I am in real bad shape

Quoted post said:

Originally posted by andresbetancour
I just took up road biking and love it there is just one problem no one aroud where I live rides, so I really have not clue on what I am doing. My goal is to race, but my primary goal is to get back in shape, I used to do a lot of exercise (soccer) after a knee surgery I stoped and unfortunetly started smoking. I just just starting to stop smoking but after 3 years of working drinking and smoking you just imagine in the kind of shape I am on. So i so one could give me at least some tips as how many miles a day should I do and a average (MPH) speed to do them I would greatly appreciated. My goal riht now is to be in shape for the florida half ironman next year 2005. So please if you think you can help it would be awesome

damn, we are on the same boat, I have my doctor's app this week or next week to get my mri. messed up my knee playing soccer and i can't take the pain. last visit doc said i might need to consideer another sport so i've started looking around.
I've been doing some reading here for about a week or so and I've started to shop around for a new bike. great site by the way. and if you're in or around miami let me know. don't know anyone else that rides but see plenty of people that do. Plan on checking out the local bike shops for someone else to ride with.

Quoted post said:

Originally posted by andresbetancour
I just took up road biking and love it there is just one problem no one aroud where I live rides, so I really have not clue on what I am doing. My goal is to race, but my primary goal is to get back in shape, I used to do a lot of exercise (soccer) after a knee surgery I stoped and unfortunetly started smoking. I just just starting to stop smoking but after 3 years of working drinking and smoking you just imagine in the kind of shape I am on. So i so one could give me at least some tips as how many miles a day should I do and a average (MPH) speed to do them I would greatly appreciated. My goal riht now is to be in shape for the florida half ironman next year 2005. So please if you think you can help it would be awesome

I don't live close enough to ride with you. But I learned alot about riding in a SPINNING class at my local gym. I know it sounds kind of funny but the instructors where I go to class are all real riders and have given me great form tips and stuff!!!

Be careful, that is not always the case. Do your research before heading off to a spinning class assuming you will be training with instructors who know what riding is.

Try riding for real! Then you can always spin in the winter/when you do not have enough time/etc!

Welcome to cycling, by the way!

I was once in the same boat, the knees and back couldn't handle playing basketball another minute.

I took spinning classes 3-4x/week all winter to get my legs ready for road biking. Once the weather cleared up in early March, (I'm in Utah), I picked up my road bike. 1200 miles later, I'm going to ride my first MS-150 this weekend.

Couple points of advice:
- Powerful Pete got it right, not all spinning instructors are cyclists.

- Just ride. I try and ride about 100-120 miles/week. It helps that I can squeeze in a 30-mile round trip commute to work. It took me a few months of training to handle that load.

- If you have small kids, GET A TRAILER! Having a trailer gets me on the bike that much more.

HTH

Quoted post said:

Originally posted by andresbetancour
I just took up road biking and love it there is just one problem no one aroud where I live rides, so I really have not clue on what I am doing. My goal is to race, but my primary goal is to get back in shape, I used to do a lot of exercise (soccer) after a knee surgery I stoped and unfortunetly started smoking. I just just starting to stop smoking but after 3 years of working drinking and smoking you just imagine in the kind of shape I am on. So i so one could give me at least some tips as how many miles a day should I do and a average (MPH) speed to do them I would greatly appreciated. My goal riht now is to be in shape for the florida half ironman next year 2005. So please if you think you can help it would be awesome

My tip would be to start slow, train without pain, and give yourself plenty of time to recover this year. Don't worry about daily miles or average speeds yet; just go out and ride comfortably for 30 minutes to an hour, maybe 3-4 times a week. The speed will increase naturally as you train. Quit smoking, clean up the diet, and give yourself time to get fit again.

Maybe there is a bike club not to far from you that you could ride with on the weekend. A good goal might be to complete a metric Century or other long ride in the fall.

Like a broken record! I was exempt from PT my last 4 years in the US Navy, because of bad knees. Had to give up tennis. Now, even steps hurt. But I can spin all day long. THAT’S why I love my bike. It’s my last activity to burn calories and stress!