Commuting - Started commuting again - why is the first 5 mins torture?

Hello. I'm new to this forum but have been reading the posts and thought I would post this question. I started commuting to work again, partly due to gas prices, mostly due to my need for exercise. I used to ride every day but stopped about a year ago. So, I'm back to it...starting slow and commuting every other day at this point. I have to say, the first 5 minutes for me is torture. I get winded, my legs burn, I HATE this part of the ride. Then I get past that feeling, I'm "pumped up," get my breath back down to a reasonable cadence, have that euphoric feeling, and I'm ready to ride the rest of the way to work. I only have to commute a hair over 5 miles one way. Eventually, I would like to start riding every day again. However, I remember feeling this way when I was riding daily before. It makes it hard for me to want to hop on the bike because I just know I'm going to be in agony for that first 5 minutes…Any suggestions how to make the first 5 minutes not so torturous?? I'm open to ANY suggestion.

Take it easy the first few miles. Your body needs to warm up.
That would be my guess.
I know when I go flat out right after getting on the bike I am miserable.

Yeah, it takes a little while to warm up. Take it a bit easier at the start, and gradually wind it up. Try a few stretches before starting off, too.

In addition to the previous two responses...I bet your seat's too low. Whenever I start feeling like that - excessively out of breath and burning in the quads - it's usually because my seat's low and I'm riding with only my lower quads.

Unless there's a big ass hill right at the beginning, there's no reason to go all out immediately. Use the first mile to get warmed up, then gradually up the pace.

I stretch for about 5 minutes before I leave in the morning. It makes a really big difference. I imagine if you stretched longer it would be even better.

I just had all of my bike components fitted to me, including the proper seat height (that took a little getting used to). I do have a big hill that I have to conquer just outside my neighborhood also. So, I am trying to scout out alternative ways to/from work that 1) changes scenary a bit and 2) doesn't put me on that hill right away. Essentially, I have a half mile through my neighborhood and then a nice, long hill that is a pain in the (insert expletive here). I have not been starting off slow. I generally start in my cruising speed and maintain. So, I'll try that on Friday!

And what are you putting in your stomach before taking off?
Gotta eat something, but don't eat too much either.

But i agree with the others... ya gotta warm up before going balls to wall, especially first thing in the morning. How do you feel at the beginning of the ride home? Same thing?

Yet another agreement with what's being said. IMO you must be in too much of a hurry. Take ten minutes to ride that first five minutes and it'll likely be all better :D


Seriously, even on longer rides of several hours or more if I take a break which is longer than about 5 minutes or so I have to start up again afterwards and ride slower for a while, until I warm up again. And it doesn't really matter what the sport or activity might be, going hard from the get-go simply isn't sensible. It's asking for injuries.

Actually, I learned the hard way that I needed to eat before leaving. I generally have a piece of toast with a tablespoon of peanut butter on it. Drink coffee and water before going too. Now that I hear people telling me to start slow....I go DUH!!! I'll have to try warming up more before hitting it hard.

Actually, I learned the hard way that I needed to eat before leaving. I generally have a piece of toast with a tablespoon of peanut butter on it. Drink coffee and water before going too. Now that I hear people telling me to start slow....I go DUH!!! I'll have to try warming up more before hitting it hard.

Ok, yeah... food sounds good. I think you'll be fine by just slowly warming up. :)

If I eat before leaving I am a slug the whole way to work. I never eat or drink anything before leaving anymore.
The first 5 minutes are a warmup anyway. I tried stretching but it just replaces taking it easy on the bike. I'd rather just ride easy the first 5 minutes and be a mile down the road that waste 5 minutes stretching.

Riding a bike should be easier than walking or running. Either you are pushing too hard or the bike needs to be better fitted. On the hill, climb in your lowest gear.

Paul

I can hardly remember the flatlands, but yeah, I would think start out just spinning. I like my time on the bike to be my meditative quiet time so going slow , while easy spinnin' , is perfect.

If I eat before leaving I am a slug the whole way to work. I never eat or drink anything before leaving anymore.
The first 5 minutes are a warmup anyway. I tried stretching but it just replaces taking it easy on the bike. I'd rather just ride easy the first 5 minutes and be a mile down the road that waste 5 minutes stretching.

