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I'm just wondering how many of you are the "over 40" crowd?
I just got into biking and want to make sure i'm not alone!!!!!
It's just not the same starting a sport at this age then age 20.
I would love to hear from anyone in this "club" with me!
gretchen (I really am showing my age by just useing my name..i should have come up with something more clever).
Three more years and I'm the big five-oh!
Personally, I think the over 40 club is the best place to be!:p
56 in June. Started riding in my early 30's. Also soon to be retired, 3 more weeks.
Well I'm envious as he!! - I'm hoping for retirement at 50....;)Quote:
Originally posted by Kathi
56 in June. Started riding in my early 30's. Also soon to be retired, 3 more weeks.
43
I'm 44, and I've been road biking since the age of 44 :cool:
And I'd love to retire, oh, tomorrow!
I get such a kick out of those people who say "oh I'll never retire, I'd be so bored!" There are so many things I want to do - I dream about the nice long unhurried bike tours I would take, for starters.
- Jo.
48 and proud of it.
And as the name implies a granny and proud of that too. been riding for almost 3 years now.
Dea
HI!
Hey! Thanks so much for the show of hands! I was just reading last night an article in Biking Mag. about bone loss and biking. I thought being a swimmer and biker i had picked two very sensible sports (as far as how they treat your body)...boy you can't win! So, here i sit about to head off to spin class eatting my 12 grain toast and soy nut butter...yummie! Any of you have back problems? I'm looking at surgery (And it better be an "in and out" deal) to help relieve a pinched nerve.
Irulan and Jo< what's your training routine like? I love to compare notes on this.
thanks! happy trails!
Bone loss can occur due to a number of factors. If you didn't build bone in your early years (up to age 30), if its in your genes, if you take steriods, ie. for asthma.
You start to lose bone after age 30 and rapidly for the first 5 years after menopause.
That's why its important to maintain what you have though diet and exercise like weight lifting.
All the bodys organs use calcium. When there is not enough it is taken from the bones. That why an adequate supply of calcium is important.
Even if you think you do enough, bone loss can still happen. Don't think that you are immune. If you break a wrist or ankle from a non traumatic incident and you are in your late forties or early 50's, its a red flag, get tested. That's how I found out because I broke my wrist falling off my mtn bike.
Hi Gretchen!
Uh... training routine? What's that? :D
A few months ago, right when I was thinking I wanted to get more into road biking (as opposed to meandering around the bike paths on my clunky old hybrid), I was really fortunate to come across a notice for a progressive series of training rides put on by a local bike club, in preparation for a women-only metric century at the end of March. (here's the training group website if you're interested: http://cindy.polakoff.com/index.html ) Those rides are on Saturdays, and get longer and hillier as the weeks progress. There are a lot of women our age participating. You might want to check with your local bike clubs and shops, there might be similar types of groups you can join, it's really fun.
That's the most formal "training" I do. I also often ride for a few hours with my husband on Sundays, or we just go off on our own. I've also been going out two or three mornings per week for about an hour before I go to work (but I haven't done that for a couple of weeks since we're having out kitchen remodelled - but I hope to resume that soon).
Basically, I get out and ride whenever I can scrape together the time and have the energy. And, sometimes, even when I don't feel like it ... more often than not, when I grudgingly haul my butt out, after a few miles I'm really glad to be riding.
I have a cyclecomputer and keep track of my miles ridden, avg speed, that sort of thing at www.bikejournal.com just to get a feel for how I'm progressing.
What I'm hoping to do is get to a point where I can easily manage a reasonably long daily distance (say 60 miles, with hills and wind) so I can start doing some touring! Our vacation time is already pretty much spoken for this year (rats!), but Lee and I were talking last night about what kind of touring we'd like to do next year.
- Jo.
uh, yah. BTDT with the note book at all. I ride a lot in the summer, do some walking when I'm not riding. In the winter I ski as much as possible, spin a couple of times a weeks, lift a couple of times a week. Try to eat good stuff most of the time.Quote:
Originally posted by jobob
Hi Gretchen!
Uh... training routine? What's that? :D
- Jo.
that's about it.
Irulan
I'm becoming posessed by the bike thing..not sure why or what's going on, but prob. the personal challenge is the motivator. i'm spending way too much time surfing the web for bike info. My husband must be wondering who i am and who stole his wife!
