When I was in my 20 & 30’s, I was indestructable, full of energy, and had a can do attitude. I could eat anything and never put any weight on.

Climbing mountains, kayaking and aerobic’s classes every sunday morning were the order of the day.

By the time I had reached my 40’s, I had realised I had lost the edge in speed and didnt have the same anerobic energy anymore, so I concentrated on more sedate endurance sports, like day long tramps in the Waitakere ranges.

I would typically get a taxi out to the far edge of the map, and walk back towards home, which would take most of the day.

When the kids came along, I needed to not only keep up with them, but also to inspire them.
This is how I ended up running 5 km at the local parkrun every week. I wasn’t fast mind you, but I was always ran every week, which meant I was always near the top of the points table, and got a medal or two for my trouble each year.

This came to a rather sudden stop, when shin splints became a major problem for me. The only cure is lots of rest, so I went back to weight training at the gym, and cycling instead.

Perhaps I was a bit too keen about the cycling though….

We lived in a small tourist town in those days, and I loved dragging off cars from the only set of traffic lights in town.
I worked out that it’s best to use as few gears as possible, which meant really putting the power down in a highish gear from a standing start.

My right knee did not like this, it did not like it at all!.

The injury meant that I couldn’t walk on it properly for days afterwards..

The local physiotherapist was no help at all, he was far more interested in impressing his very attractive female trainee assistant.

Resting it ‘cured’ the problem, but I couldn’t ride anywhere as fast as I could, which meant sedately riding around like an old person….

Looking back at it now, I had convinced myself that I was now an older frail person, and that those days were over…

RUBBISH!

I found a good physiotherapist and spent months doing remedial exercise’s to fix the problem.
I now take greater care of my knee’s, and I’m careful not to twist or jar them.

These days, I’m going to a gym again after all those years. It surprises me that the muscle strength is still there. There’s even an old poster of Arnold Schwarzenegger on the wall, just like the old days.

I’m not working out anywhere near as hard as I used to because these days I don’t feel I have anything to prove. I’m typically lifting about 2/3 of what I used to, but more importantly, I’m now pretty good at picking up any early warning signs of injury.

The moral of the story is, it’s easy to fool yourself into believing those nagging doubts. Don’t act your age, and don’t be sucked in by society norms/ expectations, etc.

I remember my Grandfather working on his farm until well into his eighties, perhaps that spirit still runs in my blood as well?

Winter has finally arrived with a vengence here in New Zealand, and along with it has come almost constant rain and cold temperatures.

Winter has also brought back a reoccurring injury that I thought was gone for good. I have to be careful not to twist my right knee in the cold, otherwise it doesn’t bend well, which makes walking and climbing/descending stairs an unpleasent experience.

Fortunately, I still have the exercise notes from the physiotherapist I spent so much time (and money) with last year.

As long as I do the some physio everyday along with a smearing of ‘deep heat’, the problem stays away.

The skateboards gone away for winter, along with the pushbike, so I now workout at a Gym and go for walks everywhere instead.

The offroad motorcycling season’s also finished, and the skiing season should start in a few months time.  
I usually go snowboarding with my youngest daughter, who has a passion for skiing.

The kids have also recently taken up basketball, which has pulled me into having a go as well. (They are a lot more motivated if I join in).
It’s a mission keeping up with teenagers, but I try anyway!