I've taken up a few new things in the last ten years the biggest difference compared to riding is there is excellent instruction available. Want to take up kiteboarding, surfing or skiing? Absolutely take a lesson. When I was growing up mountain biking was a fringe activity and we were all getting there with bravado and trial and error with some of us being tougher and more determined than others. Now you can skip a lot of that with great instruction.
But to your point, bootstraps now are about smart maintenance and cross-training to stay fit and capable as long as possible. For me that's the cost of doing business if I want to keep riding at this level. Heavy slow lifting for sheer strength and bone density, some more varied training to encourage adaptability and intensity and pilates or yoga to keep it all moving. And mobility work every morning because now I have to "pay" to start the day as limber as I used to. Now I do all this to keep riding and for people to say something inane like "you're so lucky to be so fit at your age" while they surrender their capacities one by one without a fight.
One thing that's happening now is that my fitness durability is way down. I used to be able to do nothing for weeks and just pick up where I left off. Now if I miss a week it's like starting from scratch so I'm super motivated to never stop. If anything I back off a bit when I'm feeling fatigued. Better to be sore from training than sore from my body falling apart due to disuse and age, and that's a choice.
Sept. 4, 2024, 7:40 a.m. - Cr4w
I've taken up a few new things in the last ten years the biggest difference compared to riding is there is excellent instruction available. Want to take up kiteboarding, surfing or skiing? Absolutely take a lesson. When I was growing up mountain biking was a fringe activity and we were all getting there with bravado and trial and error with some of us being tougher and more determined than others. Now you can skip a lot of that with great instruction. But to your point, bootstraps now are about smart maintenance and cross-training to stay fit and capable as long as possible. For me that's the cost of doing business if I want to keep riding at this level. Heavy slow lifting for sheer strength and bone density, some more varied training to encourage adaptability and intensity and pilates or yoga to keep it all moving. And mobility work every morning because now I have to "pay" to start the day as limber as I used to. Now I do all this to keep riding and for people to say something inane like "you're so lucky to be so fit at your age" while they surrender their capacities one by one without a fight. One thing that's happening now is that my fitness durability is way down. I used to be able to do nothing for weeks and just pick up where I left off. Now if I miss a week it's like starting from scratch so I'm super motivated to never stop. If anything I back off a bit when I'm feeling fatigued. Better to be sore from training than sore from my body falling apart due to disuse and age, and that's a choice.