Quote Originally Posted by hgrill02 View Post
I just started riding in January and have been faithful to ride on the weekends and have been taking spin classes for a month now two nights a week.

This may just be a personal thing with me since I am out of shape and new to riding but I rode yesterday, 30 miles, got home and was ready for more, I had so much energy. Tonight at spin class I could NOT keep up! It was a recovery class too...i'm so disapointed that I feel so out of it today. ...
So am I alone in this? Where is all my energy going and why am I not getting stronger yet???
Heather, You say you are out of shape. You are only riding on the weekends, and have only been doing spin classes twice a week for 4 weeks so far. Assuming you were not doing much exercise before all this, I would say it is NORMAL for you to be exhausted after a 30 mile ride.
Jeez, when I started biking I was pretty out of shape and I thought i would DIE every time I pumped up a hill! It would leave me gasping for air and my heart racing like mad. And a TEN mile ride would exhaust me for the day! After 6 months of biking between 10 and 30 mile rides about 5 times a week, I got into much better shape and the hills did not make me feel like I was about to have a heart attack. I breath heavily on steep hills now and my heart is pumping faster, but I am not in real discomfort and distress like I was before. It takes MONTHS of regular riding and/or spinning to make a difference- you can't really expect to feel stronger after somewhat intermittant exercise for a month or so.
Keep at it and soon you will notice real improvement. Stay on top of your doctor and your medications- if they are making you feel bad, then QUESTION them. In any case, whether you stay on heart drugs or not, regular workouts should eventually make your heart stronger and healthier.
Good luck and hang in there!