+1 on both accounts. I can eat or not, but it's really not necisary for me. That said my commute is only 9 miles each way.
I also never stretch but I will go a bit slower for the first few miles. I'm usually fully warmed up and hitting my top speeds after about 5 or 6 miles of flat riding.

Weird, I do the opposite to the suggestion of "starting slow". I hop into a low gear and spin like crazy for the first 5 minutes, to try and warm up. I ride in shorts and tshirts, so it's pretty chilly in the mornings. Worst thing is starting a commute with a downhill. Bleh.

Steve

I used to do the same thing - jump on the bike and GO, and 3 blocks later I was always gasping and wondering why the heck I do this to myself. This happened especially on cool mornings. I started doing some stretches and warmups inside, before I hit the cold air, and that seemed to help a lot. (Not much warmup - seriously, just a few jumping jaclks or whatever seems to be enough).

As said before - just go slower for a bit, it takes me a good 20 minutes to warm up properly - if on my geared bike, I'll just spin in a lower gear to warm my legs/joints up (I don't do a pre-ride stretch, though).

Once you're feeling a bit more into it, then you can push. It might also be just that you're a little bit out of conditioning - just keep doing it and you'll get right back into the swing of things.

Welcome back into the fold :)

Worst thing is starting a commute with a downhill. Bleh.

Steve

I disagree. A long steep uphill is worse. Your knees are strained before they are warmed up. That can cause problems.

Are you getting up early enough? You need to have time to eat, get dressed, have body wake up a bit and then ride. I'd ride the first part at low cadence and low power, just getting the joints working. Don't push it up the hill, spin, spin, spin, but take your time. Another alternative is to add an extra mile to your route before you hit the hill, by then everything should be flowing and the hill should be a tad easier. Remember it takes time to get the muscles back in work shape.

I have a hill the first block of my commute home. I've started taking the longer way (and more difficult climb) to avoid climbing without a warm up, and I end up feeling a lot better.

I second the stretching suggestion, I usually stretch throughout the day but really take my time with it right before I leave.

Good luck, until you get a routine down to make it better then remember those five minutes are temporary and the pain will subside!

I disagree. A long steep uphill is worse. Your knees are strained before they are warmed up. That can cause problems.

Agreed. My commute has a large hill at the very start, and then is mostly flat the rest of the way. It's great to start off flying down that thing in the morning. At the end of the day it makes a miserable climb though.

LOL, back on some tours I was doing, it was the first 20 miles that were a pain every day... I was doing about 80-100 miles each day, but come morning, the body still needed time to get into the groove...

Yup, we gotta warm up.

I kinda got to where I liked that feeling for some reason. Kinda helps to wake me up in the morning and makes me feel alive, especially when it stops. Hard to appreciate how good you feel until you feel bad first. Also provides some sort of cathotic relief for some reason.
I guess the reason this came about is that I ride a low geared single speed roadie and can't afford a Cross Check yet so instead of adapting equipment, I had to adapt psychologically. Call me a masochist.
Good for strength training though.

Yeah. The first couple of miles for me is torture when it's a little bit chilly. I have to tackle a big hill as soon as I leave my gate and then a couple of smaller hills right after. I have learned to eat some carbohydrates, stretch a little and use less resistance when I tackle those hills. It's usually worse at the end of the week when my legs are tired, but by then I am happy to make it to the weekend.

Stretch a bit first, then ease into it the first few minutes.It is always a bit difficult at first especially when you go from sweet repose to riding a bike.

If your basic level of cardio fitness is low, you're going to be gasping and wheezing at any nontrivial exertion. Don't expect too much too soon, don't look for a magic bullet to make it go away. It goes away when you get fit enough to do whatever you're trying to do.

first day out for me - in Boston - 9 mi round trip @ 45degrees...ride home should be better - it is about 70 now...I feel great today...

I have not been starting off slow. I generally start in my cruising speed and maintain.
This is the problem. Even if you stretch, eat, and drink, your body just isn't ready. Never look at a computer for the first several miles unless you want to be depressed. Despite working harder, you'll always be slow.

