Anyone else feel this way?

[SandyLS]

As a 59 year old woman (with 42 inch hips) who started biking 3 years ago, I never thought I'd ever be seen in public in lycra shorts. I've even said out loud that some bodies should never be seen in lycra. I started wearing street clothes then switched to padded baggies at at this point do wear lycra. Some times I carry shorts to slip on over the lycra if I stop for coffee or something, but by the time I have done a nice long ride of 20, 50, or 62 miles it just doesn't seen to be worth the effort and I am too tired and hungry to take the time to put the shorts on. So far as far as I know I haven't scared any small children and shop keepers are still willing to take my money. If I stop to think about it I still say to myself "What are you doing out in public like that and without underware no less." Oh well if I don't loose my inhibitions at this age it might never happen!

[BleeckerSt_Girl]

Sandy, um, what's so big about 42 inch hips that you would need to put an additional pair of coverup shorts over your biking shorts anyway?? My hips are 41", I'm 52 years old, and it doesn't look like something that needs covering just to buy a cup of coffee! No fear of causing anyone in a Qwik-Mart to faint.

[latelatebloomer]

To tell you the truth, I think I look a lot better in bike togs than I did in the silly-*ss baggy getups I used to come up with to "hide" my size.

And remember, almost everybody has a large mom, sister, aunt, friend - some dear woman - that they worry about. I like to think that people see my big bad self on the road and go home and tell that large woman they love - "guess what I saw today...and she was doing fine"

I get so many encouraging smiles from our rural motorists these days - people I don't know at all - I think they're saying "there she is AGAIN! she's riding ALL THE TIME!!!'

and all the "real" cyclists say hi now. I love that.

[BleeckerSt_Girl]

Latebloomers,
I agree. When i bought my bike, another woman came into the bike shop and bought a bike- she was tall and very heavy. She must have equalled two of me at least. But she was confidently trying out bikes, and looked like she knew what she was doing and had been riding much longer than me. Yes she had a lot of extra fat, but she looked muscular as well, and powerful. She bought a beautiful gleaming purple sturdy tall bike, zoomed on out the door on it, and I found myself full of admiration for her.
Athletic women come in all sizes!

[Cassandra_Cain]

I find it very encouraging at how folks - Lisa and others - are out there riding and doing so with confidence.

I'll skip the long rant, but simply put, we don't have buy into this media and societal crap about having to look like air-brushed models! We are real people, real women, and our bodies should be a source of pride. After all, at least we are out there, working and using our bodies for healthy and fun pursuits like riding

[Denise223]

Hi Ladies!!

Originally posted by STACIE: This year my attitude changed. I realized, my rides had no purpose. Now I leave the house with a goal each ride. I have my long ride which I keep slow and steady, a medium tempo ride, and an interval ride. Goal setting has made such a difference for me. I have to say there is something very empowering about riding alone and taking care of yourself. Sometimes it's still hard to get out by myself, but once on my bike, I couldn't be happier. I love the confidence and solitude. I've ridden 150 miles by myself this week and loved every minute of it. good luck!

I was quite inspired reading your post. Congrat's for riding 150 miles solo last week . Like you stated, "there is something very empowering about riding alone and taking care of yourself."
I have not stepped out of my "comfort zone" as of yet.....but, as I read posts that are similar to yours -- I feel as if I am MUCH CLOSER TO IT! "Going it alone" seems much less "scary" to me, and that's great.

I am so much more comfortable on my bike, I can ride longer distances, and I do feel a LOT more confident, too.
I don't feel "as awkward" as I did in the beginning.

I have weekdays free to ride, and, the days are just flying by and I know I should be out there riding!

I don't want to waste anymore days in which I could be out riding .
The only person I have to count on is MYSELF -- I know I can do that !

Ben and I will go riding this afternoon, and we're planning for Sunday & Monday, too. I enjoy the quietness, the serenity, the beautiful scenery so much !!

