I suck.

C.J.Patten said:

I feel like a wuss posting this after reading the "Others riding
successfully with significant physical/medical factors?" thread. :\

I am badly out of shape. Much worse than I thought.
I'm about 50lbs overweight (6'0", 240lbs) and haven't cycled seriously in
years.
Having bought a bike to get out and get in shape, I ride every day except
for a rest day maybe once a week. (doing this now for a couple of weeks)

I can't do more than about 10km before I'm toast. I'm not tired overall - my
leg muscles just hurt. (you know the jello feeling...can't walk when
stepping off the bike) I'm only averaging about 15-20km/hr so these are only
half-hour rides.

If I keep this up, how long does it take to see results? Am I going to be
able to do 20km at a time in a month? (note to self: don't ever let yourself
get unhealthy again...)

I used to do 100km without stopping... now I feel like I've got lead weights
tied to me.

<frustrated ... but determined>

Chris

Well Cheer up! You have made the most important decision- the one to
start moving.

I have no idea where you will be in month but I will report to you on
the progress of a good friend. 5 years ago he was 40 lbs. heavier than
now and had a "coronary event" which woke him up to the need for life
style changes.
He took up cycling and from a very modest start he now has lost all of
the extra weight and rides >100 miles per week.
So, I wouldn't worry too much about next week or next month- but just
be sure that you will be able to "get there."

C.J.Patten said:

If I keep this up, how long does it take to see results? Am I going to be
able to do 20km at a time in a month? (note to self: don't ever let yourself
get unhealthy again...)

It _will_ come back, and you will drop some of the weight (and convert
even more to muscle). I went through this when I got back on the bike.
Roads that I had never noticed were not flat suddenly became brutal hills.
But, eventually, I found that I could go longer without feeling like I was
gonna die. And, I began to feel better in general. Lost 20lbs. Wish I
could lose more, but at least I've kept that off for 8 years.

I'd imagine that in a month you'll be doing much better. Just keep at it.

--

David L. Johnson

__o | "It doesn't get any easier, you just go faster." --Greg LeMond
_`\(,_ |
(_)/ (_) |

"gds" <[email hidden]> wrote in message
news:[email hidden]...

Quoted message said:

Well Cheer up! You have made the most important decision- the one to
start moving.

I have no idea where you will be in month but I will report to you on
the progress of a good friend. 5 years ago he was 40 lbs. heavier than
now and had a "coronary event" which woke him up to the need for life
style changes.
He took up cycling and from a very modest start he now has lost all of
the extra weight and rides >100 miles per week.
So, I wouldn't worry too much about next week or next month- but just
be sure that you will be able to "get there."

I guess it's just been a bad day for me.

A client friend of mine (great shape, 50-something) had a coronary prompt
him to make healthy lifestyle choices.

I try to re-iterate to myself slow-and-steady wins the race and I'm not
quite 30 with no heart problems (big "yet" to both) so I really am one of
the lucky ones.

I think one of the frustrations is remembering what I used to be able to
do - long, fast rides, running flat out for a mile without getting winded
etc - and also remembering that what I bought this bike for was to ride
around and enjoy my city. So far, I haven't been able to go anywhere on the
bike for enjoyment because I've been just trying to get fit enough to use
it. 🙂

Slow and steady Chris.

Thanks gds. 🙂

C.

C.J.Patten wrote: (clip) If I keep this up, how long does it take to see
results? Am I going to be able to do 20km at a time in a month? (clip)
^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^
Don't focus on your ultimate goal. Let yourself feel the enjoyment of the
outdoors and the ride. If you turn it into torture, you will become
discouraged, and probably feel like quitting. The progress will
come--gradually, imperceptibly, and you will feel exhilarated at the end of
each ride. The rest will come.

"C.J.Patten" <[email hidden]> wrote in message
news:[email hidden]...

Quoted message said:

I feel like a wuss posting this after reading the "Others riding
successfully with significant physical/medical factors?" thread. :\

I am badly out of shape. Much worse than I thought.
I'm about 50lbs overweight (6'0", 240lbs) and haven't cycled seriously in
years.
Having bought a bike to get out and get in shape, I ride every day except
for a rest day maybe once a week. (doing this now for a couple of weeks)

Well I had that feeling too for a few weeks when I started riding again.

