[Closed] Do you ever think "I'm too old for it"?

You are not too old, you may be too unfit, or not skilled in a particular activity. Thats all.

I came off my longboard a few weeks ago and think I broke a rib! I'm 44, other people have said "maybe you're getting too old for that shit?...."

Me, I think, yes it hurts* more nowadays but as long as I keep healing i'm not too old yet....

*and bloody hell, it hurt!!

I don't think you're too old for skateboarding, but it sounds like you might be too old for falling off the skateboard, is that more the root of the problem? Just don't do that any more and you should be fine. HTH

However skilled or unskilled you are; hitting the deck when you’re not expecting it hurts in your 40s.
My front wheel washed off the the top of a BPW berm last year and I was catapulted into the ground. Everything hurt for weeks afterwards and my hand still isn’t 100%.
I’ll still ride as fast as I want but I doubt I’ll ever relax into the speed like I could in my 20s.

Age is a number. That is all. I'm 54 and haven't given anything up because of my age. When I was younger, passing 50 meant slowing down and getting yourself to M&S for the Spring / Summer / Autumn / Winter "Beige" clothing selection. I fully intend to carry on doing what I enjoy for as long as I can. Life is far too short to "give up" what you love.

I got up in the morning with a dead leg put weight on it and it collapsed causing an injury to my foot.injuries can happen anytime in life.but yes skating is dangerous and hard on the body.longboarding is fine as injuries aren't usually expected as the norm.

Don't fall off.

HTH.

But seriously, I never think I'm too old for this, at 39 - but I do think twice (ok, 8 times) about sending stuff on the mtb that I wouldn't think twice of if I was half my age. Bills, long recovery time, etc etc. As you get old older, your attitude to risk definitely changes!

I played a lot of rugby in my twenties and thirties. I'm now in my 50s and am reluctantly having to consider that, after a 20+ year break, I may not be making a comeback! 😕

Definitely noticed the increased healing time and general niggles caused by previous injuries as I’ve got older. I think it’s adjusted my attitudes to perceived risk.

Only when checking out 20 year olds in a bar. Window shopping is still allowed?

You are not too old, you may be too unfit, or not skilled in a particular activity. Thats all.

I think you neatly summed up my 34-ish years of skateboarding there. Last traumatic bruise was from car knocking me off my Brompton, fair more age-appropriate.

I am 50, came back from a snowboarding holiday earlier in the year with a very sore knee (which I couldn't really understand because I had no incidents where I expected could have caused that much damage). After a month or so of pain I realised it wasn't healing so went to the doctor, with the pain and swelling he suspected a torn meniscus, so had to go for an mri. Turns out it is just osteo arthritis and I just need to live with it from now on.

So 6+ months later, still in pain and yes I do feel too old for it. At least cycling so far seems to actually alleviate the pain a bit, wish I had realised that much earlier rather than spending the last 6 months of lockdown barely moving from my apartment.

Anyone want to buy some snowboard gear?

You just need to take more care of your body as you age. Strength and flexibility don't come for free any more. So you need to do much more yoga, kettle bells, pylometrics and whatever else alongside biking.

And if you want to skateboard, make sure you do it regularly so your body gets used to taking hits. I really think that problems in middle age come because we can spend ten years not doing an activity, but our brains still remember the motions so we think we can do it. Then we discover our tendons/joints/muscles aren't as conditioned as they used to be.

Only when checking out 20 year olds in a bar.

You still go to bars, at your age?

57 still riding the MX bike.... it takes a long time to get over a big knock. Stopped skateboarding in my 40s its a long way from the coping to the bottom of the bowl...

Physical work as in good old fashioned manual labour is fine but it hurts for days. I think we are the first generation (x) that thinks we can just carry on doing stuff....

Its a sort of attitude " no one can take my right to limp for six months away from me"

58 and holding it together pretty well on the strength and fitness front. But surfing's about speed and coordination, or at least they're my limiting factors, and the boards are getting bigger, similar to modern mtb geom skill (lack of) compensation.

