Crawford53

So I finally took my bikes (at least some of them) out of storage last week. When I moved last winter, I had no place to keep them and needed to keep them there. Additionally, I was working and going to school in places too far/unsafe to commute via bike. Naturally, I have had an extended hiatus from riding.

Fast forward to today, when I decided to do a dry run of my commute to work on my day off to get a feel for the route. Instead, I got 1/3 of the way. I'm so out of shape, I couldn't even ride 4 miles! This is odd for me, who has been extremely physically active, and still looks fit despite my recent lapse.

The preferred route takes 8 miles each way, but better roads. The back up route takes 4.5 miles each way, but the roads are less friendly. I think despite today's shi**y feeling, I'll force myself to ride the shorter commute once a day (drive in/ride home, ride in/drive home, etc) until that feels easy, then twice a day, then start again with the longer route.

Did anyone else have a discouraging restart like this? What did/do you do to keep yourself going when you felt/feel so damn out of shape?

KBentley57

I would be hesitant of calling it a failure; you can gain so much fitness initially that it may only take weeks before you can complete the 4.5 mile route 2x a day. I would go this route, and then take a day off/drive in; as opposed to leaving my car away from my house. As soon as you leave it, you'll need it for an emergency, and be stranded with tired legs .

Darth Lefty 

How did you tap out? Cramps, cardio? If you have to go slower than you're used to or you got a charlie horse that's pretty normal. But if you have to stop entirely because you are out of breath, that's worrying.

yankeefan

If you're physically active, 4 miles on a bike shouldn't be a problem (assuming you have the appropriate gear ratio for the terrain). How were you dressed? Wearing a lot of layers to compensate for the cold can hinder your cycling performance since your body will overheat very quickly. Its better to start off a bit cold and allow yourself to warm up via your energy output.

Crawford53

It is worrying. That's the problem. I WAS physically active until for some reason my subconscious decided that I needed a year-long break. I've been dealing with some personal/school/work related stresses that I think have just dogged my body. That's part of why I'm coming back to commuting...it makes me feel better physically, mentally and emotionally but I was ashamed at how bad my fitness level was today.

Gresp15C

No shame! I had a period when I wasn't riding much, and when I started commuting again, I was pretty winded after a much shorter ride. It also takes me a few rides to recover from the winter hiatus. This will be my first year of riding through the winter, so we'll see how I feel in the spring.

PaulH

Try riding slower. You may be pushing too hard.

ThermionicScott 

Who hasn't taken a break from some activity and realized that they were out of shape when they got back to it? Just use after-work and weekend rides to build up your fitness for a while. It'll come back to you in no time.

a1penguin

Trying to get back into shape while riding in winter can be challenging. Sucking in cold air doesn't help warm up your engine. A year is a long time. Be patient. I think you will gain fitness at a pretty decent rate if you don't overdo it.

bragi

I'm an ex-serious runner, and I can tell you that taking a whole year off of any form of exercise will put you back at square one without question. What you're experiencing is totally normal. It will be a grind for a while, but after several (4-6) weeks, it will start to feel almost normal again. I totally encourage you to ride every day again as soon as possible. (But maybe go at a more leisurely pace at first...)

Crawford53

Thanks guys. I guess I just felt super disappointed, but at least I got on and will be easing myself back in!

CrankyOne

For general health a bunch of moderate exercise is better than a few bouts of more strenuous exercise. Riding slow twice per day is better than riding fast once per day. Riding slow once per day is better than riding fast every three days. This won't get you on to a pro tour team but will improve your health. Also consider that you are more likely to do something you enjoy than something that makes you nervous. When you look at the countries with healthier populations and longer lifespans you'll not find a bunch of people going to the gym or doing strenuous exercise but a bunch of people who eat fresh healthy food and then walk or bicycle (fairly slowly) for a lot of their transportation.

So, I'd take it slow, not worry about speed and focus on being able to ride the longer more enjoyable route each way.

BobbyG

The fact that you were motiviated to start back riding shows you have the gumption to succeed.

Papa Tom

I've been riding for more than forty years. In 1996, I got back into biking after going through my teens and twenties, and I've been riding steadily ever since. But here's the thing...

EVERY SINGLE YEAR, when I take my bike out for the first time of the season, I damned near have a heart attack. I am lucky if I can get around the block without nearly blacking out from exhaustion and hyperventilation. I've always been in good shape and I weigh well under 200 pounds, but the first few years this happened, I panicked and assumed my riding days were over. The next day I would try again and I could get around the block 4 or 5 times. By the end of the week, I was riding 4-5 miles a day and taking 20-30 mile rides on the weekend. By the end of week 2, I'd be riding as if there had been no break at all in the action and I'd be planning a weekend tour.

