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gblauer
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Apr 4, 2008, 1:30 AM
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Ok, I am going to rant and rave. I know growing old beats the alternative...but...growing old sucks.
I will be 51 this summer. My eyes are going bad, I have a hell of a time recovering after a hard training session, my hands hurt all the time and now I have been recently diagnosed with Hallux Rigidus, an arthritic condition of both of my big toes. Ultimately, I will required surgery to clean up the joints which will require that I take several months off climbing. (Well, there is always 1 footed climbing...).
I eat right, I train hard, I work hard and I am rewarded with crappy vision, saggy breasts, and bad feet.
It sucks to grow old...
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macherry
Apr 4, 2008, 2:01 AM
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i hear ya, my recovery from any thing these days is slower than what it used to be.
my inspiration is my friend Marg. she's 74 years old. she volunteers her time as a snowhost (giving all mountain tours) at the ski hill where I work. Marge just got back from mt. Kilimanjaro. she made it to the top..............after two knee replacement surgeries. three years before she made it to everest base camp. Marg skis almost every day. She freakin' rocks.
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tigerlilly
Apr 4, 2008, 2:13 AM
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I'm not too far behind you, and have two of those 3 problems. Being small-breasted is finally a blessing - I don't have enough to sag!  I took up climbing in part to combat another age-related malady that came from a lifetime of hard cycling: osteoporosis. I got diagnosed when I got tired of breaking ribs in twos and threes everytime I biffed on the mtbike.
We might not be able to climb like the young pups, but at least we're still getting out there. You'd probably be in worse shape if you were a couch potato, without all those good memories of things climbed. Hang in there, sister. We ain't dead yet! Good luck with your surgery.
Kathy
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danabart
Apr 4, 2008, 1:49 PM
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kimmyt
Apr 4, 2008, 2:25 PM
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Girl, you are still smokin! Seriously. You climb hard, train hard. And look good doin' it.
Age ain't but a thang. I mean, you can kick my 27-year old ass any day at climbing, so that's gotta count for something...
(i mean seriously, if i could have back muscles like you when i'm 51 i'd be a very happy girl indeed!)
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gblauer
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Apr 4, 2008, 2:50 PM
Post #6 of 17
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kimmyt wrote: Girl, you are still smokin! Seriously. You climb hard, train hard. And look good doin' it. (i mean seriously, if i could have back muscles like you when i'm 51 i'd be a very happy girl indeed!)
Kimmyt you are too kind. Thank you for your kind words.
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lena_chita
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Apr 4, 2008, 3:10 PM
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I hear you! While I still have some time to go before I would have any legitimate reason to complain, I notice little things... the scratches and bruises taking longer to heal; recovery takes longer; sleep/rest is more important than when I was in my 20s. My vision, while still good enough not to require glasses or contacts, is probably going to give up it's happy 20/20 days sometime in the next few years...
My inspiration is my uncle. He hiked Kilimanjaro for his 70th birthday. He is 74 now-- still skiing, still hiking, still working (part-time. because he likes it), still travelling all over the world... He is in Madagascar this week, actually... He is my staunch defender whenever my parents bring up the "should a responsible mother of two children REALLY go climbing quite so much?"
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happiegrrrl
Apr 4, 2008, 4:25 PM
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Gail - You DO look great. So revel in life, you've got it going on!
One thing I have found is that I can focus on negative, or positive. Either way, I am going to find myself "drawn" down that pathway. Negative thinking is like doing emotional downers!
So, if I find myself in a malaise, I pull my head out and take a look around.... It may be sort of self-centered, but I don't have to look far to see that I am one lucky woman. And acknowledging that makes me better equipped to interact with others who may be having a less fortunate situation.
Getting older does definitely change our bodies, but it's the thought that counts, and we are as youthful as we decide to be. Happie to be almost 46, going on 30!
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iamthewallress
Apr 4, 2008, 4:49 PM
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I've been thinking about aging lately. Sort of a pre-mid-life crisis where I'm worried that one day I'll wake up and not feel up to doing the things that I haven't gotten around to doing yet.
I still feel good, but I can see time creeping up on me...espeically my sun-weathered skin.
All of this has been making me thing of a line from that pseudo-commencement address that was cirulating about a decade ago (dating myself there)...
But trust me, in 20 years, you'll look back at photos of yourself and recall in a way you can't grasp now how much possibility lay before you and how fabulous you really looked.
This probably holds true at any age.
I went and looked up the whole speech, if anyone wants to give it a reread. It made my morning.
http://dag.wieers.com/...o_Wear_Sunscreen.php
(This post was edited by iamthewallress on Apr 4, 2008, 4:56 PM)
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granite_grrl
Apr 4, 2008, 5:05 PM
Post #10 of 17
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Its funny hearing you ladies complain. The ones here that I know anything about are strong climbers, most better than me. Yet you complain! 
