What have I gotten myself into?!

[amyelice]

Hi everyone! I'm a 34-year-old mother of two and decided that I really need to get back into shape. It's as much for my girls as it is for me - I want them to have positive self-images and I want to be a good roll model for them. I'm not over weight per se, but I am definitely out of shape!

For example, I went for my first bike ride today since I was a kid, I think, and couldn't even make it up the smallest hill! I have a 21-speed cheapy bike, which should have helped, and I swear I tried, but I could not make it to the top! So I rode around my neighborhood, which is fairly flat, and managed 4.32 miles in 26 minutes. I intend to keep at it and my first milestone will be climbing my way to the top of that hill!

Does anyone have any words of encouragement and/or tales of when they first started that will help me laugh my way through this horrible pain?

[Veronica]

Everyone starts somewhere. Just keep swimming... errr pedaling!

V.

[mimitabby]

Hey Amyelice, sounds like you need to learn how to shift those gears. When you get that figured out, it gets a lot easier. And sometimes, when a hill is too steep, you just have to walk! Sometimes, if you're in too high of a gear and you approach a hill, you just CAN'T get the wheels moving fast enough> that's when you need to get off and walk.

Welcome to TE

[Kano]

Hi Amyelice! Welcome!

Like Mimi said, learning to work with those gears will help a lot. DH is FINALLY getting the idea that working in as hard a gear as he can stand is the way to go -- keep pedaling pretty easy, without being too easy. You'll soon see what I mean by that! There's easy pedaling, and then there's that one gear lighter that's like, crazy pedaling!

I have one of those nemesis hills this summer, and some days I can do it, but some days I can't. Yesterday was the latter, darn it! I persevered -- stop and rest if you need to, then tackle a few more feet. Check out Jiffer's thread on the evil hill climb in the "Open Topic" forum. I was SO glad to see her pictures, cuz that's exactly what I look like when I ride up my most evil hills! Eventually, you'll be able to do the whole thing. Something else that I've found helps me with hills -- better if I don't go up them "cold," but instead have a few miles under my shorts already.

If your bike has been sitting around a while, it might be worth taking it to a bike shop to be serviced -- make sure all the moving parts are moving the way they should, and are well lubricated. The bike shop where I have since purchased three bikes (one for DH) was happy to do this for me (for a fee, of course) cuz I'm sure it helped get me hooked on this happy hobby!

Karen in Boise

[BleeckerSt_Girl]

Hey Amy- you're 34, girl.....you haven't had enough TIME to get out of shape yet! Try being 53 like I was last year and never having exercised in my life and hadn't been on a bike in 37 years!!!!! Shucks, you'll be zooming up those hills in NO TIME FLAT!

[Zen]

Oh to be 34 again.
Keep climbing that hill. One day you'll laugh at how easy it is.

[tangentgirl]

When I got about five or six miles into one of my first serious grownup bike rides, I stopped and threw up. Yep, you read right, I puked, right in front of a bunch of other people riding with me. And it was flat. And I was 26. Should I admit all this?

I did the AIDS Ride later that year, from San Francisco to LA.

Keep riding, it gets easier! It's fun, too.

[BleeckerSt_Girl]

When I got about five or six miles into one of my first serious grownup bike rides, I stopped and threw up. Yep, you read right, I puked, right in front of a bunch of other people riding with me. And it was flat. And I was 26. Should I admit all this?

That's cool, thanks for admitting it! We like all the gory details here on TE!
My husband rode his first century yesterday. Made it home, collapsed, and promptly puked his guts up. Then he took a shower, had an hours' lie down, and we went out to dinner and he was fine.

once while riding I had such an upset stomach and felt so weak and ill I had to put my bike in the bushes and lie down in a field. The ground was wet and cold, but it felt so good. After 20 minutes I felt better and continued my ride.

[silver]

I remember on one of my first triathlon training rides, feeling like i needed to puke but didn't want to stop. I had to think in detail how to puke and keep riding and get as little puke as possible on the bike and myself.

