In my younger days, I listened to older athletes talk about getting older and changes in performance they had experienced. It always sounded like the changes of aging took place gradually over time. It may have, however, just been my wishful thinking. Holding out a hope that I would be exempt from such speedy declines.
In recent years, my body chose to join those older athletes in the same fashion as they had described. This body worked fine one day, but less so the next.
You cannot fight Nature – only negotiate.
Wishing for an exemption to the rule just did not make it so.
Growing Up 101
As with Nature saying “no” to my big plans in life, there is still much to learn. The challenge is in stopping the panic (a legitimate first reaction) long enough to think and listen.
Let’s start with our assumptions.
What I thought would be a gracefully progressive process of athletic performance declines turns out to be periodic leaps. What worked well yesterday, may not work as well today.
Very annoying. I was hoping for some advanced notice.
Some current research points to physiological changes occurring in our 40’s and 60’s, confirming alas, my body is behaving predictably.
Finding out you are not as special as you would like is probably one of the bigger lessons we confront.
A Big First Step in Getting Older
Humility.
Time to check your expectations. As it turns out, many plans may not be an option after all. Letting go of my goals (like excelling at Master’s level racing in retirement) involves some serious ego work.
As with the stages of grief, there was an angry phase that eventually led to a point of acceptance of what my body is willing to provide. The biggest takeaway so far is that I am not able to die of disappointment. Hacked off – yes, but adulting the disappointment.
Like I said, humility.
Which all leads to learning about and coming to accept one’s own mortality. This is a tough one. I have never considered myself to be particularly physically fragile, but discovering that some things I used to be able to do are no longer available… at all… is tough. Carrying that thought out can be discouraging.
Bodies fail over time, no matter what we have planned.
Another Line in the Sand
As a physician of holistic healing, pharmaceuticals and I have always had an uneasy relationship. The scientist in me understands how medications work and appreciates their efficacy in some circumstances. My skepticism was always about the prescribed use of them.
When a pharmaceutical is the “big stick” used to treat a condition that could also be successfully addressed through conservative methods, I opted for the less invasive (read: fewer side effects) approach to treatment.
As my body starts to offer up ever more challenging performances (or lack thereof), medical support becomes a reasonable option at times. For someone who has invested so much effort in promoting health and finding alternatives to allopathic treatments, this is a tough pill to swallow. Pun intended.
Thoughts
So suck it up buttercup.
Getting older, especially as an athlete, was never for sissies. Life is laying out a worst case scenario for us to work. Like being dropped by the pack in the middle of a race, it is up to us (to put it politely) to get our act together to fix our situation.
I have a banner in my gym that states, “Nobody Cares – Work Harder”. Hats off to whoever came up with that saying. It is the closest thing to a personal mission statement for me.
We are all smart. We are all tough enough. Time to saddle up and ride.
“You know you’re old when people say, ‘You’re still doing that?’” – Unknown
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