{"id":748,"date":"2021-07-24T10:24:23","date_gmt":"2021-07-24T14:24:23","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/mfna.org\/rfo\/?p=748"},"modified":"2021-07-24T10:24:23","modified_gmt":"2021-07-24T14:24:23","slug":"the-age-old-problem-of-old-age","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/mfna.org\/rfo\/2021\/07\/24\/the-age-old-problem-of-old-age\/","title":{"rendered":"The Age-Old Problem of Old Age"},"content":{"rendered":"

Having just celebrated my 30th year without drugs or alcohol,<\/p>\n

\"30

Fancy 30 Year Medallion<\/p><\/div>\n

and with my 70th birthday fast approaching, I’ve decided I am not prepared to go gentle into that good night<\/a>.\u00a0 With my blood sugar now an issue, the best treatment I’ve found, according to experts, is diet and exercise.\u00a0 Well, I refuse to completely omit some foods from my diet (after all, I don’t want to live forever, and I don’t want it to feel like I am, either), but exercise is something I can do something about.<\/p>\n

When I was a teenager I was a passenger in a car that hydroplaned into a tree at about 45 mph and as a result, suffered a compression fracture in my spine.\u00a0 Six weeks in a body cast during the August-September time frame was no picnic, let me assure you!\u00a0 Doctors told me I would likely have arthritis and rheumatism by the time I was in my mid-twenties.<\/p>\n

There were a few setbacks, but overall, my back didn’t hinder me at all.\u00a0 In my forties, after having shaken the alcohol demon, I started running.\u00a0 I thought it was easy and cheap (all you need are some shoes and shorts, right?).\u00a0 Traveling a lot on business meant I could go for a run outside my hotel, and it became a way of sightseeing, too!<\/p>\n

I ran my first marathon when I was 54.\u00a0 The next year (2006) I ran my best marathon, in 4:32:56.\u00a0 Not an earth-shaking time, but that’s a 10:25 minute-per-mile pace, and I’m quite happy with it.<\/p>\n

Over time, my hip (and knee) began to slow me down.\u00a0 Before COVID-19 shut down the world, I was having issues completing even a 5K distance without pain.\u00a0 I stopped trying during the lockdown.<\/p>\n

But I’m back at it.\u00a0 I went out today for the second time this week.\u00a0 OK, I know a layoff takes a while to come back from, so I’m perfectly fine with being slow and having to take walk breaks.\u00a0 I finished a 5K distance today in 47:26, for an average of 14:42\/mile.\u00a0 Which I actually find a bit surprising.\u00a0 I thought i’d be slower!<\/p>\n

During the run, I started a checklist of things I have attempted to remedy my hip\/back\/knee problem.\u00a0 Here’s a partial list (there may be others I haven’t yet remembered):<\/p>\n