I used to worry about getting killed suddenly on my bicycle. No longer. I would die happy. That may sound morbid, but it's more like a zen fatalism that lets me accept the risks involved. Which doesn't seem too different to me than Machka's take on riding with a heart condition. And I'd guess that in all liklihood instead of killing her it will extend her life and mitigate the negative impact of her condition. I suppose that's what we all hope and pray of course.

Sorry. Yet ANOTHER double post caused by a Bike Forum Server brain fart...

The difference is that lifting weights does provide some cardiac benefit. Not as much as bicycling, but still better than sitting on the couch. I remember my first time doing intense lifting, about two years ago. Though I was not out of breath, I had sweated out something like a pint to a quart of sweat, and I was beat--absolutely dead tired. I was actually shocked by how physically drained I was, even though in comparison to the aerobic exercise I had done at the time, I was barely breathing heavy after lifting.

As for the extra weight being a drain on the heart, I'm not even so sure of that either, right now. My personal experience has shown that focusing on excess weight as a proxy for lack of fitness is an exercise in frustration, and I think it eventually leads to failure down the road for those who believe that the two are equivalent. By the medical definitions, I am morbidly obese. I am over 100 lbs overweight(yes, it's fat). Yet, I bike around 70 miles/week, I bench press 180 with dumbells, shoulder press 140 with same, and I have completed multiple rides over 40 miles and a metric century, and I'll probably do a regular century in the next week or two(my goal for this summer is a 3-4 day 240 mile round trip to VT).

If a doc looked at my current BMI(43) there is no way he would think that I could exercise at the level I currently perform. I know for a fact that most people who have a "normal" weight can't do what I do daily. But by using BMI as a proxy for fitness, I would be considered extremely out of shape--and that just ain't so.

>>If a doc looked at my current BMI(43) there is no way he would think that I could exercise at the level I currently perform. I know for a fact that most people who have a "normal" weight can't do what I do daily. But by using BMI as a proxy for fitness, I would be considered extremely out of shape--and that just ain't so<<

It's likely that as usual, the truth lies somewhere between. Your fitness activities DO enhance your overall fitness - which probably reduces the probability of heart disease - while the overweight aspect of your physique would increase those chances. I've read studies that showed that 'reasonable fitness' conferred surprising benefits of lower heart disease rates even to morbidly obese subjects.

Is it possible to be that overweight and still be somewhat 'fit'? Apparently so.

Which would not help you on the Nyack ride however : ).