After admitting who I was ...

Because pushing myself never worked well any more.  I just accepted who I was.  I'm old, not 40s, not even 50s.
Just quit pushing myself.

Since Mr. Whp. complains about his front thigh pain, we both started riding very slow.  And for up slope, I used very low gear which I've never used before.  I couldn't use it before, but I can nowadays.  So it worked very well for saving my energy.

When I came back and checked my record, I was so surprised.  Average Speed was slower than before of course, but I could ride over 10 miles without any pain and fatigue!

What a surprise!! 

OK.  The key is:  I should know who I am.