# going further after 4 mths



## CMBravo (Mar 17, 2017)

Im wondering if am stuck in a range. Maybe ,some of you have gone through this ? I started riding approx 4 mth ago. At first could not ride further than 4 miles at 9 mphr.,went to 8 miles after 2 months avg 11-12 mphr.now after 4mths am at 8-12 miles at 15mph.
I have lost some weight .was 234 when I started ,currently 214. I should also mention ,after 31-34 minutes of riding ,I hang it up. out of it.
riding 2-4 times pr week? should I lower intensity to increase distance? ,do I need to make fitting adjustments ,in light of weight loss. Am 65 ,am I underperforming or over doing it given my age. HR is 145-155?
Any comments,suggestions are welcome.Am going to go ride now,will check back in with you all,


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## DaveG (Feb 4, 2004)

CMBravo said:


> Im wondering if am stuck in a range. Maybe ,some of you have gone through this ? I started riding approx 4 mth ago. At first could not ride further than 4 miles at 9 mphr.,went to 8 miles after 2 months avg 11-12 mphr.now after 4mths am at 8-12 miles at 15mph.
> I have lost some weight .was 234 when I started ,currently 214. I should also mention ,after 31-34 minutes of riding ,I hang it up. out of it.
> riding 2-4 times pr week? should I lower intensity to increase distance? ,do I need to make fitting adjustments ,in light of weight loss. Am 65 ,am I underperforming or over doing it given my age. HR is 145-155?
> Any comments,suggestions are welcome.Am going to go ride now,will check back in with you all,


What is causing you to hang it up after 30 minutes? Pain? Fatigue? I would think after 4 months you should be able to go further, especially seeing that you speed has improved


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## pmf (Feb 23, 2004)

I'd just keep doing what you're doing. Over 4 months you've doubled your mileage, increased your speed by 40% and lost 20 lbs. Wish I could do that. If you want to ride a little further, try telling yourself 'I'm not turning around until I ride 20 minutes'. You may want to hang it up 10-15 minutes later, but unless you want to walk home, your only alternative is to keep riding.


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## CMBravo (Mar 17, 2017)

Im not sure .I have been to focused on improving speed? maybee exhaustion or just bored from the same routine?.... am thinking ... change route and make my self go further .No pain . no gain. going to try a new route saturday.


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## CMBravo (Mar 17, 2017)

pmf said:


> I'd just keep doing what you're doing. Over 4 months you've doubled your mileage, increased your speed by 40% and lost 20 lbs. Wish I could do that. If you want to ride a little further, try telling yourself 'I'm not turning around until I ride 20 minutes'. You may want to hang it up 10-15 minutes later, but unless you want to walk home, your only alternative is to keep riding.


Yep, do not want to walk home, or bunk in the middle of nowheres . think I need to focus a bit more on distance vs speed. your idea of extra 15 m makes sense .


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## DaveG (Feb 4, 2004)

CMBravo said:


> Im not sure .I have been to focused on improving speed? maybee exhaustion or just bored from the same routine?.... am thinking ... change route and make my self go further .No pain . no gain. going to try a new route saturday.


Suggestion: Pick a destination that is slightly beyond your current comfort zone relative to distance. Don't worry about speed, just completing the ride


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## cda 455 (Aug 9, 2010)

DaveG said:


> Suggestion: Pick a destination that is slightly beyond your current comfort zone relative to distance. Don't worry about speed, just completing the ride


Yep. Absolutely an excellent point.


And just like a horse that has turned around and is heading for home; you'll suddenly get that second wind due to you knowing what's at the end of the ride: HOME!

The second wind doesn't necessarily mean speed. It will usually means determination:

_*"SHUT UP LEGS; AND DO WHAT I TELL YOU TO DO :thumbsup: !!!"*_


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## PJay (May 28, 2004)

15 mph is a very admirable speed for a newer rider.

you should 1. check with your doctor, then 2. look online for heart rate guidance. 

also, you could be getting dehydrated toward the end of your ride. this will make the riding experience become miserable.

without knowing your bike, your baseline fitness, your route, etc., it is really not easy for people to give good answers.


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## CMBravo (Mar 17, 2017)

PJay said:


> 15 mph is a very admirable speed for a newer rider.
> 
> you should 1. check with your doctor, then 2. look online for heart rate guidance.
> 
> ...


PJ,appreciate your taking time to give some feedback. think you might be on to something with your suggestions. not sure if am over doing it. my resting heart rate is generally 78- 87. If I sprint or ride at a max effort for say 3-4 m ,my HR can go to 145. considering my age (65)I guess I can go to 161? or not?.....Now I do this tricks on purpose,maybe I shouldn't .As I said before ,I have been more focused on incrementing my speed. maybe to much of the same thing day in day out is not good. I do try to drink water with sea salt before riding and after. I ride solo, so its trial an error . Mostly flat terrain, no significant elevation. I ride a FUJI ,Altamira .I have to find a good local cardiologist,hopefully one that is hip to cycling. Again ,thank you and everyone that took time to share their thoughts.


