Conditioning/Getting in shape

On 14 Oct 2003 23:07:17 GMT,
wrote:

Maybe you could talk with a doctor whether an exercise program
introduces any issues. At least you won't need to do anaerobic
training yet. But you could get tested to determine your heart
rate zones.

Done and okayed . . . the Doc says I'm not quite in bad enough
shape yet that I need to be overly concerned that way. He says listen
to your body and don't force it any harder than it wants to go . . .

I think you need to do longer rides at a carefully regulated pace
(slower than usual).

I'm all for longer rides, that's the aim. As for speed, I'd
like to be able to average 25k/h but right now I'm just coming up on
21 k/h, up from 18/19 last month.

Maybe introduce a weekly ride of 50 km, and
get rest the rest of the week. This doesn't necessarily mean days
off, it could mean just 2 km to 30 km on the other days, but
mostly the same slow pace. But you need to be careful that you
don't push yourself on the rest days, so ride at a pace that
certainly doesn't feel like exercising.

I'm not a speed demon at all, what kind of average should a
fit LWB rider of 52 be looking for?

A heart rate monitor can be a good tool. You will need
one that displays your current pulse (AFAIK all do that), most of
the other features are not very useful. Maybe you can consider a
model that gives a beep when you are out of the HR zone you defined.

I've actually been mulling that over . . .

If you like that more than putting effort on planning and
measurement for maximized training efficiency, go ahead. I'd
recommend experimenting with both approaches :-)

Grin, my ideal situation lies somewhere in between, enjoyment
comes first, but I would like to get into reasonably good shape as
well. It'll come regardless I suppose. Just keep on riding.

Thanks for your input . . .

On 14 Oct 2003 16:36:27 -0700, (GeoB) wrote:

My story closely parallels your own. I am 53.

Grin, a year older and a year wiser! You have my full
attention.

I am not qualified to answer this question, therefore here I go...!

Grin, and a man after my own heart as well!

I have heard that not only must you get muscles in shape, but your
heart and lungs and circulatory system et al.

It's the heart and lungs that seem to be taking all the
strain. The legs haven't failed me yet . . . but there are a few hills
around here that I stop to catch my breath halfway up. 2 or 3 minutes
rest and I can usually clear the crest with flying colours. And I'm
proud to say that, thus far, I haven't yet walked up a hill . . . even
though it'd likely be faster. Grin. Call it stubborness.

My challenge is to get stronger without further damaging my tinker-toy knees which have been
a bother ever since that car crash in 1964.

I am lucky in that respect . . . no joint problems yet. I did
feel the right knee give a small squeal of protest the other day so I
backed off a bit with no further worries.

It has really limited what I can do. I am hoping to continue conditioning and do some
touring this next year with a couple of buds, but the ole knees
haven't let me do any long distance stuff yet. Oh, I did 50 miles w/o
pain, but some days 30 miles gives me fits.

My hat's off to you for continuing your efforts . . .

I always seem to do some sprints, racing various
pretenders on DFs, or racing the bus or lil gurls on trikes.

Grin, passed a 15 year old on an old rusty beat up mtn bike
the other day . . . unfortunately the wife won't let me change the
family name to Mercx just yet. And those 'lil gurls on trikes, they
certainly are a challenge . . . grin.

I have had my bicycle 1 1/2 years. My pulse has gone down about
14/sec to 62 (not resting),

I already feel the blood pressure dropping . . . and after
just a month.

my tummy is smaller and really tight,

My wife says mine will get smaller once I give birth . . .

my endurance is way up.

Grin mine too! We've been married 30 years now and I just
tune her out.

Oh, sorry, you meant your cycling endurance. I feel mine
improving slowly. Trouble is I keep thinking back to the df years and
expect to match the speed and distances whenI was 15-20 years younger.

Thanks for the input . . .

Bent Pedals wrote:

: I'm not a speed demon at all, what kind of average should a
: fit LWB rider of 52 be looking for?

Depends very much, averages usually aren't too informative. How
you feel or what your heart rate is would be much more informative
for setting the pace.

:If you like that more than putting effort on planning and
:measurement for maximized training efficiency, go ahead. I'd
:recommend experimenting with both approaches :-)

: Grin, my ideal situation lies somewhere in between, enjoyment
: comes first, but I would like to get into reasonably good shape as
: well. It'll come regardless I suppose. Just keep on riding.

You can have both :-) Plan your rides, then go out and have fun.
Regular riding with about correct distance and pace will get very
good results over time, when talking about generic fitness.