But no, I don't feel I'm too old. I very strongly feel that life's too short, by at least a couple of hundred years.

Well pubs molgrips but the occasional middleaged person bar that younger people wander into when lost.

Only when checking out 20 year olds in a bar. Window shopping is still allowed?

When it dawns on you that you're old enough to be their father. Time to walk away...

No.

I used to play football at a fairly reasonable level with guys who got 'too old for it' in their mid thirties.

Madness.

Every day.

When I was doing/coaching a lot of CrossFit the struggle to keep up with people half my age was tough. They just seem to recover faster than a mid-forties person with knackered knees and elbows.

Shit, skydiving is just the same. You spend an hour in the tunnel and the youngsters want to do more. The next day I can barely walk from all the arching.

Strength and flexibility don’t come for free any more.

I couldn't have put it any better myself.

Yes but no. I did myself in 4 weeks ago 🙁 Down a flight of stairs outside Hartlepool police station (we were handing a lost purse in), there's not much of a run up and is fairly steep and narrow between two walls, I clipped one wall with my bars and my front tyre spoinged sideways a smidge and gripped a step, cue me out the front door and over the bars. Fortunately my left hip and both elbows broke my fall rather than my face...

edit- also I've just bought a Sega Dreamcast 😎

Wtf do you expect skateboarding in your 40s? 😉
All I do now is skate concrete bowls and go round in circles or the odd grind. Nobody who hasn't skateboarded knows how much constantly throwing yourself into concrete at speed hurts, my body was effed at 30, had about 10 years off and have been skating again every few weeks few a few years now, but I just take it really easy.

I gave up Lacrosse at 30ish when I was regularly not recovering from spending saturday afternoon slamming into people and hitting them with sticks by training on Wednesday night.

As a non-skateboarder, it looks like an activity where you might expect to fall off more than MTB - or at least one where risk management is harder?

I certainly don't think I'm getting too old for MTBing anyway, but I'm experienced enough to ride technical stuff within my skillset the majority of the time - and control the risk when I'm pushing myself a bit.

One thing I ****ing hate is youngsters in their 40s saying they are old. You're in your sodding peak you weirdos!
But, you don't get too old for anything except crashing. Crashing is part of learning and used to be part of the fun of MTBing for me, I was always slamming into stuff, but only got hurt properly twice (not counting the VW Golf collision). But now mid-50s, stuff just doesn't heal, or takes months and months. I skateboarded gently at 50, but wouldn't like to have fallen off, nosiree.

Mid 40's and took up street trials riding. Finding I need to build strength and flexibility. Was watching a flatland bmxer talk about how building muscle is important for action sports as it acts like armour to protect you. Learning a new physical skill in 40's is frustrating especially when you're as undynamic as me. Fell off a bench and stubbed my big toe into paving. Might have broken or at least fractured it as it took almost a year before it stopped hurting. It doesn't bend much now. Hurt my lower back when I attempted a forward lunge and reach up (first time doing a lunge) and kept going out on the bike thinking it would be alright but wasn't. Took 3 months until it was ok to go and hop about.

I'd say you're never too old to learn a new physical skill/action sport, but need to be realistic about it. In your 40's and spent 34 years skateboarding I guess you probably reached your peak? Think about what activities you could learn to compliment it?

Rossi is in his 40's isn't he? Doesn't seem too old for bouncing into a gravel pit at 180mph.

I fell out of a tree last night and have a pretty sore foot.

If anything it's just taught me that i'm just too fat to climb tree at the moment and to use better anchor points.

Yup, it's just accepting it's time to move on to less damaging activities.

33 free solo, I injured a shoulder and realised I couldn't rely 100% on it so only left the ground with a rope.

