Too much, too soon

[goldfinch]

In May I rode my bike about 107 miles. This was more riding in one month than I had previously done riding in all the past 25 years. I am very unfit, 56 and overweight. I was obese but a month or so ago dropped down to "merely" overweight. I am only 4'11" and have gone from 158 pounds to 130 since December, 2010.

A few days ago I did my longest ride ever, 16.2 miles. The next day it rained and I didn't ride. The day after I did 16.4 miles. The last mile was hell, I could not get comfortable on my seat and my right foot was going numb. Otherwise, my wind and my legs felt just fine. I never seem to feel any effects in my legs when riding as my CV system still is not strong enough for me to work my legs really hard. My pace is still very slow (8.5 to 9.5 mph) but my route is fairly hilly and about 1/3 hilly crushed gravel MUP, 1/3 nice paved roads, and 1/3 ratty city streets. I know my fitness has improved as I can now make it up hills that I used to walk. Maybe I am going up at 3.5mph and "spinning" in my granny gear at a cadence of 30, but I am making it up. Given my slow pace it means that I was in the saddle a long time to do 16 miles.

That evening I felt overtired and jagged and had a hard time getting to sleep. The next day, yesterday, I was exhausted. I managed only to go for a short walk. I wanted to nap but again too jagged. I am not used to exercise, I have a hard time judging too much versus too little.

This morning I am a bit better. I went for a four mile ride, nice and slow, but felt uncomfortable on the bike the whole time. Partly it is my rear end. Partly it is a loss of confidence. I was feeling good and strong and now I feel beat up.

I guess I am posting this to remind myself and other aging unfit people who are getting into riding that it takes time. Don't overdo it. I am backing off a bit on ride length and my monthly goals. I also have to see if my seat adjustment is goofed up.

A bit demoralizing. But I am not only overweight I am coming from no fitness at all and I am 56 years old. I have to be patient. I am not a patient person.

[Desert Tortoise]

Goldfinch, first of all congratulations on your weight loss and exercising. I know what you mean about not being fit and feeling the after effects of intense exercise. But look how far you've come! I'd love to be 28lbs lighter

Ok, so it got a little tough with recovery but you made it through. Maybe you over did it? Maybe you ought to pace yourself a little differently? Note, not less, just differently. For example, less hills but a little challenge on the flats. Or more hills and easy on the flats. Or back to basics, just ride comfortably and when you feel good and a little charge, push for a little challenge. This is your ride, enjoy it

On a side note, if your bottom is hurting you might want to let that recover well first. Everything else can feel great but if the bottom hurts, yikes nothing else matters

Keep up the good work!

dt

[jlnc]

Gold, the first time I rode 15 miles, I spent the next 2 days laying around, exhausted. It used to take forever for me to recover. Now, I do 15 miles as my normal rides, and am fine the next day. You will get to there! You sound very self aware in terms of your abilities and goals, so hang in there! Congrats on the weight loss!

[goldfinch]

Gold, the first time I rode 15 miles, I spent the next 2 days laying around, exhausted. It used to take forever for me to recover. Now, I do 15 miles as my normal rides, and am fine the next day. You will get to there! You sound very self aware in terms of your abilities and goals, so hang in there! Congrats on the weight loss!

It is nice to hear other people who have had similar experiences. Thanks!

The words 'couldn't get comfortable on my seat' and 'my right foot was going numb' jumped out at me here.

Have you had a professinal bike fitting?

Do you need a different saddle (bike seat)?

Both could make a huge difference to your perceived fitness and comfort.

Honestly, sounds like you're doing great with careful mileage. Just try and figure out what is causing the specific issues. Good work!

I think that I need to be fitted to my bike better. When I was riding between 5 and 10 miles it really wasn't much of an issue. Now it is a problem. I am in southern Iowa right now (I travel all the time). I'll see if I can hunt up a bike shop within a 100 miles.

What can I expect from a fitting?

[westtexas]

From a fitting you can expect the LBS person to measure the angle of your knee-bend as it goes around the full circle of pedaling, among many other things. The guys at my shop measure my shoulder width (I need smaller width bars, apparently!), the distance from my set to the head tube, the reach, my knee angle and many other aspects all to get that perfect feel. And then they say that after a while and your strength increases, you need to go back and be refit as you become more limber and strong. It's totally worth it!

