Originally Posted by
Oidar
Thank you for the encouraging words. You hit the nail on the head. I rode *maybe* 3 blocks round trip this morning, and my legs were rubbery and my arms and shoulders hurt from holding all my weight up over the handlebars. I came back and put it in the garage, but after reading this, Im going to go out and try it again.
Thanks!
Oidar,
Don't worry about the distance - it goes up faster than you're thinking it will now. Last year, I started back into riding; I got a recumbent trike. My first ride was a little over 2 miles, and took around 2 hours, since I had to stop frequently to catch my breath. Last fall, we did a 56+ mile ride. This year we're behind, because I had arthroscopic knee surgery in mid-June, but we're back to 15-20 mile rides, and we'll eventually get back to the 50+ level. One of the best motivators for me is going on some of the rides our bike shop puts on; their normal pace is 13+ mph, while mine is closer to 8-8.5. I just make sure I know how to retrace my path, so that if (OK, when!) they drop me, I can find my way back.
- Bob