If loin cloths could speak...
I never used to get injured. I could ride all day on hardly any water or food, under the Australian sun with nary a squirt of sunscreen, drink four beers directly after and then go and DJ and dance til the wee hours of the next morning without stretching or any form of ‘warming down’. To me, warming up was the modus operandi.
This pattern, while not exactly the norm, got me through to at least my mid 40s. In fact, some of my best form on the bike (and on the dancefloor) occurred in the first five years of my fifth decade. The second half was not as concentrated on racing and consequently any training––and I use that term loosely––I would do would be haphazard in its structure and goals were something I’d see watching the football on the telly. Beer was still the hydrant of choice and the term “I really should start stretching” became a mantra, an of-repeated, more often ignored, horrible, desperate mantra.
Now in my early 50s, the time to put that mantra into service is hard to ignore. Just sitting here, in my ergonomic office chair, at my real proper desk with the keyboard at the right height and everything, my back aches like that of a 50 year old Cyclist. My shoulders are rolled forward and my neck is lost in a shrug that threatens to swallow my head whole. My right arm goes numb every few minutes, which of course elicits the darkest of thoughts; “Is this a heart attack?” “Am I having a stroke?” If so, I wish they’d just hurry up and get it over with.
Curiously, mountain biking seemed to be less painful on my back/arm in the time I’ve had this injury. Leaning over the bars on the road bike means the first twenty minutes are spent trying to stretch the arm, irony of ironies, and dangling it and shaking it to null the numbness. I look like a fucking tool. Something had to give, and two weeks ago I did what no man ever does: I went to the doctor. Thinking the heart attack scenario was the most likely, he quickly shut down that theory with an ECG and some X-Rays. Narrowing of the C6/7 discs and foraminal encroachment was the diagnosis. At least it had a name now, not just “fuck my shoulder hurts/my arm is numb” that I’m sure colleagues were getting sick of.
The upside is I get to go to the chiropractor twice a week. How is that an upside? Well, she’s French for a start. And after only a couple of visits, things are getting better. I haven’t been able to ride for a couple of weeks, compounded by a weekend riding some of the burliest trails in the country and crashing my brains out following a World Cup downhiller down a trail that he built and wasn’t really a trail. Result, a trip over the bars, a hug of a tree and a rack of toasted ribs, which served to take my attention off the arm at least.
While I don’t have the services of a team of masseurs, stretchers, manipulators and fluffers and plain weird dudes grabbing random bits like old mate on the rack in the lead photo, I’m more aware that as one gets on in years, especially these ones that start with a 5, there is a greater need to do the body maintenance that one should have been doing decades ago. Because if there are to be any more decades of riding, it just has to be. And I hear there may be some French women who do yoga…
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I'll see your Half Man Half Couch and raise you a Half Man Half Biscuit:
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=7XNgS2VBuVM
And I never had an issue with Nerys Hughes either.
I am very new to this great sport, only about 5,000 miles in since February of last year. Not really qualified to comment, but I will say that at 56 is astonishing how much stretching matters. You would think that 20 easy minutes on your bike just spinning around at the start of the ride would be enough, considering the lack of impact, but there must be some physiological effect of age which simply makes the muscle fibers less supple. Then, those tight muscles lead straight to more tension on connective tissue (which is probably not as supple either), and that's it.
"While I don’t have the services of a team of masseurs, stretchers, manipulators and fluffers and plain weird dudes grabbing random bits like old mate on the rack in the lead photo ...." Jesus man, this killed me. Well done!
And I'll 23rd (or whatever number we are on) the notion that it sucks to get old, esp if you did not take care of yourself when you were younger. I have a few compression fractures in my back from being on Airborne status for four years (glad it was only four years) and I get numb legs and arms when in one position for too long. And my taekwondo over the last 23 years has both helped and hurt me: I stretch regularly twice a week when I go to class but I also have been knocked out cold 3 times in my tournament history so all the dementia that seems to be starting can be laid at that door, right???
Anyways, well written and hopefully you can get out on your beautiful Jaegher soon!!!
For the first time in too long, I went out for a full 2 hours on the road bike on Saturday. Happy to report no foot pain, which I used to get, and no neck pain, which I always had. Chipped/crushed a neck vertebrae playing college sports. I've been promising myself I'll start stretching regularly for years now. Same with light weight training. I need to!
As for right now...been laid up since yesterday with a stomach bug. Can't remember the last time I've had this. Fever and multiple trips to the bathroom, with both ends seeing action. Yikes, this is not fun. Good thing is that it has provided a SERIOUS jump on winter dieting to get ready for MSR.
Brett - heal up! I'm always impressed by those of you who are older and have been at it longer and can still ride like mad. You'll be back!
I wonder what percentage of us played competitive sports from a very young age? Seems like a lot of us played impact/contact sports for years.
I blame 4 years of running on college turf for a lot of my aches and pains.
@Ron
yup, have been on a first name basis with a few local physios since my early teens thanks the physical rigours playing school, club & state cricket place on a body going through growth spurts. Stress fractures in your spine at 14 will teach you a thing or two about core work.
Nearly 15 years of playing this until my mid 20's probably hasn't helped matters much...
@brett
Same situation here, except my was C6/C7 - morphine/endone for months etc etc etc.
Easily see how one becomes addicted to drugs, I was down to looking for an endone hit more frequently as time went by.
Surgeon wanted to cut me open straight away ( he actually looked quite excited at cutting me open through the throat and ripping out a disc ).
Option 2 was taken with a dirty great big cortisone needle jammed into disc area. CT Scans look like a scene from CSI whereby someone had been impaled with a long screwdriver.
5 years later, still get the pain and left arm felling like it belongs to someone else ( that has it's benefits sometime ) but it's manageable with pain meds.
Chiro who is a wizard down these parts has kept me from the operating table thus far. But I fear it's only a matter of time.
Moral of the story, stretch, drink water, stretch then repeat.
We are not bullet proof anymore.
I Feel your pain, at 61 years of age I too have the same symptoms and just today went thru the ECG and some other test's . they say I need an MRI of the cervical spine now so it looks like I may be in your same boat :)
We will see ...
Wow, it's surprising to see how many of you are in the same age bracket, and have similar issues. Kinda heartening too, that most have recovered and are still laying down V. After my third chiro session I can feel some improvement, which has the double-edged sword of making me want to get out and ride, despite the advice of my French therapist (I'm sure she just wants to keep seeing me for the sparkling conversation).
@sowtondevil
Intriguing! What nation? Rugby union?