# when does it get easier !



## feckem (18 Sep 2011)

After sitting in traffic to get get to the office for the last 15 years i now have a job 3 miles from home and cycle in every day. There is a slight incline the whole way there and as such its far harder getting to work than it is home. 

What surprises me though is that at the start it was taking me around 17 - 18 mins to the journey and now after 3 weeks its taking me 25 mins and hurts far more. 
When will this get easier and quicker as i really dont want to give up and get back in the car. Oh im 44 years old and 16 stone by the way, and size 38" waist. also is there anything i can do to help, ie: supplements

Regards


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## brockers (18 Sep 2011)

Remember that age is against you to certain degree, so don't try and kill yourself on every ride. If you're not doing so already, mix up slower rides where you spin an easy gear with ones when you really feel you're working hard, giving your body a chance to recover. Take the odd day or two off every now and again. You don't get fitter by constantly hammering your body into the ground, without giving it a chance to rebuild itself. If I have time off the bike it takes me at least a month (two rides of 25-40 miles a week) to get back to anything approaching fitness. And I don't time myself, or use a computer or obsess over my average speed, I just know I'm fitter as I'm pushing a bigger gear for the same amount of perceived exertion. 

If you're eating a healthy diet you shouldn't need to take supplements. My way of thinking is, diet to lose weight, and exercise to get fit. 

In case you think I find it easy btw, I'm a 45 and watch what I eat to stay under ten stone, but it's still taken me six months to be able to build up to running three miles (slowly) without something hurting!


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## Willo (18 Sep 2011)

If you hadn't previously done much exercise it may be the cumulitive effect of suddenly exercising that has caused some aches that have slowed you down. Whatever you do, don't give in. Take it steady and allow some recovery time but keep at it. Personally, I'd look at how far/long in 6 mnths or even a year's time. Then you'll realise how far you've come. In the meantime, just feel good about cycling however quick you are. As for supplements, for that distance I'd say it's more about healthy eating and drinking plenty of water.


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## feckem (18 Sep 2011)

Thanks for that 

Maybe i should have a couple of rest days a week as i also joined a gym and swim for an hour a day and then half hour in the gym. 

Also seem to have got achilles tendanitis (bad spelling). ah perhaps the fags, latte's and the car were better for me


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## Rohloff_Brompton_Rider (18 Sep 2011)

have you made sure that nothing is rubbing / binding / broken on the bike? tyre pressures the same? tbh 3 miles isn't far and you shouldn't be suffering on a ride that short. have you had your well man clinic checkup? the one we're supposed to have regular once we hit our forties.


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## numbnuts (18 Sep 2011)

don't force high gears, sit and spin in low gears is the way forwards and never give up even if you have to get off and push that is why it is called a "push bike"


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## smokeysmoo (18 Sep 2011)

It doesn't, you just recover more quickly


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## 2wd (18 Sep 2011)

I recenty asked a similar question and received some excellent advice.....

http://www.cyclechat...and-no-stamina/

I noticed after 3 or 4 days it did get much easier and I have been out most days for the last 10 days since I got the bike

I would say its important to have a rest day though as yesterday I really struggled on the route I have been using to build up my fitness and today I feel completely worn out, so I have given it a miss today


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## brockers (18 Sep 2011)

2wd said:


> I would say its important to have a rest day



Blimey, I have rest _weeks_ !


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## 2wd (18 Sep 2011)

brockers said:


> Blimey, I have rest _weeks_ !




I've rested for 30 years so thought it best to put a bit of effort in


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## Red Light (18 Sep 2011)

"It never gets easier, you just go faster."
- Greg LeMond


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## david1701 (18 Sep 2011)

go and do 10+ mile rides in your free time, it will make 3 miles feel like a warm up so you won't worry about it any more


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## al78 (18 Sep 2011)

feckem said:


> Thanks for that
> 
> Maybe i should have a couple of rest days a week as i also joined a gym and swim for an hour a day and then half hour in the gym.
> 
> Also seem to have got achilles tendanitis (bad spelling). ah perhaps the fags, latte's and the car were better for me



You are not doing the swimming and gym every day, are you? If so then that is probably why you are struggling. There is only so much hammering your body can take.