I feel like if i don't seriously train now, come July, i'll be facing horrible days of "what was i thinking"! (the BIKE-AID ride).
I can't wait to get this pinched nerve (bulging disk...fun fun) fixed so i can push a little more.
I always thought i was in pretty good shape and all...walking my doggies (two of the world's best yellow labs...3 yr. old today! Happy Birthday to you...oh sorry...) for a 3 mile walk reliously every morning...sometimes cross country skiing with them, swimming a couple of times a week adn in the summer, riding every moment i can possibly fit in. Mostly just trails but pretty decent distances (20-70 miles). Then...I was reading about training in the "Dead Zone" or "No-mans land". That was ME! I would excercise just enough to be comfy...not really pushing myself to the next level. Not getting that heart rate up adn keeping it there (i'm ordering a heart monitor today...Polar M61) What a difference it has made to "get serious"! I just hope i can handle this summer ride. As i rmember from my many visits to sunny CA, the land is not exactly Illinois flats!!!!!!!!!!
Jobob - your training rides each week sound soooo perfect, thanks for the idea! I can't wait for the snow to melt!
I asked in another posting what kind of bike i ride now if i want to train on the awesome trails that go for miles and miles and miles right out my back door. Will I ruin my new road bike? I just don't want to wreck it adn don't want a car to wreck me!
I'm off to check out tht website jobob mentioned.
"obsessed" (that should be my new name!)
Hi there! I checked out the Bike-Aid site - you're gonna do some hills girl! You're training now, so that's good, and I believe you mentioned spin classes? Those really helped me last year with hills, keep it up. Do you have to have surgery for your back? Have they given you any recuperation time? My dad had disc problems, he was lucky, a week in traction, and religious about exercise has kept it in check.
Do you still have your hybrid bike? You could ride the trails you mentioned on the hybrid, and ride your new bike on the street. That's actually a trick some of the AIDS riders used, they trained on heavier bikes, then switched to their lighter road bikes about a month before the ride. You could also get some "bomb proof" tires for your road bike - I like Panaracer Pasela TG. Bike Nashbar carries them (Item #PA-PSLTGK). In fact, I'd recommend them for your big ride too. I used them on the AIDS ride, and had NO flats.
You'll need to get used to riding in traffic - your trip will be on streets and highways. Do you have a local bike club? That might be a good place to start, go out on group rides and get used to riding with traffic. It's not as scary as it sounds!
Any other hints for her California Girls? I'm tired and starting to ramble.....:p
Snapdragon..you were a plethera of info...THANKS!
Back Surgery: It's prob. more my choice...it's just a constant twinge....after working out it gets worse, and only in my right hip and leg. My left leg is saying "what's the big deal...get over it right leg, i'm feeling no pain". The recovery time is quick. The neurosurgeon just goes in (microsurgery), shaves the bone that the nerve is being pressed up against and and relieves the pressure. Wa La. It's an outpatient thing. He said i can resume training right away (!).
I am feeling so much stronger training but have this annoying pain that keeps my left side thinking that it's overworked...NOT!
Spin class is going great. The first one i took 4 weeks ago was tough and yesterday I almost stayed for the second class. I'm loving it as i get stronger adn stronger.
I wrote down the tire info. Thanks!!!!
and as for hills. I HATE HILLS. Guess i better get over that, huh?
My game plan is to add a "hills" day to my routine when the weather gets nice. Our house is sorounded by hills and i'll just make a course of hills around our neighborhood. (My neighbors will think i've totally lost it).
Joining a local bike club is also on my "List-O-Things-To-Do".
Time to take the doggies for their walk!
Thanks again! : ))))
I'm 42 and have been riding off and on since age 27 or so. Got much more serious about it last year and rode my first four full centuries (other than one stoking a tandem about a decade ago). I plan to ride til I'm in my 70s - or longer! Seriously, the average age in our bike club is 40s! All the "young'uns" these days seem to be into mountain biking and leave the road biking for us oldsters! ;)
Emily
This probably makes me the oldest but I am 63 and have been riding since October. I just did my first group ride of 30 miles and plan on doing 50 in March. I also go spinning 3 times a week since June .
Kate
49 (really)
As long as you are going in for surgery, and getting labs tests, why don't you get a bone density test?