I'm not sure why that first ride is always so murderous. Perhaps you forget how to breathe and how to pace yourself when you've been off the bike for a while. Try again, maybe when the weather gets nicer, your airways aren't filled with snot, and the air is easier to breath, in general. You're probably worrying for nothing.

mcours2006

An extended period of inactivity will take away whatever fitness you've built up prior to the hiatus. This goes without saying, but if you were quite fit before, the fitness will come back more quickly. I'm not sure what you were expecting anyway, but you got the result I would expect given the circumstances. Keep at it for a few more weeks and see if your fitness doesn't improve. My guess is that you'll be doing the 8-mile loop sooner than you expect.

cooker

I suspect you didn't take into account your decline in fitness, and simply took off at an enthusiastic, but unsustainable pace. If try again, and you ease up and ride at a steady, plodding speed, it shouldn't be very hard to ride 8 miles.

TransitBiker

I have always found that stopping to take a break can really help. You are not out of shape, your body just forgot what to do.... You could try and warm up a bit, take a break, then try the route again.

Let me know if you try it and if it works for you!

- Andy

Crawford53

It's nice to hear someone else explain it too. Hopefully tomorrow will be another attempt at riding the shorter ride to work. It doesn't help that I think I have a cold :/

Daniel4

Practice your runs during the weekends. Bring along your public transit passes or whatever you need as a backup return trip. Take exactly the same route as you would going to work. If you can't complete the entire trip one-way in one go, no problem. Take lots of breaks. Ease yourself into it. When you are able to make the round trip on the weekend, you'll be ready to make the commute.

You don't want to force yourself to commute and end up stranded somewhere at the worse time of day.

Just remember, most of us here are commuting by bike because we love cycling so much. So the purpose of your bike commute goal is not because you want to commute by bike but that you want to bike as much as you want to.

12strings

I'll simply add to the encouragement, and I'm not sure your age, but cardio fitness really can be built back up very quickly with regular exercise...the joints and muscles will take longer, but if you are riding even a few miles every day...You'll likely be feeling more fit in less than 2 weeks. Just use easy gears, don't work it to hard starting out.

I just restarted after a T-giving to new years break, and felt really winded coming home on my commute...but just 2 weeks later, I feel much better, since I've stuck with it, and tried to ride easy most of the time. (Also adjusted my seat position so I could be more opened up, with less pressure on my hands and arms while riding, helped loosen up my chest.).

ray.garza

I had a similar experience where one day it was like I had lead feet. I was struggling to finish my ride. Finally near the end of my ride I looked down and noticed that my front brake pad was rubbing against the rim. A quick fix and wow what a difference and what a relief that I wasn't that out of shape.

Give your bike a look over. Spin those wheels and make sure they are not rubbing on something. Check the tires for proper inflation too. Check your gearing and make sure you are not on a hard gear to begin with. Check you pedals and make sure they spin freely. All these things can fool you into thinking you're out of shape or tired.

fietsbob

I'm where it Mostly Rains in the winter (& spring and fall).. so I dont Hang up the Bike , just Ride a different One ..

I assembled an old MTB which sits in waiting for Ice on the streets and sidewalks days..

mrblue

Fortunately, I live in a place where I bike year-round. However, I used to be really into weight lifting, a while back. Then I lost interest (like I tend to do with many things), so I stopped. A year later I decided to start lifting again. Wow! I was incredibly out of shape. I couldn't lift what I used to, nor could I do the same number of reps. I realized, I needed to start over, and slowly. In no time I was back to where I left off. Moral of the story: Just start out slow and take it easy. You'll get there.

noglider 

Check that your seat is high enough. I know it's a dumb thing to check, but be sure. If you pedaled hard on a too-low seat, it could really wear you out.

Crawford53

Not dumb at all! I know fit is super important. I think part of the problem is that I am out of shape from inactivity, but I think the other half might be my bike. I'm using my dedicated commuter right now, which is a tad too big for me, and weighs about as much as a small cow. Last year the weight didn't bother me because I was fit, but this time I'm finding it hard to move. I'm almost done building up a 1991 Rockhopper...I might change over to that with only a light backpack at first until it gets a bit easier.

Speaking of, does anyone commute on MTB tires with significant tread? It's pretty gross in the winter here so it'd probably be helpful for conditions but I wonder about resistence...