Can't Breathe up Hills!!

[cylegoddess]

I have that quote but only cos I started riding to conquer chronic and terrifying illness( yes! I am on my bike,well not today but tommorow, when I can get out of bed again!)
I used to ride a cheapie chain store one, and man, that sucked! My subzero flys where the other one made knees hurt.

I take spin class, for strength too. Its hard for me, alot of days as virus flaring up makes even the light gear seem like a HUGE hill, at high altitude. Plus it tends to increase my lactic acid.( put it this way, I can barely break into run for a couple of meters without breathing heavy.) So I figure, its about equal to busting a gut riding after faster riders, up hills, sorta!

So what I do( rather than cry!) is pretend Im Lance.I picture my legs pumping away, like pistons( and I say this, my legs are pistons, my legs are steel springs!) and flying up alp d'euz or whatever. Then I forget for the most part, how hard it is. Then once I have that down, I do what he does, that is concentrate on breathing out of your nose and mouth in long breaths. Youll breathe all you need to in. I like to picture stuff I watched on facebook, of Tour greats, when I train so I dont get bored( even half dead, with fatigue my mind wanders, go figure!)

PLus a heart monitor will tell you if your really at your limit. If I know I am working at my hardest heart rate( I have one for bad days and one for good), and and am riding as hard as I can go, I figure - hey ! I am kicking *** for today!
Plus, stepping up intervals to four times a week helps build up to hills and keeping up.

Im glad to hear your bike helped out!
Id love a carbon bike,myself.

[tribogota]

I am in excellent shape and have no "breathing" problems outside of sports, but one wouldn't think so listening to me swim, bike, and run, I huff and puff my way through, even practicing breathing excers. I breathe so heavy you can hear me a mile away, but I am actually NOT that tired, and don't FEEL like I am gonna collapse or drown, so I have stopped worrying about it. At the pool the lifeguards come and ask if I am ok,(until they get to know me), when I am riding up hill, people turn around to see who is breathing so hard as I come up to pass, and running, even slow-ish, I breathe heavy. Just decided that some people breathe heavier, just like some people are more flexible.