But the thinking about all the technical aspects must have distracted me enough to keep me from puking.

well, this is really a running story, but I think it applies. I went from couch potato to exercise by running (went on the cycling later). I started with what I call the "Mail Box Plan" this means that the first day I ran from my house to the mail box. (I live in a little neighborhood with one quarter acre lots), rested a day and then ran from my house to the neighbors mailbox. I added mailboxes til I got to a mile and then kept adding from there. after 2 miles it got easier, cause I was in better shape.

the moral is to just keep plodding onward. try to add a little each time, even if it's just 2 or 3 minutes more than your last outing. try to go out at least every other day.

Do take the bike to the shop for a little tune up.

Good luck!!

[Flybye]

Congrats on making the decision to get out and get some exercise and have fun. This is an incredible forum full of great and encouraging folks.

I am a 35 year old mother of 3 great kids (who, ironically enough can drive me SOOO crazy sometimes ) I, too, decided that I needed to get out and get some exercise. I had recently dropped 40#'s. This was the next step in the right direction. Side note- Reeses Peanut Butter Cups are to blame. Entirely

I started riding my husbands mountain bike when I was 34 and hurt my foot. I wanted a way to exercise and walking was out of the question. I remember my first ride- it was to the chiropracter's office. I was estatic that I had made a 3 mile round trip journey (with a glorious massage at the halfway point).

I commented on this ride to the lady who was my weight loss counselor. She said - "That's great. My husband and I ride the Jensen's Grove loop all of the time." She still has about 75#'s to lose. And she rode with her son in the bike trailer. Jensen's Grove Loop is 18 miles. And I rode 3. Hmmm.

I suddenly didn't feel so great about 3 miles and thus, had my first milestone - 18 miles - much like your hill. Go and get it baby - for it is a sweet victory.

My bike rides became a way to catch a little freedom. I quit working (Social Worker) when I started having kids. I don't regret that decision, but after being home for 11 years, I got the itch to have some freedom. I could leave everyone at home - "Sorry, mommy can't take you with her on the bike ride today because she is going to ride 5 miles and go really fast, you couldn't keep up!"

5 miles became 10 and 10 miles became 15. Around the 18 mile mark , my husband decided that he wanted his mountain bike back and so I began to look for my bike. I was talked out of a mountain bike and into a road bike. I am so glad for the advice that I got on this forum, on cyclingforums.com, and from the guys at the local bike shop. With my new bike, everything changed and my distances kept increasing. I also developed self confidence that I had lost while staying home and wiping noses - I began to re-discover myself as an individual. There have been so many secondary benefits from riding.

I rode my first metric century ride this spring 64-some-odd miles. It was such a self satisfying feeling - something that I will always cherish. I have put about 550 miles on my bike since March. I upgraded to a new second road bike just this week.

I can't wait to hear from you that you conquered this hill. The advice to learn use your gears is great advice. It is also okay to ride a portion of the hill and turn around. Try to climb higher the next time, increasing your climb until you are at the top. Also, lube your bike chain if it hasn't been lubed for awhile.

Have fun!! PM me when you make it to the top.

In answer to your question, what you have gotten yourself into is a wonderful new freedom and a whole lot of fun!!!!!

Congrats, you animal!!

[onimity]

Hi there,

First of all, good for you for deciding to get into good shape and be a good role model for your girls. IMO too many children today have a sedentary lifestyle, transported everywhere by car and perpetually in front of the TV, and it is hard to change that as an adult if it is all you have known. I wish I'd learned as a young girl that bikes are not only fun but that they are a good form of transportation. I see so many families out riding together and I think it is really wonderful.

I'm 32 and just started riding a bike again last fall. When I got my bike I started by riding around the neighborhood, mostly to the pub down the street for dinner and back(!) and then in February when the weather started getting better, I'd ride 5 miles each way to my piano lesson. It was painful the first few times and some of the hills had me crying. But then, two things happened:

First, I learned to shift properly. Second, I got stronger.

Proper shifting seems really basic and frankly I'm a little embarrassed to say that I lived 31 years on the planet, many of them with a bicycle, before fully understanding the concept, but it seems that I am not alone in this. So in case you are starting from the same place I was...

It seemed to me when I started riding that the harder gears were the better ones because clearly they were more efficient, so why anyone would complete 20 pedal strokes to get the same distance they could in 3 was beyond me. I rarely pondered this, however, as I ground my way up hills and to a halt while people passed me slowly but surely, pedaling, pedaling, pedaling.