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## JCavilia (Sep 12, 2005)

A couple of questions going to general fitness and preparedness:

-You said you started riding 4 months ago, but you didn't mention what, if any, exercise you were doing before that. If you were in generally good cardiovascular shape before and are just training the riding muscles and technique, that's one thing. If you've been sedentary for years and are building fitness from a low base, that will take more time.

-you mentioned weight loss from 234 to 214 (that's good), but you haven't mentioned your height, so it's hard to know even roughly what degree of overweight that represents. If you're 5'7" that's one thing; if you're 6'4" it's another.

The maximum heart rate thing is much more individualized than you may realize. You seem to have heard of the rough rule of subtracting your age from 220, but that's very rough and individuals vary widely (I'm 67, so my calculation would be 153 bpm, but I know I sometimes go well over 180). So it's very hard to say what your safe maximum is. How do you feel after that sprint that gets you to 145? Do you feel exhausted and sick? Does it feel like your heart is pounding wildly? You can probably do more, but it may take time.

Do you have any history of heart problems? I'm not sure why you feel you need to see a cardiologist. But I'm no doctor, and I don't know much about you. And medical advice from strangers on the internet is worth what you pay for it ;-)

Four months isn't long, especially if you were out of shape at the start. I'd say be patient, and try to just ride a little farther each week.

Good luck.


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## CMBravo (Mar 17, 2017)

JCavillia, SORRY , should have mentioned 5.7" tall. last yr at this time was 277 lbs.
no am not looking for medical advise from strangers. Mostly to compare notes with more experienced cyclist .Yes I have seen several methods for calc max HR. I do feel comfortable with my HR at 145 .even at 160. Generally speaking ,after a sprint or max effort ,my breathing and dwn within 5-10m. (just an estimate) .I use a fitbit to measure HR.so nt necessarily the best reference. Am contemplating going to something better to look at cadence and HR .
As for your question of sedentary or base line. Prior to buying the FUJI ,I was going to LAFitness Gym. for aprox 6 mths. .a mix of cardio+weights. Got bored to be honest . I discovered ,I can burn more calories in 1 hr on my bike than at the gym. Also walked quite a bit ,but I also have a bad knee .Osteoarthritis.It prob will be a while before I can go to 180 HR
As mentioned ,was asking for input from you all so to be better informed . and tweak my routine accordingly.Your feedback is certainly appreciated Thanks


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## JCavilia (Sep 12, 2005)

No apologies necessary. More information helps, that's all.

You're moving in the right direction. You've lost a lot of weight in a year, and losing more will make a big difference in the endurance. I'd say just keep riding, extending the distances little by little. And have fun. Finding new routes can help keep it fresh. You mentioned that your terrain is mostly flat, but if there are some hills around, even small ones, adding some to the routes can give a sense of variety.

The fitbit HR tracking is probably plenty good for your purposes, IMO. But I'm not as data-happy as a lot of the folks around here (I've been riding for 45 years and I've never used anything but a watch to check my HR occasionally). I use a computer on the bike to measure distance and speed -- sometimes.

Enjoy yourself. It's a great sport for folks with joint issues.

Edit: re hills. I see now from your profile that you're in Miami. Not a lot of hills. Maybe you can find a bridge to climb ;-)


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## rm -rf (Feb 27, 2006)

*Spinning*
Bad knee? You should be "spinning" instead of "mashing" -- pedaling faster with less pedal pressure. And that's how most cyclists do their multi-hour rides. 

You can estimate cadence by counting the right side pedal revolutions for 20 seconds and multiplying by 3. A good goal is around 90 rpm.

It takes some practice to increase your cadence. A good way is to stay at the same speed but shift one gear easier than you normally would select, which bumps up your cadence.

Do some rides at an easy to moderate pace, perhaps for longer distances. Then do some mixed rides, with some higher intensity efforts included. Hills are good for this, but you don't really have any -- so go harder to a goal: a road sign, a traffic light, etc.

*30 minutes*
You said, "I should also mention ,after 31-34 minutes of riding ,I hang it up. out of it." That's not typical, I think. I need 30 to 40 minutes just to get completely warmed up and to start feeling like I'm at full power. Perhaps you could dial back your efforts a little, and then go much longer.

*Calories*
Most devices that use speed and/or heart rate will exaggerate your calorie usage. A good estimate is somewhere between 20 and 30 calories per mile, often under 25 cal/mile.


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## CMBravo (Mar 17, 2017)

Going to try Rickenbacker Causeway .Bridges to Key Biscayne Will keep you posted of my journey


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## Rashadabd (Sep 17, 2011)

If you want to increase distance, but can't or you are too tired, your increase in speed may be the culprit. I would say try slowing down next time. Take a five minute break to drink some water and take in fuel (a energy bar, banana, and/or half a pb&j sandwich will do) somewhere along the way. Then proceed and see how far you can get. Above all else though, listen to your body and the heart thing might be worth checking out just to be safe.


