Fifty Plus (50+) - Share Your Progress - No Matter the Amount

As an anniversary activity rode with the wife today. For having major surgery just 9 days ago she did remarkably well. I am proud of her.

After we rode I wen a bit further and noticed I have improved. Last year at this time, I was in the doldrums with a lot of pain, diagnoses of this and that, seeing neurosurgeons and physiatrists (no, NOT a psychiatrist), physical therapists and the like.

Today, I was able to accelerate on hills, was going 18 mph up where I normally go 14-16 mph, came back at 22 -25 mph where I normally don't exceed 20, passing folks right and left (well, mostly on the left) and I can feel the power in my legs improving.

Yes, I can still have horrible leg pains, but if I do enough of the PT exercises, stretching, etc., it helps a lot, and I am not incapacitated as I felt last year. Even over 70, one can improve. Also, I have lost about 10 pounds, which helps immensely.

How about you - measurable progress? - and you don't need to have statistics (but they are OK) to know you are making progress.

Share with us!

Good stuff, Denver.

I'm six pound lighter and have seven hundred more miles in this year than I did last year at this time.

Compared to the end of the winter- I have come on well. This is the first winter where I have not been able to get out and do decent milage every week. Weather was the main cause but being a wimp was the other. I just did not fancy getting out in the rain and a temp that was hovering around Freezing. But winter came to an end and milage gradually came up- then a couple of exerting rides that hurt and then the longer rides at pace that left me thinking I could have done a few more miles.

And lost about 5lbs- just another few to get down to a decent size to fit into the Tight trousers. They weren't last year but they are now.

Denver,

Is this a performance oriented thread or a smiles/miles thread - or dare I say it - both!

Great fun - good to hear thigs are turning around for the better.

My smiles per mile went way up today!! There you have it - empirical evidence.

I guess my progress must be measured in smiles. My son's college room-mate called and asked if I would ride with him today. We had fun, I held my own and he was sweating much more than I was. I asked my son why he thought his room-mate would want to ride with me. My son answered, "Because he thinks you're awesome!" :lol: I think he's awesome , too!

i've been riding about 250 miles per month now the last six months and it wasnt until about the last 2 months ago that i'm noticing some good results. Lost about 15 lbs, and can tell the difference on the small hills that i can now accelerate up instead of slowing down and also pull bigger gears than before.

I have been getting back in the saddle and it is getting comfortable. I was peddling up the mountain (3,000 feet up a gravel road) but decide I would perfer to ride through the plantation. Harder to do, and more fun. Was building some trails today, and then road for about 30 minutes - hard minutes. I was definitely shot by the end. In the last 5 weeks I have been dropping 2 lbs - now I am under 220 again - just need another 10 weeks to be back in a pretty decent range. (I am 6' 2" and bigger than average)

I am not incapacitated as I felt last year. Even over 70, one can improve. Also, I have lost about 10 pounds, which helps immensely.

Glad to hear it. You're an inspiration.

Due to global warming, I was able to start riding about 6 weeks earlier than last year. I'm about 760 miles ahead of last year and faster. I'm doing better on group rides too-- usually riding with guys in their 20s & 30s. That feels good.

Well, since you asked: I "turned 40" again recently! Much to my delight the size 44 dress pants I used to wear are now much to big in the waist and my old 40s from storage are a good loose fit! Next stop... where are my old 38s?

Oh I think I am riding better, but with wind and temps and so forth that is harder to measure. But the pants just do not lie! :lol:

Thank you for this opportunity at celebrating our life's little victories! That warm spell early on in the year started me commuting earlier than usual, and the toning of my quads had really quieted my knee issues. There are days when I am beginning to feel the burn, even with my humble distance, and when you're dealing with multiple infirmaties, having that experience of returning strength is powerful medicine indeed. Glad to hear of your regaining of your strength. Cheers!