I'm ten years younger than you, and there is no way I could work out i the gym on a daily basis and cycle to work without being worn out after a few weeks max (admittedly my commute is a little over three times longer).


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## VamP (19 Sep 2011)

Basically, your rides are too short to have much of an impact on your fitness. You need to put in some longer rides, if need be at a lower intensity, and persevere for a couple of months. You should then see improvements.

Also it will help you if you change your mindset. Embrace the pain of the uphill section, and think of the good you are doing your body.


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## fossyant (19 Sep 2011)

3 miles - 20-25 minutes - eek and 44. Who ever said 44 was old is getting a smack. I'm 42 in a few months.

When you get fit, that 3 miles will be done in not much more than 10 minutes. Practice and training.

TBH, as it's 3 miles, I'd make a loop to get it up to 10 miles each way. If the weather is really bad (-25 and 6 foot of snow) then you could ride the 3 miles in. 1 foot of snow and -15 is not bad weather - it's another challenge.

As said before, never easier, you get faster = FACT !


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## feckem (19 Sep 2011)

Thanks for all the advice think i going to try adding some miles onto my route home. 
Cant do it on the way as its all uphill.


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## 2wd (19 Sep 2011)

Keep it up and as has ben said, put a few more miles in and you'll start to feel the benefit.

Just been out on a slightly different route for just short of 6 miles

A week ago I was climbing the one hill I had to get home in the lowest gear possible,now I am challenging myself and moving up a few gears,I've also found another couple of hills to go up  

Felt a bit queasy when i got home but it's all part of the fun  

Oh and I'm nearly 49 years old,13 1/2 stone and only been riding for 10 days and can definately confirm that putting the effort in does pay off.


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## Paul.G. (23 Sep 2011)

Never gets easier, the fitter you get the more you push yourself and so on and so on!

But, you WILL get fitter, you WILL get stronger and you WILL go further and you WILL enjoy it - in a strange way which only cyclists really understand.


Paul


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## cyberknight (24 Sep 2011)

fossyant said:


> 3 miles - 20-25 minutes - eek and 44. Who ever said 44 was old is getting a smack. I'm 42 in a few months.



Young `un 

I am 44 next year .

As others have said you will have good and bad days , just go with it and ride to your capabilities on the day and you will see improvement .


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## Klaus (24 Sep 2011)

"Will it ever get easier?"
I ask myself everytime I go out on the bike (not a commuter).
Generally it should get easier over time, whatever your age.
Perhaps it might be useful to do a few longer rides at weekends, somewhere else, with a variety of terrain, flat, up and down hill, etc.

PS. I am 53, 13 stone, only ride weekends, about 30 to 40 mile tours.


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## Moodyman (24 Sep 2011)

feckem said:


> After sitting in traffic to get get to the office for the last 15 years i now have a job 3 miles from home and cycle in every day. *There is a slight incline the whole way* there and as such its far harder getting to work than it is home.
> 
> What surprises me though is that at the start it was taking me around 17 - 18 mins to the journey and now after 3 weeks its taking me 25 mins and hurts far more.
> When will this get easier and quicker as i really dont want to give up and get back in the car. Oh im 44 years old and 16 stone by the way, and size 38" waist. also is there anything i can do to help, ie: supplements
> ...




My commute is quite hilly - 800 feet climbing either way. I used to dread the thought of the hills. But, it took me about a month to get used to them.

I now love hills - not in the same way as coming down, but the thrill of getting to the summit and not being defeated.


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## byegad (27 Sep 2011)

Assuming the bike has no fault. (A dragging brake could make the difference you mentioned.)

You need to see the doctor and get checked over. Assuming that everything is OK. 

Then riding a longer loop a couple of times a week will help build stamina. I usually ride 18 to 30 mile loops and, even at 60 and with a larger waist size than you, wouldn't see anything short of a hill steeper than 20% as a challenge in a 3 mile run. If 3 miles is all you ever do then you'll not get that reserve you need for the days when the wind's in your face and/or you are not feeling 100%. 

The suggestion to do a few 10 mile rides is a good idea.


