What’s up with this aging thing?

Well, I don’t think it’s quite that bad . . . at least not yet!

Aging, if we are blessed to live long lives, is a gradual process.  If I went to bed as a 16 year old and woke up as my nearly 66 years, clearly, I might feel a little bit like this cartoon.  Thank goodness the aging transformation is not that rapid! 

Sure, I have some failing body parts.  I had a knee replacement some years ago and may need another in the near future.  With that, I can’t run as I once loved to do.  A riffle shot too close to my ear caused hearing loss.  My “perfect peepers” now require glasses to read anything.  Sometimes, I forget what day it is, someone’s name, or where I put my glasses.   Managing a healthy weight has been a struggle for me all of my life and has only becomes more challenging with age.  Finally, my favorite foods no longer agree with me.  None of these is life threatening.  I am profoundly grateful for that.

Perhaps my body is “losing it” a little bit as I get older.  As I reflect on all of the aspects of aging, I can handle my incidental ailments.  What is most devastating to me is the loss of life I have seen over the years.  I have lost loving family members, dear friends, and a long list high school classmates   Age does not discriminate.  I have seen unthinkable suffering and wonder why.  I have seen unexpected tragedies and wonder why again.  Suffering and/or loss of those important to me are by far the toughest parts of aging from my perspective.

Yes, I am getting older but I am also much wiser, far more compassionate and almost “maternally” caring then that 16 year old.  I like myself better.  With all of the suffering and loss I have experienced, I cherish more each day my life and the lives of those near and dear to me. 

I CHOOSE TO EMBRACE AGING RATHER THAN FEELING DISGRACED ABOUT IT!  How?  I’m taking control of “it” rather than “it” controlling me.  I have discovered the importance of four words in my life; determination, dedication, change and acceptance.

So, I can’t run anymore.  It took me a few years but I realized there are other ways to exercise.  I tried assorted at-home exercise regiments with no success.  I finally rediscovered my passion for cycling.  This time I took to the road on a bicycle instead of a motorcycle.  My first time out, I thought I would collapse after just four miles.  I was not that 16 year old for sure but also did not comprehend that there is a right way to begin anything.  I should have done my homework.  I strongly urge everyone to check with a doctor before any new exercise program and also consult with a professional in the respective field of any new activity.  I finally did both.  Doctor said my knee could tolerate biking.  Heart and other vital organs were all good.  A reputable bicycle shop owner measured me and suggested a different bike for my body type.  That was six years ago.  Last summer, I rode my bike acrossAmerica.  That’s what determination, dedication, acceptance and change did for me.

No amount of determination, dedication or change can give me better peepers or improve my hearing.  Acceptance, however, reminds me to have multiple pairs of reading glasses around and to sit with my better ear next to the person I want to most hear.  When I decide I want to hear everyone all of the time, I accept the fact that I will need some help with a hearing aid.

My favorite foods and weight management?  I accept the fact that it’s a battle for me.  I am determined to beat it and dedicated to finding that change in diet which suits my health and lifestyle.  I’ll get back to you on the status of that one; perhaps in another article.

While I have those little memory lapses from time to time, they are more frustrating than dangerous.  I’m in good company.  Friends and family half my age have the same problem.  When I realize it’s happening, it’s generally less about losing my memory and more about losing my focus on what’s important to me at this stage of my life.  I turn to more “me time” by riding my bike, reading, and spending special time with family and friends.  For the most part, the rest can wait.  “Me time” makes it easier for me to deal with the rest of the noise in my life.  I highly recommend it for everyone.

The calendar says I will be 66 this year.  With a few little inconveniences, I appreciate my life so much more than I did as a teenager, a young (at times foolish) man in my 20’s and 30’s, and a money-making, ambitious man in my 40’s and 50’s.  I have not yet grown up and hope I never do.  I have, nevertheless, learned how to act in public (I think) and continue to learn something new and at times something stupid everyday.  