43 snow boarding and skate boarding, planta facia injury after which it just didn't seem sensible, just too much strain on front-side turns on the snow board

48 X-C ski racing

48ish BMX, landings started to hurt ankles, knees, back, shoulders, hands - stop

50 MTB racing. An age group podium in my final race, the regional championships.

54 climbing, one carpal tunnel operation is enough, hanging on fingers had to stop. A simple choice, give up climbing or give up playing guitar and a host of other things I need supple hands for.

55 all racing, it got too hard to be a pleasure, or else I took it easy and finished too far down for my ego. A final triathlon and a ski alpinisme race (scratch podium finish) and that was it. 42 years of racing came to an end.

So what's left? Plenty! And if I'm sensible and give up things when my body tells me too as I have done so far then hopefully I can remain active. Just back from 4 days walking which Storm Barbara interupted.

Yes. Skiing. I am 56 and I very rarely think I am too old but in March I fell quite badly and my binding was too tight meaning my ski stayed on. I caused a lot of damage to my calf and during lockdown it was difficult to get it resolved. I took up skiing late (40) and skiied at least once per year since (not stylish but can ski most things) and my kids are very good but think I have given it up after that fall and the ongoing issues I have had and the fact it stopped me running for months and is still not right

Rossi is in his 40’s isn’t he? Doesn’t seem too old for bouncing into a gravel pit at 180mph.

Millionaire factory racer in doesn't-matter-if-he-gets-hurt-and-can't-work-tomorrow shock 😉

Yes, usually going up something steep or coming down something steep. I still do it though and keep coming back.

Knocked skiing on the head the other year. As much as I love it I’ve an undiagnosed knee issue that flares up when I ski. Ok, I could poodle but that seems a bit pointless & boring.....

But too old? Nah! I’m 49 on making my bloody comeback! A stage race planned for next year......🤣

Yep last time I slid off the bike commuting on ice, decided that i'd give up the winter commute. Its falling off you get too old for not the riding.

Anyway a life spent without a few signs of wear and tear is a waste 🙂

Windsurfing is fine, kitesurfing though is now firmly on the shelf.
Bikes are fine.
Its more life itself that is getting a bit beyond me at my age.

A month ago I fell off my bike attempting a bunny hop I could easily have managed in my youth. I cracked a rib which is still bothering me. It's stopped me from doing anything but cycling to work, but it's slowly getting better and I'll be right back as soon as I can. I didn't get much sympathy from anyone either: "well what do you expect at your age?".

I love still doing this stuff. I'm much slower than I used to be of course, and my sessions aren't so long, but stopping altogether doesn't bear thinking about. I think the main difference now is that I pause to have a think rather than simply charging down anything that comes along.

I still skate too. Not often, and a lot more carefully, but I still love it. I can barely olly up a kerb these days (in my head I can still olly over a shopping trolley on its side), but again I'm going to do it for as long as I can.

There'll be a long part of your life when you can no longer so these things. Keep going as long as you're able.

When you see 70+ participants in a sport what do you think? Do you think they are too old and should give up or legends for keeping it up? What do you think they think about their age? They love their sport and keep at it, they probably pair back their ambition with age but keep plugging away.

My Dad recently returned to running at 73 and I am very happy for him

61 I sometimes think I do a lot less than I used to but really all I've done is switch to stuff I can recover from and doesn't hurt but I enjoy...so after a couple of knee ops no running...after many years of climbing the head started to say no...but around 5 years ago I finally learnt to unicycle and I'm still improving..as to cycling knocked off 100km road ride yesterday afternoon and will do a similar but more hills/gravel tomorrow at the weekend will be doing trail centre stuff with teen antigee..last year rode highway 101 from San Fran to LA I've bought the Great Divide maps and am hopeful...down under and covid meant no ski season this year...recovery is harder after that it just getting out and doing stuff priorities might change but too old not an option

I'm 73 and  moved onto mtb from the road about a year ago.... (still ride my road bikes but less often these days).