Thanks for the inspiration. I have another 9 years before I hit 70. I hope AI can ride as well as you when I achieve that milestone.

I hope your health concerns diminish and your wife's recovery is complete.

Have been suffering from a skin condition for about 5 years that makes sweating unbearable,intense itching and rash.Gained a bunch of weight and am soft as a marshmallow. Been using a relatively drug free treatment for a year and it's finally begun to work. I can sweat like a crackhead in a squadcar again. Started riding a couple weeks ago. Way outta shape but I've noticed some small improvements and look forward to my daily rides. Only a few miles now but time will fix that. My grand nephew (izzat a word?) rides with me now as they live on the same road I do. His parents are slackers and the poor kid has only been able to ride around in little circles in front of the house. He is thrilled to be able to ride a couple miles. As am I.

Weighed 213 pounds last April, bp creeping up, bad left knee. Doc said i had to lose some weight, bring bp down to get ready for surgery in June. Could not get to the end of the block without my legs hurting and out of breath. I weigh 187 today, bp 118/74, HR of mid 40s after two days off of riding, usually 52 to 55 during the day. Rode 792 miles last month. My bad left knee is no longer bad, circulation in my feet has improved, sleep all through the night now, and have more energy. 65 years old.

Weighed 213 pounds last April, bp creeping up, bad left knee. Doc said i had to lose some weight, bring bp down to get ready for surgery in June. Could not get to the end of the block without my legs hurting and out of breath. I weigh 187 today, bp 118/74, HR of mid 40s after two days off of riding, usually 52 to 55 during the day. Rode 792 miles last month. My bad left knee is no longer bad, circulation in my feet has improved, sleep all through the night now, and have more energy. 65 years old.
:thumb:

No matter the amount? How about no matter the amount of time?

In 4th grade, I had to start walking or riding my bike to school. It was one mile, nearly to the foot. Paddy Hill Elementary School is at the top of Paddy Hill. It's how I learned to hate climbs. That hill was my nemesis for three years until junior high.

My dad had bought me a new bike for going to school, a jet-black Schwinn with 24" wheels, hand brakes, a Sturmey-Archer 3-speed hub, and paperboy baskets on the back. Really nice rig. But I've always been slight of build and back then, that was too much bike and not enough boy. No wonder hills gave me problems.

Cruising thorough the old neighborhood today, everything was wrong. I've still not recovered fully from the flu a couple of weeks ago, I barely slept at all last night, I skipped breakfast, and I left the house too dry, blowing through my water budget on the "out", with nothing left for the "and back". (Yes, I did stop at a Mobil, much as it pains me to buy water.)

And yet, I spun up Paddy Hill easily in the 39/17, cadence in the 90s, heart rate barely into Zone 3.

Given the disastrous intervening 43 years, I'm pretty happy with that.

I did a metric century two days ago and still have no idea what my average speed was. I also didn't feel like death warmed over the next day. Unusual for me. Must have been the recovery drink.

I did a metric century two days ago and still have no idea what my average speed was. I also didn't feel like death warmed over the next day. Unusual for me. Must have been the recovery drink.

Or the dope.

For all of you that have lost weight.... I have it (gained about 20 pounds) but I am feeling stronger than I did last year @ 195lbs. Perhaps it's a good thing.

Thank for this opportunity. It's been a great year since mid 09. I lost 35 lbs, and kept it off. I've moved up from struggling to ride with the 18MPH B groups to doing pulls with the 19MPH B+ groups. I'm still not an "A" class rider, but I tried it twice and lasted 9 miles and did a full turn at pull.
The CF bike has been upgraded with a set of Ksyrium Elite wheels. I added a vintage 98 Lemond Maillot Juane to the stable and an 01 Bianchi Campione.
I just acquired a 92 Paramount. I'm deciding now how to upgrade it.

I've gained 5 lbs in the past month, although I have been pumping iron more, so I think it muscle (I hope). I also notice a lower HR on my rides for the same distance and a higher VO2 Max.

