1st Anniversary :)

[Catrin]

I keep a journal, and looking back over the year I found that one year ago this week I finally decided that it was time to decide just which bike to purchase and to get serious about learning how to ride :D As I remember, it was the fine women of TE who helped me to decide to purchase the Trek 7.6 FX rather than the much heavier step-through comfort bike that my original LBS was pushing me to buy. I brought Stella home on December 13 last year, and stepped over her for the first time on December 14th!

Over the last year:


Learned how to ride on the Trek
Rode 1900 miles so far (400 on the Trek)
Bought Ms Explorer and converted her to flat riser bars
Sold the Trek as she was too big for me
Rode at least 6-7 metrics solo and several 50+ routes on organized rides
Longest ride was 72 miles
Rode 600 miles in August alone
Sidelined in September by pulled hamstring and two kinds of tendinitis in one leg


All in all, outside of that last bullet, am very happy with my progress this year! I had hopes of riding at least 2,500 miles this year, and would have passed that goal if I could have avoided the injuries. Considering how sedentary that I was, and was in such bad condition for so long, it is kind of neat that I was ABLE to get a sports-related over-use injury or three at my age :cool: That may seem an odd statement...

Very thankful for the very knowledgeable, kind, and patient women of TE :D

[tulip]

Congratulations, Catrin! Your journey is inspiring!

[OakLeaf]

You forgot one.

• Brought smiles and inspiration to the women of TE.

Well done, Catrin. :)

[Catrin]

You forgot one.

• Brought smiles and inspiration to the women of TE.

Well done, Catrin. :)

:) thanks Oak...here are a couple of others I forgot"


Lost 55 pounds
Reversed Type 2 Diabetes (though the longer I go without being able to do real cardio work due to above mentioned injuries...
Greatly decreased stress levels
Depression disappeared


Several friends at church tell me that I am aging backwards :cool:

[Melalvai]

Considering how sedentary that I was, and was in such bad condition for so long, it is kind of neat that I was ABLE to get a sports-related over-use injury or three at my age
That is really funny.

What a wonderful year-in-review. That is incredible that you learned to bike and then did such a long ride inside a year! What amazing health benefits. I will be re-telling your story.

I hope you throw a huge bike party on Dec 13. Hopefully by then you'll be recovered enough for a victory lap.

I feel much more confident about my goals for this year, because they are very modest compared to what you have just accomplished. I look forward to hearing what you accomplish in your 2nd year of cycling!

[Catrin]

My main goal for my second season is to keep riding and no more over-use injuries :rolleyes: I still have some aggressive goals for the kind of riding I want to do next year, more long distance rides, etc., etc., but I really have to figure out how to do this "recovery" thing. Apparently either my body doesn't speak up until it is too late, or I haven't yet learned how to listen. Probably the latter :p

Right now I just want to be able to go out for a ride and go wherever I would like instead of being limited to a short distance and no hills :o

[Kerry1976]

This is so inspiring! I just got my bike a month ago and am already considering a move up into a road bike come spring. Your amazing year of progress is a great inspiration!

[chicagogal]

Congratulations Catrin,
You have come a really long way in a short time, and for that you should be VERY proud. We are all very proud of you.

But you really do need to avoid those over use injuries. I know how much you enjoy riding long distances, but I think it just takes too much of a toll on your body to go from doing very little exercise at all to riding all those miles. You need to build your mileage up slowly and progressively to avoid injury. And don't take injury too lightly because a lot of overuse injuries, especially those affecting the knee, can be very hard to recover from and often require surgery.

I understand your wanting to set lofty goals for next season, just please be careful that you don't hurt yourself :-)

[Catrin]

...You need to build your mileage up slowly and progressively to avoid injury. And don't take injury too lightly because a lot of overuse injuries, especially those affecting the knee, can be very hard to recover from and often require surgery.

I understand your wanting to set lofty goals for next season, just please be careful that you don't hurt yourself :-)

This season I actually DID build my mileage up very slowly and progressively - never increased it more than 10-12%, made certain the new mileage felt good before the next increase. The problem was that I was still spinning twice a week and also did considerable strength training 3 days a week. My poor legs never got a break :( :o I told myself that I was recovering by not riding 1-2 days a week, but that was not enough for my level of activity.

