Fitness

[I am Spartacus]

Went for ride this morning took every ones advice and kept it slow and steady i felt much better and did about 5mile got home and felt great not to out of breath ether . Only thing i have changed is iv put my seat up a little and al see how that gos tomorrow . Been trying to get hold of my local riders club sent emails but no reply . On there web site its says they meet on Sunday morning close to were i live . I live in newcastle close to city center .

Some clubs are definitely not wired up for instant response via their web sites... if you want to delve into club riding at some point, then turning up at the meeting point for a quick chat is a good idea. Suss out the new rider friendliness etc etc ask a few questions like, do they do a slower group for those whose fitness is work in progress... if you dont get a good vibe .. well its up to you

 

[Fab Foodie]

Went for ride this morning took every ones advice and kept it slow and steady i felt much better and did about 5mile got home and felt great not to out of breath ether . Only thing i have changed is iv put my seat up a little and al see how that gos tomorrow . Been trying to get hold of my local riders club sent emails but no reply . On there web site its says they meet on Sunday morning close to were i live . I live in newcastle close to city center .

Welcome!
I was a born-again cyclist and smoker of some 25 years (Old-Holborn... yummm).
As stated, take it easy at the start, 3 times a week is enough and go gently, especially on these cold days which can really hurt the lungs. You will build fitness quite quickly on a bike without too much pain if you take it easy at the start. Allow yourself at least 10 minutes of gentle warm-up pedalling as well each time you go out.
Make your goals long-term, plan say a 50 mile charity ride for the summer, it's readily achievable, honest.
If possible, find another newbie or a riding buddy prepared to go at your pace. I helped half a dozen 40 somethings to get into cycling by just riding with them and being encouraging, they're all 100+ milers now. Contacting a local club is good, but find out how thier club runs operate, many are quite long and reasonably quickly paced, so it maybe something to think about in the summer when you're up to speed.
Cycling IS a great way to keep fit and off the weed. You'll get there! Put in the gentle groundwork now and when the evenings lighten, you'll be whizzing along!
Enjoy!

 

[Banjo]

Went for ride this morning took every ones advice and kept it slow and steady i felt much better and did about 5mile got home and felt great not to out of breath ether . Only thing i have changed is iv put my seat up a little and al see how that gos tomorrow . Been trying to get hold of my local riders club sent emails but no reply . On there web site its says they meet on Sunday morning close to were i live . I live in newcastle close to city center .

All sounds good. I suspect the seat position has helped a lot.Once you get it nearly right then make adjustments in tiny increments of about 6 mm at a time maximum until you find the perfect spot for you.

The fore and aft poition of the saddle matters as well. once again only move it forward or back in small increments.

I messed about with my bike for a few months to get it right, now I have measured all the gaps so I can put it back the same if for instance I need to remove the saddle for any reason.

 

[Norm]

Went for ride this morning took every ones advice and kept it slow and steady i felt much better and did about 5mile got home and felt great not to out of breath ether .

Excellent.

 

[Hacienda71]

I smoked 20 a day started smoking at 15 finished with it at 37. Started riding this summer. Similar to you first ride out was not good. I now can ride 40 plus miles at quite a decent speed. One thing i noticed was as you get older your heart works in a different way. In you thirties your metabolism slows down. At the start of a ride your heart rate will go up a lot but after a while it drops down to a more comfortable level and stays at that. I now see my muscle condition as more of a hurdle to going longer and faster than lacking lung capacity or having a pounding heart.
As all the others say it gets easier. You will notice your weight will drop a bit your muscles on your legs will change for the better and imo you will feel mentally better, apart from becoming a little obsessed with buying cycling bits and bobs and getting out on the bike!

 

[chillyuk]

I stopped smoking after 45 years. I have cycled a fare bit in the past but had a decade off the bike, or any exercise for that. You have gone three weeks not smoking, that's great and a hell of an achievement just for starters. It will take time for your lungs to clear and regain elasticity. I am in my 60's and been cycling again for about 6 months and now ride up to 30 miles between 3 and 5 days a week. The big thing I see is that my recovery time has improved after a climb. What a few months ago would leave me gasping for air now just leaves me pleasantly breathless, if that makes sense, and the tiredness in the legs passes within minutes.

Stick at it. Don't worry about speed or distance, just go out and enjoy being smober and able to exercise and look forward to the improvement you will see.

 

[Lotus74]

Its really nice to hear all these things if other ppl can do it i know i can too thanks to all of you who has taken the time to post really very helpful .

 

[mucknell]

i just recovered from double lung surgery and had my plural wall removed last year and decided to take up cycyling as my brother has been a serious cyclist for years,first ride out and i mean a few hundred yards i was knackered but now just a few months into it i can do 5 mile a little easier,going to hopefully try my first ten mile this week sometime if the weather is a little kind and my first run out on clipless too,fingers crossed.good to know im not the only one,oh and i would agree with the guys a doc is a good idea,i had a quick mot to be on the safe side...he told me to walk as well as cycle for a month or so.....

 

[jay clock]

little and often. If 3 mies is knackering you do 2 a day until you suddenly find that easy then go to three. Keep it up!

 

[Globalti]

I re-started cycling 21 years ago after many years of almost sedentary life, riding motorbikes. I bought a bike and rode it 7 miles home thinking it would be easy and nearly died! I didn't touch it for another six months after that!

Now my Saturday training run is a 53 mile round of our local hills with, I guess, 2000 to 3000 feet of climbing. Even that wouldn't have been possible a year ago because for the first 20 years I have done only mountain biking. Now I have a road bike and the fitness has entered a new dimension. I so wish I'd seen the light and staterd road riding years ago; I'd have done much better at the MTB events I've undertaken since then.

Oh, I'm 53 by the way.

 

[Chrisc]

Do not worry so much about stopping, it will be inevitable at first, if you feel embarased about stopping, look purposeful as to what you are doing instead of looking like some thing that just crawled back out of a grave and needs putting back in it, my favourite on very steep hills would be to stand upright off the bike looking back down as if your waiting for others to catch you up.

I do this! Maybe even get the mobile out and pretend to be chatting or fiddle with something on the bike making an 'adjustment'. Anything to make it look as if I'm not nearly on my knees halfway up a hill...

Hills have become a game with me, a test to see how I'm doing. Seems I'm not on my tod.

Yep, I'd have to agree with everything said. When I got my bike in August two miles was a killer, literally couldn't walk when I got home but now 20 miles with some serious hills is no bother. It's a damn good feeling! Stick at it!