Not much to report here. I can still dodge urban traffic whether loaded down with several gallons of paint and painting supplies, or a full load of groceries.

Total miles are 25% less this year. However, I'm riding faster and taking on hilly Century rides on a regular basis. I'm about 1800 miles YTD and expecting to cover 4000 miles this year. I'm able to cover 19 miles in one hour as a solo rider with consistency. I recently covered 90 miles in 5 hours.

I added a vintage 98 Lemond Maillot Juane to the stable and

:lol::D:lol:

So, does my regular ride - a 1998 Lemond BA - also count as "vintage?"

No progress, but I finally got my recumbent so it's comfortable to ride.

2 years ago I had just finished 6 months of chemo for colon cancer. Could barely ride ride 3 miles, which upon completion I slept for 2 hours. A year later I had just completed 3 months of chemo, after having the lower lob of my right lung removed.

As of today I have 2432 miles in this year. I commute 88 miles to work everyweek and just rode a 50 miler yesterday. I should finish the year with about 5k miles. Feel good, but Im still not very fast, frown. lol.

Getting old sucks, but beats the alternative. smile

In my case, my weight is about right ... 187 at 6'0" well maybe now that I have shrunk to 5'11 and 7/8". I am in good aerobic shape. I can do a century without trouble and in a decent group still do one at an average of 20 mph+ which isn't too bad at 58 years old. I used to be able to crank out solo 20 mph centuries. So now I am looking to keep what I got and not lose anything or at least lose what I got as slow as possible.

This is my first year returning to riding. Last year a 45 minute 7 mile ride left me useless for an hour. So far this weekend I have 35 miles on Saturday and 20 more on Sunday before church and that included changing a tube out. I have high hopes of getting a Century on my resume next October.

2 years ago I had just finished 6 months of chemo for colon cancer. Could barely ride ride 3 miles, which upon completion I slept for 2 hours. A year later I had just completed 3 months of chemo, after having the lower lob of my right lung removed.

As of today I have 2432 miles in this year. I commute 88 miles to work everyweek and just rode a 50 miler yesterday. I should finish the year with about 5k miles. Feel good, but Im still not very fast, frown. lol.

Getting old sucks, but beats the alternative. smile

:thumb::thumb::thumb:

My average speed is up. I am still slow at 12 MPH avg for 20 -40+ miles, but last year I was happy to get about 10 MPH.

This mornings training ride went very well. It was 78 degrees at 6AM and my biking buddy was not back from vacation so I rode alone. This route is our normal morning ride. There is a spot at the crest of the last hill before we cool down that I always check the average speed. It is usually just under 17. One morning about three years ago when there were three of us riding we saw a pair of young turks and we went after them. This was for the last 5 miles of the ride, we set up a pace line and pulled hard, My buddies were stronger and dropped me at the base of the last hill, I crested the hill that day with an average of 18.5, the best I have ever done. Two years ago when I bought my Tarmac I would alternate mornings doing this ride as hard as I could solo between the Simoncini and the Tarmac, the best I could ever do solo on either bike was 17.1. This morning I crested at 17.6 on the Simoncini, I guess I am still improving, although very slowly.

2 years ago I had just finished 6 months of chemo for colon cancer. Could barely ride ride 3 miles, which upon completion I slept for 2 hours. A year later I had just completed 3 months of chemo, after having the lower lob of my right lung removed.

As of today I have 2432 miles in this year. I commute 88 miles to work everyweek and just rode a 50 miler yesterday. I should finish the year with about 5k miles. Feel good, but Im still not very fast, frown. lol.

Getting old sucks, but beats the alternative. smile

That truly is a remarkable story. Have you chronicled it somewhere on the web? It would make better reading than "I crushed souls and had a high average speed" kind of thing. Anywho, it might inspire me to get better at ignoring the chronic fatigue thing.

