Opinion Needed

[BigTone0777]

Hi all, as some of you may already know from previous posts I am an extremely unfit returning after 10 years off the bike cyclist! I started riding a bit again 3 months ago on what I like to call a flat barred roadie. I got myself comfortably up to 10 mile rides on top of my 6 mile daily commute but not sure if I've been over doing it a bit lately. I managed to push myself up to 20-25 mile rides but am now finding that I am getting so tired that the thought of getting out for a ride seems like too much effort. I know no pain no gain and all that but do you think I'd be better off sticking to 10 to 12 mile rides on an almost daily basis than maybe pushing myself a bit too hard? I think I'm frustrated at the fact 10 year ago I could do 80 to 100 mile club runs and now I can't do jack lol. I am not looking to break any records, just get myself a little fitter as I sit on my arse for a living now and like I say, I'M SO UNFIT!

Thanks in advance for your replies and great advice!

 

[tyred]

Ride whatever distance you feel comfortable to begin with and then gradually start to increase the mileage. Just add a few miles at time and accept it as a long term project. A large jump may be possible but you risk over doing it and losing interest. Also, don't worry too much about speed. As the miles clock up, you will find yourself going faster anyway.

 

[BigTone0777]

Ride whatever distance you feel comfortable to begin with and then gradually start to increase the mileage. Just add a few miles at time and accept it as a long term project. A large jump may be possible but you risk over doing it and losing interest. Also, don't worry too much about speed. As the miles clock up, you will find yourself going faster anyway.

Thanks tyred.
That was how I started out, just trying to add a mile or 2 to my planned rides but I think I got the mentality of well I've managed 20 so I don't want to do any less now. I think because I used to be quite fit it's making me impatient. I love just being out on the bike so I've quite disappointed myself with my last 2 rides being so tiring rather than fun but at the same time I want to increase my fitness a bit. Maybe I should drop back to 10 to 15 milers on a more regular basis and see how things are in a month

 

[Red Light]

From my experiences returning to cycling you have to keep your mileage down so that it stays enjoyable and you want to get out. If you don't it will become the sort of chore you are experiencing with the probability you'll stop. There is no need to push yourself unless you are in training. It may take longer to build up to where you want to be but at least you stand a good chance of getting there rather than having the bike joining so many others sitting in garages and sheds unused.

One thing you might try is plotting a few different route options home from work. Then if you are feeling good and the weathers good you could maybe extend that 3 mile journey to 5 or 10 miles and if not keep it at 3 miles.

Replace "no pain, no gain" with "no pain, no pain" and go and enjoy your cycling. The fitness will come, promise. I started like you, it took me three years before the monthly gains started tailing off and after six years I did a 350k ride in 17hrs. So it can be done.

 

[Red Light]

P.S. For losing weight and gaining fitness slow and steady is much better than pushing yourself. You should be cycling at a speed where breathing is easy. If you are noticing your breathing or getting out of breath, you're going too fast. Low to medium effort burns off the fat supplies in the body but they are slow to mobilise so if you go too hard the body will switch to stored glycogen in the muscles as its fuel source. The former can keep you going for days, the latter is a short term energy source that will leave you feeling tired when depleted.

 

[BigTone0777]

Thanks Red Light that is so encouraging. In my case I think shorter rides = more miles as I will get out more often. I think I'm just impatient as I am comparing to what I used to do and not taking 10 years of neglect of the body and age into consideration lol