Noob and then some

[silver]

Sooo... on to the happy stuff. I LOVE my bike. It's a Trek 7500 multitrack. I chose a hybrid because, while I'll be primarily on roads, they're are not always in great shape; and I have 2 sons, so I'll do some rougher trails from time-to-time.
I have no idea about the techinical questions you asked about my bike! How impt is it to know those things right now?

How did ya'll start out training? I'd love to hear about your early days! Again, many thanks for the welcome and support. E.

The technical stuff is not important to know now. I just asked because that's stuff that we talk about sometimes and....because I'm a technical stuff geek. It's Probably some of the stuff that sounds "foreign" to you. We generally talk about that stuff in terms of how it is functioning for us.

the most important thing is to have fun and ride safe (hope you're wearing a helmet my personal soapbox cause one saved my life)

I started out thinking that 5 miles was a long way, worked up to 13, thought that was terribly long, then 30, etc. I find it very addicting. My DH has just started riding and has experienced some pain from doing too much to soon, so there's no hurry to add miles. Taking your time will help your muscles, tendons and ligaments develop to handle the work.

Is this your bike?



http://www2.trekbikes.com/bikes/bike...d=1340600&f=27

Cool bike!!!! Just FYI, your bike is made of aluminum and mostly shimano Deore components

Welcome!!!

[uforgot]

Okay, okay, I was wrong about esmerelda. Welcome to you! You'll get a lot of good information here.

Snarky??? I wasn't nagging, I didn't even complain, I even said I was amused. I was being serious when I said today's teens are creative and intelligent. Gee, how many of us have pulled stuff like that in the past? (My hand goes up) Jaded? I prefer to think that I'm always ready for the unexpected, on my toes. I just thought maybe people should think about their posts and how anyone can get on here. We don't really know who a lot of people are, and their intent. End of safety lecture.

My apologies esmerelda. Have a good time on your bike!

[cricket]

Any advice for an absolute beginner who has big plans to do a metric century in October? Biking is a new sport to me - I usually do martial arts, but I don't currently have a school to train at, so I'm trying something new. I need some training tips - should I be working on the eliptical machine or is there something else I should be focusing on?

[Zen]

Do you have a bike now? If so, get out and ride. Maybe get simple cycling computer that will track mileage. Set a time frame and see how far you can go in that time. Then do the same ride and try to improve your time.
Vary your routes
Learn to love hills
Find a riding partner.
Throw in a couple spin classes until you get comfortable on the bike, they'll improve your aerobic, build muscles, and you might meet some fellow road riders in there.

You've got Plenty of time.

[Mr. Bloom]

Any advice for an absolute beginner who has big plans to do a metric century in October? Biking is a new sport to me - I usually do martial arts, but I don't currently have a school to train at, so I'm trying something new. I need some training tips - should I be working on the eliptical machine or is there something else I should be focusing on?

Disclaimer: I'm a man. I'm not historically athletic. I'm also a newbie.

I started with ellipticals, but I always used constant RPM settings. Big Mistake! Using intervals really helped me in conditioning for cycling.

Four months into it, I've had one week where I did two 30 milers, two 50 milers and one 70.

You'll be able to do the metric...I bet you'll be able to exceed your wildest expectations! Stick with it and don't get discouraged!

Some of my evolution in the following posts:
http://forums.teamestrogen.com/showt...ht=Silver+kill

http://forums.teamestrogen.com/showt...ht=Silver+kill

http://forums.teamestrogen.com/showt...Silver+cyclist

http://forums.teamestrogen.com/showthread.php?t=14389

This is a great forum and the ladies are very protective of the special environment that it represents...even with a token male or two as members.

[esmerelda]

Morning all! I so appreciate the advice from all of you. In fact there are too many of you to thank individually. (Yep, Silver, that's my bike. Thanks for telling me what I got. LOL)

Two terms I'm not getting -- IDC? Metric? And okay, a third, DH (da husband? maybe I don't get it because I don't have one).

And most importantly, thank you to my dear friend, Lady in White. You know I love you dearly and that you're my inspiration for becoming healthier through fitness. I've seen the difference cycling has made in your life -- positively transforming. You're my role model. (But don't get too full of yourself. We can bring you down. heheh)

Have a wonderful day, all. S.

[LadyinWhite]

**group hug!!**

[SouthernBelle]

Metric = Metric Century = 100 km, about 62 miles.

DH = Dear or Damn Husband

IDC, not sure.