trying to start all over again

[momtohanna]

Hey Donna ~

I agree with everyone else ~ just go for a quick ride. That's how it all starts. If your enjoyment stays at short rides ~ cool ~ at least you're on your bike and moving. No one says you have to be doing 30 mile rides.

Can't wait to hear about your bike reunion. You can and WILL do it, when it's right for you. Be patient and kind to yourself.

[graceomalley]

I agree with everyone else. My first ride was around my BLOCK. Then I started exploring farther and finally crossed the street to join one of our trails.

Just give yourself permission to get on and ride TODAY, no matter what your weight. No one is going to think twice except to say, "Good for her -- she's not on the couch with a bag of Doritos." This is what I tell myself and it works for me.

Hugs to you Donna and I hope you get out there today and ride!

[momtohanna]

Grace makes a good point ~ give yourself permission to get around your blocks so you can ride.

I had a huge block about riding through the gravel to get to the road, it kept me at really short trips for fear I wouldn't have the energy to get back home.

When I finally gave myself permission to just drive to the road with my bike and then ride I finally started accomplishing some of my goals.

Give yourself permission and don't judge yourself. You are awesome and you can do it.

[Crankin]

I have found that whenever I have a bad attitude toward riding, instead of getting on my road bike and riding for fitness, I get on my hybrid and do an errand. Sometimes these rides are as short as 7 miles, other times they are 15 miles. All I know is that having a destination or purpose and being on a bike that forces me to go slower cures me of the bad attitude. I feel like a kid again and am usually ready to get on my road bike the next time.

[Jiffer]

Yeah, go for a "fun" ride and tell yourself it can be as short as you feel like making it. Just get on and start going. If you only go down the street and back, at least you will have ridden your bike.

As for weight loss, what worked for me was The Weigh Down Diet, which basically teaches you how to listen to your body's hunger and fullness signals and eat "less food". No calorie counting, fat counting, or even any food restrictions. Just less of it. Another book of similar philosophy is Thin Within. I lost 60 lbs 11 years ago because of Weigh Down and kept it off.

[Yelsel]

Hey, I can really empathize. I had a multi-year sick in bed layoff, and I started out just using the stairs and walking for 15-30 minutes at a time. A couple months later, I started biking to work - only 4 miles, and I took the bus+bike there or back as often as I biked both ways. Then I started riding a bit more for weekend rides, and a little bit of light, close bike errands.

Another setback with a really bad tibia stress fracture in January (running on the treadmill too fast too soon, my muscles and tendons were back up to par after a year, but not my bones), and when I was eventually allowed to ride again in mid-May, I could only increase mileage by 10% a week. It goes really slowly at first! Plus I needed to divide my time between commute (now 8 miles each way) and weekend rides. At the moment I commute 3 days a week, do grocery errands, have one day on the trainer, and am increasing gradually on the long weekend ride. Only being allowed a couple miles increase per week total (and having to split it between different goals) made it much easier to work up to about 45-50 miles on the weekend (which is what I'm at now for my long ride). I look at the ride books to find rides of the right length, and then add the mileage there and back if I'm biking to the start. Being forced to add slowly made it really exciting every time I got to increase the long ride by a couple miles, so I haven't hit a barrier yet.

[Red Rock]

Trying to start all over agian...that is how I feel right now. I have read what everyone hear has said, I think I just need to apply it.

I have gone on a few rides since the weather here has cooled off. When I have, I have done serious hard rides. Meaning going realtivly fast for me, so I have a high heart rate. Then it takes a while for the heart rate to come down. I'm 40 yrs old which is something that I have to keep reminding myself of. I am not 18-20 when my body was superflexible and could do everything. I do not have other health issues either. So I should be ok.

I must admit that I really did not do anything over June, July, August, and I guess September too. So my cardio system is not in good shape right now. I miss my bike. I need to go ride but I do not want to over do it either. Then of course it really makes me mad when I see people in lycra on good bikes blowing through stoplights. Then I either read or hear how people are being injured by cycling.

I do not know if all of this is in my head and I just have to block it all. The other thing I have to work on is finding other exercise I can do when the temps reach over 100 during the summer. My summer is like winter to the rest of the world. Fall, Winter, and Spring are riding times around here. I should be outthere.

Any suggestions on how to get back ouththere in a safe manner?

Thank you for listening. I hope I have not rambled to much.

Red Rock