Quoted message said:

I can't do more than about 10km before I'm toast. I'm not tired overall -
my leg muscles just hurt. (you know the jello feeling...can't walk when
stepping off the bike) I'm only averaging about 15-20km/hr so these are
only half-hour rides.

Well I think 10km is probably way to much for a really new rider, think
smaller like 5km.

Quoted message said:

If I keep this up, how long does it take to see results? Am I going to be
able to do 20km at a time in a month? (note to self: don't ever let
yourself get unhealthy again...)

Well I got serious about riding about 3 months ago and I am much better now.
Now I can ride about 40 plus miles almost daily. But you still need to give
your muscles time to recover, as I found out very recently. Take a few days
off every couple of weeks.

Quoted message said:

I used to do 100km without stopping... now I feel like I've got lead
weights tied to me.

<frustrated ... but determined>

Chris

"Leo Lichtman" <[email hidden]> wrote in message
news:[email hidden]...

Quoted message said:

Don't focus on your ultimate goal. Let yourself feel the enjoyment of the
outdoors and the ride. If you turn it into torture, you will become
discouraged, and probably feel like quitting. The progress will
come--gradually, imperceptibly, and you will feel exhilarated at the end
of each ride. The rest will come.

This is very good advice. I think I might just put the bike in the car and
take a slow roll around the core of downtown. If I only get 5km, so be it! I
can always stop in a park and <ahem> watch the wild-life. 🙂

Just keep it up. It took me a long time to even start losing weight,
but biking is now part of an overall lifestyle change. It reinforces
good eating habits when you know how many miles you have to ride to work
off that burger or dessert.

Mileage increases come gradually for me. I found that I wanted to go
further about the time I started being able to.

"catzz66" <[email hidden]> wrote in message
news:[email hidden]...

Quoted message said:

Just keep it up. It took me a long time to even start losing weight, but
biking is now part of an overall lifestyle change. It reinforces good
eating habits when you know how many miles you have to ride to work off
that burger or dessert.

Mileage increases come gradually for me. I found that I wanted to go
further about the time I started being able to.

^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^

That is a great quote. 🙂

I'd forgotten about the calorie awareness but you jogged by memory! Cycling
with friends we'd finish a particularly difficult section and I'd say, "we
just burned 100 calories each." They'd be like "get outta here! There's no
way..." 😉 You really do look at that cheeseburger in a different light when
you realize it's an extra 50mile ride.

Just remember a quote that a friend who is twenty years older than me
threw out at me.

"The only hting you can do at your age that I can''t do at my age
is--die young"

:-)

"Ken" <[email hidden]> wrote in message
news:[email hidden]...

Quoted message said:

Well I had that feeling too for a few weeks when I started riding again.
Well I think 10km is probably way to much for a really new rider, think
smaller like 5km.

I figured I was just the worlds biggest wuss. 🙂
I've been trying to split up the riding and do a couple of 5km rides a day
though my last one was closer to 10km.

Right now, I'm not thinking much about the "sustained" effort for burning
calories. I just want the muscles to get back in shape. I take it though I
need to really be elevating the heart rate for an hour or so to melt fat
off...?

Quoted message said:

Well I got serious about riding about 3 months ago and I am much better
now. Now I can ride about 40 plus miles almost daily. But you still need
to give your muscles time to recover, as I found out very recently. Take a
few days off every couple of weeks.

Thanks - that's a big encouragement to know results are possible in that
short a time.

Funny thing is I know this stuff from other sports.

I'm an archery nut but fall out of it occasionally and it takes a half dozen
or so sessions to "train" my fingers and arms to hold at full draw.
(longbows, not compounds; 50+lbs at full draw)

I have to believe my cycle muscles will get conditioned as well.

C.J.Patten said:

I feel like a wuss posting this after reading the "Others riding
successfully with significant physical/medical factors?" thread. :\

I am badly out of shape. Much worse than I thought.
I'm about 50lbs overweight (6'0", 240lbs) and haven't cycled seriously in
years.
Having bought a bike to get out and get in shape, I ride every day except
for a rest day maybe once a week. (doing this now for a couple of weeks)

I can't do more than about 10km before I'm toast. I'm not tired overall - my
leg muscles just hurt. (you know the jello feeling...can't walk when
stepping off the bike) I'm only averaging about 15-20km/hr so these are only
half-hour rides.

