0 to 65 in 9 months - Kind of long

[residentgeek]

Congratulations!

You give me hope that doing a metric in less than a year is doable. I was starting to wonder if it was going to take me many years of cycling before I was up for it

Go you!

[Popoki_Nui]

That is awesome!! I've been back on my bike for seven years, and training hard for at least three..and I still have a way to go to get my first metric century! Well done!

~Sherry.

[mimitabby]

Sherry after three years, what is stopping you from doing that century?
Just curious!

[Bike Goddess]

Allie....As you will find on many threads here, to be efficient with your pedaling and get the most power out of every stroke, think of scraping mud off the bottoms of your feet. If you practice this technique, you will become a stronger rider and utilize those hamstrings as well!

Good going for your first metric. It will get easier as you practice going longer distances. Pretty soon you'll be talking about your first century, you know the "C" word!

[Crankin]

Good job, Allie! You haven't been cycling that long and it is a big accomplishment. I had been riding 3 years before I rode 65 miles.
Sorry I missed you at the bike class. Did you go? We had water in our family room and the storm was pretty bad... I have to call Massbike and see if I can reschedule.

Robyn

[Popoki_Nui]

Sherry after three years, what is stopping you from doing that century? Just curious!

Theoretically, I probably could do the full 100km right now, however:
1) I have Chronic Fatigue Syndrome. On my good days, I can ride well (and hence probably could do the full 100km), but I suffer for it for many days afterward. I have to build my endurance in baby steps compared to you regular folks, so I won't spend the following week sick as a dog. (I almost never admit to having this problem; I used to think it was just some excuse lazy people used until I developed it too. That shut me up )
2) Geography. Living on an island is great, but I just can't ride out 50km and return. I'm surrounded on three sides by ocean, and a mountain range on the fourth. I think I have just figured out a route that will bring me close to 100km without riding the same trails/paths/roads over and over again, or tooling up and down city streets putting on the distance that way. That would be b-o-r-i-n-g. If I wanted a metric century and boring at the same time, I could just go down to the local velodrome and ride in circles until it was done
I'll get to my metric century in my own time, thanks. It's frustrating to not be able to do it as fast as others (I still think I'm just lazy), but that's how it is.
Cheers,
~Sherry.

[Starfish]

(I almost never admit to having this problem; I used to think it was just some excuse lazy people used until I developed it too. That shut me up )

Sherry, isn't that they way? I don't want to admit how many times I thought I had tolerance/empathy/understanding for something, anything, until I went through it myself. Don't be too hard on yourself...I admire you for continuing in the face of this challenge.