Originally Posted by
girljen
I have been bike commuting for about a month. My commute is only three miles each way; mostly downhill on the way to work and mostly uphill on the way home. The only riding I do right now is my commute. I usually work four days a week, sometimes five.
So...when will it get easier? I'm tired and my legs hurt at the end of every ride. Should I throw a few long rides in there on weekends? Should I hurry up and get a trailer so I can pull my daughter around?
I read about these people who can ride centuries and randonees and have absolutely no idea how they do it; I'm ready to fall over after three miles. An errand on the way to work nearly kills me!
Am I a wuss? Am I just not being patient enough? Is there anything else that could cause a rinky-dink little three-mile ride to kill me every day?
I'm one of those people that now rides centuries and randonees. When I started out I couldn't ride a mile without coasting. And my five mile flat bike commute had me breathless by the end.
IIRC, and its been a long time now, it took about 2 weeks of doing it 5 days a week before it felt "easier". But that was flat. I don't know how steep your "uphill" is but if its significant it may take quite a bit of time before it feels like the hill is easier.
The fact your legs hurt and are continuing to hurt, tells me that its likely that either your bike setup needs to be tweaked (maybe your seat is set too low), and/or you are trying to push too big of a gear. Pick an easier gear and spin the pedals faster instead of spinning the pedals slowly in a hard gear. Also be sure to pick a pace that is comfortable and you can maintain, if you are riding anaerobically (such that you can't carry on a conversation at the pace you are riding) you'll get tired quickly.
What kind of bike are you riding? Hybrid? Mountain bike? Road bike? Smooth tires or knobby tires? Make sure there is plenty of air in your tires, nothing like low air pressure to make a ride feel really sluggish. Also make sure your chain is lubed. Hopefully you have enough gear range to get you up the hill effectively, an old single speed bike would indeed be a challenge.
And it could be your bike that is tiring you out. I can ride 200 km rides, but trying to go more than 5 miles on a heavy upright bike (more wind resistance) with a bouncy seat and sluggish drivetrain has me quite pooched! If you think it may be the bike test ride some at a bike store or try and borrow one for a friend to see if it feels easier for you on the other bike.
And it doesn't hurt to try some weekend rides that are a bit longer, its possible (and particularly if there is a lot of stop and go in your 3 miles) that you don't have long enough to get warmed up to find a groove.
Oh and even though your commute is short, I'd recommend toe clips and straps if you just have plain pedals right now, you can wear any shoes with them (unlike clipless), but they will hold your feet in a good position so they won't slip going uphill - it does make going uphill easier!
Look forward to hearing how it goes!