Clydesdales/Athenas (200+ lb / 91+ kg) - Exhausted *Whew*

I think I may be riding too fast or to much. I'm trying for 12 miles r/t and having the hardest time. I can ride 6 miles fine but when its time to head back home...I'm not pleasant :lol: Really I curse and b*tc*h and I'm hurting. I work 12 hour days so it might be part of the situation? I'm also very heavy and out of shape. So my plan is this ....ride in Monday and bring home Tuesday ....Ride in Wensday and bring home Thursday. If you can think of how I can do other wise,please chime in.

it is okay, I do the same thing, then realize I am riding right into a headwind :)
It is okay to back off a little, and be sure you are well hydrated and have a snack to take with you

Oh yuck. I do not miss 12 hour days. I think your plan makes lots of sense. Keep at that for a while until you are in better shape. I am new too and I rarely do more than about 6 miles a day yet.

Try shorter rides maybe -- go out 4 miles, 4 miles back -- see how that feels. Start with what is comfortable and then work out from there. We all started slow and short rides at first. Don't get discouraged and stop riding, that is not what you are after. Keep trying different distances and speeds and before you know it you'll be out there not giving it a second thought. Good luck.

Thanks I knew I needed to do something. Riding your bike should be pleasant and cursing ain't doing it! Shorter rides is the answer then...Yeah.

If you have a bike rack and a safe place to park your car, drive in with the bike on the car rack and leave the car at work and ride home Monday, ride in drive home with bike on rack Tuesday, drive in ride home Wednesday, ride in drive home Thursday, Friday go out and have fun..

If you have a bike rack and a safe place to park your car, drive in with the bike on the car rack and leave the car at work and ride home Monday, ride in drive home with bike on rack Tuesday, drive in ride home Wednesday, ride in drive home Thursday, Friday go out and have fun..

No car here but at work I do have a safe place to keep the bike. I also work on Saturdays but then I can take my bike on the train home(can't do in the week), So one extra day!

I think I may be riding too fast or to much. I'm trying for 12 miles r/t and having the hardest time. I can ride 6 miles fine but when its time to head back home...I'm not pleasant :lol: Really I curse and b*tc*h and I'm hurting. I work 12 hour days so it might be part of the situation? I'm also very heavy and out of shape. So my plan is this ....ride in Monday and bring home Tuesday ....Ride in Wensday and bring home Thursday. If you can think of how I can do other wise,please chime in.

There are limits to how much training stress you can incur within a short period (5-10 days) based on your current fitness. Attempting to do more will leave you slow, tired, and unable to work hard enough to produce fitness gains (over training) with rest required to recover where stress is a function of both intensity and time with 1 hour at 100% and 4 hours at 50% (up to 80% of the harder pace's speed on level ground) producing similar fatigue.

Given low enough gears and patience you might opt for an active recovery pace where your legs are going in circles without appreciable resistance. That'll let you ride more miles, perhaps both directions in a day.

Many beginning cyclists think that they need to be using a hard gear (often the smallest cog) to "go fast" but this is a misconception. Speed comes from power which results from multiplying how hard you're pushing on the pedals and how fast you're spinning them. Pushing on them hard but pedaling slowly can be more fatiguing than making the same power and speed than pedaling faster with less force in an easier gear. You might get more endurance without loosing as much speed if you use an easier gear; with most experienced cyclists ending up with a preferred cadence somewhere between 80 and 100 RPM.

If you can stand to go slower try doing that every other outing. One day go shorter and as fast as your legs want to go then the next time hold yourself back and increase your mileage.

All about water. Hydrate when you feel yourself slow down. It helps so much.

Well i have a wonderful supervisor. He's letting me come in earlier so I can leave earlier. I will be able to get my bike on the train every morning so when work ends I can ride it home. Hence a 8 mile commute in stead of 12. I still have to bring the bike to another station(no elevator)so 2 miles in the morning and 6 at evening time. Also if when I'm ready I can slowly add miles in the morning going from station to station. Great guy he is....wants to please all he co-workers!!

jrawk1120 Water yes will drink lots of water I do tend to forget.

WonderMonkey If you can stand to go slower try doing that every other outing. One day go shorter and as fast as your legs want to go then the next time hold yourself back and increase your mileage

I can stand it but not for too long but I get your drift ;)

Are you a nurse?

What hurts at the end of a ride, enough to have you swearing? If it's just being tired and having sore muscles, that's one thing. But if the bike is giving you pain, especially if it's localized to a particular area of your body, that could mean something is wrong, and you need to adjust your bike. A lot of the time, a simple adjustment can make pain go away.

Are you stopping to rest on your rides? If not, it sounds like you should be.

Are you a nurse?

What hurts at the end of a ride, enough to have you swearing? If it's just being tired and having sore muscles, that's one thing. But if the bike is giving you pain, especially if it's localized to a particular area of your body, that could mean something is wrong, and you need to adjust your bike. A lot of the time, a simple adjustment can make pain go away.

Are you stopping to rest on your rides? If not, it sounds like you should be.

No not a nurse.

I agree with that. I lowered the handle bars I noticed an approvement right a way.

I have to admit I don't rest. I will try that the next time. Thanks :)

Make sure that your seat is high enough too. I see so many women riding around town with their seats way too low so their knees are always bent.

