40, Fat and unfit

[GreigM]

Feeling like dying after 3 miles sounds just about right, same for me when I first went out, stick with it though try and get out little and often and you will soon see gains and you will not come home feeling like death

 

[Bryony]

Well done with what you've done so far
I'm nearly 30, fat and unfit and I also have a heart prob so it was definitely in my best interest to get fitter!
I began at my local country park it has a 2 mile Tarmac cycle track and I really struggled the first time round I even got off and walked at one point But 2 months after that I did a 25 mile charity ride it nearly killed me but I was so pleased with myself!!
Keep up the good work and you'll be doing your 10 mile ride in no time.

 

[morrisman]

I'm 60, and was fat and unfit until I started cycling again in May - 1400 miles later in a stone lighter, much fitter but still 60. Stick with it it gets better and better

 

[Shut Up Legs]

Welcome back to cycling, @adds21 . I was 40, fat and unfit also, but now I'm 46, fit and unfat . That could be you too, in a few years, so good luck with that.

 

[MarkF]

It's like a middle aged initiation, a right of passage, my first ride at 42 was to the post office, a level ride of less than a mile. I nearly started crying at the thought of the return "journey", rang my wife to come and collect me..............I am 51 now and in better shape than when I was at 25.

 

[buggi]

well done. I remember when 5 miles was an achievement, now i don't get out of bed for less than 20 and even then i moan its not worth dirtying my kit for. One day this will be you. Keep at it, by the time the longer days come, you won't mind people seeing you huff and puff coz you'll be thin

 

[adds21]

Wow! Thread resurrection.

Okay, I'll join in. In the 4 and a half years since I started this thread I've continued to cycle almost daily. I'm still nicotine free, and cycle to work virtually every day (and have done so for about 4 years).

I've completed a few 100 milers, but with a young family I don't get much time to cycle at the weekends, so most of my cycling is my commute (although I do occasionally stretch the morning ride out to 25 or 30 miles). If, for any reason, I have to drive to work, I miss the cycle like crazy, and am like a bear with a sore head for most of the day! I think I've cycled about 4,000 or 5,000 miles a year for the last 4 years. My resting heart rate, which was probably in the high 90's, if not higher before cycling, and when I was a smoker, is now about 45.

I now also unicycle commute 6 miles each way one day every week (Muni: mountain unicyling mostly, I drive half way and park up somewhere where I can unicyle via a wood, and along a river to work), so it's safe to say I caught, and still have, the cycling bug.

Mind you, I haven't saved much money by stopping smoking and not driving so much. My garage now contains 5 bikes, 1 tandem and 7 unicycles.

So, no longer am I 40, Fat and unfit. I'm now 44, at-the-fat-end-of-normal and fit.

 

[Bryony]

Wow what brilliant progress!

 

[new-fish]

Nice one. Well done on making a start, and prepare to get hooked

 

[fimm]

7 unicycles? Why do you need 7 unicycles??

 

[icky]

Well done , there's no shame in short rides we all started there . Stick with it and the miles will increase as the waistline decreases. Oh and your wallet will get lighter to

 

[adds21]

7 unicycles? Why do you need 7 unicycles??

How many bikes do you have? And unicycles are half the size

More seriously though, unicycles are a bit like bikes. Once you get into the sport you realize there's more to them than just a wheel. I've got different types for different types of riding... Road, off-road, commuting, playing ping-pong(!). And with no gearing, the only gear you have is the size of the wheel, so you obviously need different sizes of each type depending on how efficient you want to be. n+1 and all that.

 

[indigomidnight]

Three weeks ago, I got on a bike for the first time in about 20 years. I stopped smoking last year, and now I feel I've beaten that (nearly 9 months nicotine free, after 25 years smoking), I think it's about time I started losing some of the weight I put on after stopping smoking! If I'm honest, at the moment, I'm 40, fat and unfit.

So, I've been taking it really easy. For the first week I went out on the bike every evening just for a mile or so. I know a mile is pathetic, but I really am unfit, and I have to start somewhere! A couple of weeks ago I found a nice little "circuit" near my home. It's just over 3 miles, so I've done that every evening for the last two weeks. It's hilly round here and my 3 mile ride includes (what I consider to be) a pretty steep hill! 200 feet elevation in about half a mile. The first time I did it, I stopped several times just to get my breath back. Last night, I did it without stopping (albeit, pretty slowly!). Woohoo. That's a huge achievement for me, even if it sounds rubbish to more serious riders!

My average speed has been pretty slow - Just over 10mph I think, but that does include That Hill (it deserves capital letters in my book). As I live in the country, I'm going down little lanes in the pitch dark (other than my lights, obviously), so I can't even get up to much speed on the downhill bits! I'm looking forward to the longer days, although I have to admit that I quite like the fact that no one can see me puffing along in the dark!

Anyway, just thought I'd pop in here to say hello. My short term goal is to do a 10 mile ride soon... and not die doing it! I feel pretty confident I could do it on the flat now, but I think I need to keep doing my 3 mile loop, and That Hill a few more times before I'm ready for it round here. My semi-long term goal is to commute into work. It's only 5 miles each way, but the way home is all uphill. Before then I want to be doing a 10 mile ride every evening (where I can pick the route!).

The important thing is that I'm enjoying it! For me, the most enjoyable thing about cycling is being able to tow my son along (he's 4) using one of those Gator-Tail things. We both have a whale of a time when we're playing around with that. I'm hoping that, in a few months, I'll be able to start taking him out for the day on it on some of the cycle tracks around here.

So, errm. That's me!

A.

Awsome!

 

[indigomidnight]

I pick up my bike tomorrow. Wish me luck. Great inspirational story.

 

[screenman]

I pick up my bike tomorrow. Wish me luck. Great inspirational story.

Well I will wish you all the luck you want, I hope you end up feeling and getting the benefits from cycling many of us do.