I'm an exclusive mountain biker at the ripe old age of 43. I don't even own a road bike!! All my pals are about this age too. Nothing like being off in the woods with a pack of 40-something wild women, the guys are always kind of shocked when we pop out into the clearings.Quote:
Originally posted by emily_in_nc
Seriously, the average age in our bike club is 40s! All the "young'uns" these days seem to be into mountain biking and leave the road biking for us oldsters! ;)
Emily
Irulan
Emily - I like your plan to keep biking until 70 and beyond.
I can' t wait to find a bike club here and join in. I used to see them from "afar" and think i would never be one of those all duded up with spandex on scarry little thin tires!
Times have changed.
kpc - thanks for the idea of getting bone density test...great idea.
I was just in for my annual check up with my gyn. and she said my hemoglobin is really low too...WHAT GIVES! 8.something...it's always been on the low side but she said i will never make it through my training when such a low number let alone up hills and 700 miles of road. AHHHH! The wierd thing is, i have the energy of about 8 people. Bring on the spinach and meat!
Not to mention the yogart and milk!
Did i mention i'm 45...46 in March. (feeling like 30).
gretchen
do you cook with cast iron? That will keep you in iron!!!Quote:
Originally posted by gretchen
my hemoglobin is really low too...WHAT GIVES! 8.something...it's always been on the low side but she said i will never make it through my training when such a low number let alone up hills and 700 miles of road. AHHHH! The wierd thing is, i have the energy of about 8 people. Bring on the spinach and meat!
Not to mention the yogart and milk!
Did i mention i'm 45...46 in March. (feeling like 30).
gretchen
Irulan
Irulan...I'm going to start eatting iron skillets!!!!
I can't stand it when something "goes haywire" with me.
Being sick...what's that. (am realizing that the old bod is a little less forgiving then it used to be!). Hate that.
My new motto...
Eat for strength (or if it tastes really good), excercise for hills, and bike for fun! : ))))))
gretchen
seriously, about cast iron. I never had to take iron during either of my pregnancies due to high iron, attibuted to lots of cast iron pots and pans.
Irulan
Irulan- At first i thought maybe you were kidding with the cast iron skillet questioin...then...i went to a web site to check out high iron foods (of which i thought i ate a TON...7 grain cereal for breakfast, spinach and asparagus and feta on a spinach roll up or in scrambled eggs for lunch adn a meat and veggie and carb for dinner..i'm a really GREAT eatter...no gross stuff (well....once i a while) )....anyway, the site says that YES! cook in cast iron! : )))
I also learned that soy protien doesn't allow the body to absorb iron like it should, and , i switched to soy milk over the summer!
Darn...i really like the stuff. It's great for lattes (which i won't give up) but i'll switch making my 7 grain cereal with soy milk to skim milk.
FYI: we should all be drinking the "non-hormone" skim milk. My mom has stage 0 (good thing!!!) Ductal Carcinoma In-Sytu (breast) this summer and her surgeon said that at a seminar in Miami they talked about research on how overboard milk producers are about giving their cows hormones and they get passed on to us. Not good for breast cancer!
I'm going to pick up a cast iron skillet this morning on my way to work. : )
thanks! gretchen
49 here, just had a BD. Does this mean I have one more good year left till I hit the big 5-0?? Just kidding. I feel younger and more energetic most of the time now than I did in my 20's and 30's. So busy then raising my 4 kids. Now the youngest, my baby!, turns 16 today. So I have more free time, more time to bike, ski, whatever and take care of me, too. I have to say I am enjoying it!
The 40's have been great, I expect that to continue into the years to come.:D I really think it's important to get in healthy shape, and keep working to stay that way! You get older - can't stop that process - but you still FEEL great (most of the time) and are ready for whatever adventure comes your way. Life can be very good when you have a bike and you can just get on it and GO! (Okay, it's a little too cold here to do much of that, but the time is coming....... and I must say, riding through snow is one he## of a good workout!)
I am lucky to have a road bike club with lots of riders in their 40's-50's. We all relate pretty well to each other. Plus a mountain bike club with a wide range of ages, from teens up to 60's. I feel comfortable will all of them. Can't keep up with them all, but as far as getting along, age doesn't really seem to matter. We are all riders and supportive of each others efforts.
I agree about the cast iron pans. I use them all the time. Eggs, especially, will pick up a good amount of iron from the pan. So scramble some eggs in your new pan, Gretchen. Or make an omelet. Throw in some good veggies, you're all set. ;)
Hey Annie...