Here are my final thoughts for everyone.  Like yourself enough to keep moving, keep loving and keep learning.  Age happens!  Make it the best it can be.  That’s my plan!

“I am an optimist.  It does not seem too much use being anything else.”
   — Winston Churchill

Frank Briscoe
http://www.oldguyonabicycle.com/

 http://www.skins.net/en-US/index.aspx

http://www.warmshowers.org/

Greetings, everyone, from the Old Guy on a Bicycle!

Nancy invited me to be a special guest on her informative “Womanglow” eMagazine.  She found me via my website http://www.oldguyonabicycle.com, and felt after reading it, I could provide a man’s perspective on a variety of subjects. e.g., my bicycling adventures, challenges of aging, etc.  You can find my blogs on her website under the tab  “A Man’s POV”.

 My current passion is bicycling.  I took it up about 7 years ago after realizing I needed to take some immediate action to lose weight and to reduce depression.  I wanted to live a longer and healthier life.  After gaining a bunch of weight due primarily to lack of exercise, I began to slip into a depression.  Riding a bicycle was my answer and salvation. 

 For most of my adult life I was a jogger.  I even ran10-K and half-marathons over the years.  After many years and miles running, an old knee injury from playing football in high school gave out which resulted in a total knee replacement.  Following the surgery and physical therapy, I gave up all exercise for 5 years.  After this lengthy hiatus, I had to do something.  I tried walking, weight training and a few other exercises but all of them were boring to me.  I missed my runs!  It finally occurred to me that bicycling may be similar to jogging but it was not long before I realized that it was not like “riding a bike”!  I found it extremely uncomfortable.  I am not one to give up on an idea or endeavor so I went to several bicycle shops searching for a solution to my discomfort dilemma.

 After going to three bicycle shops, I finally found a sales person who took the time to talk to me.  The associates at the first two stores completely ignored me.  I can’t help but think perhaps my stature (5’5”), my weight (250 lbs.) and age (well over 50) made them think I did not belong on a bike.  The gentleman at the third store intently listened to me as I explained my bicycle riding quandary.  He suggested that I bring in my bicycle.  From what I described to him, he wondered if the problem may be how I fit on the bike.  When I returned with my bike, the salesman, who turned out to be the owner and also in his fifties, confirmed his suspicions as soon as he saw me positioned on my bike.  The bike was much too large for my body type.  He felt a new bike would be better than trying to force-fit the one I had.  He took a few basic measurements of my body and recommended a bike.  He even allowed me to take the bike home and test ride it before purchasing.  WOW!  What a difference!  I immediately went from an uncomfortable 4 or 5 mile ride to 10 or more miles per outing with minimal discomfort.   I bought the bike and within a couple months I was riding 20, 30 and even 50 miles in relative comfort.

 Ah!  I was once again exercising, enjoying the fresh air, and watching the beauty of Mother Nature’s fauna and wildlife as I glided in nearly total silence.   Bicycling did for me what jogging did.  It cleared my head and lifted my spirits.  I was alive.  Life was good again!  Oh yes, I dropped 50 lbs that year, too.

 If you enjoyed hearing about how the Old Guy became a bicyclist, let Nancy know.  Let her know, too, what you would you like to read about the Old Guy in future blogs?

 The Old Guy on a Bicycle

Thought to ponder: Life is too short to be anything but happy.  Falling down is a part of life, getting back up is living.  By Jose N. Harris – A story of faith, hope and love.

Nancy thought it might be fascinating reading for the ladies to hear what and older, mature man finds attractive in a woman.  As a man, I can sincerely tell you from my POV, what characteristics I admire in a woman; the very things that make her stand out from all of the rest.  Here goes!

Frank Briscoe, www.oldguyonabicycle.com

There are basic things I look for in everyone, including me; and, that is to treat everyone with kindness, consideration and compassion.  We all have troubles in our lives.  We need to remember that when it appears someone is having a “troubled” day.  I notice and appreciate people who do.  In addition, I admire anyone who are not afraid to explore and pursue their dreams even in the face of possible defeat.  I try to surround myself with friends who possess these qualities.  We, both women and men, are a tremendous source of support and inspiration for each others.