If I keep this up, how long does it take to see results? Am I going to be
able to do 20km at a time in a month? (note to self: don't ever let yourself
get unhealthy again...)

I used to do 100km without stopping... now I feel like I've got lead weights
tied to me.

But you're only 30! How long ago was that, 10 years?

In the first four months of my 'comeback' I rode only three miles at a
time. I will say it wasn't easy b/c I was riding on a packed sandy trail on
knobby tires - (the only place around here that was flat).

The very first day I rode I was in so much pain that I could hardly walk. I
had to drive my bike down to the parking lot at the start of the bike trail
and have help from my wife to get on the bike. Man talk about humiliation!

I did that for a full week, though after the first ride I figured out how
to get on the bike by myself. Then I started walking my bike down through
the woods and using a handrail across a bridge to help me get on the bike.

However in those four months I rode 120 rides. That is far, far more
important than how fast you ride, or how long you ride. As Leo says, enjoy
the aspect that you are getting out and enjoying the wind and the rain and
the great outdoors. If you can, ride everyday - that keeps it from becoming
an 'option'. When you have options not to ride you will find them. <g>

The following April (I started in early August), I logged my first 100 mile
week. The following July I logged my first three 160 mile weeks in a row -
however I was still riding every day, and some days twice a day (the pm
ride was a slower recovery ride). In the last 670 days I have ridden more
than 600 rides. Also I did it with a very painful sciatica. 99% of those
rides I was in moderate to severe pain with every freakin' pedal stroke! No
kidding. Most days I still have low to moderate pain every time my left leg
goes around the pedal, but now I just don't give a damn.(*) ;-)

Don't be frustrated. Most of those who have started back to riding have had
even a worse time. Don't do too much, just be consistent. Keep a record of
your rides - it will be something to help motivate you. I did some rides
because I just did NOT want a blank square on my spreadsheat.

Keep it up, bro.

jj
(*) I put up with it because I know I'm not injuring myself, but I'm
gradually improving, some days I have no pain walking around, but most days
I still limp. In the saddle, by comparison, I'm flying. <g>

Quoted message said:

<frustrated ... but determined>

Chris

"David L. Johnson" <[email hidden]> wrote in message
news:[email hidden]...

Quoted message said:

On Mon, 13 Jun 2005 11:42:18 -0400, C.J.Patten wrote:

Quoted message said:

It _will_ come back, and you will drop some of the weight (and convert
even more to muscle). I went through this when I got back on the bike.
Roads that I had never noticed were not flat suddenly became brutal hills.

LOL! On the flip side, the brutal hills I used to squirt up like a possum
I'd need climbing gear or a Toyota for now!

I live atop a hill overlooking a river and to date I've been staying "up the
hill." That's fine - it gives me lots of area to work with (I can cycle for
a hundred miles to the south before it gets hilly) but the city at large is
down the hill so I'm looking forward to not being intimidated by it.

Quoted message said:

But, eventually, I found that I could go longer without feeling like I was
gonna die. And, I began to feel better in general. Lost 20lbs. Wish I
could lose more, but at least I've kept that off for 8 years.

I'd imagine that in a month you'll be doing much better. Just keep at it.

I'm not using this as an excuse but I wonder if different tires would make a
difference?

The KHS came with semi-knobbies... they have offroad knobs on the sides and
smaller knobs in the center. Nowhere near the "buzzzzz" of a full off-road
tire but they have much higher rolling resistance than the Gila-Monster
slicks on my old bike. (they're also 1.95 inches wide!)

No intention of switching for a while yet but wondered if Schwabe Big Apples
or something of that ilk would be a good idea for long distance riding. (I
want to tour)

For now, even if they have a lot of extra resistance, they DO serve to add
to my workout. Any thoughts to snipping off some of the middle knobs?
(they're about half the size of pencil erasers - eg: tiny)

Thanks!
Chris

"gds" <[email hidden]> wrote in message
news:[email hidden]...

Quoted message said:

Just remember a quote that a friend who is twenty years older than me
threw out at me.

"The only hting you can do at your age that I can''t do at my age
is--die young"

:-)

ROTFL! :p

"C.J.Patten" <[email hidden]> wrote in message
news:[email hidden]...

Quoted message said:

"Ken" <[email hidden]> wrote in message
news:[email hidden]...

