I started mountain biking last May with my long-time rider husband. I am attacking the downhill with reckless abandon, got my first bloody scrapes (*****in!) and wonder when the day will come when I will stop clipping tags of my bike clothes. Problem is, I have an extremely hard time climbing! I ride an hour each day to work (including a mile-long hill), do not smoke, am 28 and live at high altitude, and get in 1 or 2 mtn bike rides each week. Can someone tell me how long I must wait before I will see some lung improvement? I know that practice and consistency is important, also (I just learned from another posting on this site) that HOW you breath is important. All I need is a little encouragement and some light at the end of the up-hill tunnel. I have friends who smoke and can climb longer than I can. Thank you, everyone. I'm new to this site and can already tell I will frequent it a lot.