I celebrated my 44th birthday today with a 20-mile ride.

[Biciclista]

well, 20 miles is a very good beginning of your cycling career. It took me a long time before i felt strong enough to ride that far. All I can say is keep riding!

and Welcome to TE

[channlluv]

Thank you for the welcome.

I think I'm kind of driven because of so many life changes heading my way. I want to up my confidence level as much as possible before the divorce stuff really gets underway (he hasn't filed yet, and I don't want to, so this could be a while). I know I need to exercise to get this weight off, for starters. My diet's actually not that bad. I eat a lot of organic fruits and veggies, no fast food, limited red meat, lots of fish and whole grains, and so on, so I think I just need to up the calorie burn to see some results.

I just spent some time with my mother over the summer, too, and saw first hand all the health issues she's dealing with. Diabetes, high blood pressure, migraines, shortness of breath, and so on. She's also very overweight, although she's lost thirty pounds over the summer just walking around her neighborhood.

She's scheduled to have lapband surgery this month - she's got a couple more doctor evaluations to go through, and then she's having it done. She offered to pay for mine.

I opted to get on the bike instead.

If I can avoid injuries or infections, I think I'll be able to do this. I like riding. I like being outside, and I live in Southern California, so I'm blessed weather-wise.

Am I going too fast? Is 20 miles too much too soon?

Thanks again for the welcome. I've already learned so much reading these boards the last few days.

CL

[sgtiger]

Welcome and congrats on your first twenty mile ride, channlluv! I'm sorry to hear about the dissolution of your marriage. Whether it was a long time coming or not, it's never an easy thing. I'm glad that you've decided to channel that energy into something positive like cycling. I hope that it will help you through any of the rough patches that may be coming. I'm, also, very happy for you that you are taking steps towards a healthier you.

Am I going too fast? Is 20 miles too much too soon?
CL

That all depends on how you feel. If your muscles are a bit sore and tired, well, that's to be expected. Take plenty of fluids and either take a short, slow ride or a walk tomorrow to help flush out your achy muscles. If you feel completely wiped out for the next few days and have almost flu-like symptoms then you may have overdone it and may want to back off a wee bit. If that happens then movement is necessary even though every cell in your body may scream at you not to. Just take it slow-as slow as you need to but keep moving a little bit throughout the day and remember to drink plenty of water.

At least that is what I did the times I over did it. I really noticed a difference on how quickly my body would recover from those times if I FORCED myself to take a walk or even do some light exercises. I find Tai-Chi to be an excellent exercise to help flush out lactic acid and well I couldn't move very fast if I wanted to anyway. YMMV

BTW, I think 12-15 mph starting out is very good. I started out doing 8 mph and had to work up to doing a 10 mile ride my first month. 'Course I didn't ride everyday like you.

The best of luck,

Soo
aka sg"pokey"tiger

[BleeckerSt_Girl]

BTW, I think 12-15 mph starting out is very good. I started out doing 8 mph and had to work up to doing a 10 mile my first month. 'Course I didn't ride everyday like you.

Hey you got nothin' on ME!- I started out at 8mph average and it's taken me TWO YEARS to get to a 10mph average!
I'm just happy to be alive and riding my bike- I'm so lucky!

Chanlluv- like you I have a very supportive bike-savvy husband who has been with me all the way on this. We love nothing better than to ride our bikes together. (he's perfectly happy to go a bit slower when riding with me)
How much better can it get?