Or the dope.

electric motor?

Or just new, improved 50+ legs ...

Starting on Jan. 1 I went from 210 to 163 pounds as of last Monday, 56yo. I don't need to drop any more weight unless I decided to take up running in order to complete a triathlon. I swim 3 to 4 miles per week and average about 75 miles on the bike per week plus time on our stair stepper thing.

I have always ridden, just upped the intensity and dropped back on food intake. My 1984 Pinarello appreciates the weight loss and thanks me for finally having removed the stupid 25mm tires that barely scrapped under the crown from her svelte body.

No illnesses, so no recoveries, and sadly still no job and really not that much riding. But I seem to be stronger, since I've put a lot of climbing into my rides and regularly choose the 30# touring bike, and I'm definitely ascending faster - I'm doing some of my old ride faster than before and without seeing heart rates as high as I used to. Mrs. Road Fan is also stronger since she resumed her daily morning rides, but for the first year we've ridden together I'm usually riding faster than she is.

I had hoped to have done a 57 mile first birthday ride and at least one metric by now, but I haven't yet. Tomorrow I'm riding the One Hell of a Ride, west of Ann Arbor and near Hell, Michigan. It's rolling terrain and I'm in the 60 mile route group. I have done several high 30s and one 40 in the past month so I'm not too worried.

I've been on exercise and diet orders for my lipids and cholesterols. Not, as I said, a lot of aerobic, but I've been doing core work usually two to three times a week. I'm down from 187 last January to 180, and I've weighed 180 for the past three months. There's more work to do, since I do need to get at least a few hours per week, and to drop down another 30#. Then I'll be at 155#, 5'6" (minus shrinkage), and in need of a lot of new pants!

I have finally come to the realization that I'm in a good place cycling wise. I think I'm where I'm meant to be.

Though I still track my miles, I no longer set out to cover any specific distance on any given day. Instead, I look to spend a specific amount of time on my bikes. Depending on the family scheduling needs and/or my mood I generally tell my bride that I'll be back around such and such a time. I may set out for as little as two hours to as much as all day. The miles end up at where ever they end up.

My bikes have become a vehicle of enjoying some relaxing free time (pun intended) that, as a byproduct of the sheer pleasure drived from riding, tend to help me stay healthy. I ride at what ever pace feels good at the time, be it fast or slow, and I tend to enjoy every hour I spend riding.

I don't quite remember when or how I got to this point. What I do know is that I really, really like it...a lot.

So, as imeasurable as it is, my accomplishment is having reached that place with my cycling where I derive great pleasure and enjoyment from every ride (including commutes).

Have just done a 23 mile ride at AVS 14 mph. That's up for me but today had headwind halfway and I always do less in windy conditions so feel pretty good. On fairly flat ground, neutral conditions I know I can do 15 mph. Don't think its all due to the new bike but I am sure it helps. Finally bought some bike shoes so now the next thing is clipless pedals.

I have finally come to the realization that I'm in a good place cycling wise. I think I'm where I'm meant to be.

Though I still track my miles, I no longer set out to cover any specific distance on any given day. Instead, I look to spend a specific amount of time on my bikes. Depending on the family scheduling needs and/or my mood I generally tell my bride that I'll be back around such and such a time. I may set out for as little as two hours to as much as all day. The miles end up at where ever they end up.

My bikes have become a vehicle of enjoying some relaxing free time (pun intended) that, as a byproduct of the sheer pleasure drived from riding, tend to help me stay healthy. I ride at what ever pace feels good at the time, be it fast or slow, and I tend to enjoy every hour I spend riding.

I don't quite remember when or how I got to this point. What I do know is that I really, really like it...a lot.

So, as imeasurable as it is, my accomplishment is having reached that place with my cycling where I derive great pleasure and enjoyment from every ride (including commutes).

+1000

You said it for me, also, except I don't track my miles!

