@gocougs Throwing no shade on your experience. It is devastating as someone who pushed hard in the gym or on the trail. Bike, run, hike, powerlift. At age 57 I was coaxing 5 reps of 275 on flat and 250 on incline. I quit squatting 350 when I tore a quad last year and couldn’t run a 50k. I am 57. Great cholesterol, BP, glucose. 45 RHR and now I am lifting the bar and 30lb dumbells. No isometrics. I get on the elliptical and keep it below 126bpm.

Let it out. I did. I am still in shock. I just wish I was 72 (never thought I’d say that). Finding out just before turning 58
has been a cataclysmic event. No running the Antarctica marathon. Ever. Hang in there. The decision will ultimately be yours, but if you do it there’s a world of possibilities. Look up Aortic Athletes and see what people who’ve had surgery are doing. I am glad I caught it before I was just going along as the dissections are horrific.