Woke up middle-aged, 45 pounds overweight, and looking for my bicycles!

[ibcycling]

Whadya mean it rains a lot there?

I was kinda wondering the same thing. Doesn't rain much at all here!

Lora

[deedolce]

Jayjay,
Welcome! I loved hearing about your 'competitive' thinking - and getting back on a bike will make it come back to you, and it' s a great motivator! Especially when , after time, you start passing other riders after having everyone pass you! (I'm just getting to that point!) I love the feeling of being 'all that' when I get out on my bike. At least I am, compared to my invisible, polite, middle-aged mild mannered school teacher persona. ON a bike I transform into a bad-a** dynamo in lycra, racing young male roadies out of stop lights after riding 60+ miles!

It's a joy to ride a bike!

[sandra]

Heft on Wheels: A Field Guide to Doing a 180, by Mike Magnuson. It's out in paperback now, for around $12 or so from Amazon.

You can get it at half.com for way less than this. (hardback even)

[jayjay]

... ON a bike I transform into a bad-a** dynamo in lycra, racing young male roadies out of stop lights after riding 60+ miles! ...

Deedolce, you've probably ridden in my neck of the woods, if on occasion if you ride long distances from Davis, in the Westward direction. I see lots of Davis folks on my mountian....

[elk]

I came here thinking I'd only stay for a day or 2 and almost 300 posts later I feel like I know SO much more than when I started..

but most inspiring to me is that some of the women here who I really look up to are only themselves just into the groove.

TE is a great place...even when I go riding alone, I never feel lonely...

choice? ain't it the truth.!? ..it's the whole ball game....

[sandra]

I know exactly what you mean. I thought I'd post a few times and get a little info and now 400 something posts later, I wonder what all I've said!

I've learned so much. This is a great group of women!!! It's apparent, I'm not going anywhere.

[SandyLS]

Jayjay,
I was just about your age when a light went on for me. I joined Weight-Watchers, lost 40 lbs. and recieved a pair of rollerblades from my teenage son as a birthday gift. How great was that? My son actually thought his middle-aged Mom might be able to learn how to blade with him. I never did get good at it but loosing the weight gave me confidence that I could do almost anything. At age 53 I became a certified scuba diver, at 56 I decided I'd like to do some bike riding. This year I turned 60. Most of the weight is still gone although it is a struggle to keep it off. I did my first century ride this Aug. and have done two multi-day tours of over 300 miles each tour. I have a daughter that once told me when I was about 52, "You know Mom, you're not really middle aged anymore. How many 104 year old people do you know?" Thanks, Kid! What does she know she's only 32. It did make me realize though how short our life in this world is. Best wishes Jayjay for living yours to the fullest.

[shewhobikes]

You will find plenty of encouragement and good info here among the sistahs of TE.

I can't imagine where I'd be today (mentally or physically) if I had not gotten on the bike in Feb of '05. My marriage was deteriorating rapidly, I had 2 teenagers at home and a very busy job. I was stressed to the max, discovered cycling, and found my outlet; hey, endorphins, welcome back!!!

Cycling, and my cycling buddies (men and women), got me through a divorce and the raising of those teenagers (1 still at home, doing great, the other now a sophomore in college in CT). In addition to the fitness, the pure social fun of it, and the self-confidence it brings, is just unbeatable. There are plenty of us 50-plus gals out on the road, all shapes and sizes. Go find some!
Best of luck to you, and keep checking in! Lots of cheerleaders here...

[ClockworkOrange]

Hi Jayjay

Congrats on winning the bid.

Let us know what you think of the book.

Clock

[vmax]

One of the reasons that I found this site is that I need the encouragement to start riding -- big time and perhaps do a few races next year. I also need to lose 15-20 lbs which crept up on me -- like out of nowhere, honest
It has nothing to do with the fact that I went into a funk after an LTR went south and I gave up exercise for some bizarre reason -- became a couch potato of all things -- egads. I started bike riding 2 years ago and fell in love with it. Have been doing solo rides and am now ready for the challenge of a group ride (aka motivation), perhaps a century ride and a race or two next year. I need to push the limits of my very limited biking skills next year. I intend to keep rolling -- on and on into the sunset.

Try to set some personal goals for yourself, find a support network, and stay focused. As my wise Father used to say, "There's no such word as can't." I plan to begin wind surfing next summer -- I refuse to grow up and "act my age".

Hang in there -- and keep posting,

- Vivian

[Susan126]

Oh please continue with your story Jayjay! And you ask the question, “Have we (I) been there?!” Oh my goodness yes! I used to run a lot when I was in my 30s and 40s. Then I had back surgery when I was 42 years old and all running had to stop. In fact why let just running stop? I went for it all. Yep, all forms of exercise completely came to a big HALT! I put on 35 pounds and my once lean hard muscles turned to jiggly jello-y flab! It was horrible! But worse than that my mind went into a depressed state. My husband and kids were concerned. Then in 1999 Joe (my wonderful hubby) suggested we start cycling. I was half hearted but agreed. We bought entry-level mountain bikes and started riding the local trails. We met people and joined a bike club. Before I knew it I was excited about life again. I found something that I had lost and I felt great. I started losing the weight I had gained, my strength and endurance returned but most important I was happy again. In 2001 we added road biking. So today Joe and I are avid avid mountain bikers and road cyclists! And you will be there again too Jayjay. The ladies here at TE will help you with a plethora of encouragement. These ladies are really great when it comes to encouraging others.

Welcome and please keep us up to date on your progress! In a year you’ll look back on today and you will be a much happier person! I’m positive of that because I look back at what I was and every time I do I get this big grin on my face! You have to start by taking that first pedal!

Ride On Jayjay!

And again, WELCOME!

[MM_QFC!]

Whadya mean it rains a lot there?

a bit o' TD: yep, nothing but rain...poor ol' soggy, soaked, moss-between-the-toes Seattle! (I admit to good naturedly perpetuating the thinking that it rains all the time here)

I moved to the NW many years ago from a location noted for idyllic aka vacation weather - the Caribbean (after having grown up in NYC area). I've found that the rain doesn't really stop anyone from continuing to participate in whatever their favorite outdoor activity or sport is...and we don't really get harsh temps in either direction or more rainfall...but it does rain more often here and there is that 11-shades of gray factor in the winter. No place does blue and green like Seattle though, right web-footed neighbors?!!

[teigyr]

No place does blue and green like Seattle though, right web-footed neighbors?!!

Very true. And oddly enough, where I lived in California (southern, even!) had more annual rainfall. The difference is down there it was in clustered storms, in the PNW it is this constant dripping. Kinda

Actually it's not that bad. Mostly.

[blueskies]

Actually it's not that bad. Mostly.

Easy to say now. Let's talk again in February.

[teigyr]

Easy to say now. Let's talk again in February.

Yeah. I've been here 5 years or so and every year, around that time, I whine and say I want to go home back to SoCal. Periodically I would threaten to move back but since I got married up here, well, that'd be rude. I think?