“Take what the defense gives you” – BionicOldGuy

This is a saying about working within your limitations. For example, in American football, the quarterback wants to make a long pass, but that receiver is covered by the defenders, so he makes a shorter pass to someone who is open. I’ve been doing this for years, but in my case “the defenses” are the afflictions of aging. My favorite activity was running, but I had to stop when I got arthritis and now I can’t do it anymore because of hip replacements. So I started hiking and cycling. Hiking hasn’t been working so well lately due to various problems in my lower back and hips. But what I liked most about cycling was getting deeper into nature and away from the urban environment, and I can achieve that with mountain biking instead (as long as it’s on easy trails, because I’m not that talented as a mountain biker) .

Lately it seems that even if I stick with cycling, I can still suffer a setback if I push myself too hard. The latest was last Sunday when I made mine Recumbent group ride. It felt great at the time, but later in the day walking became painful because something in my lower back felt messed up. I think I irritated the ISG on this side. This was particularly frustrating because I didn’t really know what I had done, I didn’t realize I was under so much stress while driving. So I took it easy for a few days, shorter rides at a slower pace. And yesterday I was fine again. I think I’ll have to get used to it. I just have a few orthopedic issues that can flare up from time to time and when they arise I have to restrain myself. But I’ve always reminded myself that I enjoy training in the fresh air and the resulting relaxation the most. And luckily, I can do this even when I need to take it easy during a flare-up of illness.