Iowa huh?...I went to Iowa State. Loved it!
You have the same lovely weather that we do here in the Chicago area...lucky us! Hearing about the girls in SF and San Diego...i could cry for some warm weather! When i worked out last night (it was a "weights" day) i listened to my John Mayer CD which is what i listened to all summer while riding out on the bike paths. It made me work even harder just thinking about getting out there again.
I am headed to Bed Bath and Beyond for my Iron skillets after work today! My lunch today is spinach, asparagus, broccolli with an egg, and if i had sauted it in an iron skillet i would be all set...darn!
Has anyone heard about loosing iron in your blood from increased working out? I read just a little blerb about that.
Can you tell i'm a little bugged abou this low iron thing?!!!
Thanks for any info you have...I really do appreciate it.
Don't know about the working out thing. But I used have had low hemoglobin. During preganacy it's gotten too low - been fatigued. I did the iron pots, supplements, meats. The only thing that finally made my hemoglobin budge was a half of a liverwurst sandwich each day. kind of weird. But 8 seems pretty low. are you losing blood somewhere? Heavy periods, ulcer?
As I've gotten older my periods have gotten much shorter, now my labs are fine. I'm all about soy too, can't really imagine that adults are supposed to be drinking the milk of other mammals. But maybe you're getting too much. I have a serving or two without any problem. I'm thinking you just need to keep experimenting with diet, pans, etc.
Sounds like you're on the right track.
kpc,
Got a question for you. Maybe it's a dumb question, but since I don't know the answer, I'll ask anyway.......... It sounds like you only drink soy milk, right? Do you get the same amount of calcium in soy milk as in cow's milk? I've never tried soy milk, always done fine on the "other mammals" milk. I figure - they're a mammal, we're a mammal, what the heck....... - Just a different way of looking at it, I guess. If soy is really more beneficial, I would be willing to give it a try, however, I count on my milk as part of my daily calcuim intake so would need to know if that would be affected by soy milk. I know soy is supposed to be great for pre-menopausal symptoms but I don't seem to be suffering from anything there yet so it's not really an incentive to go for the soy. Would you share your reasons for using soy? I would truly appreciate it. The thing about the hormones being fed to the cows is a little scary so let me know what you think, okay?:p
Thanks!
Gretchen,
Just re-read your post about hating hills.......Not gonna work, girl! You need to learn to love those hills. They are what will make you a stronger rider. They will challenge you to improve. They will make riding more interesting. Approach a hill as something you will own. By riding up that hill, you have defeated it and it's yours then! You know, if something is really easy to do, the sense of accomplishment is not going to be so wonderful, but those hills, when you get them, you feel awesome! It will happen, but you have to get out and push. It's worth a little struggle and gasping for air and aching legs. It gets better eventually. The hills seem shorter. They never get easy, nope, 'cause when they get easier, we just push harder to go up faster. Duh! But they do end more quickly and you definitely will feel good about how strong you are.
Can you tell I love hills? Didn't always, believe me. I know people think of Iowa as flat - trust me - it isn't ALL flat. I live right next to the Mississippi river and all we have are hills and valleys. It's all up and down. Wonderful training terrain. NOT as good as mountains, but when I've ridden in mountains after training here, I have felt competent. So you make your hill route, when the weather allows. You have plenty of time as long as you keep active all winter. I bet you will find the hills become a great part of your riding.
re: Hills...
Annie...you've inspired me! No, really! I've always looked at hills as monsters, dreaded them, avoided them, cursed them and hated it when they beat me (as in getting off the bike after feeling like you're going to throw up if you push any more!).
I am psyching myself to look at them with a new approach.
I really can't get over what spin classes have done for me. I"m hopeing that training during the winter adding several more days a week and a much more serious training routine will leave me in the beginning of the Spring where i usually am by the end of the summer. (much stronger).
Ok, bring on those hills!
Thanks! Those pep talks really keep me going.
(although i'm taking tonight off just to be a couch spud in front of the fire...i NEVER do this...just feel the need). : )
I'd check your basic camping outfitter or army surplus type camping store for cast iron, methinks you'll pay triple at a specialty kitchen shop. You'll need to season it too, and learn to care for it properly.
Irulan
Off-topic: That's the attitude!:D Climb and conquer!Quote:
Originally posted by gretchen
Ok, bring on those hills!