Quoted message said:

Well I had that feeling too for a few weeks when I started riding again.
Well I think 10km is probably way to much for a really new rider, think
smaller like 5km.

I figured I was just the worlds biggest wuss. 🙂
I've been trying to split up the riding and do a couple of 5km rides a day
though my last one was closer to 10km.

Right now, I'm not thinking much about the "sustained" effort for burning
calories. I just want the muscles to get back in shape. I take it though I
need to really be elevating the heart rate for an hour or so to melt fat
off...?

Quoted message said:

Well I got serious about riding about 3 months ago and I am much better
now. Now I can ride about 40 plus miles almost daily. But you still need
to give your muscles time to recover, as I found out very recently. Take
a few days off every couple of weeks.

Thanks - that's a big encouragement to know results are possible in that
short a time.

Funny thing is I know this stuff from other sports.

True in order to really burn fat you do need to raise the heartrate, but on
the other hand don't push so hard that you are sore for days on end. I was
riding EVERY day and riding 12 - 48 miles a day, and then the weather turned
bad and my number of miles dropped way down, and then when I got to do a
good ride again I noticed that my average speed had increased, I think I was
over training.

Quoted message said:

I'm an archery nut but fall out of it occasionally and it takes a half
dozen or so sessions to "train" my fingers and arms to hold at full draw.
(longbows, not compounds; 50+lbs at full draw)

I have to believe my cycle muscles will get conditioned as well.

David L. Johnson said:

I went through this when I got back on the bike.
Roads that I had never noticed were not flat suddenly became brutal hills.
But, eventually, I found that I could go longer without feeling like I was
gonna die.

I don't ride for fitness. I just ride because I like to ride but I
notice something similiar every riding season.

March: "I am not even going to *try* that hill."
April: "Damn, this hill is killing me."
May: "Hey, my speed is staying constant."
June: "Maybe I can accelerate up this hill."
July: "What hill? You mean this little *bump* in the road?!?"
:-)

Regards,
Bob Hunt

"jj" <[email hidden]> wrote in message
news:[email hidden]...

Quoted message said:

But you're only 30! How long ago was that, 10 years?

My ex-business partner always tells me "40 is closer than you think and 20
never will be again." I'm using that as a bit of a motivator - fear. 🙂

Quoted message said:

In the first four months of my 'comeback' I rode only three miles at a
time. I will say it wasn't easy b/c I was riding on a packed sandy trail
on
knobby tires - (the only place around here that was flat).

Oooo. Sand is NASTY. Packed is better than loose but man ... much respect.

Quoted message said:

The very first day I rode I was in so much pain that I could hardly walk.
I
had to drive my bike down to the parking lot at the start of the bike
trail
and have help from my wife to get on the bike. Man talk about humiliation!

I did that for a full week, though after the first ride I figured out how
to get on the bike by myself. Then I started walking my bike down through
the woods and using a handrail across a bridge to help me get on the bike.

Quoted message said:

When you have options not to ride you will find them. <g>

😉

I have a slight cheat - I bought a 20" folding bike with a really, really
low top-tube.

"Temet nostre" - know thyself. I knew one of the reasons I dreaded using my
road bike was having to "climb up on it" like a horse so I bought a bike
that gave me one less jusification for not riding. As you say, if you make
it a habit to ride daily, you find less excuses not to. Very true words.

Quoted message said:

The following April (I started in early August), I logged my first 100
mile

<snip> Most days I still have low to moderate pain every time my left leg

Quoted message said:

goes around the pedal, but now I just don't give a damn.(*) ;-)

Quoted message said:

(*) I put up with it because I know I'm not injuring myself, but I'm
gradually improving, some days I have no pain walking around, but most
days
I still limp. In the saddle, by comparison, I'm flying. <g>

WOW. Once again I'm almost ashamed to be such a wuss!

One thing that stands out from all the responses I've gotten - aside from
the overwhelming support (thank you all - you rock!) - is just how dedicated
a group you are.

Lance Armstrong's quote "Pain is temporary, failure is forever" is a fitting
motto for this group.

Quoted message said:

Don't be frustrated. Most of those who have started back to riding have
had
even a worse time. Don't do too much, just be consistent. Keep a record of
your rides - it will be something to help motivate you. I did some rides
because I just did NOT want a blank square on my spreadsheat.