I'm loving the mtb and for me the challenge is tackling trails that I find technically challenging...moving from initially seeing them and sort of bottling out of trying them,,,,   then having a careful and tentative attempt at it.... then having a more decent go at them and feeling reasonably confident doing it. Probably easy peasy stuff for most on here but tricky enough to raise my adrenalin and give me a buzz.

My overall stamina and climbing abilty is still pretty reasonable which is a bonus.

No never think I'm too old.....feel old maybe, but deffo no.

I love my boards and never think I'm too old.
I'm a total tart with my clothes. All 40/50s style stuff, even to go to Tescos.
I'm 60 and spend as much time on my hair as I did when I was 21.

That said I did have a wobble, but then thought #### it. I'll do beige when I'm dead.

'You don't stop playing when you get old, you get old when you stop playing'
You just readjust the level at which you're playing at, once you stop doing the things you love that challenge you, what do you then do to find that interest?

When you see 70+ participants in a sport

I'm 73 and now only participate in mountain biking and hillwalking. Over the years I've been a rock climber, winter mountaineer, skier, caver & last 25yrs a mountain biker & hillwalker.
All those activities have taken their toll on my body with arthritis in knees (2 ops) & hands.
Bad OTB crash end of July gave me a separated collar bone ACL3 no metalwork. Back riding again after 6 weeks but now a bit slower on rocky descents.

Sometimes, especially this year since getting Covid in late March with some form of "long Covid" since, I do wonder WTF I'm doing trying to beat my best times up cat3/4 hills, with my heartrate at typically 170bpm+ for approx 5-20mins.

But then I only started this malarky just over three years ago when 43 and there's been several small periods this year where I've felt at or very close to my best, backed up by the heart and power numbers... As recently as mid September up Cheddar Gorge.

What a difference a month makes!

Very interesting responses, and a bit more serious than I expected - I was expecting more along the lines of stop wearing trainers etc.

‘You don’t stop playing when you get old, you get old when you stop playing’

Pretty much what I was going to say.

At work I used to suffer from imposter syndrome because I was young. Who's going to take me seriously? "Who's that snot-nosed kid think he's talking to?" Now I find myself going "when I was your age..." and "yeah, I'm old" but here's the rub: I've never thought I was the right age, I've somehow segued from being too young to being too old. How did that happen?

Age is just a number. Knee pads exist. Crack on while you still can, if you're leaving a pretty corpse then you've failed at life and there's no backsies.

4 years ago when my dad was 68 he fell off & seriously damaged his right shoulder, 2 years later he did the same to his left shoulder. In his early 60's he shagged his knee snowboarding which ended up needing a replacement last year. In his 50's he kind of fell off in a weird sideways fashion & hit a tree like a helicopter blade & really knackered his back.
The moral of the story is, make sure hurt yourself bad enough for prescription pain killers & you'll be reet.

‘You don’t stop playing when you get old, you get old when you stop playing’

or "Growing old is mandatory but growing up is optional"

I'm 61, still getting the occasional PR on Strava, regarding my imminent retirement as an opportunity to develop some more skills on my unicycle. Gutted that I lost my age group KoM on Pink Heifer last month - obviously he must have been on an eBike!

A bit of inspiration for you.

https://rideon-bmx.com/category/ride-on-heroes/

I often think " I'm too old for this shit" but usually in relation to bureaucracy or work stuff

As regards biking? I doubt I will ever take the tandem to Glentress again but have been on my solo and still attempting to improve and even jump a little. Still ride a bike to work and still ride one for fun both road and offroad.

My folks, nor the in-laws or anyone else I know weren't still mucking about on bikes and chucking themselves down hills at 50. Looking back 25 years when I got married, MIL and FIL were 'like' old at 60 - they were working but didn't do much, and my folks at 50 weren't doing what I do now.

MIL has forgotten her own children are getting older - forgets two of her daughter's are around 60 - but they are both active.

My folks, and family just 'tut' - none of them are still mucking about doing 'risky stuff'. I badly broke my spine at 45 - OK it was a car vs me on the bike, but I'm still riding.

