn't have ridden on Sunday.
Typically I wouldn't ride, or I would do an easy ride on Sunday, but when the other bike club in the area, that I usually ride with on Sunday, and who usually does an easy ride on Sunday, decided to do Turnbull Canyon, I had a choice to make.
The Turnbull Canyon ride goes through Whitter, CA, and is essentially the same ride I did on Thursday, but adds about 15 miles in distance and about 500 feet of climbing, and it was either do that ride, or ride by myself. Since I was already dressed and out of the house, and I have done two hard workouts in a row in the past without much trouble (I still think I am in pretty good shape), I decided to go with the club.
I just wish I hadn't.
Almost from the moment I got started, I knew it was a bad decision. I did not feel right. I got dropped within the first mile on the first hill, but did manage to get to the top of the hill before one other rider. Still I was disappointed, and my time was almost a minute slower than my Thursday time, and there was more riding, and climbing ahead. Plus I was tired.
I did manage to complete the entire ride, but resorted to "sitting in" the pack a lot. For those of you not familiar with the term "sitting in", think of bicycle racing like auto racing. In many cases you will see a race car following another car very closely. The car gets in a slip stream, and is able to maintain the same speed as the car in front, but uses much less energy. You get the same benefit when riding a bike, and I had to do a lot of that on Sunday.
After the ride, I was pooped. I just laid around the house, watching TV, pretty much doing nothing trying to recover. Today, I am happy to report, I am feeling much better, and plan on practicing my golf game this morning. I'd like to play, but we are having a barbecue at our house today, and I have to get ready for that.
I just hope that the tiredness I felt yesterday, was because I am getting older, and the body isn't responding the way I expect it to, and not because something else is going on. From the way I feel today, I think it is the former. I just have to get used to the fact that I'm not as young as I used to be. It's just that the mind isn't telling me that.
There is no difference being old versus being young. The mind is as fresh as ever, it's just the body doesn't react in the same way.
That is exactly how I felt yesterday after riding my bike. I know I'll be 58 years old in less then a month, and I shouldn't expect to be able to perform as well as I did when I was 38, but that doesn't keep me from thinking that I can.
I had done a fairly hard 38 mile ride on Thursday in the hills of Whittier, CA, followed by another hard and fast paced 45 mile ride with one of the local bike clubs in the area on Saturday, so maybe I shouldn't have ridden on Sunday.
Typically I wouldn't ride, or I would do an easy ride on Sunday, but when the other bike club in the area, that I usually ride with on Sunday, and who usually does an easy ride on Sunday, decided to do Turnbull Canyon, I had a choice to make.
The Turnbull Canyon ride goes through Whitter, CA, and is essentially the same ride I did on Thursday, but adds about 15 miles in distance and about 500 feet of climbing, and it was either do that ride, or ride by myself. Since I was already dressed and out of the house, and I have done two hard workouts in a row in the past without much trouble (I still think I am in pretty good shape), I decided to go with the club.
I just wish I hadn't.
Almost from the moment I got started, I knew it was a bad decision. I did not feel right. I got dropped within the first mile on the first hill, but did manage to get to the top of the hill before one other rider. Still I was disappointed, and my time was almost a minute slower than my Thursday time, and there was more riding, and climbing ahead. Plus I was tired.
I did manage to complete the entire ride, but resorted to "sitting in" the pack a lot. For those of you not familiar with the term "sitting in", think of bicycle racing like auto racing. In many cases you will see a race car following another car very closely. The car gets in a slip stream, and is able to maintain the same speed as the car in front, but uses much less energy. You get the same benefit when riding a bike, and I had to do a lot of that on Sunday.
After the ride, I was pooped. I just laid around the house, watching TV, pretty much doing nothing trying to recover. Today, I am happy to report, I am feeling much better, and plan on practicing my golf game this morning. I'd like to play, but we are having a barbecue at our house today, and I have to get ready for that.
I just hope that the tiredness I felt yesterday, was because I am getting older, and the body isn't responding the way I expect it to, and not because something else is going on. From the way I feel today, I think it is the former. I just have to get used to the fact that I'm not as young as I used to be. It's just that the mind isn't telling me that.
Comments
I got three days of riding in this weekend. Finally, the weather is working in my favor.
Bubba and I rode alone today and for the first time he didn't try to trot home. Even he was tired and he's only 45!
As usual you have successfully planted a subliminal suggestion regarding your birthday.
It's all about me,Kashinsky.