So slow, so irritated

[pll]

Re the intervals: yes, they help. I had never done structured intervals until this last winter, on the trainer. And I did notice the improvement once on the road. Doing this on the trainer means, for me, that you can do them with reckless intensity, really push to see how far you can go. The worst that can happen is that you have to stop and get off the bike (in your home).

My cadence is a little over 80, sometimes 90+. I'm working my way up, gradually.

@CyborgQueen: the videos I like for the trainer are from the Sufferfest.

[skywalkerbeth]

@Melissa - I'd love to hear the Fig Newton story! Re: your brother: that's exactly it. I have the last laugh here, too: when we got back he showered up and then took a two hour nap on the couch. ha!

@indy: I'm not sure. I don't get the sense it's a fast cadence - 90 sounds awfully quick. Cadence is one full go 'round, right? How do you know, other than counting? I have a garmin watch, not a bike computer. I'm not entirely convinced that a quicker tempo wouldn't tire me out more quickly. So far my stamina is good even if I'm not fast... What gear should I use? The lowest? I probably do use too hard of a gear during the flats... probably in the middle (and then really make it easy gear on the hills).

@Koronin - I think we are on the same page. I've also spent too much of the last decade on my butt. I would always get some exercise, but less each year and not enough to counteract a desk job. I am hoping stamina will get to where I want it and then I can up the pace. In the end, I just want to finish this century!

@roo4: yes!

@crankin, you are right, I am going to have to pick one extra day. It's going to be tough to do because taking it to the trail adds a minimum of 30 minutes to the whole endeavor (min) because of loading/onloading the bike, getting there... and leaving from my house is problematic because rush hour starts early and the drivers right outside my subdivision are maniacs. 6 AM would probably be OK but that means coming back to my house at 730 AM which means 2 miles of roadway with fast drivers. It's the only way to get it in, though.

@buffy @lawchick @bluebug @pll: I did yesterday! We went out again and I decided that on the first hill I was NOT going to let him pass me and I really hoofed it. I stayed way out in front and let me tell you, when I finally slowed it down my legs felt like jelly and I just breathed hard for several minutes. Forget about doing anything other than grunting... the distance I rode for that amount of "holy hell" was pitifully short though, which only serves to tell me how out of shape I am. (maybe 1/2 a mile up hill).

Definitely having fun!

Injury: I think something is in the mail. Last Sunday (35 miles) my lower back on the right side/right hip started to hurt at mile 30. Tender. Not quite sciatica but like that. I figured it was the fanny pack hitting a tender spot and when I was done biking and took a shower I was fine and the next day (Monday) I was just fine even with contorted sitting - no pain at all. This weekend the pain started earlier (no fanny pack) and now it's even off the bike. I am wondering if it could be yoga causing it? I started that too, thinking that I needed to limber up as well as exercise.

[indysteel]

[QUOTE=skywalkerbeth;595057@indy: I'm not sure. I don't get the sense it's a fast cadence - 90 sounds awfully quick. Cadence is one full go 'round, right? How do you know, other than counting? I have a garmin watch, not a bike computer. I'm not entirely convinced that a quicker tempo wouldn't tire me out more quickly. So far my stamina is good even if I'm not fast... What gear should I use? The lowest? I probably do use too hard of a gear during the flats... probably in the middle (and then really make it easy gear on the hills).[/QUOTE]

Cadence is revolutions per minute or RPMs. So, yes, it's one full 'round. A cadence of 90 may seem awfully quick to someone who is spinning at 60-70, but if you work on gradually increasing your cadence, you will likely find over time that you're going faster with less effort and fatigue. It will take some time for your aerobic system to get used to it, but trust me when I say that your knees and quads will love you for it.

You can work on building to a faster cadence by doing cadence intervals. Just as a for instance, do one minute spinning at a faster cadence with one minute off x 10. Part of being able to spin closer is gear choice. You want a gear that's not so hard that you have to grind away at your pedals, but not so easy that you have no resistance and just bounce around in the saddle. To get a feel for that, pick a gear that offers virtually no resistance, then move your rear shifter a cog at a time so that it progressively gets harder. After a few clicks, you'll likely be in a range that is perfect for 90 (or so) RPMS.

[Koronin]

skywalkerbeth, I agree that we're on the same page. At least we're trying to do something about it though.

[Espresso]

I'm in just the same spot. Always around 11-13 mph. I'm working on spinning, but yes, I get worn out faster at 90rpm than at 70ish. And yeah, my best friend zooms past me on his mountain bike any time he feels like it when we ride together.

I wouldn't care about speed, except at that 12 mph (and closer to 11 average after a few dozen miles), it takes an awfully long time to do a century, longer than many will allow.

So I don't really know what to do other than keep working on cadence (although it's hard to motivate myself to do that when I don't go any faster on my high cadence rides than the low ones). I can easily go 90 rpm and 15-16 "mph" on an exercise bike, so I wasn't expecting to have this problem once I bought a real bike. I'm riding four days a week, and I hit 70 miles on my ride this weekend, but I guess I might have to delay that century until next year, and hope I can build some speed doing intervals this winter (thanks for that suggestion ).

I do wonder how much hills play into it, but then women in much hillier areas seem to go faster too. That, and everybody passes me, riding in the same hilly areas. Women, guys on mountain bikes, everybody... It's pretty frustrating. Again, I probably wouldn't really care, except for those time limits at events.

I guess this doesn't really add anything to the discussion. Except my sympathy, I guess...

[BleeckerSt_Girl]

If i was averaging 12 mph, I'd feel like I was breaking the sound barrier.
It's all relative.

[Koronin]

Espresso, I'm on the NC coast, so not hills here. It's nice to know when you aren't alone though. It does help.

[meggers113]

[QUOTE=skywalkerbeth;595057@indy: I'm not sure. I don't get the sense it's a fast cadence - 90 sounds awfully quick. Cadence is one full go 'round, right? How do you know, other than counting? I have a garmin watch, not a bike computer. I'm not entirely convinced that a quicker tempo wouldn't tire me out more quickly. So far my stamina is good even if I'm not fast... What gear should I use? The lowest? I probably do use too hard of a gear during the flats... probably in the middle (and then really make it easy gear on the hills).[/QUOTE]

skywalkerbeth, if you already have a Garmin watch, you can buy a cadence sensor to work with it. I have a Garmin Forerunner 305 and I bought a cadence sensor for it on Amazon for about $40. I really like being able to see what my cadence is and shift to keep it in the zone that I want. You can even set your watch up to beep at your if you're pedaling too fast or too slow.