Regarding bike shorts I think that we all look good in them. Sure, for me, it definitely was all new and it took some getting used to. I'm happy that I got used to wearing them fast.
There's A LOT TO BE SAID FOR "wicking fabrics"

I highly recommend bike shorts to everyone...... Even if you're riding 10 miles, shorts that are made for cycling make all the difference in the world!

When I WAS wearing my cotton shirt & cotton shorts, a lot of excess material would be "flapping in the breeze", and even though "cotton may breathe"..........it also hangs on to all of that sweat, and it can be terribly uncomfortable !

Originally posted by Cassandra_Cain: I'll skip the long rant, but simply put, we don't have buy into this media and societal crap about having to look like air-brushed models! We are real people, real women, and our bodies should be a source of pride. After all, at least we are out there, working and using our bodies for healthy and fun pursuits like riding

I will DITTO everything that you said, Cassandra ! Biking is wonderful for our health. And, when riding and using my body, I feel incredibly STRONG! It's the best feeling -- I'm having a blast!

Oh, here's a link to check out --

http://www.questoutfitters.com/wicking_fabrics.htm

Because shorts CAN cost a small fortune, I thought, "it would be nice to attempt to make them ", so I googled & found that site. I don't sew well, but....it might be a nice thing to try doing in the winter. We'll see.

Well Ladies, I hope that you all have a FANTASTIC beautiful weekend.... We are having awesome weather out here in MA....the heatwave is gone!

Peace & Love,

Denise

[Cassandra_Cain]

Right on Denise

Ok, but seriously your cute picture has flared up a terribly bad case of blue sky envy!!! Yes I live in the desert, and no, the sun has been hiding for several days. We desert rats go paranoid w/o our sun! Help :P

[wanttoride]

[COLOR="Purple"]Denise, I want to say you've been quite the inspiration to me. I seem to run into your threads which motivates me to get on my bike. I've only been out a few times, but reading these boards and all the great support is such an inspiration. I too huff the gradual inclines on my way back home, and I know I have a lot to learn. I bought the lycra shorts that others recommended, and was shocked that they didn't look bad. Wow, do they ever help. Thanks for all the great info

[Bikingmomof3]

Denise,
Your pic is awesome. I want to ride somewhere pretty like that!

[BleeckerSt_Girl]

GREAT photo, Denise! You are a Cool Chick On The Move.

[MomOnBike]

I'd KILL for 41 inch hips. Mine are considerably more, um, Ruebenesque. No matter what, I still don't like the look of my fat (really, there is no other word) rear end in tight biking shorts. I realize it's probably my problem alone, but blast it, it's MY problem, I'll keep it, thankyouverymuch.

Not that I don't wear the shorts, but my butt is nicely hidden in my recumbent's seat, and when I get off the bike and into stores and dining establishments, I wrap a sarong around my middle and look more, um, "artsey." (Just wait 'til I let my hair go grey & long and I start braiding it again. )

And here you never thought of a sarong as a biking accessory...

[BleeckerSt_Girl]

I think the point is really that no matter what our shapes, we all **should** be able to wear what makes us feel good without worrying much about others' opinions of how we look. That might mean tight biking shorts, baggy shorts, sarongs, whatever. "Feel good" as in physically, mentally, spiritually, emotionally, or in any combination.
I used to always wear lipstick and/or some kind of light face powder, felt naked and pale without it. But nowadays, makeup usually does not fit very well into my typical day anymore. Too busy having fun and living! Just jump into my riding garb in the morning, grab that sunscreen tube and slather up, go ride my bike, sweat, shower off, sweat some more, and get working while gulping cold water at my desk. I feel great not bothering with that anymore, and to tell the truth, I somehow feel more attractive anyway now because of my sunbleached hair, my "naked face" and the new glow of health I feel exuding from within.
Sure, sometimes I still put some powder and lipstick on, but now I feel just as good without it too.

