how to grow lungs & muscles ?

[Randy W. Sims]

I'm humbled. With my (1st) new bike, I put on a pair of bike shorts, a
jersey, my helmet, and then roll out the driveway. ~15 minutes & 1.2
miles later I'm dragging my sorry self back home. Lungs laboring.
Muscles complaining. And there aren't even any major hills on this short
route.

I was suprised at just how out of shape I've gotten. I've done this 3
days this week. I'm wondering what the best approach to building
endurance for both lungs and leg muscles is. Is it best to ride till I
can't anymore? Ride a mile, rest a while and repeat? Ride 0.5 miles,
take shorter rests, and repeat more times?

I like riding and, I can't wait till I'm able to ride for longer periods
of time. I'm curious how long it's going to take though to build up to a
respectable ride. Anyone else with humble beginnings willing to share
their experiences?

Thanks,
Randy.

 

[mo fo]

Keep going. It gets better, trust me! I started riding in June
after a long hiatus and moving to a new town. I felt pathetic
after the first couple of rides, just like you described. Keep
pushing yourself, don't smoke, and keep it in a gear that you can
get a good, fast pedal cadence in. You'll get there! You should
see improvement most every time you ride. Make sure you get
adequate sleep/rest. Don't push yourself to the point of pain
every time you go out. Alternate tough rides with easy spinning.
Keeping those tires fully inflated makes it easier, too. Most of
all, have fun!
~Rob

"Randy W. Sims" <[email protected]> wrote in message
news:[email protected]...
: I'm humbled. With my (1st) new bike, I put on a pair of bike
shorts, a
: jersey, my helmet, and then roll out the driveway. ~15 minutes
& 1.2
: miles later I'm dragging my sorry self back home. Lungs
laboring.
: Muscles complaining. And there aren't even any major hills on
this short
: route.
:
: I was suprised at just how out of shape I've gotten. I've done
this 3
: days this week. I'm wondering what the best approach to
building
: endurance for both lungs and leg muscles is. Is it best to ride
till I
: can't anymore? Ride a mile, rest a while and repeat? Ride 0.5
miles,
: take shorter rests, and repeat more times?
:
: I like riding and, I can't wait till I'm able to ride for
longer periods
: of time. I'm curious how long it's going to take though to
build up to a
: respectable ride. Anyone else with humble beginnings willing to
share
: their experiences?
:
: Thanks,
: Randy.

 

[alan]

It takes about a month of regular riding for the body to adapt. That
doesn't mean riding every day, but at least every other day.

My first commute to work went well, in the morning, but coming home in the
heat was another matter. I stopped about halfway to see if a tire was low
or a brake was dragging. It was my butt that was dragging! I stopped at
the library to rest before riding the last mile and a half. The commute was
only seven miles, but I thought it would kill me.

That was over 10 years ago. It was possibly the worst time I've ever spent
on a bike. Every day after that was an imporvement.

--

alan

Anyone who believes in a liberal media has never read the "Daily Oklahoman."


"Randy W. Sims" <[email protected]> wrote in message
news:[email protected]...
> I like riding and, I can't wait till I'm able to ride for longer periods
> of time. I'm curious how long it's going to take though to build up to a
> respectable ride. Anyone else with humble beginnings willing to share
> their experiences?

 

[Jeff Starr]

On Sat, 03 Sep 2005 05:58:29 -0400, "Randy W. Sims"
<[email protected]> wrote:

>I'm humbled. With my (1st) new bike, I put on a pair of bike shorts, a
>jersey, my helmet, and then roll out the driveway. ~15 minutes & 1.2
>miles later I'm dragging my sorry self back home. Lungs laboring.
>Muscles complaining. And there aren't even any major hills on this short
>route.
>
>I was suprised at just how out of shape I've gotten. I've done this 3
>days this week. I'm wondering what the best approach to building
>endurance for both lungs and leg muscles is. Is it best to ride till I
>can't anymore? Ride a mile, rest a while and repeat? Ride 0.5 miles,
>take shorter rests, and repeat more times?
>
>I like riding and, I can't wait till I'm able to ride for longer periods
>of time. I'm curious how long it's going to take though to build up to a
>respectable ride. Anyone else with humble beginnings willing to share
>their experiences?
>
>Thanks,
>Randy.

Randy, some background would help, such as age, weight, and basic
health. 1.2 miles in 15 minutes, doesn't seem right. That would be 4.8
mph.

I hadn't rode a bike in about 25 years and my first rides were 4
miles. That went up to 5, then 8, 10, and in about 3 months, I was
riding 14 miles per ride, 4 to 5 days a week. I was 47 yrs old, I was
smoking 1-2 cigars a day, and had been for the previous 3 years. I
finally quit in January of 2004. I still have an occasional one, last
year maybe 8-10 total.

In 2002, I ended up riding 728 miles total. In 2003 it went up to
2086mi, 2004 it was 3174mi, and this year I just passed 2700 miles. I
live in Milwaukee Wisconsin, so my riding season was about 6 months in
2002, and last yearI rode for 9 months. My per ride average, this year
is 25.7 miles. My longest ride this year, so far, was 48 miles.

