Originally Posted by: john of MT... but how far you go is determined by you and how well you control those other (limiting) factors.

You can't control things beyond your control. Like getting older and all the "limiting factors" that comes with it. Regardless of how much you don't want it to and how hard you try, old age does hinder abilities as the body and mind slow down. You can try to minimize it, but stopping it fully (which you would have to do to compete with the younger people) isn't an option.