I hurt a bit more, and can struggle to get off a low settee after a few hours in the saddle (back packs in) but I'm not stopping. Nor am I getting an e-bike until my leg falls off - ex. roadie that just loves to suffer.

I caught and passed a younger lad on a decent hard tail on a mixed surface climb today - I had a good 20 years on him, and was out on my 30 year old Diamond Back MTB - I was expecting him to fly past on the flat as it was rough and my aris was killing me with no-suspension (left the FS at home as it's so muddy out and I was doing a quick 16 miles at lunch).

Fortunately, most of my cycling mates are a similar age and still going. I've had two mates drop dead in the last 12 months - a cyclist and a marathon runner, so never give up.

I'm cautious about injuries as some of my 'managers' aren't too impressed if you turn up in bits - the broken back had me off work 7 months.

That said, I discovered finding new things to do kept me feeling young and most importantly feeling well.
Racing became purgatory after 56 years old, and after the 41 seasons of racing, I discovered no great pleasure in just riding.

Meeting my wife to be on the rock and roll scene was the most luck I've ever had. We were pre covid jiving at least nine hours a week, and I'd never felt so alive and youthful.

The other things I do are just for pleasure, like boarding, sea swimming and walking. But the by product of those activities is feeling good and young at heart.

Millionaire factory racer in doesn’t-matter-if-he-gets-hurt-and-can’t-work-tomorrow shock

Three words.

Sports Injury insurance. Sports Cover Direct includes loss of income insurance, I'm sure there are others/better companies who do it as well.

Yes. Body boarding. Been learning for the last month in Spain/Portugal and have so far managed to hurt my back after being almost snapped in two backwards going over the falls, nearly drowned going around the washing machine 3x and most recently bruised my leg, stomach and bashed my hand so it's swollen up and 2 fingers won't bend properly after being smashed into the sand and landing on my board edge on.

Several tantrums and some tears my have occurred.

It wasn't meant to be this hard! Maybe I'm too old to start a new extreme sport plus i hate being the newbie everyone is secretly chuckling at.

The standard comment on the grid at vets road races is "remember that we have to go to work tomorrow". You bounce less as you age. But you age less if you bounce 😉

Skateboarding, however, is just constant impact with concrete. I had a groin strain falling off in the kitchen in February!

My mum was always thinking she was too old for things. At 74 she got an eBike and is all over South Shropshire nearly every day. She's going to need a new battery for it before long!

I am 50, came back from a snowboarding holiday earlier in the year with a very sore knee (which I couldn’t really understand because I had no incidents where I expected could have caused that much damage). After a month or so of pain I realised it wasn’t healing so went to the doctor, with the pain and swelling he suspected a torn meniscus, so had to go for an mri. Turns out it is just osteo arthritis and I just need to live with it from now on.

So 6+ months later, still in pain and yes I do feel too old for it. At least cycling so far seems to actually alleviate the pain a bit, wish I had realised that much earlier rather than spending the last 6 months of lockdown barely moving from my apartment.

MSP....I'm 9 years ahead of you, but a few years before you, I was diagnosed with osteo arthritis in my knee and told it was best to give up running. That was when I got into MTB, but also started taking supplements, starting with cod liver oil and then glucosomine sulphate. I still take them and my knee/s feel pretty good despite skiing twice a year and doing the odd run, so I'd suggest you give them a try and see if it helps? (takes a while to notice much though)

Pieface
When you see 70+ participants in a sport what do you think?

Idiots. 🙂

I mentioned it somewhere here on another thread, the most common cause of injury in older men is from trying to do the stuff younger men do.

Look after your body like you would a vintage car and you can still be competing in your 70s.