Some new accomplishments today: Rode my age (57), Mrs. Road Fan rode her age (she won't even tell me, lol!), and we both rode a metric century! Not feeling too bad at all, but my butt has some new issues. I think the saddle needs to come down a little. Mrs. is great, having taken over my old Brooks B72 for her hybrid bike.

The occasion was the One Hell of a Ride organized ride, sponsored by the Ann Arbor Bicycle Touring Society. Distances of 15, 25, 39, 64, 75, and 100 miles are available. The organization and production are very detailed and very thorough. Anyone who is insecure about surviving such an event should start with this one. Plus the terrain was beautiful. Lots of smiles made the miles go quickly (no, we did not cover the ground in record time!).

There were LOADS of 50 plussers participating. Any from this forum? [END OF THREAD HIJACK]

Five years ago I couldn't walk a city block without stopping for breath. Now I can hike a few miles and ride a metric century if I feel like it. I dropped a lot of weight and put some back on, but that's coming off again. Meanwhile, I'm preparing for my first backpacking trip in August, during my three weeks visiting PA state parks.

After very little or no riding since 1996 (after 19 years of club cycling), starting in 2007 I'd ride 10K once a week on a set course at a county park (sounds better than saying 6 miles), but starting 18 months ago that was increased to a 10K on Saturday and Sunday, and in the past 12 months that was increased to a combination of 10K Saturday and 12.5, 15, 17.5 or 20K on Sunday (depending on weather, etc.), so have been aiming for a total of 50K (31.07) for each weekend, with the hope of riding a 50K ride and then the 100K (metric century). It's incredible that 18 years ago my old cycling group and I would ride 32 miles round trip for breakfast, and it was done with little or no advanced preparation or fanfare (but I was 18 years younger at the time - lol), and rode approximately 30 metric centuries and 7 centuries when in my 20s and early-mid 30s, so it's a matter of restoring the confidence I had when younger...

I guess all the so called junk miles I do everyday, I do not have any goals and do not train for anything in particular, paid off because I did back to back Sunday Centuries. 101 last Sunday and 104 today. I guess I am getting better at long distances.

Yes, that's how I did it 30 years ago - just rode for the fun of it, without any goals or preparation, and did the long rides without too much suffering (usually - lol). Still, it's been a moral booster for me to now be able to at least have a set goal and "train" so to speak for it, and much better than my not riding at all, as was the case 10 years ago (though I was still a cyclist in spirit). The one problem is the lack of a riding group - my old group were my present age 25 years ago, and most are now beyond riding age, so it's been a problem, since the young cyclists are mostly into the extreme/peloton kind of cycling, and I never had the heart/lung capacity for that kind of pace (anything over 17 is beyond my comfort zone, but I can ride 15 all day)...

No really serious stuff here, but I had quite a layoff (well over a year) due to angina/stents/etc followed by knee surgery last fall. (just a torn cartilage) Been taking it easy; riding my patrol bike around campus in low gears....
Finally got brave enough to dig my roadster out and head for the local park. My usual circuit is about 2.5 miles around with two hills per "leg". A good workout if you do 4-5 laps at speed.
After a couple of weeks of granny-ing up the hills I decided to push it a bit and stayed in a higher gear. Felt good! Went over at a nice 14 mph (I used to hold 18 + when I was a lad of 50!)
and the heartrate stayed in the "aerobic" range.
No knee pain.... All's well so far.

I doubled my usual distance last night. No negative results either. Surprising how fast the body remembers.

My average speed is up. I am still slow at 12 MPH avg for 20 -40+ miles, but last year I was happy to get about 10 MPH.
A 2mph gain is great, it is not easy to do that, I have found anyway. congrats!


I doubled my usual distance last night. No negative results either. Surprising how fast the body remembers.

Same thing, doubling your distance is great. Funny how once you do something like that the miles just start to come. Congrats as well!

200 miles this week; first time I've hit that milestone.