Subject: Fwd: How to age your way. How Best to Age? Do it Your Way

I can hit the golf ball any way I can and laugh if it goes in the lake. That's the breaks. I'm just happy I can still hit that golf ball.

As I've aged, I've become kinder to myself, and less critical of myself. I've become my own friend.

I have seen too many dear friends leave this world, too soon; before they understood the great freedom that comes with aging.

Whose business is it, if I choose to read, or play, on the computer, until 4 AM, or sleep until noon? I will dance with myself to those wonderful tunes of the 50, 60 & 70's, and if I, at the same time, wish to weep over a lost love, I will.

I will walk the beach, in a swim suit that is stretched over a bulging body, and will dive into the waves, with abandon, if I choose to, despite the pitying glances from the jet set. They too, will get old.

I know I am sometimes forgetful. But there again, some of life is just as well forgotten. And, I eventually remember the important things.

Sure, over the years, my heart has been broken. How can your heart not break, when you lose a loved one, or when a child suffers, or even when somebody's beloved pet passes? But, broken hearts are what give us strength, and understanding, and compassion. A heart never broken, is pristine, and sterile, and will never know the joy of being imperfect.

I am so blessed to have lived long enough to have my hair turning gray, and to have my youthful laughs be forever etched into deep grooves on my face.

So many have never laughed, and so many have died before their hair could turn silver.

As you get older, it is easier to be positive. You care less about what other people think. I don't question myself anymore. I've even earned the right to be wrong.

So, to answer your question, I like being old. It has set me free. I like the person I have become. I am not going to live forever, but while I am still here, I will not waste time lamenting what could have been, or worrying about what will be. And I shall eat dessert every single day (if I feel like it).

Me and my wife are going on a two day bike trip that will take us 48 miles this summer, and hopefully I will make the trip both ways by myself later in the year in 3 days.

Congratulations on your planned cycling adventure. We have been tandem riding since we first met and it has been an important component of our relationship. When I was young I was a nationally ranked competitor and rode over 10,000 miles a year. I did not realize that they even had competitive aerobic dance instructor championships when I met her, but it turned out that she was the Northwest regional champion. And her routines were much more demanding than I would have given them credit for.

I am not much of a dancer so she took up tandem cycling for me. I had had other female tandem partners but never one who was half as competitive. I first noticed this when we were out on the road or on a bike path. When we would see other cyclists ahead of us, I could feel extra power coming from the rear of the bike. Often when we would pass them they would try to catch our back wheel and draft on us. If they were dressed in the latest cycling fashion and riding expensive bikes she would find much more energy than usual. Often when they couldn't keep up we would hear some type of derisive comments.

The first time that I took her on a century (100 mile bike ride) we were with a group of experienced cyclists. We had been hit by a car recently and our expensive road tandem's frame had been sent back to Santana for repairs. So we were on our folding tandem which has a weird looking heavy frame and cheap components; it resembled a department store bike to our new aquaintances.

The people we were riding with were from Seattle, wearing expensive cycling clothing and some riding bikes that cost much more than our old van. They were concerned that we wouldn't be able to keep up. They said that they liked to keep the pace up around 20 mph and they gave us a map to find the way to the restaurant in case they dropped up along the way.

They needn't have worried. Their appearance and dismissive attitude added fuel to my wife's competitive nature. So we ended up setting a punishing pace only letting others take the lead when we were not completely sure of the route. Every ten miles I handed her a food bar and reminded her to drink her caffeinated energy drink. By the time we got to the restaurant they all looked a little beat and no one would believe that she had not been on a century before. She looked fresh and ready for the second half of the ride even before we ate. Of course with her competitive nature, even if she had been exhausted she would not have let anyone know it.

But she was feeling good and when we got back on the bike the pace we set blew the group apart. They were able to keep up on the way out with the knowledge that they had a long rest stop ahead but they were pretty well beat on the way back. So we had to back off and try to keep an eye on the guy who had invited us and gave us the map because he was struggling.