Next season I won't do any spinning outside of rain days, and will save the high volume weights for the winter - though I will still lift once a week to maintain strength. I do think it was the combination of all of the above that was the culprit - and then I started clipping at just the wrong time - it was the perfect storm for my poor hamstring and quad. I really do think that clipping in when I did just pushed it over the edge :eek: :(

Thankfully the hamstring pull and quad pull both appear to be healed :D The tendons are improving, just have to continue to be careful. Am cleared to do light spinning and lower body weights, just can't forget that things are not yet healed completely. I am returning to BMX pedals until at least mid-spring, perhaps longer. I love clipping in, but thankfully I do like BMX pedals - though I dislike other kinds of platform pedals.

[azfiddle]

Your achievements are really great. Here's to keeping those overuse issues at bay and enjoying our bikes.

Good luck in your next year

[arielmoon]

You are an inspiration! The improvements in your health are fantastic!! Good for you!!! :)

[sundial]

Lost 55 pounds
Reversed Type 2 Diabetes (though the longer I go without being able to do real cardio work due to above mentioned injuries...
Greatly decreased stress levels
Depression disappeared


Several friends at church tell me that I am aging backwards :cool:

You have alot to celebrate, Catrin! Look at how much you have accomplished within a year. :) And just think of how many women you have inspired to take charge of their health. You may have started a quiet revolution.

[tangentgirl]

Yay, Catrin! Happy first! Hope you heal soon. :)

[DarcyInOregon]

I am most impressed with your focus and diligence regarding the cycling and gym work, with the result of losing weight and gaining blood sugar control. What you accomplished is a monumental achievement.

I believe cycling is the number one choice for cardio activity as recommended by cardiologists. I don't understand why people don't get it, how healthy cycling makes a person. You get it.

During 2009 I biked quite a few rides with this one guy who is my age. Towards the end of 2009 he decided he liked hiking better, so he stopped cycling and he quit the gym, changing intensive workouts 6 times a week for 1-2 hikes per week, and zero hikes on bad weather weekends. Today he is 80 lbs heavier with uncontrolled hypertension and blood sugars, and his bike won't hold his weight. He is an example of why cycling and gym work are important for optimal health.

You are doing everything right, reviewing 2010 for how to improve and not make the same mistakes, and looking ahead to 2011 to set new fitness goals.

[Crankin]

You've done a great job, Catrin. Just remember that you need to find your "balance," so you don't get hurt or sick. As someone whose body responds quite nicely to over training :), I have learned the hard way. Thankfully, I learned this lesson in my thirties, so while I have had some instances of making a situation worse by my own stupidity in the past few years, mostly, I feel fine when I have to cut back or stop an activity. Like running; I really like it, but it does not like me.
I was thinking that I didn't do a 50 mile ride until I had been riding 4 years! Sure, I did lots of 30-40 mile hilly rides, but you really did ramp up quickly. And remember, what works for one person, is not necessarily true for another. I cannot do an intensive workout 5-6 days a week. While I do something generally 6 days a week, at least 2 of those days it's yoga or core work, or walking/hiking/light weight lifting. I quit my gym 1.5 years ago and do this all at home. And my weight and body fat has remained stable or even a bit lower. So, listen to your body. Half of fitness is the mental aspect.

[Catrin]

You've done a great job, Catrin. Just remember that you need to find your "balance," so you don't get hurt or sick. As someone whose body responds quite nicely to over training :), I have learned the hard way. ...So, listen to your body. Half of fitness is the mental aspect.

Thanks for this...one of the ways in which I tried to gauge whether I was doing too much was how my body felt. My body felt great while doing all of this - until the day when whatever happened to push things over the edge happened. Obviously with two kinds of tendinitis in the same leg + a pulled hamstring means that this did not develop because of a single event. I obviously missed signs, or even if I didn't, looking at my calender should have warned me. But it did not. That, hopefully, won't happen again.

Part of my need for intense exercise is that I really do have to work harder than the average bear just to get the attention of my body. I have no thyroid at all though I do take a replacement. I have no reproductive system and am not on HRT, and that isn't factoring in the diabetes 2. However, that doesn't mean that a more balanced approach next year won't provide equally good results without the injury.

Balance is always a good thing.

Oh yes, my trainer is finally feeling comfortable enough with my recovery that we are, very slowly, starting to involve my legs again in our sessions. Very light, and nothing that activates the hamstrings, but it is a start :D My PT actually approved this several weeks ago, but my trainer wasn't comfortable with it yet.