fitness question and intro

Hi Ladies!

I've been reading the forum off and on (and occasionally posting) for a few years, but I have quick fitness question for ya'll. Last few years I've been mostly riding road, 20-30 miles of flat once or twice a week and commuting to work 5 miles each way a few days a week. I feel like I'm in decent shape for what I ride. However, I just got back into mountain biking (thanks to a brand new santa cruz juliana, she's GORGEOUS! I love her), and on an hour ride with lots of hills(Wissahickon park in Philly), my legs are fine, my lungs are KILLING me. I just don't ride hills that often!!!! I'm trying to jump start myself aerobically, maybe I should start running on off riding days???? Any suggestions for getting my lungs up the challenge? (other than riding more hills!:) )

HI Bessy!!
I know that even now, when I go out for a hard ride, my lungs still will ache and I'll cough..I just figure it's a good cleaning out of my lungs!:D I know that I'm in good shape, so I just think when you work your lungs HARD that is how they respond. There was a thread about this awhile back.....I think this is it.

http://forums.teamestrogen.com/showthread.php?t=15160

Hope that helps!!:D

I think running is good cross-training for cyclists. I started running about a month ago, took it slow, and can already tell a difference in my breathing.

I say go for it, just start easy. If your body isn't used to running, it takes a long time for your joints, etc. to get used to it. I'm just now feeling comfortable as I run. My DH was an elite college XC runner and has been helping me get started. I'm always surprised at how small the weekly increases are. I feel like I could go farther, but he says it's best to take it in small tenths, etc.

But I still stink at hills...must go practice more...:p

Do you have a trainer? My fluid trainer came with a Chris Carmichael mountain biking dvd. Lots of max effort intervals, so not really aerobic (more anaerobic because you are at max effort). Wow! It is has really helped my stamina immensely! I switch out my back nubby (knobby?) tire with a sturdy, slick (26"x1") tire when using the trainer because a) the nubby tire makes a lot of noise, and b) the trainer wears the tires out.

Here is a link to the dvd at REI, but I bet you could get it through amazon or something:

http://www.rei.com/product/726223

I find that going up and down the flight of stairs about 25 times really gets my heart and lungs working hard. It's free, and easy to do if you have a flight of stairs available. I don't run, I just go at a purposeful but steady tempo. I usually pause for a couple of deep breaths at the bottom each time I start another flight.

lol. I just got back from my daily 12 minutes of running up and down 2 flights of stairs. I'm all hot and sweaty now!

Hey there, you're from my area! I am passingly familiar with the hills of Wissahickon, and some of them are No Joke!

I think you would see an improvement in your mountain biking if you incorporated some days of hill riding into your weekly rides. I know that if I ride too many flats, I stink on the hills, and vice versa.

K.

You don't need to ride so hard your lungs ache to get fit - in fact, doing this regularly can impact detrimentally on your fitness.

You also don't need to run to work your body aerobically.

To increase fitness on the bike, you should be doing a significant number of rides in zones 1-3 ... where you can still talk but your heart is lifted.
Do some rides in zones 3-4... where it becomes difficult to talk.
Do least rides in zone 5, 5a and 5b... where you no longer can hold a conversation and where breathing is heavy to gasping.

Aerobic fitness is about being able to use oxygen efficiently, and you can do this on the bike by lifting your heart rate a bit. I say this, because i would never choose to run, when I want to get fit for cycling, and if I can do it on a bike, then thats where I would choose to be.

However, I do acknowledge that this is my personal prefernce, and running (or other cross-training) is a legitimate way to achieve your goal also.

I guess I come from the thinking of... I want to get fit for cycling and bike-racing - why on earth would I run because running makes me fit for running, not cycling... just my 2 cents. have fun finding something that works for you.

It's good to hear what all of you have to say. I'm finally getting back on my bike . I've had a rocky couple of months. Mostly commuting is all I have been doing. I have been supplementing long rides with outdoor runs and indoor treadmill, pre core and other stationary gym machines. I feel that running, especially outdoors has helped to whip me into shape and to the point where I can comfortably ride . So I agree, find what works for you. I'm excited for the cycling season!

Hey there freelivez
Great to hear you are back on your bike again
After a rocky path, baby steps are fine.
Looking forward to hearing about your successes too
:)