Brand New and Hopeful!

[Owlie]

Welcome to TE, Akroll! If you want motivation or advice, this is a very good place to be.

Good for you for wanting to get on a bike!

[Akroll82]

Thanks Ladies! I am very enthusiastic!

[hebe]

Welcome to TE, and all the best with your challenge! You'll find lots of support and encouragement here.

If you're organised enough to get to the gym three times a week then hopefully you'll have no problem swapping out some of those sessions for riding. I started riding when my daughter was 2, it took a bit of organising with childcare, but it was possible. What kind of riding do you fancy?

[westtexas]

Welcome to the best sport there is

This time last year I could barely ride 15 miles without dying at the end and struggling the whole time. Last June I rode 30 miles for the first time and needed two days to recover.

This year - I rode 30 miles Friday, 20 yesterday and hopefully 50 today and I feel great.

Hopefully you find biking to be the best sort of zen there is, as well as a great way to stay fit and healthy.

Good luck!

[Cynedra]

Akroll - Sounds like an awesome plan. How old are you children? Mine are 4 & 6 - to be 5 and 7 before summer's end. I am having more problems riding with them now than I was when they were a bit younger. My neighbor gave me a bike trailer and I pulled them everywhere. Now, they are a bit bigger and don't want to ride in it with each other. They want to take their own bikes but can't go very far or very fast. My 6 year old has made it about 3 miles but couldn't ride straight by the end. 4 year old can do a mile.

[marni]

Akroll,

When I started riding I was far more than 30 pounds overweight and it killed me to ride a level mile. That was five years ago. To date I have lost nearly all of the weight I wanted to, and am within 5 pounds of my ideal goal (pre 3 children and menopause) weight.

I have also done several serious cross country bike rides.

You are on the top of a delightful new life experience but be careful, the riding can become addictive. Maybe it's the endorphins, serotonin that are released or the insane sense of self assurance and accomplishment that biking can give you whether you ride 1 mile or 100.

Just remember that life is like riding a bike, it requires forward motion to maintain balance.

good luck and have fun.

marni

[Akroll82]

Thank you for all the nice feedback! My girls are 4 and 2, but both have spring birthdays right around the corner. They keep me busy, but i love-love-LOVE being a mommy. I am looking forward to getting a bike so I can go out and ride with them- even if it is just around the block. They both love their little bikes. We have a state trail near our house I would also like to take advantage of. Until then, i crank the tunes ("I'm sexy and I know it, wiggle wiggle wiggle") and pedal away on the stationary 'spin' bike. I putter out typically at 10 miles, but I am proud of it. Im sure everything will get better with time! I am determined to reach 30 miles by the time I am 30. That gives me until July. 2012 is going to be an awesome year for me even if it kills me. Ha ha.