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## totallyfixed (27 Sep 2011)

Is the bike the right size for you? Has anyone with experience looked at how you are riding? This is the first port of call, all the rest is pointless until this is sorted out.


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## Davidc (27 Sep 2011)

david1701 said:


> go and do 10+ mile rides in your free time, it will make 3 miles feel like a warm up so you won't worry about it any more



Agree. I've used that method a number of times in the past.

If it's not too steep a hill 3 miles at 10 mph (18 minutes) isn't too seriously slow for a short daily trip to work. It's not a workout, and you probably prefer not to arrive sweaty (unless there's a shower you can use). Keep the high pressure sweaty rides for david1701's suggested 10+ miles rides.


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## Scilly Suffolk (27 Sep 2011)

So you've gone from being sat on your arse in the car puffing on a tab to cycling, swimming and going to the gym?

Well, kudos to you! Seriously, I take my hat of to you!

However, I fear that you are falling into the trap that most of us who have reached a certain age have fallen into; and that is being too enthusiastic and trying to do too much at once.

Effective and safe fitness training is built on three things: exercise, nutrition & rest. From what you have written it is clear that you are doing too much of the former and not enough of the latter. If you carry on as you are, you are at risk of over-training which will lead to injury and a lack of progress. In turn this will likely demoralise you and before you know it you'll give the whole lot up and be back in your old, bad ways.

Firstly, go and see your Doctor and get an "M.O.T.": you need to know where you're at before you start. If you have any underlying health problems they will likely be exacerbated by exercise.

Secondly, going from a sedentary lifestyle to the amounts of exercise you are doing is far too much. Cycling and swimming are both aerobic activities (working the heart and lungs) so, at least until you have a reasonable standard of fitness, it should be one or the other and not both (on the same day). Variety in exercise is good: it relieves boredom and works your body in different ways, so if you cycle on a particular day don't also cycle.

Running is a very effective aerobic exercise to burn calories and shift weight: have a look at this training programme; what particularly like about this, is that it is aimed directly at people starting from a low level of fitness and is very gradual. But again, it should be one or the other, not both!

Resistance training (hefting weights in the gym) is good to include in your programme; once we pass forty the rate at which calcium leaches from our bones accelerates: aerobic exercise doesn't address this, weight-bearing exercise does. But again, don't over do it: a full body workout once or twice a week is plenty. Gym fascists who boast of hitting the gym every day are either i) doing a split programme that targets different areas of the body on different days or ii) ill-informed idiots.

Thirdly, you need to know how many calories you need on a daily basis if you're to adjust your diet to lose weight; try this weight calculator to get a _broad_ idea of your target weight and this calorie calculator to establish your needs. Do two calculations, one using your current weight and one using your target weight.

To begin with I suggest you start checking your current diet so you know if you are over-eating (gaining weight) and if necessary adjust your diet to maintain your current weight. After a month or so _gradually_ reduce your calorie intake in stages allowing your body time to adjust to each reduction, until you are at the right level to maintain your target weight.

Eat more, smaller meals to stop your metabolism in a steady state rather peaking and troughing: have a snack three hours after a meal and a meal two and a half hours after a snack (three of each should see you through the day); Breakfast should be larger than Lunch which should be larger than Dinner. This will stop more fat being laid down and avoid you feeling hungry.

Finally, you need to rest your body. Most people who take up exercise also have an idea of diet & nutrition, but most will neglect to rest enough. Exercise provides the stimulus, nutrition provides the fuel, rest provides the opportunity. You are _definitely_ doing too much at the moment: your commute is taking you longer and you have picked-up an injury, I rest my case...

From what you've written I suggest that you should be exercising no more than every other day, with weekends off, ie three times a week. For example cycle to work on Monday, go to the gym on Wednesday and swim on Friday. After a month/six weeks you might like to add a weekend bike ride into the mix or maybe cycle on Fridays to and swim at the weekend.

If I only impress one thing upon you, it is that you need to take it slow: it took you forty-four years to get to where you are now, you can't change that overnight! For a truly inspirational read I suggest you check-out gb155.

Best regards,

Jim.


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