Racing heart...is this just a stamina thing?

[missymaya]

Hey there sara,
I'm not a medical expert or sports expert but this is what I've experienced:
I've been a competitive athlete all of my life, so when I stopped rowing and started riding, I wanted to compete. But I knew I had to build base miles and those base miles took some time to accomplish. My body needed time to change, including my heart. Even though I was in great shape, riding hills were just down right tough for me, my heart rate would spike and my lungs would burn. I just needed hill work. I think the same applies. You haven't done this a lot, in fact, you just started, so your body needs some time and mileage to adjust to the new routine. After you get some mileage under your seat, you'll find that certain hills will get easier without the spiking heart rate and you'll get faser too. As for the heart murmur and asthma, I am fortunate not to experience either but make sure you talk to your doc about your activities and how they might affect those conditions.
Don't back down, just keep riding and ride at a level that you know works for you. You'll get there

[Python]

What everyone forgets is that the heart is a muscle too (got told this when my hubby had a heart attack 3 years ago from the medical staff) so just like your legs, it takes time to build up it's strength. I got the heart racing like it would explode thing when I first started cycling late last year. I've been riding regularly (commuting to work - and it's uphill all the way back) and gradually I've been getting better. It was quite hard work today because there was a fairly strong headwind - enough to make me consider getting off the bike and walking. I made it up the hill a bit slower than usual. Normally it takes me 17 minutes to get home now. Today it took 19 because of the wind. I was a bit out of breath when I came home (I'm an asthmatic too but stopped all medication about 18 months ago myself). Everything came back to normal within about 5 minutes.

For the record, since I started cycling my asthma has all but gone and I breathe much more deeply now so my lungs are strengthening too even though I still smoke.

Keep at it. Things will get better