Newbie weekly achievement thread

[lovelygamer]

Munch, welcome and congrats on your new bike and accomplishments. Your bike sounds cool for the cost! I hope you work out the seat pain.

I've started calling myself a yearling. I started occasional cycling last summer but when I exchanged my rusted out Walmart bike and bought a nice Raleigh Hybrid that changed things for me.

This year I joined the national bike challenge to get myself into a more regular habit of cycling and I track my rides through gps. This gives me insight to my abilities and ride durations which is something I had never thought about before. I love the incentive prizes and camaraderie in the challenge.

I'm still dealing with soreness as I continue to struggle to find the balance between resting and challenging myself to do more. I have a left hip replacement and get right knee pain because of the years of disability before the surgery.

Actually, this sport has taught me that I CAN set my own goals and meet them, even in something that seemed so hard at first. Normally I am not competitive at all so that is a revelation for me.

[Owlie]

Welcome, Munch! Good for you--both for riding 5 miles, and for doing it for not a whole lot of money!

I broke my 50-mile mental barrier last weekend. (I'm going for a shorter ride this weekend, though. I wasn't exhausted at the end, but it took a toll on my week!) I've done some goal setting: metric century by the end of June--if I can get in a couple more rides in the 50-60 mile range, I'll be fine--and a full century in October. Let's see how this goes.

[hebe]

Welcome and congratulations Munch! Congratulations also Owlie

I have cleared 100 miles so far this month, and should get a few more in before the end of May. Very satisfying.

[Munch]

Thanks everyone and yes, lovelygamer, I did sort out my saddle issues. Took the one I bought at ****'s Sporting goods back on Saturday and exchanged it for one that was a little bit wider. It was $6 more than the previous one, but I felt a good investment. Took my first ride with it that night and it was great. Much more comfortable for me. I rode about a mile and then headed home to raise the height of my seat after noticing my knees starting to hurt. It's quite a bit higher now, but I have good leg extension and my knees weren't bothering me a mile into the ride.

I think this week I'm going to shoot for trying to ride simply as much as possible. The sore butt has gone away and I think I really push myself some this week. Of course I've got quite a bit of wedding planning to do. I'm getting married on the 9th and there are just so many things I've got to get squared away! I'll have a week off from cycling during the honeymoon, so I want to get in as many miles as possible now!

[lovelygamer]

Thanks everyone and yes, lovelygamer, I did sort out my saddle issues. Took the one I bought at ****'s Sporting goods back on Saturday and exchanged it for one that was a little bit wider. It was $6 more than the previous one, but I felt a good investment. Took my first ride with it that night and it was great. Much more comfortable for me. I rode about a mile and then headed home to raise the height of my seat after noticing my knees starting to hurt. It's quite a bit higher now, but I have good leg extension and my knees weren't bothering me a mile into the ride.

I think this week I'm going to shoot for trying to ride simply as much as possible. The sore butt has gone away and I think I really push myself some this week. Of course I've got quite a bit of wedding planning to do. I'm getting married on the 9th and there are just so many things I've got to get squared away! I'll have a week off from cycling during the honeymoon, so I want to get in as many miles as possible now!

I am glad you worked that saddle issue out. My wider one is good for my booty too. Oh, and congrats on the upcoming wedding. Enjoy everything!

[lovelygamer]

It's officially been a month since I kicked it up a notch and I've done 154 miles since then. I've finally gotten over the 10+ miles per day mark without pain. I am definitely building muscle and gaining weight. Next month, I concentrate on getting that muscle to burn fat.

[Munch]

Well today was a shorter ride than I had expected. I wanted to do close to 8 miles, but I encountered a massive hill that I wasn't expecting and it just took all I had to get up it. I finished the loop, which ended up being 3.48 miles, so I didn't feel too bad. I didn't meet my goal of at least 4 miles a day though. However, I'm dealing with some knee pain ( I think directly related to that awful climb) so it was probably better not to do the 8 miles. Hopefully I can get that in tomorrow if my knee isn't bothering me. We shall see!

[murielalex]

I live in flat land, and even a small bridge kills me. I think that's a genuine achievement, Munch, and I wouldn't worry about miles. Take care of that knee. Even though I've slowly worked my way up to doing quite a few miles, I think any real hill would knock me down.

[lovelygamer]

Munch you are doing well. Like Murie, I can't handle hills because I live in a flat area. Often, I just walk them because I already have joint weaknesses I deal with. Keep up the good work and miles!

[Jaynee Beyond]

I have bought the Trek 7500 WSD for my lovely comfortable easy ride. I am very excited! I get my new bike anyday!!! Thanks for your support. What accessories do you use that are helpful? I would love to hear from you.