Were you athletic as a kid?

[Crankin]

What a good question. I was a #1 klutz as a kid. But, looking back, I can see the spark was in there. I just grew up at the wrong time. I hated PE, and I have horrible eye hand coordination and a documented depth perception problem. So, all ball sports were out for me. Girls had 2 choices when I was a kid: skating or gymnastics. Oh yeah, field hockey and BB all in HS. I guess running was there, too. I flunked out of ballet but I did ice skate for 7-8 years until I got to middle school. I could never spin fast or jump high, but I love skating really fast around the rink. I WAS however, outside all of the time. I ran in the woods and played, built forts, and played "army," with the boys. I did have Barbies and dolls, but I lived at a time when your mom would say "Go outside and play," and we didn't come home until you heard her ringing a bell... I didn't learn to ride a bike until I was almost 10, but after that I rode constantly until age 15 or so. I lived in a suburb that had 7 hills. I was put in remedial PE "flab lab," because I flunked the physical fitness test, which consisted of things like shooting a basketball. But flab lab was running and calisthenics, which I loved. Moving to Florida stopped all of that. I did nothing in college except walk and I gained like 20 pounds during my first year of teaching. I started eating right first and then took a fitness class at ASU when I was in grad school and teaching. I tried running, but it hurt my feet, back, etc. Finally, in 1980 I joined a gym and started doing aerobics. I became obsessed, eventually became an instructor, had many injuries from overuse. I also did some weight training which I discovered I liked and I used to walk at 5 AM in Phx. It wasn't until moving back east that I discovered the outdoors. I learned to x country ski but only did that as a beginner for quite a few years, with my kids.

My husband got me on a mtb with slicks in 2000. I didn't have any trouble riding (I still rode once in awhile in the intervening years) or with the gears, but I had no endurance, even though I had been doing aerobic exercise for years. I stayed on that bike for 1.5 years. I had a minimum of trouble learning to clip in when I got my road bike and a just a little bit of trauma learning the STI shifters. But I made myself. I liked the added speed! However, I still am not good with cornering and descending. I am afraid of downhills in any sport. But, this year I think I have improved a bit. I wear a Camelbak on any ride longer than 20 or so miles, because my water bottle skills aren't great. I worked on them this year, but I can take my left hand off the bar, but not the right . As for mountain biking, I think I am like Emily. I am a wuss... I love being on the trails, but tend to bail and walk with real technical stuff. A few times I have done incredibly hard stuff on the trail and then the next week, I couldn't do it! So, here I am, at 53 and some people, like my friends who do nothing, think I'm a super athlete. Yet, I feel like a poseur when I'm around others. I think my childhood experiences defintely color my attitude. Half my problems are in my head.
This is waaay too long!

[jeannierides]

What great stories!

I was active as a child - bikes, walking everywhere, softball in the front yard. I was never very good at sports - too skinny, nearsighted, and possibly just plain sissy! I was terrible in PE - was the last picked for the *games*... I preferred reading or playing with Barbies... until I discovered boys - and <<ahem>> pardon me girls, but I was going to marry Paul!
I took aerobics in the '80's, went off and on to the gym. Hated Hated sweating!

Until I turned 50! The weight had crept up, and I joined WW, started walking to lose weight, then running. My SO hooked me up with a beautiful bike, so I started road cycling. It was scary at first - and I'm still not so much into the *accessories* for bikes - running is much easier: all you need is a good pair of shoes! Getting used to the bike wasn't so bad - I do think once you know how to ride, you know how to ride. But riding a skinny-tired road bike was a little different than my cruiser back in the day. Clipping in and out was a bit of a challenge, but I was game.
And the end of that story - or is it the beginning - is that I love cycling. I'm not fast, and after a couple of months off the bike, I'm sure I won't be strong for a while, but I love it! I feel free and like a kid again. But it also makes me feel strong and independant - like a grownup woman!

[GLC1968]

I was very athletic as a child. Like a few other's here, I did pretty much everything well, but nothing supremely well. I was always the first or second girl picked in gym or for pick-up games, but in my mind, I needed to be as good as the boys, so I was always trying to be better at everything. I started ice skating at 8 and soccer when I was in 3rd grade (on a boys team...there were no girls teams). I was coordinated and could pick up just about anything pretty quickly. I was also extremely competitive and a bit of a tomboy.

