Personal Victory!

brandyleigh35 said:

I just had to post, I was so excited I had to share. My DH and I have been biking prettty seriously for about 8 weeks now. We train regularly on this very serious set of switchbacks. The whole ride is about 6.5miles, but the switchbacks part is only about 1 mile in distance. It starts at 800ft and goes up to 1370ft though in that one mile. The first hill is killer and long and although my dh has mastered it, I have been working it for 3 weeks now never being able to get up it without walking a bit.
WELL! Today I did it! I followed a recommendation from someone on this board to eat some yogurt before heading out, and I conquerred the whole thing without stopping! It felt so AWESOME! to finally reach this goal. I'm 41 years old, so I thought it was pretty good for an old women! LOL...

Brandy

If you think yogurt is awesome, wait till you try some Hammergel!

Congratulations Brandy - that's a good feeling.

brandyleigh35 said:

I just had to post, I was so excited I had to share. My DH and I have been biking prettty seriously for about 8 weeks now. We train regularly on this very serious set of switchbacks. The whole ride is about 6.5miles, but the switchbacks part is only about 1 mile in distance. It starts at 800ft and goes up to 1370ft though in that one mile. The first hill is killer and long and although my dh has mastered it, I have been working it for 3 weeks now never being able to get up it without walking a bit.
WELL! Today I did it! I followed a recommendation from someone on this board to eat some yogurt before heading out, and I conquerred the whole thing without stopping! It felt so AWESOME! to finally reach this goal. I'm 41 years old, so I thought it was pretty good for an old women! LOL...

Brandy

What is a DH?

Congratulations!!! I remember my first major accomplishment MTB'ing...It was completing my first race...11.5 miles of ass kicking...mine of course. There is a HUGE sense of accomplishment and fulfillment when your body is screaming for you to quit but you dig deep and find the strength to not give up...and a few carbs help too. 😉

Outstanding Brandy...keep pushing yourself!!!

I read in a MTB Action Mag that when you climb try not to come out of the saddle to much as it causes you to use more muscles and burn energy faster. The mastering of gear changes and cadence while you climb in the saddle is the key to long climbs.

jaguar75 said:

What is a DH?

Congratulations!!! I remember my first major accomplishment MTB'ing...It was completing my first race...11.5 miles of ass kicking...mine of course. There is a HUGE sense of accomplishment and fulfillment when your body is screaming for you to quit but you dig deep and find the strength to not give up...and a few carbs help too. 😉

Outstanding Brandy...keep pushing yourself!!!

I read in a MTB Action Mag that when you climb try not to come out of the saddle to much as it causes you to use more muscles and burn energy faster. The mastering of gear changes and cadence while you climb in the saddle is the key to long climbs.

DH = Darling Husband. Unfortunately I know this due to my wife forever on Mother and Baby forums. Please excuse me while I gag....

Bill.

shannons dad said:

DH = Darling Husband. Unfortunately I know this due to my wife forever on Mother and Baby forums. Please excuse me while I gag....

That is very funny. I knew this too... for the exact same reason!

g-brown said:

That is very funny. I knew this too... for the exact same reason!

I was wondering about it ... 'Designated Hitter?'

Congrats to the OP!

Great job, I have a wonderful memory of my first personal victory on a long up hill. Keep it up!
cheers

danch said:

I was wondering about it ... 'Designated Hitter?'

Congrats to the OP!

OP? You've got me on that one. But yeah, congrats on yer conquer!!!
Seem to remember practically dyin' on the ground after defeating my first bugger of a hill!!

Bill.

brandyleigh35 said:

I just had to post, I was so excited I had to share. My DH and I have been biking prettty seriously for about 8 weeks now. We train regularly on this very serious set of switchbacks. The whole ride is about 6.5miles, but the switchbacks part is only about 1 mile in distance. It starts at 800ft and goes up to 1370ft though in that one mile. The first hill is killer and long and although my dh has mastered it, I have been working it for 3 weeks now never being able to get up it without walking a bit.
WELL! Today I did it! I followed a recommendation from someone on this board to eat some yogurt before heading out, and I conquerred the whole thing without stopping! It felt so AWESOME! to finally reach this goal. I'm 41 years old, so I thought it was pretty good for an old women! LOL...

Brandy

Well done! 🙂

Quoted post said:

I read in a MTB Action Mag that when you climb try not to come out of the saddle to much as it causes you to use more muscles and burn energy faster. The mastering of gear changes and cadence while you climb in the saddle is the key to long climbs.

Thanks for the support everyone!

Funny you should mention staying in the saddle. I have had knee surgery twice so I have a hard time standing up on hills, especially when my bike is in a low gear. I climbed this whole route in the saddle. I kept a steady cadence and just kept pushing at it til I reached the top! It was definitely a rush to finally conquer it! We are gonna do another more challenging hill now. This one is 3.5 miles from the bottom to the top but is equally as challenging. Hills really hurt, but I love the perserverence and determination I must muster to get to the top, plus when I finally make it I know I have actually accomplished something!
AND my legs are looking awesome! I have done years of serious, high impact aerobics and not been as toned in my legs as I am now! I'm amazed at how biking targets your quads, calfs, hamstrings, and heart! I'm losing weight too! Awesome fringe benefit! 😄 Could biking be the perfect exercise? I'm starting to think maybe it is!

Brandy

brandyleight35 said:

Could biking be the perfect exercise?

Not enough upper body.