I stretch, but it still takes about 10 miles before I feel warmed up. Seriously.

Wait till your my age,then it will take 15 minutes...LOL!

Well, I plan to stretch and start out slow tomorrow for sure. I'll take the first 5 mins just to cruise through my neighborhood. I'm going this weekend to scout out some other ways to/from work with my husband. The problem I have with a 10 mile warm up is that my commute is only a little over 5 miles one way. It only takes about 20 minutes to get to my work with traffic lights and delays.

I'm up at 5:15 - 5:30 in the morning and don't leave until 6:30 or so. I give my body a good hour to warm up, I eat, and drink my coffee/water. I know I need to get back into the groove and my muscles need to build up endurance again (I kick myself for stopping!).

I will be sure to let you know how all of your valuable advise worked for me tomorrow! Thanks so much!! :D

I hate to be the one that says this, but you aren't going to get a lot more fit in a 5 mile ride. It's still way better than doing nothing, but large improvements can't be had this way. That said, if you don't have time for a real warm-up on the bike, just spin the whole way. Even if you only go one gear lighter, you're bound to see a big difference in the pain factor.

Are you getting up early enough? You need to have time to eat, get dressed, have body wake up a bit and then ride.

Heh, a good friend of mine didn't take your advice. For close to a year, he was waking up at 5 or so, just throwing on clothes, grabbing the bike (packed the night before) and doing a 90 minute ride to work. Then he'd have breakfast, shower etc.

I couldn't do it. No way. Just the idea of 90 minutes in the dark and cold on an empty stomach...shudder.

Steve

I consider the first 10 miles to be hard, so my entire commute is more difficult than usual.

I don't know what it is, but your muscles seem to warm up after a long time and get accustomed to constant pedaling.

You might just try taking it easy though. I wouldn't call this torture. It's more like "ugh, I feel weak today."

Well, I plan to stretch and start out slow tomorrow for sure. I'll take the first 5 mins just to cruise through my neighborhood. I'm going this weekend to scout out some other ways to/from work with my husband. The problem I have with a 10 mile warm up is that my commute is only a little over 5 miles one way. It only takes about 20 minutes to get to my work with traffic lights and delays.

I'm up at 5:15 - 5:30 in the morning and don't leave until 6:30 or so. I give my body a good hour to warm up, I eat, and drink my coffee/water. I know I need to get back into the groove and my muscles need to build up endurance again (I kick myself for stopping!).

I will be sure to let you know how all of your valuable advise worked for me tomorrow! Thanks so much!! :D

Quit drinking coffee, it's bad for you and ruins your breath. It has nothing to do with your fatigue, it's just a disgusting habit ;).

Have you been cycling for long? You might want to try some long rides on the weekends. By long I mean, start out at about 10 miles and work your way up to 40 miles or so. You can keep going if you like it.

I'm not sure it'll help, but I've never done cycle commuting without doing long leisure rides on the side.

Stretch a bit first, then ease into it the first few minutes.It is always a bit difficult at first especially when you go from sweet repose to riding a bike.

1+. 5mins of stretches wake up my legs in the morning. I walk the bike the first & last 50'. Does anyone else do this? The first 2 weeks of commute, I took the car on wed. The next 2 weeks, I took the car on thu. Now, in my 6th week, I can do all 5 days. My commute is just 5 miles with ascents and descents. Get warm clothing on chilly days. Also, the first few minutes, I start slow, as I want to be sure that the bike is feeling just as fine as did the previous ride. So, I listen if there are new, unfamiliar sounds from the bike.

Barlows & crhilton: I do bike quite a bit during the weekend and week nights. My "pleasure" bike is my Gary Fisher Tassajara (mountain bike) and I spent many hours on this bike. My husband just bought a Fuji road bike so we are planning to start doing more road biking for pleasure. And....well....10 miles a day is better than nothing in my opinion. According to the calorie calculator provided by bicycle.com, spinning at 14 mph (about my sorry average speed right now), I'm burning 320 calories one way (640 round trip). I saw several other commuters on this site that commute less than 10 miles one way so I have to believe that it is going to pay off for me in the long run.

