Seeking Peer Support & Motivation!

Dear Meg,

Congradulations and welcome to the best sport in the world!!! After a 17-year lapse, I, too, am starting to ride again. I bought a new mountain bike at the end of last summer and started weight training in December, looking forward to riding a lot this year. I'm in NYC, which has challenges all it's own, but I share your enthusasim and would enjoy having an "e-ride-buddy" to yak with!


What are you doing to train? I, as mentioned, have been weight training and working on a treadmill to get stronger and into better shape (am overweight). I know this is working well because on a warm day here a few weeks ago I got on my bike and ZOOOMMMED. 7.2 miles flew by. My first few rides on my new mt. bike I noticed the road drag difference from my old road bike; after a weeks of training, on this day it just didn't seem to be there at all - I felt like a kid - "glee" is a new addition to my vocab. both verbal and emotional!

Tell me about your plans.

looking forward to it all,
'calla
Iron Horse warrior

Dear Missliz,

thanks for the welcome. That Latin verse - better keep what's on your bike as it is, cuz I don't know about the gender thing.....Didn't realize it tied in to Mardi Gras. By the way, if I knew any French I'd tell you "let the good times roll" for the big day tomorrow.

Today it hit the 40s. I can feel Spring a'comin- my first commute of the year will be soon!

Hillnelly

Dear Ironhorse,

Did you mean to send this one to me ? Since it says Meg, I didn't want to get in the way of someone else, but I got it in my email, so hope it's right!
I've been training this Fall/Winter with Pilates videos and strength training with free weights here at home. Got my bike on an indoor trainer and I do the CTS training video (60min)4-5 days a week and the Spinervals "Mental Toughness" (90min)once a week (have to say, I'm not consistently doing the 90 min every week). If you could see where all this takes place, you'd laugh.
I have a tiny extra bedroom where my bike is and my weights are tight against the wall. I have to take my little tv out into the living room to have enough room to stretch with the Pilates. The Pilates has been the greatest addition . The focus on breathing and deliberate movement is great. I don't work up a sweat with this, but I know I'm toning and increasing flexibility. I got my videos for this from collagevideo.com.

Yep, this is the best sport in the world. Glad to be sharing and encouraging along with you.

Stay in the ol' saddle as often as you can, because Spring will be here and you'll want to be able to charge right out of the gate.

hillnelly



:)

Dum vivimos, vivamos!

The ending should be mus. Latin is conjugated and mus is the first person plural ending (we.) For verbs in Latin it doesn't matter what the gender is, but it does for nouns.

Guess what I majored in? Latin! I get to use it a lot in my fifth grade class. ;)

It's a great tag line.

Have a good day.

Veronica

Whew, it is spelled right on the bike. The guys who make Carnival happen here were all classics majors, they read in the original Greek and Latin so I should have known to trust what's written on the tacky plastic beads. I just thought that if there was a female gender version that's what should be written on my seat stays. And the French is "Laissez les bon temps roulez", wich is the name of an excellent fun bar here if you ever make it down.
It's 1:14 AM, so Mardi Gras has begun :D ! I should sleep. Long day cruising the streets as a glittering Dragonfly ahead.

missliz

Hi Hilly Nelly,

Actually I was replying to NWMeg's original request for new rider training encouragement, but I'm happy to yak with anyone! I have to admit most of this winter has been too cold to ride (for me) since I'm returning to the sport and don't have any winter gear but working out at the gym is paying off anyway.

Your apt. sounds a little like mine - when I had my road bike on a trainor I rode in the kitchen inbetween the microwave care and the fridge! Then i'd back the whole unit up into the only bit of space left in the apt, in the kitchen, to store it. Sometimes you just gotta do what ya gotta do!

How do you like the CTS tapes? this is the Carmichael training system right? what kind of stuff is on it?

What do other folks use to train?
'calla
IronHorse warrior

a dragonfly eh? EXXXXXCELLENT!!!!!

hey Veronica, glad you got me straightened out . Made the correction,too! I do appreciate it.

