This summer I turned 69. I am in the evening of my life. I hope the last part of my life will be as filled with light as this photo! I have had many years of biking and distance swimming. I have done a couple of centuries and a climb to the top of Smugglers Notch. My riding has taken me on thousands of miles of roads, mostly in northwestern Vermont. I have done many open water swims, including a four mile swim in Lake Champlain.
Over the years I have had to deal with various ailments. A couple of years ago I started treatment for an enlarged prostate. For a while I thought I would have to curtail my riding, but that did not proved necessary.
Two years ago I had an injury that caused neurological damage in my left shoulder and upper back. That injury may have been caused by over-exercise. I will probably never fully recover, and part of my upper back muscles have atrophied. I can still ride but I can’t do the kind of long open water swims I did in the past. I am hoping that with physical therapy I can eventually swim a mile with the scrawl stroke. Now, using a variety of strokes, I can swim for forty five minutes without much discomfort.
For most of my adult life I have struggled with injuries that resulted from pushing myself too far. The shoulder injury was a wakeup call. On July 4th of this year I rode into town for bagels with a friend. I was thanking him for replacing the tape on my handlebars. I rode home and had a couple of hours before a ride with another friend. I knew the Winooski pool was open and I thought about having a swim. In the past I would not have hesitated but this time I decided to just do some gentle stretching before the ride. Then I had a great jaunt up to Colchester Pond. I am learning to do less exercise every day, which is more healthy for me than doing more. I know that many people struggle with the opposite problem, they have trouble motiving themselves to be active. I have been addicted to exercise for many years. My impulse was always to push myself harder.
In the last couple of years I have had problems with my right knee. It was sore for much of the winter but then it got better later in the spring. I had a setback after a hard ride up a hill on a bike that was loaded with groceries from Costco. When my knee hurts I struggle with feelings of sadness and anxiety. In late July I went to see my sports doctor. She had X-rays taken of my right knee and told me that there is no evidence of damage. This was a relief, I went to her because I wanted to know if riding was damaging my knee. The week after my appointment I went to see my PT. We had a great conversation about the Tour de France and he gave me some exercises for my knee. I also do exercises for my shoulder. At that time I felt cautiously optimistic about my physical condition. I believed that I can slowly work up to longer rides and longer swims. That positive feeling comes and goes depending on my physical condition.
I still ride every day, it is the way I get around. I usually take time off for long rides but this summer I have not taken as much time off as usual. My ideal is to satisfied with whatever activity I am doing. I try to give equal value to exercise, working, coffee with friends, reading, teaching, writing and cleaning. I used to live for long rides and long swims, and when I couldn’t do either I felt terrible, as if I was being deprived. My goal is having exercise be important, but not central to my life.
This summer I have done much more riding with other people. Twice a week I lead rides for the Winooski Bike Gang and I also have a friend to ride with. The group rides are not as long as the ones I used to take on my own. In the past I would often do a six or seven hour ride once a week. I still aspire to those kinds of rides but they are not the focus of my life. I find I can be happy with shorter rides. I also don’t try to ride faster than other people anymore. Just a few years ago, if someone passed me I would have the urge to catch up and pass them back. I don’t feel that way anymore. Every once in a while I think about a favorite long ride that I have not taken for a while and I feel a twinge of sadness and regret. Not being as strong as I was is something that takes getting used to.
On Saturday August 23rd I took a longer ride to Rollin Irish Road. It is a ride I have often done in the past but not this year. I was anxious about my right knee but in the event it was my left shoulder that felt very sore. If it’s not one thing, it’s something else! It was great to get out and do a long ride and I look forward to a few more before the weather turns cold.
Physical deterioration is a fact of life. My therapist says that not being able to do as much as I used to is challenging because it reminds me of my mortality. We all get old and eventually die. My plan is to keep riding for as long as I can. I may, at some point, have to get an electric bike. I don’t look forward to it but if the alternative is not riding at all, I will get one.
About the Author: Peter Burns is a long-time bike enthusiast, and one of the original year-round bike riders in the greater Burlington area. In addition to writing about walking and biking, Peter teaches a variety of bike workshops. He also works at a group home for people with psychiatric disabilities, teaches classes for the Vermont Humanities Council, teaches swimming at the Burlington YMCA, and is a regular host of Storytelling VT. You can contact Peter at [email protected].