Not every woman on the planet is blessed with “Barbie Doll” looks and figure just as all men do not look like “Ken”.  Thank goodness for that otherwise the likes of me wouldn’t stand a chance at first glance.  Way beyond that dream girl look, I enjoy seeing a woman who is appropriately dressed, well groomed and carries herself with confidence and a smile.  I appreciate a woman who respects her body enough to take care of it.  I don’t expect that movie star, team of stylists look but notice the basic, at-home grooming.  These attributes tell me a woman cares about herself and what she projects.

I cherish the power of family (i.e., the biological kind as well a family of friends), and believe in the energy of laughter and the fun it brings.  Surely, there comes family heartache for any number of assorted reasons but that’s where the kindness, consideration and compassion help.  I hold any woman in the highest regard that has the strength to keep family together.

Specific physical attributes?  For me, as long as a woman possesses the above, I could very well miss out on someone very special if I excluded them because of a particular physical attribute.

I suppose you’re wondering if I can sum up all of this in a few words.  I can!  To me, there is nothing more stunning than a smart, confident, well groomed woman who is not afraid to laugh with others and especially at herself.  I respect a woman who does not compare herself to others, values family and is happy to be the wonderful, unique person she is.  Since it’s a struggle for me, I salute any woman who takes measures to live a long and healthy life.

There you have it from “The Old Guy”!  You go, Girls!

Frank

www.oldguyonabicycle.com

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=yQrHMqNiC4I

Sorry to report I didn’t make it for the upcoming season.  I was notified by one of the casting team members my application and video will be kept on file to be considered for a future season.  You can also be sure I’ll keep applying to be a contestant as I don’t give up easily. 
Don’t know how much it helps but keep viewing the video from time and asking your friends to view it, too.  It can’t hurt for the casting directors to see I’ve had about a thousand views of the video in little over a month and the number keeps climbing.   Thank you for your support of the Old Guy!

Old Guy during interview with Joplin Globe reporter at Spokes and Spandex Bicycle shop. Photo by Roger Nomer

November 7, 2011

Mission of mileage: Man tours across country on bicycle

By Andra Bryan Stefanoni Globe Staff Writer The Joplin Globe Mon Nov 07, 2011, 11:11 AM CST

NEVADA, Mo. — He knows he doesn’t look like Lance Armstrong. He really doesn’t care.

All that matters to Frank Briscoe is that he set out to do something and he did it. He rode across the United States on a bicycle.

Sure, people do it all the time, a couple thousands annually, in fact. But Briscoe is 65. He has a teddy bear physique. And it was one of the hottest summers on record.

He also has had a total knee replacement and a colon resection. In short, he’s an old guy on a bicycle, and that’s what he calls himself.

“And yet I was still able to make it across America,” he said last week in a visit outside Joplin’s Spokes & Spandex Bike Shop“.  It’s just what you set your mind to. That’s what I’m proving. You don’t have to look like Lance Armstrong; just get out and live your dream.”

Boyhood idea

Briscoe grew up in Crystal Lake, Ill., a suburb of northwest Chicago. Like most kids, he rode a bike until he could drive.

His idea for a cross-continental ride was born as a Boy Scout in 1957.

“I thought, ‘I’m going to do that someday’,” he said. “I just didn’t know it would take (this long) to do it.”

About five years ago, he began logging serious miles, about 17,000, more or less.

Then he took on the challenge of the MS150 bike ride and heard a speaker who was living with multiple sclerosis.

“That touched me very dearly,” he said. “Inspiration and motivation are key elements for me. I was blessed to have been inspired by a very wise man, who just before he passed at age 77 said to me, ‘don’t wait until you’re 65 to begin enjoying life. Do it now while you’re healthy and able.’”

