"over 40"...show of hands?

[kate]

This probably makes me the oldest but I am 63 and have been riding since October. I just did my first group ride of 30 miles and plan on doing 50 in March. I also go spinning 3 times a week since June .

Kate

[kpc]

49 (really)
As long as you are going in for surgery, and getting labs tests, why don't you get a bone density test?

[Irulan]

Originally posted by emily_in_nc
Seriously, the average age in our bike club is 40s! All the "young'uns" these days seem to be into mountain biking and leave the road biking for us oldsters!

Emily

I'm an exclusive mountain biker at the ripe old age of 43. I don't even own a road bike!! All my pals are about this age too. Nothing like being off in the woods with a pack of 40-something wild women, the guys are always kind of shocked when we pop out into the clearings.

Irulan

[gretchen]

Emily - I like your plan to keep biking until 70 and beyond.

I can' t wait to find a bike club here and join in. I used to see them from "afar" and think i would never be one of those all duded up with spandex on scarry little thin tires!
Times have changed.

kpc - thanks for the idea of getting bone density test...great idea.
I was just in for my annual check up with my gyn. and she said my hemoglobin is really low too...WHAT GIVES! 8.something...it's always been on the low side but she said i will never make it through my training when such a low number let alone up hills and 700 miles of road. AHHHH! The wierd thing is, i have the energy of about 8 people. Bring on the spinach and meat!
Not to mention the yogart and milk!
Did i mention i'm 45...46 in March. (feeling like 30).
gretchen

[Irulan]

Originally posted by gretchen
my hemoglobin is really low too...WHAT GIVES! 8.something...it's always been on the low side but she said i will never make it through my training when such a low number let alone up hills and 700 miles of road. AHHHH! The wierd thing is, i have the energy of about 8 people. Bring on the spinach and meat!
Not to mention the yogart and milk!
Did i mention i'm 45...46 in March. (feeling like 30).
gretchen

do you cook with cast iron? That will keep you in iron!!!

Irulan

[gretchen]

Irulan...I'm going to start eatting iron skillets!!!!
I can't stand it when something "goes haywire" with me.
Being sick...what's that. (am realizing that the old bod is a little less forgiving then it used to be!). Hate that.
My new motto...
Eat for strength (or if it tastes really good), excercise for hills, and bike for fun! : ))))))
gretchen

[Irulan]

seriously, about cast iron. I never had to take iron during either of my pregnancies due to high iron, attibuted to lots of cast iron pots and pans.

Irulan

[gretchen]

Irulan- At first i thought maybe you were kidding with the cast iron skillet questioin...then...i went to a web site to check out high iron foods (of which i thought i ate a TON...7 grain cereal for breakfast, spinach and asparagus and feta on a spinach roll up or in scrambled eggs for lunch adn a meat and veggie and carb for dinner..i'm a really GREAT eatter...no gross stuff (well....once i a while) )....anyway, the site says that YES! cook in cast iron! : )))
I also learned that soy protien doesn't allow the body to absorb iron like it should, and , i switched to soy milk over the summer!
Darn...i really like the stuff. It's great for lattes (which i won't give up) but i'll switch making my 7 grain cereal with soy milk to skim milk.
FYI: we should all be drinking the "non-hormone" skim milk. My mom has stage 0 (good thing!!!) Ductal Carcinoma In-Sytu (breast) this summer and her surgeon said that at a seminar in Miami they talked about research on how overboard milk producers are about giving their cows hormones and they get passed on to us. Not good for breast cancer!
I'm going to pick up a cast iron skillet this morning on my way to work. : )
thanks! gretchen

[annie]

49 here, just had a BD. Does this mean I have one more good year left till I hit the big 5-0?? Just kidding. I feel younger and more energetic most of the time now than I did in my 20's and 30's. So busy then raising my 4 kids. Now the youngest, my baby!, turns 16 today. So I have more free time, more time to bike, ski, whatever and take care of me, too. I have to say I am enjoying it!
The 40's have been great, I expect that to continue into the years to come. I really think it's important to get in healthy shape, and keep working to stay that way! You get older - can't stop that process - but you still FEEL great (most of the time) and are ready for whatever adventure comes your way. Life can be very good when you have a bike and you can just get on it and GO! (Okay, it's a little too cold here to do much of that, but the time is coming....... and I must say, riding through snow is one he## of a good workout!)

I am lucky to have a road bike club with lots of riders in their 40's-50's. We all relate pretty well to each other. Plus a mountain bike club with a wide range of ages, from teens up to 60's. I feel comfortable will all of them. Can't keep up with them all, but as far as getting along, age doesn't really seem to matter. We are all riders and supportive of each others efforts.

