I have heard over and over in my 54 years of running and 45 years riding:
- Running will ruin your knees
- Riding that much is bad for your heart – oh I can hear that one now:)
- We were not made to do such extreme things – might ask those in the past who did extreme things just to survive.
Oh, and there are others but the point is people all too often take the bad outcomes of others and instead of seeking an in-depth reason as to why they happened so as to learn use them as reasons/excuses to not partake in the activity at all. The fact I am having what appear to be heart issues and have been running for 54 years and riding for 46 is not so much, in my opinion, related to having taken part in those activities for such a long time but that I was not wise in how I undertook them. Truth is many that started when I did no longer do so but I see my longevity as a blessing from God. Also, and this is important, my dietary habits for much of the time I have participated in sport was not the best and my being in shape and young, well for a while, allowed me to overcome the issues my diet was doing inside. Changing how I eat has only been in the last 8-10 years and while it can halt or slow issues it is hard to undo what one did in the past – although I think that is still up for debate in some areas.
What I want to address here is that more often than not when one gets injured or has other issues with running, riding or even rowing it is not necessarily the activity, it can be, but how one went about it. These activities when done correctly do not harm but will often reveal weaknesses and if one does not work to strengthen or correct those areas of weakness then yes partaking in activities can exacerbate the issues one already has. Then there is the issue is that when one is not smart about training then, again, that can lead to issues. In looking at most all my past issues – ruling out ones where I have had a physical accident that injured me – I do not know any that came about when I was riding or running wisely, sadly being wise about my training was not the norm.
How I trained started in college running at the University of Arizona which I went to as was in town, cheap (Yea cheap for in-state) and had a good team but was not on scholarship and to be very honest was way over my head. As I was not on scholarship I did not really get any coaching but was just expected to do whatever everyone else was doing. A topic for another post but if yu are younger and looking for a place to compete in college be wise and seek a lace where they actually have coaches and not managers – there is a huge difference. This led to over training – yea I had some good races but largely not what I could have done if I trained wisely. This led me to riding and even then I rode hard a lot more than I should have but thankfully riding is easier on the body so had fewer injuries.
This mentality, of riding and running hard more than I needed to, stayed with me as I got older and hence as I tended to get sick often and had a few injuries. You think I would learn but never really having had a coach – even though I knew rest was needed – I just went as I felt which usually meant running or riding hard till I could not any more. I have kept this up for many many years and was only in the past year I was trying to do a more polarized system with more easy rides/runs but still with hard efforts but not as many.
Using wisdom in life is of utmost importance but all too often I defaulted to just pushing forward. Sadly, I often knew what was best but did not do so. In Scripture wisdom is spoken of highly but when it speaks of having it the implication is you will use it. Knowing what to do and not doing it is far from wisdom. Proverbs 8:11 speaks to the value of Wisdom – nothing can compare to it:
For wisdom is better than pearls;
And all desirable things cannot compare with her. (Prov 8:11 LSB)
It is also important to realize that while wisdom is often assumed to come with age – in truth should but often does not. Wisdom also comes from learning from others who have trod a path before you. This is not simply head knowledge but learning from all you can see around you and applying it as is wise – that is wisdom. Simply ignoring what you see and thinking it will not happen is not wise.
I share all this as I do not think it is my 54 years running or 45 years riding that may have played with my heart/health but the effort I put out during that time. To be truthful I have made it much longer than many I have ridden and run with so feel blessed with that. I also pray my current issues can be taken care of and I will be able to still race and do some long rides and runs. However, if not I am good with it as just want to be where God wants me to be. I also hope these posts and what I have experienced can help others learn lessons from my mistakes and successes and work to increase their wisdom.
As an update to my current health – I have my CTA (Scan with contrast) on August 10th so hopefully answers will come. That said I have to admit the scan is one of those things that I hope they find nothing but then we have to go back to look at other things and other tests. We shall see as just have to wait on God for his timing in this.
As far as training I have been pretty much riding easy with one day a week of rowing. I have done a few rides with short hard efforts in them and have had no events show up heart wise. I have also been trying to walk at least 20 minutes a day barefoot. The reason for going barefoot is to strengthen my feet and to also get in 20 minutes or so of grounding. Grounding is one of those areas that some may ignore but I think it has merit and in truth nothing to lose doing it. The other fun is as 5 of my grandkids live at the end of my drive I often get company on my walk. So, with one more week till my test will just do the same this week and re-evaluate when I get my test results and consult with my cardiologist.
More to come.
Past Posts in Series
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