^^ I have to agee.I supplement bike riding with some benchpressing so my shirts dont look too loose, and some lateral fly's (in front of the TV, moderate effort) to round it off.

p38lightning said:

Not enough upper body.

Downhillin'. It'll either beef up your upper body, or if you're really unfortunate, kill you.

Bill.

Congratulations, Brandy!

Quoted post said:

^^ I have to agee.I supplement bike riding with some benchpressing so my shirts dont look too loose, and some lateral fly's (in front of the TV, moderate effort) to round it off.

Oh yea, guess I forgot about the upper body thing. I go to the gym and lift so I still have upper body muscle. I do think it is a very very good cardio and leg workout though for sure! Especially as I get older and just can't take the pounding and jarring from running or aerobics anymore.

Brandy

brandyleigh35 said:

Oh yea, guess I forgot about the upper body thing. I go to the gym and lift so I still have upper body muscle. I do think it is a very very good cardio and leg workout though for sure! Especially as I get older and just can't take the pounding and jarring from running or aerobics anymore.

Brandy

Guess what ... I cannot take the gym and the people in the gym anymore.

1) Padded floor. I cannot dead lift with a padded floor!

2) Music - Another mood killer

3) Schedule - The only time I could go was 5 AM.

4) Budget - My bench and Olympic weight set costed me only 160 dollars.

Then running.

1) Too slow. No wind factor, no thrill, no way to carry food or drinks!!

2) Too hard on my knees. Every time I wanted to go faster I got hurt.

3) Too limited. I cannot run anywhere for a coffee or a picnic, but I can pedal to the city, work, lake, coffee shop, newstand, etc.

4) My Ipod died. I can carry my trusty WalkMan with me without being punished by its bulkiness or weigh. It goes under the seat!!!

5) Time. I could not run for 3 hours, but for sure I can pedal for three hours if I use 1 1/2 each way.

Those are my - lame - reasons why I dont go to the gym or run anymore.

I am sorry for the health club that charged me 80 bucks a month ...
I can buy a nice road bike with that kind money in a year 😄

huhenio said:

Guess what ... I cannot take the gym and the people in the gym anymore.

1) Padded floor. I cannot dead lift with a padded floor!

2) Music - Another mood killer

3) Schedule - The only time I could go was 5 AM.

4) Budget - My bench and Olympic weight set costed me only 160 dollars.

Then running.

1) Too slow. No wind factor, no thrill, no way to carry food or drinks!!

2) Too hard on my knees. Every time I wanted to go faster I got hurt.

3) Too limited. I cannot run anywhere for a coffee or a picnic, but I can pedal to the city, work, lake, coffee shop, newstand, etc.

4) My Ipod died. I can carry my trusty WalkMan with me without being punished by its bulkiness or weigh. It goes under the seat!!!

5) Time. I could not run for 3 hours, but for sure I can pedal for three hours if I use 1 1/2 each way.

Those are my - lame - reasons why I dont go to the gym or run anymore.

I am sorry for the health club that charged me 80 bucks a month ...
I can buy a nice road bike with that kind money in a year 😄

My excuse is lamer. I can't be bothered. I may grow old and fat, but I'll grow old and fat HAPPILY!!!😄

Funny you should mention not going to the gym, as we are actually thinking of cancelling our membership. We have weights at home we can workout with, and since we are gonna be using the trainer and riding our bikes at home, it just seems like it makes more sense to do it all here and save the money.

Our membership is $100.00 a month. So you are right....can buy a good bike for that kind of money in a year! and the gym is always crowded so you are fighting to get to the equipment, or have to wait in line for it. I just don't have the tolerance for it too much anymore. I agree with all of your "lame excuses"

I exercise for my health and fitness, not because I'm looking to be a fashion model anytime soon. We do find that we can eat pretty much whatever we want when we exercise regularly though so that is a big motivation too....I hate having to watch every bite that goes into my mouth. I too just want to be happy and have a good balance between fitness and my life. I'm just glad that my husband and I both enjoy riding and can do it together. That is a big plus.

Brandy

All husbands are willing to take pains necesary to make wives look like supermodels.

Dont let the challenge make you shy away from HIS goals!!!! j/k

I 've been bugging my wife to quit the gym and ride the bike more often.
This winter the indoor trainer is coming in, the threadmill is going to the garbage.
I would not mind to pedal while watching a movie this winter. I did not mind jogging for two hours, for sure I will not mind riding the bike watching our Netflix selection!!

Quoted post said:

All husbands are willing to take pains necesary to make wives look like supermodels.

Dont let the challenge make you shy away from HIS goals!!!! j/k

Ha ha.... yeah, I'm sure he would love it if he was married to a super model(what guy wouldn't?) and the gym fees are a small price to pay to keep me looking good.

The gym, however, is not for me though, it is so I can keep HIM in shape! LOL... I have been exercising since I was 10, and at 41 can still easily wear a bikini. He is the one who is trying to keep up his youthful appearance and body to compete with me 😉

I'm and endorphin junkie so I couldn't quit exercising if I wanted to. Plus call me weird but I believe you have a personal responsibility to your partner to maintain your appearance to some degree, give or take say 5 or 10lbs. I'll probably open a can of worms here, but I think it is wrong to take your partner for granted and let yourself go. I mean he married me because he was drawn partially to my appearance right? and I to his. It is certainly not the most important thing in a relationship but it is important. Don'tcha think? I wouldn't want him to not care about his appearance or health so in turn I must also care about mine. JMHO 🙂

It's a tough job trying to be a super model.....but someones got to do it! LOL...

Brandy