--
Risto Varanka | http://www.helsinki.fi/~rvaranka/hpv/hpv.html
varis at no spam please iki fi

I love the metric system. This is where the REAL benefit comes in.
It sounds so much cooler to say, I rode a 100K this weekend, then 60 miles.
;-) (forgive any calculation error!)

If that isn't one reason why the we should try harder in the US to adopt it,
then I don't know what is ;-)
"Bent Pedals" wrote in message
...
On Tue, 14 Oct 2003 14:20:11 -0500, Cletus Lee
wrote:

I think you are on to it already. 'Hardly a day goes by without a ride'

Grin, it's kinda hard not too . . . it's one of the few
inexpensive activities that puts a silly grin on my face.

I would focus a little more on the 20-30 km range. When you feel
comfortable after doing this
three days in a row, you should be ready for 100 km. in a day.

I do find the 20-30 range coming along more often. Went out on
a night ride the other night, a 12k ride through a few subdivisons.
Once I got home and realized I hadn't broken a sweat, I went out and
did the ride again . . . The previous day I'd done a personal best *on
the bent* of 35k, hence the reason behind the original question.

I can leave for a two week tour and manage more than 100 km per day for
six or more days in a row and this is with loaded
panniers too.

Sounds like what I'm aiming for . . . Back in the df days, a
friend and I took a 5 day tour that still brings fond memories.

Thanks for the advice . . .

It never fails.....
This is likely the guy from outdoor living upset about all the mail he
received on his article.
Way to much time on his hands.
Just another to add to the killfile.....



"derek" wrote in message
...
Hmmm.

Probably the best way to increase your conditioning is to hook up with a
group of club riders and occasionally ride with them. Pick the snottyist
and most elitist group you can find. If you live in Washington, I hear
that
the Outdoor Magazine "Gear Guy" belongs to such a group, and that they
accept bents in the group for ridicule purposes only.

Since you are totally overweight and out of shape, and riding a relatively
heavy "comfort" bent, you will confirm all of thier preconceived notions
about bents, and they will revel in an opportunity to ridicule and
humiliate
you on every hill of the ride. You will be dropped by this group
mercilessly
at first. Even though you are well past your "testosterone poisoning"
younger days, the injustice and cruelty of that whole experience will
stick
with you and you will find yourself taking the long way back on your
regular
solo rides, and even doing that steep little "out and back" detour to get
some hill conditioning in.

You will find that the regular riding helps you to drop weight and add
muscle to your aged, walrus-like, blubber-marblized midsection, and your
average speed will kick up several notches. When you hook up with the
group
for clubs rides now, you will find that there will begin to be some silent
sympathizers who secretly admire the fact that you have turned the corner
and whipped yourself into moderately decent shape, even if you ride a
bent.
Maybe its the guy you loaned your cell phone to for a call to his wife
during a ride, or the tandem couple who appreciated that you stayed to
help
them take care of that flat while the rest of the group dropped them and
rode off like self-centered, anti-social buffoons.

Your silent supporters will back you up in small little ways, like
changing
the subject when the most vocal and bombastic anti-bent group members try
to
spew provacations about bents during coffee stops. If you are not now one,
you will have a small insight as to what it feels like to be an isoloated
racial minority in a group setting. Next, you will find yourself dreaming
of that exotic, high $$$ performance bent that only weighs 21 lbs. Since
you have dropped 25 lbs due to regular riding , you are fairly certain
that
if you had that magic new bent, you could settle accounts with the
blowhard
members of your cyling group for once and for all. And you do.

By now bent riding has become an addiction, and you find yourself
checking
internet bent NG's and chat groups and gleaning arcane tidbits of knowlege
about bike parts and bent technology. You even know what a "splitter
plate"
is. You are now logging about 200-300 miles per week on your bent, and
things are a little strained with your non-riding friends and family
because
you don't seem to have time for them anymore. The first group you were
riding with turns out in retrospect to have been a bunch of overweight old
duffers that can no longer keep up with you at all, so you graduate to a
newer and younger group that includes a goodly number of Cat 3-4 riders.
Nobody gives you trouble about your bike anymore; they ride enough to know
that your physical condition is the main thing when it comes to serious
riding.

Finally, you will start having some repetitive stress and overuse
injuries
and have to do some riding layoffs. You need to spend more time at work
too,
so the riding suffers. You will have some bad days on your bent, and no
longer will you feel the exuberant thrill of recumbent triumpalism that
comes from blowing by a paceline of lycra clad roadies at well over 30
mph.
Who cares anyway? You will finally patch things up by spending more time
with your wife, friends and family because they are really the most
important thing in your life, and that high performance bent will get sold
over the internet on www.recumbents.com to some lady named Marci who is
looking for that perfect ride for her husband of some friend.

