I am so glad I started this thread! This issue has been hanging over my head since college (yeah, so a good 20 years). I will probably go to a doctor just to get an idea of what I should and should not be doing. What kind of doctor do you go to? Sports physiologist? How do you find a good one (don't take this the wrong way, but I'd like to see someone who works out himself/herself so they understand why I'm asking the whacky questions I'm asking, you know?)

emily_in_nc: I'm 39 yrs old...I'd had that in my other posts so didn't bring it up again. It never even occurred to me that being older might be the reason I need a longer warm up. I'd never heard that before and have always had a pretty long warm up period anyway. I guess in a way I thought it was age-related because I figured I must be naturally losing my conditioning as I age. Can I just say how happy I am to hear so many others who need more than the pre-requisite 5-10 mins to warmup???

With regards to weight training; it really is seeming to me to mostly be a muscle issue, less so a cardio issue. I have been lifting weights off and on since I was 15 or 16 yrs old, and for a good portion of that time I went for build, not toning. But, I've never before had my muscles hot (lactic acid buildup) for more than 24 hrs at most. This is so unusual for me. On the other hand, Emily, you make an excellent point. My pulse had always gone down extremely quickly. I notice it is not doing that as much on the hills in the warmup (it still is on the hills after I've been riding for a while). Must just be my physiology. I think I need to find some way around riding the hills immediately from the start...the more I read your posts and the more I consider the issue, the more concerned I am that my heart is working so very hard at the start and not coming down like it should.

On the other hand, the lowest my resting pulse had ever been when I was younger was 70-some bpm. I wore the monitor all night last night, and my average was 58bpm! That's phenominal for me (I was a REALLY active kid, so in high school and college I would think it should have been much lower than the 170's). I think I need to wear it a second night to make sure there was no malfunction

There are races here out at the local car race track and my BF is going to try his hand at that today. Apparently, you can bring your bike and run around the track as a ride before the races begin (even if you aren't racing). I am going to bring my bike (if I don't chicken out) and see what happens. It's all flat of course, plenty of time to warm up and it's a very cool day today. I suppose this will be a good test to learn if I need a flat long warm up and to see if I can keep my heart rate in a training zone continuously for an hour.

And Hakberg, once I'm warmed up, I am comfortable at about 89% of my max (assuming 184 IS my max). I get really bored when it gets down to 79% and feel like I'm coasting along. At 89% I am breathing deep but regular, not beet-red-faced and feel like I could ride forever. I do not know what others feel...