Anyway, I rode today....took everyone's advise and warmed up in my neighborhood before hitting the hill I have to climb to start my trip to work. I was able to maintain a steady pace, without a lot of muscle fatigue and I was not out of breath (not gaspings anyway) for most of my trip!!!! YEAH!!! I just have to remember to slow down and let my body warm up a bit more. Mountain biking and trailing is a lot different than riding on the road bike and I think I was just trying to push it way too hard without being completely warmed up! Thank you all for your excellent advice and help.


If you want to visit the calculator for future use, you can find it here:
http://www.bicycling.com/channel/0,6609,s1-4-0-0-0,00.html?location=_*topnav*

I get winded, my legs burn, I HATE this part of the ride. Then I get past that feeling, I'm "pumped up," get my breath back down to a reasonable cadence, have that euphoric feeling,

Endorphins, the pain is still there but your body doesn't feel it any more.:p

I have a similar problem because I cross a freeway a half mile from home in the morning, on-ramp, off-ramp, on-ramp, and off-ramp. Works best at higher speeds. As I let off when I get to the other side my quads start to tighten up and my heart rate is just a tad high. I now try to time the traffic better and increase my speed a little slower from father back. It also takes a couple of weeks to get some of your conditioning back after being off the bike for a while.

My first mile is all uphill, with sleepy suburbanite traffic.

I HATES IT.

But I get over it quickly for the next 5 miles.

You're just out of shape. And 5 miles one way is easily done every day. Work up to it for a while though.

It helps me to realize that there's a particular spot on my ride where the

I HATES IT

feeling goes away and I can relax and enjoy the ride. I make that spot a mini-goal; once I reach it I know the trouble's behind me and I can forget about it for the rest of the ride.

Same here. I spend the first 5 minutes feeling like death no matter what I eat or don't eat in the morning. The only things I found that help are stretching before leaving, high cadence spinning for the first 5 minutes and knee warmers.
Then again on a normal ride I generally spin in a low gear for 10-15 minutes to warm up (I seem to be particularly hard to warm up). Generally I find as I arrive at work I'm just starting to feel warmed up, on the way home I use this to my advantage. Get home, quick change and jump back on the bike for an hours ride when I'm warmed up and back in time to cook tea (I get home 90 minutes before my wife).

Water. Drink a bunch of water before you leave.

WATER. Seriously.

I don't know but i never feel bad at the start of the ride, hot or cold or windy or whatever. As soon as i hop on the saddle i'm enjoying myself.

I make that spot a mini-goal; once I reach it I know the trouble's behind me and I can forget about it for the rest of the ride.

For me, since I worked my route out on bikely, I know the exact spot that's halfway along the route. I spend the first half racing to that spot, and the second half smug in the knowledge that I'm over halfway there :)

I think I'm pretty lucky that there really aren't any unpleasant bits.

Steve

For me, since I worked my route out on bikely, I know the exact spot that's halfway along the route. I spend the first half racing to that spot, and the second half smug in the knowledge that I'm over halfway there :)

I think I'm pretty lucky that there really aren't any unpleasant bits.

Steve

Madness! Race to half way and then relax, how will your co-workers know that you're a better person than them if you don't fall into the office panting like an asthamtic warthog and sweating.

Remember, dawdle, dither and spin until you're 1/2 a mile away. Then sprint like a ninja so that everyone can see you flying through the gates and marvel at your cycling prowess. They'll never know that for the previous 4 miles small children overtook you.

daintonj: That's hilarious :roflmao: I love that everyone at my work thinks I'm "crazy," "insane," "out of my mind," etc. because I ride into work on a .... bicycle! So, I like it when people actually see me get to work. Problem is, I arrive about an hour ahead so I can do my hair and makeup at the office...

yo if you haven't been riding for a year you've probably lost all your conditioning, I stopped for 5 months started again this past Saturday and I'm sure the first month or so will be brutal for me and probably for you too, but it gets better I'm sure

You just described tonight's commute. Paying for too much debauchery since November (the usual, staying out late, eating, drinking, smoking, being merry). I actually almost turned around but did not want to reveal my inner wussy. Glad I pressed on! I feel so much better, and after a couple weeks I'll be back to fighting shape.