Anyone else feel this way?

[BleeckerSt_Girl]

FABULOUS!!!!!! I can really FEEL your joy and pride in a job WELL DONE!!!
I am so very happy for you.
Facing fearful things sometimes reveals that the threat is not quite as big as it seemed to us in the dark. Congratulations, fellow adventurer.

from a fellow huffer and puffer....

[Crankin]

Good job, Denise. A few words about your warm up. For some people, their body just needs a longer time to warm up. Also, i have read you should increase your warm up time as you get older, a little bit more for each year (there was an exact number of minutes I read, but I forget). I have been riding for almost 6 years and no matter what, i always feel horrible for the first 20-30 minutes, or 10-12 miles. So this means on my after work loop rides, I feel like crap for about half of the ride!! On my longer rides, I take the time to go very slowly for awhile. It helps your muscles and you might be surprised to see that it also helps your breathing get regulated. After about an hour and a half, i often feel like I could go forever. I'm a little older than you, and I have found that it's becoming even more important as each year goes by. On Friday I go to a club ride that just goes out fast as h---. I am always swearing to myself and wanting to quit for the first few miles. Most of the riders are older than me, I don't know how they can do this. But after the first part, I usually end up with the front group. Everyone is different, but it works for me. This is even more important if you are going to be riding as the weather gets cooler.
It would be cool to me you someday. I suspect you have been riding near where I live. Keep up the good work!

Robyn

[mimitabby]

I live on a hill (part of town called beacon hill) and every ride we ever went on
for years, i got cramps in my legs for the first few miles!!
But then it just as mysteriously went away as i got into better shape.

I used to carefully do all those stretches, but now i don't until we are on a big ride and i do them at breaks, not at the beginning.

Denise, i am really pleased to see how well youare doing! I almost didn't see your ride report because you didn't put it in the ride report place.

Every single accomplishment is an important one. Us fraidy cats, we have additional battles aside from the typical i feel too lazy. so when we do stuff, it's doubly impressive!
Keep it up, i am happy to see your progress!

[Bad JuJu]

Wow, Denise, you are hooked now, aren't you? Brava to you for facing your fears and learning what you can do!

I wanted to say that in your search for a bag, you might check out the Arkel bag that looks like a small rear pannier but morphs into a backpack when you take it off the rack. It's handy if you think you're going to be getting off the bike and want to carry your stuff with you, for example, into a restaurant. This bag used to be called the Ladybug, but I think they've given it a less gender-specific name now.

Anyway, just an idea. Have fun!

[emily_in_nc]

Congratulations, Denise! A job well done on both rides - the 10 mile solo and the 20 mile from your house. I know firsthand how hard it can be to conquer your cycling fears (see my post in the "First Road Ride in 10 months" thread), so I truly admire what you have done.

Fantastic job!

Emily

[DeniseGoldberg]

Congrats Denise - you've come such a long way, and you definitely should be proud of yourself.

On the not liking the backpack front - don't rule out a Camelbak because you didn't like riding with a day pack. I won't ride with a day pack - I find them extremely uncomfortable - but my Camelbak doesn't bother me at all. Of course my camelbak is a Rogue, which is one of the models that doesn't have room to carry a lot of stuff. There is the bladder for water, and a couple of small zip spaces that I use for energy bars, ID, and my keys. You might still need a pack for a rear rack. If you do decide to go that way, the Arkel TailRider is an awesome bag.

--- Denise

[emily_in_nc]

Another thing to try is a Camelbak waist pack. They don't hold as much liquid (48 oz., I think), but once I start riding, I never even notice I have it on. I'm not crazy about regular Camelbaks because of the extra weight/heat on my back, but I love my waistpack for mountain biking. Even with the extra bouncing around, it never bothers me a bit!

Emily