The distant summit of Mt. Everest. The road leading there is never just the beautiful scenery or smooth progress you see on social media.
Every morning’s training, strict diet management, and daily work. While I feel a steady sense of moving forward, there’s a “damage” accumulating in my 42-year-old body and my long-used gear that I can no longer ignore.
Today, I want to take a moment to write down my raw, current reality—my “three battered and bruised truths.” It might not look cool. But not turning away from this damage, figuring out how to face it and repair it—that very gritty process will become the solid record that connects to Everest 10 years from now.
Battered Reality 1: Gear Pushed Beyond Its Limit
Basically, my style is to wear a single pair of everyday shoes until they are completely destroyed. The shoes I’ve been wearing have supported my feet for an incredible 6 years. However, by forcing them to act as approach shoes for heavy winter mountaineering, they finally reached their absolute limit. The cushioning was completely gone.
Battered Reality 2: A 42-Year-Old Body That Won’t Recover
Since starting serious training, what I’ve painfully realized is the “42-year-old wall.” My body simply doesn’t recover like it used to. Currently, my hamstrings are constantly tight, hovering right on the edge of a tear. Trying to push through with sheer willpower has already driven me to the brink of injury before. I’ve realized that the most important thing in training in your 40s is not recklessly pushing past limits, but “how well you can control your recovery.”
Battered Reality 3: The Foundation-Shaking “Periodontal Disease”
As if to pile on, a serious problem occurred: my teeth. A dull ache led me to the dentist, and the merciless diagnosis was severe periodontal (gum) disease. To cure it, I need a risky wisdom tooth extraction at a university hospital. The price I paid for hating the dentist and running away from regular checkups has come back to bite me. But I can’t run anymore; treating my teeth is the fundamental maintenance required for energy intake on harsh Everest expeditions.
The Turning Point: A Smart Retreat and a Solid Investment
These three realities were weighing heavily on me. I had planned a comeback hike at Mt. Ootakatori, but unexpected train delays forced me to quickly pivot to Mt. Takao.
This turned out to be a blessing in disguise. While descending Mt. Takao, I felt that familiar tightness in my hamstrings. Instead of pushing for a distant peak, I made the immediate decision to withdraw and descend early. I prioritized my body’s signals over the summit. That is a massive mental upgrade from my past self.
But the trials didn’t end there. After returning safely, I washed my summer mountaineering boots, only to find them completely flooded with water. The waterproof membrane was dead. Both my 6-year-old approach shoes and my summer boots had reached the end of their lifespans at the exact same time.
If it were the old me, I would have despaired. But the me right now has a clear goal. The very next day, I took decisive action and purchased the “On Cloud 6 WP”—a highly cushioned, waterproof shoe to completely overhaul my daily recovery and approach phases. I even used my reward points to manage the cost perfectly.
You can never run away from your past self. But you can choose how you respond today. Carefully selecting the optimal gear, deeply facing the current reality of my body, and conquering my fear of the dentist. Even if I’m battered and bruised, this is my raw reality. Gritty, clumsy, yet I am taking a solid, highly calculated step forward into the future.
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