TheKnack
07-09-08, 09:39 AM
But I am going much faster. :D
I've been commuting to work since the beginning of June. 4mi one way. I love it.
I'm 6'1" and 220-225 depending on time of day. Just turned 28. I used to run cross country and track in High School and College, and I weighed 175-180 then. I was never the fastest but I did love middle distance races. I could run 1'55" in the half mile and topped out at 17'10" for the 5k. However, I have short muscle length and my lack of flexibility caused knee and back issues. By the time I got into Sophomore year in college my knees where pretty beat up. I was eating ibuprofen like candy just to keep going, so I quit running. The only problem was that I kept eating like I was used to and gained weight. All on the belly.
I've tried running off and on since I graduated, but my knees wouldn't take it for very long, and I had a hard time running slow. I'd run like I did back in college and over do it.
In June I pulled my Gary Fisher Mako out from the basement, took it to the LBS to put on wide slicks, a mirror, a cpu, and a nice bag/rack combo. It's not light, but either am I and it seems to work well for the moment. I have one very fast but short steep hill and one long slow down hill after a shorter uphill on the way into work. On the short fast hill I hit 38 mph without peddling, and it's less than an 1/8 mi long. Of course on the way back home this hill is near mile 3 and is a monster. I still don't make it all the way up in one go, but I am getting further faster than I did before.
I've gone from 23 minutes to work and 32 minutes home when I first started to 16 minutes to work and 24 home. My heart rate has also dropped a lot. When I'm really killing myself now, it get to just over 170. When I first started it would spike to 190. I can definitely sense the cardo benefit. Two weekends ago I went on a 25 mile trail ride that was really fun. I did it in 2 hours and was wiped, but it felt just like the long training runs I used to do. Which is really the best part. I've missed running, and cycling gives me all that back... but I don't have the joint pain. :love:
What kinda cycling fun should I look into next? A big dummy for cargo? A sweet tikit so I can bicycle while I travel? A GF mendota for the disc brakes and lightness?
I'm totally stoked and looking forward to getting back in shape.
I've been commuting to work since the beginning of June. 4mi one way. I love it.
I'm 6'1" and 220-225 depending on time of day. Just turned 28. I used to run cross country and track in High School and College, and I weighed 175-180 then. I was never the fastest but I did love middle distance races. I could run 1'55" in the half mile and topped out at 17'10" for the 5k. However, I have short muscle length and my lack of flexibility caused knee and back issues. By the time I got into Sophomore year in college my knees where pretty beat up. I was eating ibuprofen like candy just to keep going, so I quit running. The only problem was that I kept eating like I was used to and gained weight. All on the belly.
I've tried running off and on since I graduated, but my knees wouldn't take it for very long, and I had a hard time running slow. I'd run like I did back in college and over do it.
In June I pulled my Gary Fisher Mako out from the basement, took it to the LBS to put on wide slicks, a mirror, a cpu, and a nice bag/rack combo. It's not light, but either am I and it seems to work well for the moment. I have one very fast but short steep hill and one long slow down hill after a shorter uphill on the way into work. On the short fast hill I hit 38 mph without peddling, and it's less than an 1/8 mi long. Of course on the way back home this hill is near mile 3 and is a monster. I still don't make it all the way up in one go, but I am getting further faster than I did before.
I've gone from 23 minutes to work and 32 minutes home when I first started to 16 minutes to work and 24 home. My heart rate has also dropped a lot. When I'm really killing myself now, it get to just over 170. When I first started it would spike to 190. I can definitely sense the cardo benefit. Two weekends ago I went on a 25 mile trail ride that was really fun. I did it in 2 hours and was wiped, but it felt just like the long training runs I used to do. Which is really the best part. I've missed running, and cycling gives me all that back... but I don't have the joint pain. :love:
What kinda cycling fun should I look into next? A big dummy for cargo? A sweet tikit so I can bicycle while I travel? A GF mendota for the disc brakes and lightness?
I'm totally stoked and looking forward to getting back in shape.