High heart rate on hills

[kat_h]

How experienced are you as a cyclist and as an athlete in general?

Complete newbie compared to everyone here.

How much have you trained before?

Never deliberately trained. I've had periods where the bike has been my only form of transport and I unicycle for fun but it's only in the last nine months that I've really started to ride a lot, and only since I bought my Jake last month that I've even attempted hills. I want to bike the Highwood loop this summer - highway 40 through Kananaskis - so I need to be able to climb.

The good thing is that hills are also where fitness gains are the fastest and most noticeable.

I like the sound of that.

I agree with Oakleaf's advice to mind your breathing. Also, try to take the hill as easily as possible, even if it's really, really slow, so slow in fact you might fall over You can go as slow as 5 kmh without falling if you have a triple. Focus on your breathing and heartrate, keeping everything under control. If it's not under control, go slower, or stop for a few seconds, then start again.

Will do. That's exactly the sort of advice I'm looking for. There's a hill near me that I'm planning to practice on because it's fairly short and very low traffic. I'm just waiting for some of the ice to melt.

Good luck. And, yeah, see a cardiologist. Don't let your family doctor tell you not to worry about it, request a reference...

Unfortunately I don't even have a family doctor right now. He had to retire suddenly due to his own health problems and couldn't find anyone to take over his practice. I've been trying to find a new doctor but haven't had any success yet. If I had a doctor I would go.