SO out of shape, but really trying

[ColleenT]

ok, the rain stopped. for two days, anyway. so i just went out and rode my bike. where i live we have Hills and valleys. And very few flat places. SO i'm either coasting down a hill, or killing myself to get up one. i am learning about how to use my gears to benefit me most. i rode a half mile, and then came back, so about a mile today. i took my time, not trying to win a race, just want to get fit without burning myself out. i know i have to take it slow, but i really enjoy getting out there. and if i have to walk the bike up the steep hill toward home, i don't mind too much, b/c it is burning fat. ( i hope).

How long does it usually take the newbie to gain momentum and get more stamina? i want to do more, but the other day when i felt as tho i would puke afterward, kinf od put me off to overdoing it. i have water, and i drink a little before i go.

[Bikingmomof3]

Colleen,
Listen to your body. A mile is awesome for just beginning, especially since it is hilly. If your goal is to become healthier, just keep riding and pace yourself. As you stated it is not a race. See if you can go a tad further each day or every other day. As soon as your body becomes accustom to the bike you will notice it will become easier and more enjoyable and you will find yourself going much farther than you ever imagined. Exercise can be fun.

[latelatebloomer]

Colleen, I started at about the same fitness level as you. If you can get out there 3x a week, I'm sure you'll notice a boost in your power within 2 weeks. Let your body take the time it needs to adjust to the new demands you're making on it, and give yourself LOTS of pats on the back.

Getting started is really the toughest part. Keep in touch!

[Evie]

My theory is that PA is really a giant bowl, no matter what the maps say.

I started riding about a month and a half ago. I could barely manage a mile, and anything more seemed like the Ultimate Evil. I had that pukey feeling, too. Now I can ride seven.

You really DO get a boost! It's amazing! The hills you hate won't even bother you in a little while.

[pooks]

You really DO get a boost! It's amazing! The hills you hate won't even bother you in a little while.

This is so true. My first ride (6/11) I had to stop three times to drink water on a two mile ride. And I wasn't contending with much in the way of hills -- just a couple of short hilly parts that were HARD but not long enough to stop me.

Now I can go ten miles or more, and it's my toosh that is stopping me, not my thighs. I'm just waiting for a new saddle, hoping to make a jump to longer distances!

You'll catch up at your own pace, which might mean you zoooom by some of us who have been riding a few weeks longer. It happens!

[esther231]

You're doing great!!! Hills are hard work. Doing a mile with hills is alot harder than riding a flat route. And to start riding again, knowing you are gonna start on hills, gives you some bragging rights.

Just alittle over a week ago, I was complaining about how long it was taking for me to get better. And then something happened, I don't know what. But it clicked and it's gotten easier and I'm going further than I dared hope when I wrote that post. I still haven't made my first goal but, at least, now I believe I will and I didn't believe it 10 days ago. Seemed impossible to me. So, I think getting better is small gains and then a jump. Small gains and then a jump. It took me about a month to get my first real jump. I hope yours comes sooner. But if it doesn't, you're in good company.

So, keep going. Cause I think you'll be very proud of yourself a week from now. And even more proud two weeks from now.

When I wrote my post, several people said - spin, spin, spin when you ride. Don't ride with alot of resistance in your pedals and that helped me a ton. Now, I down shift as soon as I feel my legs getting tight from an incline or hill. I spin and I work alot less and I go further and faster. Makes no sense but it's true.

Also, it helped to eat alittle right before I went. I didn't add in extra food to my daily eating but I moved some food from dinner up to before I ride snack time. And that helped.

Glad you are here.