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## CMBravo (Mar 17, 2017)

YESS,you r correct. happy to report ,I doubled my time today.13.8 mi.,13mph and time 1.03 hrs.
I prob could have gone further, but I forgot my water on my kitchen counter.
:idea:with a bit of water and or energy bar,next time will try for 18 mi.


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## PJ352 (Dec 5, 2007)

CMBravo said:


> I do try to drink water with sea salt before riding and after.


Stay with the water, stop the salt supplements. The vast majority of us get more than enough sodium in our diet.

We do need to replenish electrolytes - bananas, kiwi, dates, figs are good sources of potassium. Milk, yogurt, cheese for calcium... there's a wealth of info on the web.

I don't think it's necessary to replenish food during a ride until you cross the hour plus mark.


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## string_wise (Mar 7, 2010)

You should slow down and and if you want to push yourself, push for distance not speed. 

An hour of steady riding will be much more beneficial to you than 1/2 hour of hard riding where you are forced to stop. Hard riding also takes longer to recover from, is more mentally challenging and you will be more prone to injury given where you are in terms of overall fitness.

Ride slow and steady and get some miles in your legs. After a few more months an hour will seem relatively easy for you if you keep it slow and steady. At that point if you want to do a more spirited ride, do it for 30 minutes and keep your longer rides slow and steady. As the weight comes off, your power to weight ratio will improve and you will be able to ride even farther and faster.

There is no reason to ride hard at this point. Don't do HIIT or any intervals, you just need more time in the saddle (TITS).


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## pmf (Feb 23, 2004)

PJ352 said:


> Stay with the water, stop the salt supplements. The vast majority of us get more than enough sodium in our diet.
> 
> We do need to replenish electrolytes - bananas, kiwi, dates, figs are good sources of potassium. Milk, yogurt, cheese for calcium... there's a wealth of info on the web.
> 
> I don't think it's necessary to replenish food during a ride until you cross the hour plus mark.


You could also try some Gatorade. I've been using Cytomax for years. You can get a big 4.5 lbs tub of powder from WalMart or Amazon for $25.


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## CMBravo (Mar 17, 2017)

good idea. might try the Gatorade G2. 
need to be careful with sugar levels .


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## pmf (Feb 23, 2004)

CMBravo said:


> good idea. might try the Gatorade G2.
> need to be careful with sugar levels .


Nah, sugar is good. I like a Coke or a Nehi grape soda at a pit stop.


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## Rashadabd (Sep 17, 2011)

Here's some stuff to consider. The "Fuel Your Ride" section might be particularly helpful.

Nutrition for cycling: 10 tips to get your food and drink dialled - Cycling Weekly

A Beginner's Guide to Cycling | Bicycling.com


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## CMBravo (Mar 17, 2017)

as an update ,been going for longer ,further rides. 90 m. on the saddle. 14.5 mph avg.aprox 20miles . little bridges,but bridges .
figure will continue for 4-5 more rides of 90m .change route and increase time by 10-15m.
thanks for all the sudgestions


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## dmarlew (Sep 3, 2017)

CMBravo said:


> Im not sure .I have been to focused on improving speed? maybee exhaustion or just bored from the same routine?.... am thinking ... change route and make my self go further .No pain . no gain. going to try a new route saturday.


I recently discovered changing my route improved long distance goals. If I continue using the same route for a week I begin to slowly become complacent and bored. I believe your speed will continue to improve over time.


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## Srode (Aug 19, 2012)

If you can find someone to join in rides with you that can help with any boredom if that is a barrier. Once you get over an hour riding you'll want to start thinking about adding some calories to what you carry - cookies in a zip lock bag can work, keep it simple just make it easy to carry without being messy and have sugar in it - a can of coke at a stop will work too. Be patient, it takes time to gain fitness, you are doing great!


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## duriel (Oct 10, 2013)

Your riding in florida, in the summer? What time are you starting out, if your not starting by 7am, you are making a big mistake.


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## CMBravo (Mar 17, 2017)

duriel said:


> Your riding in florida, in the summer? What time are you starting out, if your not starting by 7am, you are making a big mistake.


I get on the saddle by 9 done by 10:00-10:30 . Am up to 25 miles. humidity ,sometimes the wind kicks my bud


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## duriel (Oct 10, 2013)

CMBravo said:


> I get on the saddle by 9 done by 10:00-10:30 . Am up to 25 miles. humidity ,sometimes the wind kicks my bud


Try a ride at dawn, you will kill it!


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## CMBravo (Mar 17, 2017)

I ride from my home in Kendall to Miccosukee ctry clb. about 25m rnd trip. after 9 do to traffic. will have to explore low traffic at dwn over the nxt few weeks . Hopefully not much devree from hurracane


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