As someone else mentioned, you should see almost daily improvement,
for a while. Do you know how to make use of your gears?
There is lots of good info here, be sure to read the section on "Gear
Shifting": http://www.sheldonbrown.com/beginners/index.html

Just the fact that you like it and want to ride more, will be a real
help.


Life is Good!
Jeff

 

[Randy W. Sims]

mo fo wrote:
> Keep going. It gets better, trust me! I started riding in June
> after a long hiatus and moving to a new town. I felt pathetic
> after the first couple of rides, just like you described. Keep
> pushing yourself, don't smoke, and keep it in a gear that you can

I quit smoking 2.5 years ago after being a pack-a-day smoker for around
15 years. I kinda thought I'd be over that by now. I was going regularly
to the gym until about a year ago. I could get on the eliptical trainer
for 45 minutes doing a varied program with steep hills without problem,
and then go straight to the weights for an upper body workout. But
that's been about a year, and my job involves sitting on my butt ~48
hours a week.

> get a good, fast pedal cadence in. You'll get there! You should
> see improvement most every time you ride. Make sure you get
> adequate sleep/rest. Don't push yourself to the point of pain
> every time you go out. Alternate tough rides with easy spinning.
> Keeping those tires fully inflated makes it easier, too. Most of
> all, have fun!

Oh, I am having fun. I just wish I could have more than 15 minutes of
fun at a time without collapsing from exhaustion. =)

Randy.

 

[Randy W. Sims]

alan wrote:
> It takes about a month of regular riding for the body to adapt. That
> doesn't mean riding every day, but at least every other day.

That's encouraging.

> My first commute to work went well, in the morning, but coming home in the
> heat was another matter. I stopped about halfway to see if a tire was low
> or a brake was dragging. It was my butt that was dragging! I stopped at

Speaking of butts. My left cheek is rather sore at my right cheek...
they haven't seen each other in about a week. I hope they get used to
being apart.

> the library to rest before riding the last mile and a half. The commute was
> only seven miles, but I thought it would kill me.
>
> That was over 10 years ago. It was possibly the worst time I've ever spent
> on a bike. Every day after that was an imporvement.


Thanks,
Randy.

 

[Peter Cole]

Randy W. Sims wrote:
> I'm humbled. With my (1st) new bike, I put on a pair of bike shorts, a
> jersey, my helmet, and then roll out the driveway. ~15 minutes & 1.2
> miles later I'm dragging my sorry self back home. Lungs laboring.
> Muscles complaining. And there aren't even any major hills on this short
> route.
>
> I was suprised at just how out of shape I've gotten. I've done this 3
> days this week. I'm wondering what the best approach to building
> endurance for both lungs and leg muscles is. Is it best to ride till I
> can't anymore? Ride a mile, rest a while and repeat? Ride 0.5 miles,
> take shorter rests, and repeat more times?
>
> I like riding and, I can't wait till I'm able to ride for longer periods
> of time. I'm curious how long it's going to take though to build up to a
> respectable ride. Anyone else with humble beginnings willing to share
> their experiences?

If you do it slowly enough, cycling takes less effort than walking. When
you first start riding you should concentrate on distance not speed.
Your "lungs" is actually your cardio-vascular capacity. At first you
want to stay within this while your muscles and connective tissues
strengthen -- your muscles will also vascularize. By keeping a steady
comfortable pace and gradually increasing your distance you'll build a
base for future development. After several months of this you can start
turning up the power to stress the c-v system. Multiple "intervals" of
fairly brief maximal effort are usually the best way to do this. It
takes several years to get to peak conditioning.

 

[Randy W. Sims]

Jeff Starr wrote:
> On Sat, 03 Sep 2005 05:58:29 -0400, "Randy W. Sims"
> <[email protected]> wrote:
>
>
>>I'm humbled. With my (1st) new bike, I put on a pair of bike shorts, a
>>jersey, my helmet, and then roll out the driveway. ~15 minutes & 1.2
>>miles later I'm dragging my sorry self back home. Lungs laboring.
>>Muscles complaining. And there aren't even any major hills on this short
>>route.
>>
>>I was suprised at just how out of shape I've gotten. I've done this 3
>>days this week. I'm wondering what the best approach to building
>>endurance for both lungs and leg muscles is. Is it best to ride till I
>>can't anymore? Ride a mile, rest a while and repeat? Ride 0.5 miles,
>>take shorter rests, and repeat more times?
>>
>>I like riding and, I can't wait till I'm able to ride for longer periods
>>of time. I'm curious how long it's going to take though to build up to a
>>respectable ride. Anyone else with humble beginnings willing to share
>>their experiences?
>>
>>Thanks,
>>Randy.
>
>
> Randy, some background would help, such as age, weight, and basic
> health. 1.2 miles in 15 minutes, doesn't seem right. That would be 4.8
> mph.

32 yrs. 5'10" ~190lbs Ideal weight would be around 160lbs, I think.
Extremely sedentary lifestyle atm. But mostly healthy eater: low
fat/cholestorol foods, lots of fruit, fiber. Drink mostly water, maybe a
glass of wine every other day. Okay, okay, I also enjoy Starbucks Coffee.

