I was trying to HDFU. I rode 16.2 miles, my longest ride by 4 miles, took a day off for rain, and then rode another 16.4 miles. The last mile was very uncomfortable on my rear end and I could not find a happy place on my seat. My right foot was also numbing up. That evening I felt jagged and uncomfortable and had a hard time getting to sleep. The next day (yesterday) I felt exhausted. I went for a short walk and that was it. Better this morning but I only rode 4 miles. Felt generally uncomfortable on my bike. My muscles never feel the rides but it is a case where my whole body just feels beat up. I don't know how much of the issue is the calorie restrictions of my diet. I am finding it hard to stick to my 1200 calories and have shot over a couple of times. But the weight is slowly falling off so I think that I am OK on the eating end.

I am not used to exercise. It is hard for me to tell if I am pushing too hard. But I think I did. I have to remember that I am not a muscled clyde or a young person with boundless energy.



Hardening up will have to go slower I think.
I think that I have to back it off a bit and work up again. This is depressing as I was feeling so tough and cool and all.

I have to remember Jethro's advise he just gave to a new guy:

I think one of the mistakes many new riders (including me) make is pushing too hard too early. I settled into a pattern of a 7 mile loop every other day and a longer ride at the weekends. 7 miles can be cranked out in 30 minutes and so its less of an excuse to skip. It also allows your body to recover instead of repeatedly cranking out long rides. Its the human condition to drop habits that we find "work" or uncomfortable. If you are pushing too hard it makes its so much easier to "skip" a ride and before you know it a month has passed and you havent touched the bike.

After a year, I have kept to the same schedule of 3 local loops (7 miles each in sun/rain/snow/ice) and whatever longer rides I feel like at the weekend (usually I ride 30+ miles). The 7 mile loop is the sweet spot for me as I can judge my improvements over the same route over time. Yesterday, I completed a 45 mile / 2300ft sponsored ride and felt great at the end. Last weekend I rode 55 miles to a local beauty spot. Keep it simple and fun. There will be days where you just dont want to ride or something else is more interesting and thats when its hard to talk yourself out of a 30 minute ride but easy to talk your way out of a 1+ hour ride....

Keep 'em Rolling

I love this respond such good advice. Thats all I can think of saying. Except maybe Goldfinch I hope your aching body feels better today.

I don't know you so I don't know if you were pushing yourself or not but I would suggest that you make sure you are fitted properly. Uncomfortable rear end and numb feet are signs of poor fit. Those things will only get worse as you increase your mileage if you don't fix them. Good for you for getting out. Keep after it, it will get better and most importantly you'll start feeling better!

You are tough and cool. Your head is just ahead of your body.

Hey, don't worry about it. I'm going through the same problem myself, wanting to go farther than my body is ready to allow. You'll get there in time.
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Its alright to take breaks from riding when you need to. Just like its okay to increase your calories based on your activity level or needs.

Don't think so much about what you did or didn't do sometimes. Enjoy what you've already accomplished. Just don't make a habit of resting on your laurels.

Thanks for all the support everyone. This afternoon I went for a walk and felt good. So I think that I am coming back. I will try to find someone to help me with fit issues with my saddle.

If riding becomes unpleasant for you, then you know you've pushed too hard too soon.

One thing is are you eating before and during the longer rides? It sounds like you bonked on the second 16 mile ride and your body is now starting to recover from it. As far as the numbness, saddle selection and improper fit are the majority of the issues.

Best advice ... listen to your body (not your head) ...

If you're tired/sore/whatever and your body is telling you so, dial it back a bit.

If your head is saying, "meh, don't ride today, just take a day off and be lazy," ignore it.

I like what maghon said ... particularly about a "sweet spot" ride.

I have several "ready made" rides I can do from my home ... 10, 15, 20 or even 25 miles. Those are my base, and which one I ride depends on how I feel, how much time I have, etc.

I rode five miles today. My rear has not recovered. I did try to pedal a little harder than I usually do but kept the ride short so that riding isn't painful. I am still moving all over on the seat and want to push myself back where it is more comfortable but then I end up going forward when I hit a bump. I have an appointment for a fitting tomorrow. I have to drive 120 miles for it so I hope it helps.

Another good point. I ride in the early morning, eating an apple and a handful of walnuts for breakfast. I do not eat again until lunch.

Try eating a little more about 30 minutes before you ride and see if that helps. Try adding a banana into your morning meal and see if that helps you out.

I had my bike fit today. Lots of changes. The seat was dropped nearly an inch and moved back by nearly an inch--no wonder I kept trying to scoot back on my seat! My handlebars, which I thought were as low as they could go, were dropped by flipping the stem. He shortened the bars by cutting off close to an inch on each end and adding chopped off Ergon grips. My shoulders are very narrow and this helped a lot. I bought a new saddle--the stock saddle was a too long, and oddly shaped, designed for a man, saddle. This is a saddle Cannondale puts on its very smallest frame bike, a saddle unlikely to work for anyone who would ride that tiny bike.

On the upside, I bought the right bike. I needed one this small. I do need to thank Cannondale for actually making a very small bike that will fit someone less than five feet tall and who has a short torso and arms.

I'll have to see what kind of difference these changes make. I do feel like my bike is more comfortable, there is no pressure on the hands and for the first time my seat can be level. It does feel odd to have dropped my seat by an inch. But I've only ridden about 3 miles with the changes. Tomorrow will tell me more.

Getting a good fit is one of the most important things you can do. I'm betting it will help a bunch. Also, as for pushing it I've found that when I started a year ago I didn't have nearly the ability to recover that I do now. I think that part of getting fit is not only getting stronger and getting better at cardio but also getting better and recovering so you aren't as wiped out the next day.

If you have a HRM, check how many calories you're burning during a workout. You might be going into too deep a calorie deficit w/ long rides or high intensity rides which is why you feel so wiped out. You can take in 6000 calories a day and still lose weight if you burn off 6100 calories during the day, so make sure you're feeding your body enough to match the workload. Drink lots of water during and after the ride, replace electrolytes during and after rides to help w/ recovery. Bananas and prunes are good for electrolytes; they're high in potassium, don't have much caloric impact if you don't overdo them, and are good for you. Also, don't go nuts. Do shorter rides w/ one long ride during the week, and ride w/ your heart rate in the weight loss zone (Z1: 60-70%) or aerobic zone (Z2:70-80%). Remember, riding is fun so don't make it into work.

This is very good advice. Look back at how short your initial rides were. Remeber what it felt like the first time you got back on the bike, how short a distance it took to wipe you out? If you keep at it, you'll never be at a loss for those kinds of opportunities to take stock and amaze yourself with what you've accomplished. From time to time you'll push a little too hard and feel beaten up. It happens. Think of those sensations as the rewards of having come through the battle unvanquished.

Recovery time is crucial to improvements in fitness and performance, and you should make sure they're part of your routine. But don't let those downtimes become a reason to lose inspiration. Take stock. You're better than you were last week. You'll be better still next week.