Hindsight is always 20-20. As I get older, and the perspective I've gotten from my accident, I see the difference it makes in taking climbing seriously and training. I think the big difference between me and you ladies is your disipline. You guys impress me.
Thanks for this perspective!
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gblauer
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Apr 4, 2008, 5:14 PM
Post #11 of 17
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Well, two of my major issues are;
1) I am super achievement oriented
2) I am really competitive
My "fun" is achieving new/hard stuff. Thus I train like a mad person to do it. Most recently I did Timewave Zero in EPC, 23 pitches of vertical climbing, ranging from 5.7 to 5.12a. (I am very proud of that effort)
I am sad that despite my training, my very disciplined eating, I cannot halt time or the degradation of my body.
Eventually, I am going to have to adjust my thinking, or I will be insane.
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gblauer
Moderator
Apr 4, 2008, 5:16 PM
Post #12 of 17
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happiegrrrl wrote: Gail - You DO look great. So revel in life, you've got it going on! One thing I have found is that I can focus on negative, or positive. Either way, I am going to find myself "drawn" down that pathway. Negative thinking is like doing emotional downers! So, if I find myself in a malaise, I pull my head out and take a look around.... It may be sort of self-centered, but I don't have to look far to see that I am one lucky woman. And acknowledging that makes me better equipped to interact with others who may be having a less fortunate situation.
Thanks...I agree stay focused on the positive...stay focused on the positive...
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acacongua
Apr 4, 2008, 6:23 PM
Post #13 of 17
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GBlauer - I am curious, have you always taken care of your health the way you do?
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gblauer
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Apr 4, 2008, 7:41 PM
Post #15 of 17
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acacongua wrote: GBlauer - I am curious, have you always taken care of your health the way you do?
The short answer is "yes". I was a gymnast in my youth and I was very focused on my body/health. I have been a vegetarian for 38 years, pushed to mostly vegan within the last 10 and have been focused on a raw diet for the last couple of months. I am still experimenting with raw, I am feeling sluggish and tired.
And this is not the first time that I have had health concerns. Ironically, it was a major health issue that got me into climbing to begin with. I had a bone tumor in my right leg about 6 years ago, after a year of NOT walking, I was rehabbing at the Mohonk Mountain house at the Gunks. I was on the carriage trails and I watched the people climbing and I was awestruck. I immediately went home to a rock gym and learned to climb. I have been addicted ever since.
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clee03m
Apr 4, 2008, 11:57 PM
Post #16 of 17
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kimmyt wrote: Girl, you are still smokin! Seriously. You climb hard, train hard. And look good doin' it. Age ain't but a thang. I mean, you can kick my 27-year old ass any day at climbing, so that's gotta count for something... (i mean seriously, if i could have back muscles like you when i'm 51 i'd be a very happy girl indeed!)
Hell, forget just back muscles, I'd be pretty happy to have my body look like yours now, judging from the profile pictures. I'm only 31, but I feel your pain about injuries not healing as fast. My latest is a shoulder, and it hurts less (after over 2 months) but started sort of grating when I move them. Both my knees do that from running. May be not bitter, but I am nostalgic about days when I could work out hard, party all night, still have energy to go to class at 7 in the morning and study/practice piano rest of the day to start all over. I wish I had that body/energy back. Must go study....must to study....must go study... Can I have your discipline along with your body? :)
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charley
Apr 5, 2008, 7:41 PM
Post #17 of 17
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Sorry to step in here girls but I know a bit about age. I have two older male friends. Tom was super competitive and goal oriented. Tom is twenty yearsmy senior, making him 80. Tom helped me alot climbing. He used to tell me to just keep doing what you're doing and one day you will be older. Well, I am older. He also used to tell me that he could still do the same things but took longer to recover. When he was 74 or 75 he hurt a wrist and had to stop climbing midseason and didn't gym climb that winter. He came out in the spring after not climbing for 9 months and hopped on a toprope climb that was, for the last few years at the top of his ability. He could not do the climb, I never could, and got pissed and swore and quit climbing. He still skies the azz off younger folks and in the summer bikes 20-25 miles twice a week. Hank on the other hand is laid back even more than I. When he is done climbing for the day and other younger folks are still climbing, you can find Hank curled up in the sun napping. He and I have climbed 5.0 at seneca. We have had days we could not climb the second day at seneca. On our colorado trip last year we had a more ambitous climber with us and what was to be our day off, Hank sat in the car and read while I belayed the other guy. It was a one pitch sport area so we walked to a wall were he could do 3-4 climbs and we went back to the car. Hank just turned 71, still skies and turns around at the ten mile mark on the weekly bike rides. As I struggle with bad knees, excess weight, and other petty complaints, I think attitude is very important. Keep doing it and enjoy what you can do.
It has become one ofmy favorite sayings lately. The only thing golden about the golden years is the urine. Have fun getting older and kicking younger folks butts, even when it hurts.
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