In Jr. High I played soccer, basketball, volleyball, tennis, swam and I still skated, was a cheerleader and ran track. In highschool, I played tennis, soccer and club football (my dad was a quarterback and taught me how to throw a kick a$$ spiral when I was 10), did a lot of hiking and canoeing. In college, it was rugby and tennis mostly. I really wanted to play waterpolo because it was coed (and I could compete against boys), but I developed a sensitivity to chlorine and had to pass. After college, I learned to ski (picked it up in a day or two) and started weight-lifting and playing softball. I also coached soccer and rugby.

I'd learned to ride a bike when I was about 8, but hadn't really done it much since learning to drive. When I bought a mountain bike (after college), I took to it like a fish takes to water.

I bought my first road bike (as an adult) almost 2 years ago and aside from a slight balance issue (that turned out to be from riding a bike that was way too big for me) I picked it up right away. I even started out clipless and never had any issues. I do think that my athleticism has helped me...tremendously. I see it as I have started trying to help some of my girl friends who were never very atheletic start biking. Some of their 'issues' are foriegn to me (fear of falling, fear of getting hurt, coordination challenges, etc)...so I do think that there is a difference. Of course, if I'd never ridden with these women from the start, I'd have had no idea how easy I had it.

[Cha Cha]

Growing up, my skills and thus interests were in two major areas - academics and music - and I did really well in both. In middle school, the first half of the year our gym class was swimming lessons. Hated it. Even regular gym was better than that...

Really got into aerobics in high school / college (early-mid 80s) and enjoyed that a lot. I've taken various dance classes since then, and while I have very little talent, enjoyed it a lot. It's hard to stay mad or upset about anything for long once you strap on some tap shoes!

Started riding actively in December, and am so hooked!!! Last evening my DBF and I were riding indoors with the Spinervals Bending Crank Arms dvd, and it so rocked. Sure was hard, and I imagine I"ll have some major soreness tonight, but whatev. There's one part when Coach Troy says "This is serious training for serious athletes", and my wonderful sweet DBF said "That's what you are!" Coming from him especially (and he is a very serious athlete), it felt so amazing. Between that, the sense of accomplishment I felt, and all the endorphins, he said my eyes were sparkling after the workout. Whoo hoo!!!

So yep, it sure is a rush! And at 42, a very very different way to think of myself. Very cool.

Amy

[emily_in_nc]

Growing up, my skills and thus interests were in two major areas - academics and music - and I did really well in both. In middle school, the first half of the year our gym class was swimming lessons. Hated it. Even regular gym was better than that...

Really got into aerobics in high school / college (early-mid 80s) and enjoyed that a lot. I've taken various dance classes since then, and while I have very little talent, enjoyed it a lot. It's hard to stay mad or upset about anything for long once you strap on some tap shoes!

Started riding actively in December, and am so hooked!!! Last evening my DBF and I were riding indoors with the Spinervals Bending Crank Arms dvd, and it so rocked. Sure was hard, and I imagine I"ll have some major soreness tonight, but whatev. There's one part when Coach Troy says "This is serious training for serious athletes", and my wonderful sweet DBF said "That's what you are!" Coming from him especially (and he is a very serious athlete), it felt so amazing. Between that, the sense of accomplishment I felt, and all the endorphins, he said my eyes were sparkling after the workout. Whoo hoo!!!

So yep, it sure is a rush! And at 42, a very very different way to think of myself. Very cool.

Amy

Amy - We sound kinda similar growing up (except that I was not seriously into music, just academics -- and boys!) I too discovered aerobic dance, starting in college. Started going to the gym after college and taking aerobics classes, which was the first really athletic thing I'd done in my life, but I was not in very good shape compared to now - I only dabbled in it compared to the things I do for fitness now. Asthma held me back at that time somewhat as I didn't take any medication then, so that limited how hard I could push myself.

I started road cycling in my 20s and rode off and on (sometimes several years off at a time) since then, but only really got "serious" about it at age 42, just like you. When I was called an "athlete" for the first time in my life, I was 43. I can still remember what a high it was to be called that!

I don't road ride as much now as I used to for a variety of reasons, but I cross train like crazy. I now hike, run, walk, kayak, sail, mountain bike (very much a newbie), lift, ride the trainer, and still, sometimes, road ride. Yes, I am an athlete now at almost 46 years old, and d*mn proud of it!!!

Good for you for making the transition too!

Emily