bouefMalaise
New Member
- Location
- Scotland
Hi people, hope I find you well. I'm new around here and just looking for some advice...
Up until September 2014 I was regularly putting around 150 miles a week, and was comfortably averaging about 14-16 mph on rolling road/mild off-road (tracks, canal paths, etc) on my trusty old hybrid. Not astonishing performance, of course, but reasonable for me and was keeping me fairly fit. At that point I'd been cycling regularly for around four years.
Then an abrupt change in my personal situation put me off the bike (and most cardiovascular exercise) until this week. Climbing back on the bike for the first time in nearly 5 months yesterday, and hitting an old favourite fitness loop (12 miles) I was completely shocked at my collapse in fitness. Small climbs that I could power up in 30/40 seconds before were a 90 second struggle; and the whole circuit basically left me a wheezing mess. Perhaps I went into it too hard, expecting too much after so much time off (and, I guess, fairly soon after the indulgences of the holidays); but I was pretty taken aback at my performance. In fact I felt a bit like I did when just starting out four years ago. At the moment, getting back to where I was seems a dim and distant prospect! It's left me quite despondent.
So, I suppose what I'm after is any tips or reassurances. What's the most efficient way to rebuild fitness? Will it return more quickly than it did in the first place? Have I really receded that much or do I just need a few weeks "blowing the dust off"?
Thanks in advance...
Up until September 2014 I was regularly putting around 150 miles a week, and was comfortably averaging about 14-16 mph on rolling road/mild off-road (tracks, canal paths, etc) on my trusty old hybrid. Not astonishing performance, of course, but reasonable for me and was keeping me fairly fit. At that point I'd been cycling regularly for around four years.
Then an abrupt change in my personal situation put me off the bike (and most cardiovascular exercise) until this week. Climbing back on the bike for the first time in nearly 5 months yesterday, and hitting an old favourite fitness loop (12 miles) I was completely shocked at my collapse in fitness. Small climbs that I could power up in 30/40 seconds before were a 90 second struggle; and the whole circuit basically left me a wheezing mess. Perhaps I went into it too hard, expecting too much after so much time off (and, I guess, fairly soon after the indulgences of the holidays); but I was pretty taken aback at my performance. In fact I felt a bit like I did when just starting out four years ago. At the moment, getting back to where I was seems a dim and distant prospect! It's left me quite despondent.
So, I suppose what I'm after is any tips or reassurances. What's the most efficient way to rebuild fitness? Will it return more quickly than it did in the first place? Have I really receded that much or do I just need a few weeks "blowing the dust off"?
Thanks in advance...