I do the MS-Excel thing to! Get this: I have four columns for each monthly
sheet:
1) date 2) distance ridden 4) weight 3) bad food 😉

Bad food was sometimes as inane as "2 pieces of licorice" or "a slice of
pizza"... but it all went in there so I knew if there were any trends
developing. 😉

Man... the last entry from a few years back: "35km, 195lbs, caeser salad
with bacon bits."
<shaking head>

🙂

C.J.Patten said:

Quoted message said:

(*) I put up with it because I know I'm not injuring myself, but I'm
gradually improving, some days I have no pain walking around, but most
days
I still limp. In the saddle, by comparison, I'm flying. <g>

WOW. Once again I'm almost ashamed to be such a wuss!

One thing that stands out from all the responses I've gotten - aside from
the overwhelming support (thank you all - you rock!) - is just how dedicated
a group you are.

Lance Armstrong's quote "Pain is temporary, failure is forever" is a fitting
motto for this group.

Re-reading that I'm not sure I mentioned that the pain I have is not from
riding - it's from sciatica - I injured myself in late 2001 saving the life
of a fellow employee - I stepped in and grabbed a 600lb research
refrigerator with the heavy compressor on top, that was toppling over when
he tried to move it - on a little hand truck made to deliver mail - to keep
it from falling on him. I grabbed it at an odd angle and something in my
back/hip went 'ping'. LOL. My supervisor told me 'no one told you you had
to grab that refrigerator'. (!) I think he was worried I'd put in a
disability claim. (I did not).

BTW, you should never feel like a wuss. You should feel like you are your
own hero. I'm not kidding. It's not the severity of the injury or the
amount of pain you go through. We all go through various degrees and
amounts of pain. It's that you are out there everyday trying! ;-)

In fact mere physical pain is the easiest to conquer. Mental pain and
anguish (like a broken heart) is much, much harder to deal with. Physical
pain you can do something about. Mental pain just eats away at you.

Obviously I'm exaggerating, b/c there are some types of physical pain that
you can do little or nothing about...and some mental pain is just because
you (one) are your own worst enemy, fretting about stuff that is minor
[censored]. <g>

jj

C.J.Patten said:

I feel like a wuss posting this after reading the "Others riding
successfully with significant physical/medical factors?" thread. :\

Be warey of those who brag (myself included). Soemtimes we do things
that are not the wisest way of handling things. I almost blew my
training for a double century (<400K) when I trained too hard and too
often. I was lucky to take a week off and recover in time to do the
event (6/11, interesting ride).

Quoted message said:

I used to do 100km without stopping... now I feel like I've got lead weights
tied to me.

I can't do a 100K without stopping now! :-) I need a few stops to pick
up food and water. Of course we now have lots of heat and humidity
(South/Central NJ, USA).

Allow me to brag a bit but with some sarcasm (towards myself). Last
September I rode with a group who did 107 mile ride at 19.8 mph avg.
This spring I tried to zip back to my speed in 4 weeks with a huge
increase in miles and speed. I wasn't successful because my body
doesn't work that way. Training momentum is a difficult thing to keep
if you don't train properly all the time. I really don't understand
why I can't jump on the bike and ride 200+ miles in a single day, in
+90F heat & 85% humidity. ;-) Apparently 8 other riders couldn't
understand why either until we finished the ride. ;-) BTW, most of us
did do a lot of training.

Give it time, your body needs time to adjust to changes. Just
understand that some of us are now faster and stronger riders now that
we're older (I'm 40+). And every winter I slow down and every spring I
speed up. Just not all at once.

--
Linux Home Automation Neil Cherry [email hidden]
http://home.comcast.net/~ncherry/ (Text only)
http://hcs.sourceforge.net/ (HCS II)
http://linuxha.blogspot.com/ My HA Blog

C.J.Patten said:

Man... the last entry from a few years back: "35km, 195lbs, caeser salad
with bacon bits."
<shaking head>

Don't worry about being out of shape. If you are diligent, by summer's
end you may be down to about ~200 lbs.

I'm the same, 6' 250 lbs. I'm able to comfortably ride from Aylmer out
to Kanata and back on a mountain bike with slicks installed. I used to
do that with knobbies. I'm not exactly sure on the distance, but it is a
good hike.