Iron Horse, about that CTS video. They put out 2 videos. One emphasizes anaerobic training and the other focuses on climbing hills . That's the one I have. He takes you thru about 55 min. of intervals that simulate different climbs you may encounter. I don't have a cordless cadence on my back tire or a HRM and the people on the tape do. I get an estimate on my cadence (60-65 rpms or the faster 90-95rpms) by counting my pedal stroke for 15 sec and multiplying by 4 to give me the rpm. Don't know if that's the best thing to do, but that's how I've been going! I really do like the intelligent approach he brings to the training. I haven't been bored with it. If you'd like, the website is trainright.com.

bye for now.
Hillnelly

AWESOME DRAGONFLY! The gay guys were impressed, hard thing to do. The straight guys bought me drinks and acted adoring all day, and damn is that nice after two years of boring *** physical therapy. My second line dancing is back in swing, so spring training on the bike starts tomorrow. Normally we do the "Ride Of Atonement" on Ash Weds, 50 miles in the country then retire to the brewpub at Abita Springs to sin somemore. Couldn't hack that distance this year.
The only way to get around New Orleans at Mardi Gras is by bike, and I was afraid to take mine as I didn't know if I could ride across town, dance around for eight hours and then get home again. I can do the dancing around bit- so it's time to work on the bike part.

hungover and happy

missliz

Hi Iron Horse, Hill Nelly, et al

Welcome and wee haa! Since I first posted looking for support, a lot has changed. I met two great biking buddies through this board (big nods, girls, you know who you are!) and have made the successful transition from reluctant biking beginner to flat out joy-filled everyday cyclist. Actually, I ride 6 days a week... 4 are only commuting (for a total of about 12-14 mi RT) and 2 days I do rides of 2-4 hours. Two weekends ago did my first ever organized road ride -- the Chilly Hilly. It was the most fun I've ever had on two wheels!

The first few months I just tried to be on my bike as much as possible. I have been working with a pilates/core strength training coach to strengthen 'the clock' and this has made a huge difference. Pain only once in both SIs (recently) and it passed in a few days. I started swimming again and occasionally running to build overall endurance and strength -- but I'm a terrible runner. Also, I have been learning the science of training slowly, as this is much less exciting to me than getting on the bike and riding. But I'm working on understanding some basic principles of training -- like periodization (yawn...)

A couple of inspiring teenage girls convinced me to take a class this spring at our outdoor velodrome, and I'm all giddy at the prospect of racing... of course, I'm YEARS from racing, but....
I'm looking forward to learning better bike handling skills and how to ride in a pack -- which I still don't seem to get since my speed is inconsistent.

Most importantly, I am just filled with joy to be back on a bike, and I'm cycling in a way I never have before. I feel so absolutely elated every day to wake up and get on my bike -- and truly blessed to be in the company of some amazing biker women! Look for posts from me in the coming weeks seeking answers to some of those 'science of training' questions, and I'll look to see that you are all welcoming the spring with more time on the road!!

MM

YES NW MEG YOU MUST GO TO THE VELODROME. i looooooove velodrome racing. just a spectator for now, hopefully i will race soon.

meg, you and i are lucky. there are only 19 velodromes in the u.s. and we are close to one. we have some great racing down here at our velodrome. check it out this spring. you will love it. and it is sooo exciting. LOTS of single men too. i am thinking we should invite our sister MissLiz up for a visit during our alpenrose challenge in july. the ratio is in our favor.

where is the velodrome in washington? is it in everett? i forget.

HI NW Meg!

Thanks for your reply! I'm delighted to hear about your riding and I'm right there with you on the joy of being on two wheels! After my first ride this year (on the first warm day in NY) I just thought I was going to burst from having too much fun! I'm hoping to bike to work too, since there now is a coastal greenway route down the side of Manhattan Island, but that will have to wait until it's a little warmer out.