There's a 20-ish mile loop that I do often (mountain bike) that ends with a 20 minute climb. At the bottom you can look up this enormous hill and see this little, tiny "monopoly" size house at the top. And you know that you have to get there!!! I used to hate that climb, but now I savior the victory!:D
On-topic: I, too, am in the 40-plus class. I started riding when I was in my late 30's and started racing at 40. The over-40 women's beginner's class is an odd group in mountain biking. Most women start when they are younger and are sport level riders in their 40's. The starter at my first race announced our class and said that the term "granny" means something different to us than the rest of the racers...
so did you smack him?Quote:
Originally posted by Adventure Girl
On-topic: I, too, am in the 40-plus class. I started riding when I was in my late 30's and started racing at 40. The over-40 women's beginner's class is an odd group in mountain biking. Most women start when they are younger and are sport level riders in their 40's. The starter at my first race announced our class and said that the term "granny" means something different to us than the rest of the racers...
I won the over 40 beginner's in the only race I ever did, lone class participant:D
Irulan
47...wil be 48 on the day of the Cinderella...wonder if they got my registration in time?
That's great, Trek! I hope I can find you in the crowd to wish you a Happy Bday. I'll be near the back :D
Yow, I just checked the web site ... registration for the Cinderella is closed already! They weren't kidding, were they?
- Jo, who checked her bank account online, and found her entry fee check has been cashed, whew!
"That's great, Trek! I hope I can find you in the crowd to wish you a Happy Bday. I'll be near the back :D"
I'll be in back of you ;-)
Just checked my mailbox, no card, guess I'll call the bank.
I'm short, dark haired, glasses and on the round side, will be riding a mountain bike Blue GT Outpost trail with slicks (don't think I'll have or if I do be used to my new bike yet by then)
We can work out the secret handshake if we all get registered.
OK, I'll 'fess up.
49. Riding 15 years. Bought custom bike as a present for my 40th birthday & road across Arizona (the LONG way for all of you cynics out there!). Great fun, I did it, can say I did it & never have to do it again!:D This was before saddles with the cut- outs. That leather saddle got mighty old!
That is so great you biked across Arizonia!!!...or sorry...the LONG way! ; )))))))
How many miles was that? How long did it take you? What dod you do to train? Any hints, recomentations, warnings, etc...for those us us who like the challange of a loooonnnngggg ride?
Off the subject: I am just not getting comfy on my saddle...
I've been on it about 2 weeks. Do i stick it out or look for another? The problem?...it's the little nerve just below my sits bone on the left side. On my old bike with the "Target Special" seat it would take an all day ride (at least 6 hours) before that little nerve would start to hollar at me. With this saddle it takes about 45 minutes. Oh, its a Dolce with the split back and the hole in the middle. Hmmmmmm. Any ideas.
Oh, another question. What do you do with your "old" bike seats that are really not old at all and look just like new? E Bay?
Thanks! Gretchen
"Oh, another question. What do you do with your "old" bike seats that are really not old at all and look just like new? E Bay?
Thanks! Gretchen"
I've usualy donated my old saddles to Trips for Kids.
I'm in the same boat with you, the saddle that came with my mountain bike is not comfy since I'm basicly using it to train for longer rides. I'll switch it soon to what I usualy use on a road bike.
What is "Trips for Kids"? I have boxes of old bike parts (saddles, stems, bars, etc.) Some of it is old, used stuff. But some of it is pretty nice and new. I'd love to donate that stuff to a good cause.Quote:
Originally posted by Trek420
I've usualy donated my old saddles to Trips for Kids.
I tried lots of saddles until I found the perfect fit. So I bought 3 of them. One for my FS mountain bike, one for my hard tail and one for my road bike.
It would be cool if all the us doing Cinderella could somehow get together for a photo op. Thom's planning on coming down with me to take pictures during the ride.
I'm hoping to do the ride on our tandem with a friend from my club - if the bike fits her. It's a purpleen Santana with S and S couplers. Otherwise I'll be on Fluffy - orange Rivendell Rambouillet with white fenders.
Gretchen about saddles - I've spent many hours and miles on a Brooks Finesse. They're expensive, but Wallingford Bike offers a six month return policy, so if you don't like it - it can go back.
http://www.wallbike.com/Products2.html#finesse
Stuff we bought and didn't like - sits on a shelf in our garage. ;)
Veronica