I asked some friends that ride a lot for help. The best advice I got was to learn to ride with a consistent cadence (pedal RPM) and adjust your gears to allow that. The biggest thing that keeps me going up a hill is maintaining a quick enough cadence. If I get to the point where my legs are moving too slowly it's over. An exercise bike, boring as they are, can help you learn to keep a consistent cadence in no time. Understanding this conquered most hills for me.

I live in the foothills, though, so we have some steep grades and there were cases where I'd run out of gears and then it would be an issue of strength. For what it's worth, I've been amazed at how quickly I've developed that strength. I couldn't climb a short 5% grade by my house without feeling like I'd been hit by a truck last February. I now climb a section of a washed out dirt road at an 18% grade on my commute...on a MTB loaded down with my work stuff. I approached it by riding as far as I could each time until one day I just made it all the way up.

I also didn't understand the overlap between gears, that you don't really have 21 unique gears (or 24 in my case) but rather a dozen or so, with a lot of overlap in between. So if you are going to be climbing that hill, put it in your easiest ring on the left and a harder gear on the right. That way you can shift down as you climb without running out of gears on the right and then having to do a big downshift that will kill your momentum.

The only other thing that I'd recommend is to take your bike in for a tune up and to be sure that it fits you properly. Most bike shops will be happy to help with small adjustments and suggestions provided that you give them some business. It can be *really* difficult to ride a bike that doesn't fit you properly.

I got my first bike in years last October; in June I rode over 600 miles & climbed over 37,000 ft.. It hasn't been hard at all, to be honest, and the changes in my outlook on life, my overall fitness, my energy levels, not to mention my legs, have been phenomenal.

Good luck and most of all have fun.

Anne

[amyelice]

Oh my gosh - what great responses, stories and advice! It is very heartening hearing that others were in the same boat that I am. The bike I have is brand new, so I am assuming it's in good condition to ride. It's not a road bike or mountain bike, however, it's a comfort bike. I got it thinking that it would be easier to ride with my kids on bike paths etc., but I obviously want to use it when I ride by myself too. Did I make a wrong decision?

I definitely need to learn the art of shifting gears. Someone up-thread mentioned going into the hill in too low of a gear - that's exactly what I did - and I could NOT get those pedals moving

I will let you know when I conquer that hill - thanks again for the replies.

P.S. I'm so glad I stumbled upon this forum. I've only been a member 24 hours and I am already hooked!

[Whip]

When I first started riding, I did a time trial. I was passed by a lot of people and then, up ahead, in the distance ... lo and behold ... I saw a rider. And I realized I was closing the gap. I mustered up all my strength and finally, huffing and puffing, passed him!!!!

Unfortunately, he had gotten a flat and was WALKING.

I came in second to last out of like 80 riders. I finished ahead of the walker - but not by much

[Kano]

Amyelice, no you didn't make a wrong choice with the comfort bike!

If you're planning to ride with your kids, there will be times you're just tootling around, and it's nice to be upright so you can see them well. DH rides with our grandson who's not yet three, and they have a ball exploring the neighborhood. He tends to ride with blinders on, I think, but when he's out with Xander, they see EVERYTHING!

I started out with a comfort bike too, and I don't ride it as much since I got my road bike -- at the moment because DH has swiped my wheels for his bike! I love my road bike when I want to go distances, but we have some short neighborhood loops that take us onto dirt roads, and for that, I need a little more substance than my dainty, but really powerful ride.

Karen in Boise

[Running Mommy]

YAY!!
And like the others have said- welcome!
As you can probably see from reading through the threads, there are just as many types of riders on this board as there are on the streets. We are a very diverse group, yet somehow (for the most part) we all live in peace and value others opinions and advice.
I just wanted to echo what the others have said. And when you are out there riding here are a few bits of encouraging self talk that always helped me...
EVERYONE has to start somewhere. The more I ride the stronger I get.

And this is my favorite nugget of wisdom that my coach said to me once...
There will always be someone faster than you, and there will always be someone slower than you. Don't sweat it, but when you pass someone don't be smug either!

And consistency is key. Keep plugging away. You will get that hill! ANd we ALL want to hear about it just as soon as you do!
Again, welcome.
Denise
P.S. I commend you for taking charge of your health and setting a good example for your kids! I wish more folks would follow your lead.