There are limits to how much training stress you can incur within a short period (5-10 days) based on your current fitness. Attempting to do more will leave you slow, tired, and unable to work hard enough to produce fitness gains (over training) with rest required to recover where stress is a function of both intensity and time with 1 hour at 100% and 4 hours at 50% (up to 80% of the harder pace's speed on level ground) producing similar fatigue.

Given low enough gears and patience you might opt for an active recovery pace where your legs are going in circles without appreciable resistance. That'll let you ride more miles, perhaps both directions in a day.

Many beginning cyclists think that they need to be using a hard gear (often the smallest cog) to "go fast" but this is a misconception. Speed comes from power which results from multiplying how hard you're pushing on the pedals and how fast you're spinning them. Pushing on them hard but pedaling slowly can be more fatiguing than making the same power and speed than pedaling faster with less force in an easier gear. You might get more endurance without loosing as much speed if you use an easier gear; with most experienced cyclists ending up with a preferred cadence somewhere between 80 and 100 RPM.

Your right on track with that. I do use the smallest ! No wonder I'm exhausted. :o I will use a higher one next time...which is tomorrow. Thanks

Make sure that your seat is high enough too. I see so many women riding around town with their seats way too low so their knees are always bent. Goldfinch I did raise a seat a bit and it did feel a bit better. :thumb:

Got gears? Learn how to use them.
Getting tired? Shift into an easier gear (larger cog in the back or smaller chainring in the front).
Quit cussin', it doesn't do you any goood; instead: sing!
Commuted to work for 16 years . . . keep at it!

Got gears? Learn how to use them.
Getting tired? Shift into an easier gear (larger cog in the back or smaller chainring in the front).
Quit cussin', it doesn't do you any goood; instead: sing!
Commuted to work for 16 years . . . keep at it!

OK!!! LOL Will do. Thanks

You are so lucky being able to commute with the train. When I lived in Arizona I did my ten mile commute to work on the bus (they had bike racks on the front) and rode the bike home. I really loved both parts of the commute. The bus ride was luxury where I could sit and sip coffee and read the paper, and the ride home was such a great de-programming disconnect to get me out of stress mode.

I commute both ways now, but my commute is only .3 miles so it's not much of a disconnect. I am starting to take the long way home by the lake though.

When you raise your saddle, your legs should still be slightly bent at the bottom of the stroke. That'll give you the pedaling efficiency. Also, if you're riding into the wind on the way home, gear down and spin more. You might go slower, but your total time will only be a few minutes slower so not a big deal.

OP I too work 12 hour days. More specifically, a 16 and two 12's. I actually cram in 40 hours of work from 1500 on Wednesday to 0700 on Saturday. My ride, like yours is 6 miles each way. I have found that pacing myself one way, paid dividends in the return. If I feel the need to go fast (Ricky Bobby), I do it on the way home.

OP I too work 12 hour days. More specifically, a 16 and two 12's. I actually cram in 40 hours of work from 1500 on Wednesday to 0700 on Saturday. My ride, like yours is 6 miles each way. I have found that pacing myself one way, paid dividends in the return. If I feel the need to go fast (Ricky Bobby), I do it on the way home.

Thanks its nice to "see" one in the the same boat (maybe bike?). I'm def. going to start resting a bit in the ride home. Good idea about pacing. I love this forum! Getting some great tips plus I love to read about you guys experiences.

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Sometimes it can be difficult to gauge what "slightly bent" means for you, when your leg is at its greatest extension. The rule of thumb that has always worked for me is to place your heels on the pedal, and then pedal backwards. At the bottom of the pedal stroke your legs should be completely extended, but not so far that your butt is rocking side to side on the saddle. Get the saddle at that height, and you'll have just about the perfect "slight" bend in the knee when you pedal normally.

she: I think the key is to do whatever you feel like you can continue to do. With 160 lbs lost as your goal you're in this for the long term. Give yourself some time to make these changes. By next fall you'll be forcing yourself to take a day off.

I'm def. going to start resting a bit in the ride home. Good idea about pacing.

Going a bit easier won't have a huge impact on your time in my experience. On days I feel good, I ride pretty hard for my entire ~ 14 mile commute. Takes me ~ 45 minutes. On days I feel tired or sore, I ease up a bit, and it takes me ~ 52 minutes and feels SO much easier.

You've gotten some good advice here. A 12 hour day? Yikes! You're probably very tired when you start off for home. I only work a 9 hour day and I find myself needing to cruise at an gentle pace going home, even for my short commute. That's mental decompression time. I sometimes do an 5k loop near the end just to blow off the tensions of the day.
Instead of thinking of your ride home as a "workout", think of it as "Yay, I'm done work, now I get to go for a bike ride!" Look at the scenery. Notice birds. You'll arrive home feeling a bit more energetic.

Instead of thinking of your ride home as a "workout", think of it as "Yay, I'm done work, now I get to go for a bike ride!" Look at the scenery. Notice birds. You'll arrive home feeling a bit more energetic.

I think this is great advice for bike riding in general. If it wasn't fun, I wouldn't do it. That's me. So I don't think of it as a workout (ugh), but instead as another fun bike ride (which it is!). Maybe when I'm in better shape I'll go so fast that I don't see/notice the trees, birds, animals, etc., but I hope not!

Just wanted to update everyone cause you all been so helpful. I rode my bike home today and for once had a wonderful time. :) I stopped and watched the geese with their cute little babies and also got caught in the rain ,and loved it. The funny thing was I was only about 10 minutes behind if I rode straight through with the gears on the lowest.