Needless to say we were never invited to ride with them again. I think that we had shattered the group's self image and they didn't want to be reminded that a couple of hickish looking people on a weird looking heavy folding tandem could ride them into the ground.

Of course we are older now and our competitive nature has eased a great deal. We have been working on two construction projects for three years and it has kept us off the bikes, but we are starting to train again and hoping for some good adventures this year.

I am smiling right down to my pedals reading your story.

I too am competitive, but my ability and stamina are going to need some building. I took some time off to heal from a bad health scare in 2016, and am tired from riding 20 miles at and average speed of 12mph.

I am feeling 100% this year though, and need to find a trainer for inside work. The weather stinks too much to ride outdoors in the Washington monsoons in Winter. My 93 year old MIL is now living with us, and my Wife is caregiving, so she is distracted. I will have to get strong enough to power her through when her loving chore is over.

For those who think old peeps riding a bike is crazy, just remember the joy of being a child, and add in the challenge of getting better every day at it. We have more time and $$$ to “waste” on the nearly pure ecstasy of “hauling ass” with the one you love right behind. We even added a trailer to haul gear, all the comforts of home in a 2’ x 2’ trailer.

I see the same thing and still I feel like a bad son every time i leave the place.

I drove a 110-mile round trip every other day of my favorite aunt's last year in the nursing home—one of the sweetest, kindest, funniest women ever. She was 99, and her two grown sons (my cousins, aged 65 or so), the one useless DIL and her grown grandsons couldn't be bothered— except the DIL's occasional trips to "clean and organize" my aunt's drawers and closet, which meant stealing her jewelry, and even some of the clothing and blankets I had bought for her.

When she died, they were too cheap to hire a pastor at the burial and asked me to drive the trip again to say prayers at the graveside. Then they said goodbye to me in the parking lot — didn't even spring for a Big Mac. Last I saw of them.

But I should be grateful, because then the useless DIL tried to disinherit the other brother. They must have had earplugs in during Sunday School. I know they were raised better than that. And the DIL -- always bragging about her church involvement. Makes you shake your head at what passes for righteousness these days.

For those who think old peeps riding a bike is crazy, just remember the joy of being a child, and add in the challenge of getting better every day at it.

The vast majority of people we see out riding on the bike paths and even country roads are middle aged and beyond. Outside of Seattle, young people do not ride very much in this area at least.

I have to admit that two years ago we tried riding up the John Wayne trail from Rattlesnake Lake up through the tunnel under Snoqualmie pass and then over the top and back down I-90 to the Homestead Valley Trailhead where we got back on the trail.

We went with one of my friends from my bicycle racing days. We had done this ride many times before and had planned to just go back through the 2 mile tunnel and back down the trail to Rattlesnake Lake that way. But my friend got claustrophobic, and refused to go back through the tunnel. My wife was very upset with him because she knew that I was not feeling well.

The ride on the trail is an easy and steady grade mostly in the shade for the 18 miles up to the tunnel. But the ride over the pass literally just about killed me. It was hot and the hill is quite steep at the top. I was in extreme distress since we had not been training and my friend was setting a merciless pace as payback for all the times I had given him the similar punishment in previous years. Our rear tire started going flat when we got back up the steep grade to the trail, but it had gotten dark by that time and we did not feel up to trying to fix it since our only desire was to get back to the van. But misery makes for a memorable day.

I looked on Performancebike.com to see which trainers they have available at this time. They have got their “Travel Trac Comp Mag + Trainer” marked down 40% to $89 with free shipping. They also have 3 stores in the greater Seattle area plus one in Tacoma but the sales people will probably try to talk you into something more expensive. I prefer a mag trainer these days because they are so much quieter than the old wind trainers and the resistance is variable. We also have rollers to ride on with variable resistance as well, but most people prefer a stationary unit so that they can watch TV or read a book.

Disclaimer: Opinions posted on Free Republic are those of the individual posters and do not necessarily represent the opinion of Free Republic or its management. All materials posted herein are protected by copyright law and the exemption for fair use of copyrighted works.