Weeks later, after having to buy some new trousers at Mervin's to
accomodate
your expanding waistline, you will aimlessly wander out into the garage
and
spot your old Sun EZRacers comfort bent that has been sitting abandoned
and
collecting dust in the corner for some time. Funny that you never sold
it,
huh?. After assuring your wife that you were only going for a "very short"
ride on the bikepath, and that everything is OK, you will find yourself
gliding down the path on your old magic carpet bent with this silly stupid
grin on your face. Heck, you didn't even bother to put on any cycling
clothes, so you like like any other middle-age guy on a bent with your
gray
hair, shorts, white socks, beard, and aero-belly. . . . .

As far as training every day, you need at least one to two days to recup.

30-35 years ago, I was living in the mtns, 'bout 5500 feet. I'd run
16 miles up and down hills every other day. The day off was all I
needed. Actually, I felt like running even on the day off. I kinda
bounced as I walked, I felt like I was on the moon gravity wise. I
was about 175 lbs, very buff. I was a smoke chaser for the USFS and
carried heavy packs and walked where even indians never walked before,
if they were smart.

Nowadays, I allow one day between fast commutes and I normally feel
fine, but find that I can go lots faster if I skip 2 or 3 days
instead. Like the book (Cycling After 50) (which I recommend to you)
says, as we age it takes us longer to recover.

Sorry, should have said it differently. I'm allergic to the
big gears, try to keep the cadence between 80-90, grin, but
not always successfully.

With my Silly-Putty knees I found I needed lower gearing. I changed
my front chain ring to 22T, and I run a 32 in the rear, with a 26"
tire. Sheldon Brown thinks I have 17.9 gear inches, and maybe I do.
If I can't ride up a hill I can always winch myself up! :-) If my
gearing was much lower I'd fall over. I can now painlessly climb a
really steep hill, as long as it isn't too *high* of a hill! I also
spin purdy fast. Well.. not really.. I 'trudge' purdy fast, like 80
cruise on the flat, and lots more when needed.

This danged bent needs gentle coaxing up the hills.

*I* need gentle coaxing up hills.

My 2 cents:

Enjoy your rides!

Warm up a good 15k before you practice sprints.

Spin. Spin. Spin. 80-90 RPM on the cadence. As you do this you will gain
strength and rhythm and slowly increase your gearing, therein you will
find a gradual increase in ave. speed and endurance. This is the key.

It's good for me to have options built into planned rides so that if I
feel particularly strong or are having just way too much fun to end it,
I can option for more miles. Always have an option for some more miles.
More miles are good, very very good.

If you aren't feeling particularly strong on some days, use those days
to practice spinning: lower gears higher cadence, smoother rhythm. Some
days just won't be fast. But any day on the bike is better than not
being on the bike unless you need to rest. It's also very good to rest.

I have a book recommendation for you:

The Complete Book of Long-Distance Cycling, "Build the Strength, Skills
and Confidence to Ride as Far as You Want", Published by Bicycling
Magazine. Edited by Edmund Burke and Ed Pavelka. $20 at Borders. A
really good investment.

Of course, Derek's previous post really outlines the progression.

Lon
HepCat
Sacramento

On Thu, 16 Oct 2003 07:59:07 GMT, "L.A." wrote:

I have a book recommendation for you:
The Complete Book of Long-Distance Cycling, "Build the Strength, Skills
and Confidence to Ride as Far as You Want", Published by Bicycling
Magazine. Edited by Edmund Burke and Ed Pavelka. $20 at Borders. A
really good investment.

Recieved an e-mail from Chapters today, saying my order had
been shipped. Thanks for the recommendation . . .

Grin, not that I'm going to follow the programs to the letter,
but it'll make for good guidance.

Thanks again . . .

On 15 Oct 2003 13:32:14 GMT,
wrote:

What's so special about white tennis socks, I never got it? They
make the fit of my Shimano R97's perfect :-)

Grin. Sorry Risto.

Way way back in my younger years, during high-school, it was
considered "poor fashion" to wear whites socks in any place except the
gym. We used to tease the guilty party to no end. It's strange how
childhood stupidity shapes ones adult years. I've never worn white
socks since . . . even when I played tennis. grin.

No offense meant . . . just a chuckle back to the old days.