So long

[biking4health]

Wow, this is a great thread. I rode my bike as a kid and a little more seriously in my mid thirties, but now I'm 51 and about 90 pounds overweight. I started riding (Trek 800 MTB) for my health about three weeks ago. My longest ride to date is 3.34 miles in about 22 minutes. I'm concentrating on keeping a steady pace pedaling and learning how to use the gears. I won't break any speed or distance records, but I feel so much better.

My goal is to be able to ride 5 miles by the time the snow and ice hit later this year. I try to ride a couple times during the week and on Saturday and Sunday.

Thanks for all the great suggestions and kindness shown to "newbies".

Carol

[mimitabby]

Hey Carol, unless it snows soon, I bet you'll make your goal long before winter.
It is great that you are out there doing it.
My husband always said if you can do x miles, you can add another 20%
for the next ride (if you wanted to) so by his reckoning, you're just about there!

keep up the good work, hearing from gals like you is inspirational.

[mimitabby]

My son is a macho dude who has to learn everything by doing it himself.
Fortunately for us, he has always ridden with a bike helmet (from a very young age) so this was never an issue. He had taken to riding without gloves and protective glasses.
On a ride recently a large insect hit him so close to his eye that his eye teared for miles. He came home and found his glasses after that one. He told me he was glad it wasn't a bee.
Then he was horsing around with his girlfriend this year; she actually grabbed his handlebars and he went down hard on his hand, wearing no gloves.
What a mess! He had to go to the ER twice, the second time was because the first time they didn't pick alll of the rocks out of the deep wound. He has a horrible scar (his hands are already scarred up from other incidents) but
it took forever to heal. he wears his gloves now...

[biking4health]

I try to add a little more distance each week or have a different destination in mind. I will probably try the library next week

Thanks for the encouragment.

[eclectic]

I try to add a little more distance each week or have a different destination in mind. I will probably try the library next week

Thanks for the encouragment.

Welcome!

Keep us up to date on your progress - I am sure you'll be amazed at how well you do and we want to rejoice with you!

[BleeckerSt_Girl]

These are my favorite gloves:
http://www.teamestrogen.com/products.asp?pID=12604
I went to a store that had LOTS of gloves, including many for women. I tried them all on and was amazed at how many were not comfortable at all. These however, felt miles more comfy than all the rest, and so I just had to get them. I have a pretty small woman's hand, and the women's Medium size fit me best.

[BleeckerSt_Girl]

Carol,
Good for YOU, out there on your bike!! Join the happy club here!
My method is just to increase a little whenever what I've been doing seems easy and I feel like going a bit more. What could be simpler? I keep my goals do-able so I don't get discouraged. Works for me!

[CyclChyk]

I luckily have my husband to ride with, altho its rather frequent that he will leave me high and dry, all by myself, pushing along at my own pace (needless to say his legs are much stronger than mine so he leaves me in the dust). But what I found works for me, is that when I have crested the 12 mile mark and feel that I just can't go anymore, I slip into an easier gear and remind myself that I am not a quitter (I started at about 9 miles in an hour's time 6 weeks ago and now am about 14 miles in an hour's time). Its like I get my second wind and after that slight breather on that easy gear, I'm changing it back up and adding distance beyond my initial goal. Some nights are better than others, but I have progressed quickly, and you will too, before you even realize its happened.

[RoadRaven]

Well... I have little to add to everything the other TE gals have said...

Just want to stress that it is very important with goals to make them SMART...

Specific
Measurable
Acheivable
Realistic
Time-bound

With emphasis for you on Realistic and Achievable
When we make goals too big, they become things that just disilliusion us.

Example... I started training for a 10km fun ride with my youngest children in September 2004
One of my goals in 2005 was to ride 50km
One of my goals this year is to ride 100km - so far this year my longest ride has been 83km.

The point of my post is to remind you that steady riding at steady speeds is extremely important as part of your training programme.
So is patience.

While I have no interest (at the moment - never say never, huh?) in entering a 100km or 100mile event, and prefer to focus on short rides which mean most of my training rides are 20-50km long, I do wish to know I can do longer rides... I do wish to be able to go on some of the training rides my partner and eldest son do (their Sunday rides are often 120-160km long)... so I have set my goals.

But I have set my goals acknowledging my age (41), my limited training base (nearly two years), limitations on my training (I work a 40 hour week and have five children which both take a considerable amount of energy and time).

Next year my goal will be an imperial century (100 miles/160km)...

Have fun, relax and enjoy the little milestones - added up they become huge!!!