[Dr. Liz]

This may be only somewhat germane, but as a Masters ski racer in the winter, we get all shapes, sizes, and ages, both men and women. Our oldest guy is 90+ and our oldest woman is 83 (and she is my hero – I SO want to be ski racing when I’m 80). Everyone wears speed suits (the skin-tight spandex thingys). Everyone. And again, we all are shapes and sizes. Yes, we’ve got the zero-body fat ex-World Cup racers, but we’ve also got the other extreme. No, a 90+ year old guy in spandex isn’t going to make the cover of GQ, but he’s out there doing it. All of us young’uns are thrilled to see him (and all of the other racers) on the course, and no, we don’t care what he looks like. We just care that he finishes.

And frankly, most of us masters racers are not exactly young (I’m 35, and am considered young - most of our racers are 45+ years old, and our most competitive age groups are the 45-70 year olds) and we are showing the effects of age and gravity. But it doesn’t matter. We all just revel in the fact that we are all out, everyone racing at whatever pace they feel comfortable, in whatever shape they are in, but sharing the experience of participating in a sport that everyone loves.

I agree that you should wear whatever you feel comfortable in. But don’t sacrifice comfort (i.e. padding in the Right Spots) for fear that you don’t Look Right. Maybe there are some jerks in the world who might make negative comments, but, frankly to h*ll with them. 99.9% of the people are just thrilled to see other people out on the road. And if you are comfortable, you’ll get out on the road (or trail) more. Which is the whole point, right?!? So ride in whatever is comfortable. And enjoy yourself.

[run it, ride it]

There will always be someone faster, stronger, and fitter than you. No matter what your level.

There, now that that's out of the way--what do you have to worry about?

I was the slowest member of the varsity cross-country running and track teams at my university (top team in Canada). I gave every fibre of my being into training, but just didn't have the genetics for speed. Still, I felt so inadequate, like I wasn't trying hard enough. I could keep up, but just barely.

I only lasted one season. My body couldn't take training at peak capacity daily and my asthma worsened with stress. One day I just blacked out and couldn't move and realized then and there I had to take a break. I thought it would be a week. That was three years ago. My body still isn't quite right.

In recovering from varsity, I couldn't even wear a timer when I ran or I'd just get frustrated. It took two years for running to be fun again.

I used to think a 60-minute run a poor excuse for off-day training. Now I only wish I could run that long without a struggle. If I saw myself from my varsity days, I'd think, "wow, what an amazing athlete" even though at the time I was so rough on myself. I'd kill to have those legs back! But hey, I'll tell you what's more exciting than getting your period and boobs for the first time: getting them back after you've run them away!

Whatever fitness level you're striving for, remember--your 'fittest' isn't always your healthiest. Don't compare yourself to a standard you can never reach. Just accept that it's there, then compare yourself to yourself.

And oh, the asthma... it makes me so angry. It makes me angry that my body isn't fit enough to get oxygen into itself normally. I get so angry I just run harder and harder, and it gets worse and worse. I've tried inhalers, but I still came within inches of collapsing daily at track practice. I think it might be partially psychosomatic--my body needing a 'valid' excuse to stop.

Push yourself, and push yourself hard. It'll hurt, too, or else you're not doing it right. But don't -damage- yourself. I had a coach tell me (one year after varsity, when I started Modern Pentathlon training), as I limped more and more on an old injury with each lap of the track: "Stop. Don't think of right now--think of ten years from now. You want to be able to run. Don't come back until your injury gets better." He lost his best athlete on that advice--might as well have sent me out to pasture.

So you know what? As you're huffing and puffing up that hill, you're doing your body good. You're losing weight that holds you back. There's no doubt of that. You've got perspective of yourself now, yourself then, and yourself in the future. Don't lose it for goals that are unattainable. It'll only set you back further in the long run!

[beebs]

I too look like a huffy puffy tomatoe when going up hills and I could do with losing the odd 20 pounds or so!! If you have an indoor trainer then there is a helpful dvd by the Chris Charmichael training systems specifically for helping develop hill climbing skills simply entitled Trainright Climbing there is a dvd 1 and 2. They are also useful for those wet and soggy days when you get itchy feet.