Also, I second the statements of others that the first time you go real far, you hurt the next day. The first time I went 40 miles it took me two days to recover. Now 40 miles doesn't phase me. You'll get there. You just have to work at it and know that every day you are getting a little stronger.

[Owlie]

Anything over 20 left me feeling like I'd been run over last year. I did a 36-mile ride followed by 15 the following day, one day off, and then 20 the next. I could barely walk for the rest of the week. I don't push myself too much cardiovascularly on rides where I'm not quite comfortable with the length, but my leg muscles weren't quite up to the task.

[Bike Writer]

Don't feel demoralized, you have no reason to. When I read your post you have have a lot of accomplishments in it. A good sized weight loss, taking the first step to get healthier by starting a program that gets you exercise and get good fresh air and more importantly than taking the first step, you are continuing on even with some normal set back. Yes it can be discouraging when the body does not cooperate with our spirit which is eager to get back out and "do it again," but you will get to the place you want to be because it's easy to see you have abundant determination!

Be kind to your body and it will take you places with your bike you only dreamed of.

Keep up the good work.

[marni]

when I started riding it killed me ride a mile a day 2x a week. I was totally out of shape and way way overweight, not quite morbidly obese but close enough as made no difference.

When I finished the cross country ride a year ago, I spent five extra days in St. Augustine recovering, which consisted of me sleeping in very late, getting up, staggering out to find some breakfast, sitting and staring blankly with a cup of coffee, giving up, going back to the motel, sleeping until mid /late afternoon, then staggering out for a lunch/dinner- spending another hour or so with a cup of coffee staring blankly and then going back to the motel and going back to bed.

Mostly on the days I ride my schedule is to eat breakfast, ride, come home, prep my bike for the next ride, have lunch and then nap for 2-3 hours. Of sourse I do this on gym days as well so...

I guess the point I am making is that at a certain age, (I'm 63)you learn to pace yourself a bit and finally learn how to be gentle with yourself.

marni

[zoom-zoom]

I agree that a fitting is in order. You will be amazed by how much further you can go with the same level of effort on a bike that FITS (ask me how I know...).

Can I just say how proud I am of you? My mom is 66 and has given up. She is fragile. We joke about what a klutz she is (a year ago she broke her neck tripping on a step while going into the house), but it's really sad. She is physically so weak. She has asthma, yes...but so do I. I refuse to let it make me an overweight invalid (Ok, I am overweight, but I'm kinda kickass, too).

I hate that she won't even try to make herself stronger and healthier. Her excuses always start with "at my age..." There are people her age who have started running and ended up running marathons into their 70s and 80s. She is throwing away so much. And she fails to realize that so many of her ailments are because she is inactive. Her asthma would be better if her lungs were given regular workouts.

I love seeing women 10 years either direction of my mom who are not using age and/or weight as an excuse. I wish my mom had internet access so I could send her links to threads like this. She needs to see for herself that her only limit is herself.

[Velocivixen]

First off, congratulations on getting out there and doing something. I had been sedentary and overweight for years, and one thing I am reminded of is that I didn't get that way overnight, so I can't expect to lose weight and get fit overnight (I've lost over 100 lbs through eating less/better and moving more). So Rome wasn't built in a day.
My yoga instructor often reminded us to respect our bodies and recognize and accept that they are not the same each and every day. Our energy levels are different, or balance is different, etc. So recognize it, embrace it, be thankful for what your body is able to do today and don't compare to yesterday or tomorrow. Love yourself in the state you are in at this moment.
Hang in there and keep up the inspiring work.

[Bike Chick]

Hang in there, goldfinch, you are doing great. I'm 3 years younger than you, 10 pounds overweight, and have been riding about 6 years. The first ride I went on, DH got me 3 miles from home and I was freaking out because I didn't think I could make it back. We got home and crashed our exhausted bodies on the couch. Three years later, I started running and swimming and did my first triathlon.

