NOS88

Lots of good advice so far. It can be discouraging if progress is not as fast as you'd like. I echo those who say keep riding, you're doing fine. If you only stopped smoking 2.5 years ago, you may still be clearing out those lungs and building them up to where they should be. Also, at 230 lbs. you are carrying a fair amount of weight. The more you continue your healthy habits and the weight drops off the better you can predict your performance will become. One thing you might try to boost your progress is doing two of your rider each week without stops (or get to that point by cutting out one stop, then another, etc.). Or, alternately, cut your break time by two minutes each week until you no longer need them. The simple formula for improvement is taxing the body beyond the level at which it wants to perform comfortably and then giving it an opportunity to rest and repair itself. At your stage of development, there is no reason to think you shouldn't feel beat after 20 miles. To me one of the most interesting things about cycling (and I suppose any exercise) is that improvement means it never gets easier. You may find a point at which improvement is no longer the goal. Rather, you've shifted to just maintaining the current level of fitness. When this happens it get a bit easier, but never completely easy. So, don't despair. You're on the right path.