I agree about the cast iron pans. I use them all the time. Eggs, especially, will pick up a good amount of iron from the pan. So scramble some eggs in your new pan, Gretchen. Or make an omelet. Throw in some good veggies, you're all set.

[gretchen]

Hey Annie...
Iowa huh?...I went to Iowa State. Loved it!
You have the same lovely weather that we do here in the Chicago area...lucky us! Hearing about the girls in SF and San Diego...i could cry for some warm weather! When i worked out last night (it was a "weights" day) i listened to my John Mayer CD which is what i listened to all summer while riding out on the bike paths. It made me work even harder just thinking about getting out there again.

I am headed to Bed Bath and Beyond for my Iron skillets after work today! My lunch today is spinach, asparagus, broccolli with an egg, and if i had sauted it in an iron skillet i would be all set...darn!

Has anyone heard about loosing iron in your blood from increased working out? I read just a little blerb about that.
Can you tell i'm a little bugged abou this low iron thing?!!!

Thanks for any info you have...I really do appreciate it.

[kpc]

Don't know about the working out thing. But I used have had low hemoglobin. During preganacy it's gotten too low - been fatigued. I did the iron pots, supplements, meats. The only thing that finally made my hemoglobin budge was a half of a liverwurst sandwich each day. kind of weird. But 8 seems pretty low. are you losing blood somewhere? Heavy periods, ulcer?
As I've gotten older my periods have gotten much shorter, now my labs are fine. I'm all about soy too, can't really imagine that adults are supposed to be drinking the milk of other mammals. But maybe you're getting too much. I have a serving or two without any problem. I'm thinking you just need to keep experimenting with diet, pans, etc.
Sounds like you're on the right track.

[annie]

kpc,

Got a question for you. Maybe it's a dumb question, but since I don't know the answer, I'll ask anyway.......... It sounds like you only drink soy milk, right? Do you get the same amount of calcium in soy milk as in cow's milk? I've never tried soy milk, always done fine on the "other mammals" milk. I figure - they're a mammal, we're a mammal, what the heck....... - Just a different way of looking at it, I guess. If soy is really more beneficial, I would be willing to give it a try, however, I count on my milk as part of my daily calcuim intake so would need to know if that would be affected by soy milk. I know soy is supposed to be great for pre-menopausal symptoms but I don't seem to be suffering from anything there yet so it's not really an incentive to go for the soy. Would you share your reasons for using soy? I would truly appreciate it. The thing about the hormones being fed to the cows is a little scary so let me know what you think, okay?

Thanks!

[annie]

Gretchen,

Just re-read your post about hating hills.......Not gonna work, girl! You need to learn to love those hills. They are what will make you a stronger rider. They will challenge you to improve. They will make riding more interesting. Approach a hill as something you will own. By riding up that hill, you have defeated it and it's yours then! You know, if something is really easy to do, the sense of accomplishment is not going to be so wonderful, but those hills, when you get them, you feel awesome! It will happen, but you have to get out and push. It's worth a little struggle and gasping for air and aching legs. It gets better eventually. The hills seem shorter. They never get easy, nope, 'cause when they get easier, we just push harder to go up faster. Duh! But they do end more quickly and you definitely will feel good about how strong you are.

Can you tell I love hills? Didn't always, believe me. I know people think of Iowa as flat - trust me - it isn't ALL flat. I live right next to the Mississippi river and all we have are hills and valleys. It's all up and down. Wonderful training terrain. NOT as good as mountains, but when I've ridden in mountains after training here, I have felt competent. So you make your hill route, when the weather allows. You have plenty of time as long as you keep active all winter. I bet you will find the hills become a great part of your riding.

[gretchen]

re: Hills...
Annie...you've inspired me! No, really! I've always looked at hills as monsters, dreaded them, avoided them, cursed them and hated it when they beat me (as in getting off the bike after feeling like you're going to throw up if you push any more!).
I am psyching myself to look at them with a new approach.

I really can't get over what spin classes have done for me. I"m hopeing that training during the winter adding several more days a week and a much more serious training routine will leave me in the beginning of the Spring where i usually am by the end of the summer. (much stronger).

Ok, bring on those hills!
Thanks! Those pep talks really keep me going.
(although i'm taking tonight off just to be a couch spud in front of the fire...i NEVER do this...just feel the need). : )

[Irulan]

I'd check your basic camping outfitter or army surplus type camping store for cast iron, methinks you'll pay triple at a specialty kitchen shop. You'll need to season it too, and learn to care for it properly.

Irulan