I did my first time trial and road races two weeks ago in the Senior Olympics and it was a blast. I got beat in one time trial by a 74 year old! She was very strong, very fast and the same age as my mother (who is sedentary and failing terribly). There were a lot of us over 50's out there who are just getting started so don't let that stop you. It sure beats letting roots grow out your rear because you are sitting around so much!

I would agree that you need a bike fitting and maybe a new saddle. It might be the way the bike is set up and not you or you may even be riding the wrong size bike! Keep plugging along and stay with it.

[goldfinch]

Thanks all! I found a bike shop in Burlington Iowa that does fittings (according to the Internet). I'll call them this morning and see if I can get it and get some help. I am pretty sure that my bike is the right size. I did get help buying the right size bike from bike shops in Minneapolis and I have an extra small, 26 inch wheel, Quick 4. But I did not pay for the fancy bike fit process when I bought the bike.

[goldfinch]

Can I just say how proud I am of you? My mom is 66 and has given up. She is fragile. We joke about what a klutz she is (a year ago she broke her neck tripping on a step while going into the house), but it's really sad. She is physically so weak. She has asthma, yes...but so do I. I refuse to let it make me an overweight invalid (Ok, I am overweight, but I'm kinda kickass, too).

I hate that she won't even try to make herself stronger and healthier. Her excuses always start with "at my age..." There are people her age who have started running and ended up running marathons into their 70s and 80s. She is throwing away so much. And she fails to realize that so many of her ailments are because she is inactive. Her asthma would be better if her lungs were given regular workouts.

I love seeing women 10 years either direction of my mom who are not using age and/or weight as an excuse. I wish my mom had internet access so I could send her links to threads like this. She needs to see for herself that her only limit is herself.

I started my weight loss without thinking about it at all. Somehow I knew that if I started with a plan of attack I would never execute the plan. Instead, when I headed to Texas this past winter I started experimenting with food. My husband was not going to be with me for two months and he is a vegetarian. I though it would be fun to try to eat low carb by eating a bunch of meat and see what that did to my appetite. Well, it worked amazingly well. After a while I began counting calories as I knew that I would not remain low carb once spouse and I were hooked up again. I didn't weigh myself for three months and at that point I was shocked to see how much weight I had lost.

In my retirement I am a birder and photographer. This winter I spent the mornings for hours lugging around equipment and being on my feet. I was getting exercise and not really even knowing it.

I had tricked myself into losing weight and therefor motivated myself to lose more. I had found that activity is pleasurable without forcing myself into activity.

If I had thought about self motivation by "pulling myself up by my bootstraps" or "just doing it" or whatever kind of slogan is used to try to force yourself to do something I would fail. I can only succeed by doing what is pleasurable to me. Maybe your mother can find something that brings her pleasure and also helps towards good health.

[zoom-zoom]

I can only succeed by doing what is pleasurable to me. Maybe your mother can find something that brings her pleasure and also helps towards good health.

I think that's part of her problem...the things that bring her pleasure all involve sitting still for hours and eating...scrapbooking, reading, watching Packer games at the bar with friends. She refuses to try anything outside of her comfort zone and her history of injuries and lack of coordination (she broke her tailbone XC skiing 20 feet from our house and broke her arm tripping over a parking stone) keeps her from trying anything new.

I'm with you on low carb. I lost a ton of weight eating that way. I have 20 still to lose, but low-carb and intense aerobic exercise are hard to balance. I hate carefully counting carbs (or calories, for that matter), but it's easy to dip too low and then bonk during workouts if I don't make sure that I'm in a safe range.

Even though your DH is a vegetarian that shouldn't stop you from eating meat and lower carbs if that is what helps you to be healthier.

[goldfinch]

I understand. When I first retired things that brought me pleasure were doing bead work while watching HGTV and reading novels.

I got into birding through my sister. She got me outside identifying birds when I went to visit her in SoCal. It was addicting and appealed to the scientist that still remains in me that likes studying and categorizing.

So, I guess I should thank my dear sister for inspiring me to move around and do things.

Good news: My bike and I have an appointment tomorrow in Burlington, Iowa for a bike fitting.