So in May, just two months before turning that magic age, Briscoe packed five fast-drying T-shirts, a towel, a headlamp, a helmet-mounted video camera, an air mattress, a sleeping bag, extra bike gear and his laptop for blogging.

His goal: make it across the states in three distinct stages, and raise $10,000 for the National Multiple Sclerosis Society.

Starting off

He traveled by minivan to Virginia to meet up with the Bike the US for MS group, set to depart from Yorktown, Va.

May 31, he didn’t sleep so well, as documented in his blog entry: “My anticipation of facing the most challenging test of endurance and determination for me yet, wondering to myself is this Old Guy up to the test. I keep telling myself ‘yes I can, yes I can,’ just like the Little Engine That Could.”

On June 1, after a dip of the bike tires in the Atlantic Ocean, he headed out on his red, white and blue road bike dubbed “Spirit” on a westward journey on the Trans-American Bicycle Route.

Along the way Briscoe tackled the heat and wind of prairies and the steep climbs of mountains.

“It’s hard to believe how slow I ride compared to everyone else on this crew. It’s the hill thing and lack of food,” he wrote on June 3 after putting in 88 miles near Charlottesville, Va.

The next day, he would climb 4,969 feet in about 43 miles.

His payoff: the joy of coasting downhill.

“I love downhill riding as much as I hate climbing them. Any idea how fast an overweight person of my stature can go on a bicycle? Pretty fast … I made a video of my ride down; my highest speed clocked was 48.2 mph,” he blogged at the end of the day.

Briscoe celebrated the end of his tour with the MS group on Aug. 1 in San Francisco with a dip of the bike tires in the Pacific Ocean. There, he reclaimed his minivan, which had been used by the group as a support vehicle, and drove to Anacortes in upper northwestern Washington.

Victory in Virginia

The second stage saw Briscoe strike out on his own, cycling along the Pacific Coast, after which he once again was reunited with his minivan to begin his vehicular trip across America to the farthest point south: Key West, Fla.

There, he began his third stage on the bike: a 1,400-mile leg north along the Atlantic Coast.

His destination: the intersection from which he began 126 days before. Along the way, he successfully navigated muggy, mosquito-ridden swamplands and across a landscape devastated by Hurricane Irene. His showers often were under garden hoses, his beds often the floor of a public building — a school, a fire station, a wilderness rescue center.

In Yemassee, S.C., (population 867) he was given the key to City Hall, where he bunked for the night.

“It took me four years to plan and save for the crossing. It took the inner strength garnered from the hundreds of folks I met on the crossing, as well as the support and kind words of the readers of this journal, my friends one and all to accomplish the crossing. The crossing of America has been so much more than a physical adventure — it has been a journey of self-discovery,” Briscoe said.

On Oct. 4, he made it to the intersection of state highways 156/106 and 5 at 1:05 p.m.

“By the Grace of God I had successfully completed this 54 year promise to myself to one day ride across America on a bicycle,” he blogged that day.

Distance traveled from corner to corner crossing America: 6,343 miles. Of that, he rode his bicycle 5,275.

He returned home to Nevada on Oct. 15.

“My ride made me a new person. And I have a lot more pride in America,” he said last week after a trip into Joplin to visit Spokes & Spandex. “We may have empty storefronts, empty towns, and that needs work. But the beauty and strength of our country is in our people.”

Without hesitation, Briscoe said he would go across country on a bicycle again.

“The world is much bigger now,” he said. “I have a ‘Wanderlust’ spirit. I think maybe next time I’ll start at the headwaters of the Mississippi on the Great River Trail and work my way down to New Orleans.

“I’m doing a lot of reading now — travel books, you know, like ‘Charlie & Me.’ By Steinbeck.  Who knows what inspiration I’ll find”?

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=I3FkLODSppU&feature=related

Jack saying thank you is hardly enough for all your support, help, this video but most importantly your friendship.

Always your friend, Frank