Getting back to it

[cuttercoasty]

Howdy. I am not a complete new rider or to the forum. About 3 years ago I was always on here.. I was stationed in the Middle East for about a year and a half. Got lucky orders to Washington state to a ship(cutter) I really wanted.
Life was great for a few months then it was dragging. My Heath was dragging down for some reason but I kept doing my thing. Finally, I got diagnosed with stage three head/neck cancer and dealt with that. It's actually been 23 months in remission! Before I knew I was sick, I sold my ill fitting road bike and bought a cannondale hybrid type for daily use... I haven't even ridden it in two years now. It's actually got a flat tire from sitting so long.

I went thru the cancer stuff and started running to get in shape. I hate running and miss cycling, so it's time to get back to riding!

Going to look into purchasing some spinnerval type programs since I have unlimited use of spin bikes at the gym at work.

Time to get back in the saddle!

[marni]

welcome back in every sense of the word. As for spinnervals, I have no advice but I can suggest a couple of podcasts. Cadence Revolution is specifically geared to riding, while pod runner and podrunner intervals provide a variety of speeds tempos and workouts including stair steps, fast slow and steady rate intervals.

Congratulations on your remission but as you return to it, please remember that you have been and are still recovering from a pretty much huge health trauma and be a little patient with yourself.

[ny biker]

Welcome back!!

I like the Spinervals videos where Coach Troy rides outdoors. Others find them not interesting enough, but they work for me.

[Blueberry]

Welcome back!! I saw your post about the Spinervals Challenge (which ended). I think Spinervals can work really, really well for getting back in shape - but be cautious not to do too much too fast. The training programs (there is a Super 6 starting soon) are really, really tough. I'm in pretty good shape, and I have to back off. A lot. As others have said, be gentle with yourself. If you need to use an easier gear, do it!

[thekarens]

Glad you're back in every sense of the word!

[pinsonp2]

You might try Spinervals indoor training with Iron Girl (http://www.ebay.com/itm/Spinervals-with-Iron-Girl-Indoor-Bicycle-Training-For-Women-2007-DVD-NEW-/111565917256?pt=US_DVD_HD_DVD_Blu_ray&hash=item19f9d8cc48). There are three 30 minute workout on the DVD and should be a good starting point.

P2

[Blueberry]

You might try Spinervals indoor training with Iron Girl (http://www.ebay.com/itm/Spinervals-with-Iron-Girl-Indoor-Bicycle-Training-For-Women-2007-DVD-NEW-/111565917256?pt=US_DVD_HD_DVD_Blu_ray&hash=item19f9d8cc48). There are three 30 minute workout on the DVD and should be a good starting point.

P2

I also like the Fitness Series (http://www.spinervals.com/products/department5.cfm). Some of them (Lean and Mean) are killer. Team Clydesdale is a nice workout I can usually make myself do even when I'm tired/had a bad day/etc.

I've looked at the Iron Girl workout - can't remember why I didn't buy it at the time (nothing wrong with it - I expect I just wanted something else more). :-) Can you compare it in difficulty to anything else?

[pinsonp2]

I have only done the Sweating Buckets (Team Clydesdale - 45 min), Climbing (Leadville - 1 hr and 10 min) and the Iron Girl indoor (about 30 min each) spinervals. So my comparisons are a bit limited. My biggest weaknesses are standing and climbing (overweight), so this is where I am coming from. Sweating Buckets was a challenge for me when I first started. So I would call it a low to medium challenge for a cyclist who has been riding a bit. The 3 Iron Girl workouts are more intense, but shorter in length. Each one has a little different slant. They are still a moderate challenge to me because of the standing recommended and the one called advanced is a high gear one that really gets my heart going. Of course, Leadville is a huge challenge for me as it simulates climbing. The standing is mostly doable and realistic. The high gear intervals (some lower included too) is also a challenge not only because of my weight, but the length of the session. They each have their place and I try to mix them up with Leadville only making the rotation about every 6 weeks, but I am getting better.

Hope this helps.

P2

[Veronica]

I have the Ultra Full Body Conditioning with Iron Girl. It's the workout I do when my personal trainer is on vacation. I also have the Ultra Leg Strength and Ultra Core.

I have a lot of the Competition Series videos - 13 different videos. They are as hard as you make them. :D I have one of the Timesaver ones with 3 30 ish minutes videos on it; each with a different focus. That's one of my favorites to use before work, when I don't have a lot of time.

Veronia

[Bones8]

Hey, coastie! I was PATFORSWA shoreside 09-10. Its nice to "run into" a fellow Coastie. Sorry about your health but congrats on your remission!

EDIT to add: Not to be weird, but I noticed your name is April and I think my replacement in P4 was named April. Are you an MK? Also, are you going to the Wild Goose Chase in May?

[cuttercoasty]

Yeah my name is April and yeah I'm an MKC.. Yeah I probably relieved you! Small world! Iwas there shoreside MK1 from Dec'10 thru Feb'12. My last 4 months up in Kuwait. Got orders to the Sea Devil as EPO and lasted there a year before I was sent shoreside. Due to medical. I went thru a serious neck surgery to save my life. Now I've got a funny s when I speak as they cut 1/4 of my tongue out, and I've got a scar across my throat from ear to ear.

Believe it or not, but I'm a recruit company commander in training center. I kicked my own butt in gear after returning to work from the cancer and got picked up to work here. The C school was no freakin joke! I pretty much wanted to quit each day. I don't get to do a lot of riding here, but we have a TON of spin bikes. When the wx is crappy(like today it snowed) we put the recruits on the spin bikes to work them out. My hope is to get some better spin ideas! The CC's get to teach some bike classes, and the standard class is boring!

What's the wild goose chase?

[Bones8]

I absolutely hated the spin bikes in basic!

Wild Goose Chase is a women's riding event out here on the Eastern Shore. Maybe an hour drive from the Cape May - Lewes ferry. http://www.friendsofblackwater.org/wild-goose-chase.html

How do you like being a CC? I have a good friend that was a CC and loved it. Its tough work but fun at times and rewarding, I'm sure.

The snow barely missed us today. I'm going to get a trainer I found on craigslist tomorrow, just to be prepared though. Last winter sucked.

I went into the reserves after I left Bahrain, made MKC, and got out last March. Dumb mistake. I'm going to try to get in touch with the recruiter tomorrow to look into officer opportunities. We'll see how that goes.

Sorry to hear about the health issues and rough times over the past few years, but it sounds like you are doing well and not letting it hold you back. That's commendable.

[Starfish]

Glad to hear you are on the mend and back to biking. I took a break from my bike for other adventures and have not been on it for several years, but today I got back on (on the trainer). I will be using my Breathplay Zooming CDs from Ian Jackson (https://breathplay.wordpress.com/2008/06/09/hello-world/). They are not cycling workout CDs in the traditional sense, like my Spinervals, but they are by far my favorites, and I think they will be perfect to help me start back with good cadence and breathing fitness. For me, they are by far the easiest way to work hard on the trainer for 90 minutes (not that I will be starting with 90 minutes!).