I look forward to future reports and swapping ride stories with ya - spin a bit for me,

'calla
Iron Horse warrior:D

This forum really helps me get motivated It's been so hard for me to get on my bike, as our weather here in the pacific NW has been well .... terrible. Raining and cold and windy! BUT all I have to do is come here and read a few of your posts and I'm out the door dragging my husband with me! Last weekend we had two rides to lead. On Saturday we had a mountain bike ride to lead for the mountain bike club we belong to and on Sunday we told a bunch of our road friends that we would lead a road ride. WELLLLLLLL.....Saturday, if you can remember, was GORGEOUS! It was our last really nice day. No problem that day getting out the door and on my bike. We had a great time and a huge turn out, naturally. Sunday was a different story. It was very wet, windy, and chilly. When I got up that morning I remember looking out the window and thinking, "This stinks!" But I made my coffee turned on my computer and started reading some of the posts on this forum. Well, after 30 minutes I was in my bedroom shaking the lump underneath the blankets and told that disgruntled lump ..... "It's time to road ride!" We didn't have the huge turnout like we had on Saturday, one lonely rider showed up .... another gal! And the three of us headed off in the rain and did a 40 miler! After we finished we shared congratulatory hand slaps and decided to celebrate by driving to the Starbucks one block away where we sat for 1 1/2 hours and talked. It turned out to be a great day after all! So thanks for posting all of your wonderful encouragements. I may not post often but I am out here reading them all!
Tomorrow it's road riding and Sunday a mountain bike ride! Let the rain come! I'm ready! :)

Sue

PS .... I really do need to get out regardless of the weather. I have two events that I'm training for. So keep the encouragements a coming! thx! :D

Hiya Sue,
Good for you - getting out and riding on both days last weekend! I rode to and from the Bike Expo but didn't venture out on Sunday (when I bag it on nasty weather days and do an exercise walk around Edmonds instead, I rationalize that it's cross-training ;)
Took a day off on Tuesday and unfortunately got run off the road by an elderly driver about 5 miles from finishing. I'm still sore all over but no serious injuries to me or my bike thankfully. The 86 yr old driver had some 'splainin' to do' to the Seattle cop who was behind him, saw him cross Lk Washington Blvd into the northbound lane...in short, saw the whole thing. I waved and yelled but saw, at the last minute, that he wasn't going to turn that damn car away from me, so I dove onto the grass and luckily my bike came with me - unscathed. At least my bike didn't need a long hot soak and "vitamin I" (ibuprofen) like I did that night!
Oh, well...it's figuring to be a sloppy weekend this time too. You planning to ride? Remind me again what you're training for? I think the STP, right? what else?
I sent you a PM here after Chilly Hilly since I was sorry to miss meeting up with you, and didn't want to bore everyone on here anymore.
Keep smiling!
Mary

How scary for you! That would have to be the most terrifying thing. To see a car closing in on you! I hope I will never have to experience that feeling! My hubby was hit by a car when we were first married about 25 years ago. We had us a pair of Raleigh 3 speeds and we were out doing our Sunday ride when Joe continued straight through a four way intersection and this car took a right ..... right into my husband and in front of my eyes! He was hurt pretty badly too. That was the last time we ever rode until 1999 when we decided to give it a try again. Of course our kids came along shortly after that incident too. But it was really hard for him to get back on. We are so careful now. We figured that the cars are definitely not paying attention to us so we better do a better job of watching out for ourselves. And it's been 4 years now and some close calls but we are doing great. I hope you are feeling better Mary! And I hope that cop gave that older person a ticket and a severe reprimand. I'm sorry I didn't get your PM. That yahoo account of mine gets over 80 messages a day and I swear I miss so many. I will send you my regular e-mail address. I want to hear how it went for you on the Chilly Hilly. I just ordered Joe's and my photo from that marathon company. LOL I'm going to collect a few of them and make a montage to hang in our computer or rec room.

I'm looking out my window right now and trying to decide if we should ride?! :confused: My outside thermometer says 42 and King5 News is saying rain off and on ..... still snowing in the passes. I'm sure glad I don't have to drive over them today. My son will be going to Eastern in Cheney this fall. I told him last night that if it's snowing like this he better stay put! I also hear there's great road riding over there! :)

I'll send you a PM with my personal home e-mail address Mary.

Are you going to ride this weekend?

Sue