Well, I did it! (long)

[CyborgQueen]

I'm sorry, this is not accurate. Some "female" saddles are going to hurt too. Many woman ride "male" saddles happily and comfortably. Unfortunately, it is not that simple.

Oops! I didn't mean to make a generic comment...I meant to say, "SOME male saddles will hurt. You should get the saddle replaced especially if Girly parts hurt" My editor is on vacation.

Sorry about that...

[bmccasland]

Are you riding with padded cycling shorts? I made the mistake of wearing non-padded shorts to spin class last night, a mistake that will not be repeated.
Padded shorts will help with the saddle discomfort, but having the right saddle will be even better.

[allismarie]

I did buy some padded shorts. Thinking about it, I was really only on the bike for about 20 minutes yesterday. To be sore today is not boding well for a longer trip.

I'm going to start looking around for a women's seat, and I'll check the seat I've got to make sure it's good and level.

Thanks!

[sfa]

A lot of the exhaustion you feel after 30 minutes is probably NOT from being out of shape, but from doing something new. It takes a lot of mental effort when you're trying a new activity or on a new bike or even a new route, and you don't know how to expend your physical effort efficiently, so you wear out faster than you normally would. I'd expect that sort of "newness" exhaustion to go away very quickly, and then you can focus on really physically wearing yourself out!

Sarah

[tctrek]

Agree with sfa... stress and anxiety can do funny things and sounds like your first ride was a bit stressful! You can hold yourself in a tense manner or in a weird position and cause all sorts of weird aches and pains. Ride somewhere familiar to start, keep yourself as relaxed as possible.

A sore butt/sit bones is normal for a while, but a seat that hurts your soft tissue probably always will. I have found that heavier padding on seats hurt me more than a firm seat, but that isn't necessarily true for everyone.