Last time I was skiing (about 10 yrs ago) I got chatting to a lad in his 80s on the chairlift. I was on skis and he was on a snowboard. He recommended that I gave him loads of room getting off the lift as he normally skis but decided to have a crack at snowboarding. No lessons, just hired a board and was heading to the top of the slope.
Huge respect, didn't hang around to see how it all panned out though 🙂

One thing I **** hate is youngsters in their 40s saying they are old. You’re in your sodding peak you weirdos!

^ this

I am 56 and I very rarely think I am too old but in March I fell quite badly and my binding was too tight meaning my ski stayed on.

A lot of these giving up skiing seems surprising ... I screwed a knee back in 2000/2001 hiring snowblades (which didn't have a binding). Came over a big jump and nothing but heather on the south facing slope... ironically the reason I hired was not using my own ski's because of the patchy coverage. I had to give up running as a result of this rather than age (never got round to the torn meniscus being removed) and a smashed ankle from earlier on the same side... but skiing is fine.

when i remembered that i had grey pubes, i realised that i was too old to chat up the barmaid.

"You didn't stop skateboarding because you got old, you got old because you stopped skateboarding".

Theres a lot of truth to this, its more about regularity for me, just like your job, if you keep doing it every day you get better at it. It's the same with sports. Ok, maybe not every day, but the point stands.
I'm 52 & from the age of around 6 when I hot my first bike, I haven't stopped riding, by that I mean recreationally, not just commuting.
I BMXed until my mid teens, then when mountain bikes came along I jumped on them. Haven't stopped since & I ride, on an equal footing with guys half my age, just because I never stopped & it just feels natural.
The BMX on the other hand, got on that a couple of weeks ago & it was like I'd never ridden it! It's been a few years & it's true when they say use it, or lose it! I know I could get back the feeling of it being normal, but it would take a good while now I think.

I’m 52, so “no longer a spring chicken” (as someone on here once told me!) but doing ok on the bike considering my dodgy back. I‘ve been doing personal training for the past 2 years and that’s really helped with my strength and robustness!

Anyway I rode my first ripstik at 45 then taught the kids to ride one. I still ride it.

LAT
when i remembered that i had grey pubes, i realised that i was too old to chat up the barmaid.

It's a matter of being appropriate.

Instead of drawing attention to the bulge at the front of your trousers, draw her attention to the bulge in your wallet. Seems to work for billionaires... 🙂

Started MTB at about 43-44 now turned 50 and just got my first Strava KOM 😀 Alright, it was an Ebike climb (and yes it was an EBike segment) but I'm in no hurry to grow up or stop having fun

No.

I used to play football at a fairly reasonable level with guys who got ‘too old for it’ in their mid thirties.

Madness.

It was probably one step beyond for them.

I’m 51 and still hitting some decent stuff on the bike. I noticed this summer I was a fraction slower than my son and his friends but I’m not sure if that’s me slowing down or them speeding up. Weight training / circuit type training will hopefully keep me going a bit longer

Turns out it is just osteo arthritis and I just need to live with it from now on.

Just? I have it in two places under my left kneecap as a result of my bike going out from underneath me at walking speed riding into town! No explanation for it, just turned onto a shared path, rough surface, and next thing I know I’m on the ground, my knee somehow went out and caught the full impact on the top centre of the cap, my left shoulder and the side of my face also took a hit, fortunately I was wearing a helmet, which took most of the impact; still got quite a graze on my cheekbone, could have been a lot worse...
Trouble is, my knee doesn’t really support me all that well now, the new longboard I bought during lockdown hasn’t been ridden, because when I tried, as I push with my right foot, my left knee wants to collapse sideways and wobbles, which does bugger-all for stability and security!
I must try some knee armour, the RaceFace d3o stuff is apparently very good, and give it a try again, and also sort out the bikes and do some riding - my confidence was knocked sideways, because I don’t know why I came off, so I have no trust in staying upright, with the risk of doing further damage to a knee that gives me continuing pain and discomfort.
Although the Zapain and Naproxen do help, and walking up to seven miles a day at work at least keeps up my mobility.
Oh, and I’m 67 next July...