> I hadn't rode a bike in about 25 years and my first rides were 4
> miles. That went up to 5, then 8, 10, and in about 3 months, I was
> riding 14 miles per ride, 4 to 5 days a week. I was 47 yrs old, I was
> smoking 1-2 cigars a day, and had been for the previous 3 years. I
> finally quit in January of 2004. I still have an occasional one, last
> year maybe 8-10 total.

Quit smoking 2.5 years ago after a pack-a-day for 15 years. At that time
I had a bad experience with ephedra; I was using about 1 bottle (30
caps) every 2-3 days, smoking a pack a day, and drinking 1-2 quarts of
coffee a day... One day my blood pressure shot up, numb extremeties,
dizzy. I was at home alone and had to call 911. It was scarry. I had
lots of trouble getting my blood pressure to return to normal for months
after. It had adapted to all the stimulants, and took time to readjust,
but things are normal now. But that's probably more than you wanted to know.

> In 2002, I ended up riding 728 miles total. In 2003 it went up to
> 2086mi, 2004 it was 3174mi, and this year I just passed 2700 miles. I
> live in Milwaukee Wisconsin, so my riding season was about 6 months in
> 2002, and last yearI rode for 9 months. My per ride average, this year
> is 25.7 miles. My longest ride this year, so far, was 48 miles.

Those are the kind of rides I'm looking forward to.

> As someone else mentioned, you should see almost daily improvement,
> for a while. Do you know how to make use of your gears?
> There is lots of good info here, be sure to read the section on "Gear
> Shifting": http://www.sheldonbrown.com/beginners/index.html

He he, I can't stay on the thing long enough to practice shifting yet.

> Just the fact that you like it and want to ride more, will be a real
> help.
>
>
> Life is Good!
> Jeff

Thanks,
Randy.

 

[Bill Sornson]

Randy W. Sims wrote:

> Speaking of butts. My left cheek is rather sore at my right cheek...
> they haven't seen each other in about a week. I hope they get used to
> being apart.

TMI.

 

[jj]

On Sat, 03 Sep 2005 15:05:27 GMT, Jeff Starr <[email protected]> wrote:

>On Sat, 03 Sep 2005 05:58:29 -0400, "Randy W. Sims"
><[email protected]> wrote:
>
>>I'm humbled. With my (1st) new bike, I put on a pair of bike shorts, a
>>jersey, my helmet, and then roll out the driveway. ~15 minutes & 1.2
>>miles later I'm dragging my sorry self back home. Lungs laboring.
>>Muscles complaining. And there aren't even any major hills on this short
>>route.
>>
>>I was suprised at just how out of shape I've gotten. I've done this 3
>>days this week. I'm wondering what the best approach to building
>>endurance for both lungs and leg muscles is. Is it best to ride till I
>>can't anymore? Ride a mile, rest a while and repeat? Ride 0.5 miles,
>>take shorter rests, and repeat more times?
>>
>>I like riding and, I can't wait till I'm able to ride for longer periods
>>of time. I'm curious how long it's going to take though to build up to a
>>respectable ride. Anyone else with humble beginnings willing to share
>>their experiences?
>>
>>Thanks,
>>Randy.
>
>Randy, some background would help, such as age, weight, and basic
>health. 1.2 miles in 15 minutes, doesn't seem right. That would be 4.8
>mph.
>
> I hadn't rode a bike in about 25 years and my first rides were 4
>miles. That went up to 5, then 8, 10, and in about 3 months, I was
>riding 14 miles per ride, 4 to 5 days a week. I was 47 yrs old, I was
>smoking 1-2 cigars a day, and had been for the previous 3 years. I
>finally quit in January of 2004. I still have an occasional one, last
>year maybe 8-10 total.
>
>In 2002, I ended up riding 728 miles total. In 2003 it went up to
>2086mi, 2004 it was 3174mi, and this year I just passed 2700 miles. I
>live in Milwaukee Wisconsin, so my riding season was about 6 months in
>2002, and last yearI rode for 9 months. My per ride average, this year
>is 25.7 miles. My longest ride this year, so far, was 48 miles.
>
>As someone else mentioned, you should see almost daily improvement,
>for a while. Do you know how to make use of your gears?
>There is lots of good info here, be sure to read the section on "Gear
>Shifting": http://www.sheldonbrown.com/beginners/index.html
>
>Just the fact that you like it and want to ride more, will be a real
>help.
>
>
>Life is Good!
>Jeff

Kudos. Aren't you riding with uh, a little extra titanium, too? ;-)

jj

 

[Robert Uhl]

"Randy W. Sims" <[email protected]> writes:
>
> I'm humbled. With my (1st) new bike, I put on a pair of bike shorts, a
> jersey, my helmet, and then roll out the driveway. ~15 minutes & 1.2
> miles later I'm dragging my sorry self back home. Lungs
> laboring. Muscles complaining. And there aren't even any major hills
> on this short route.

I think that we've all been there at first

For me, my first commuting route had this one hill; the first day I came
upon it I had to dismount and walk up the sidewalk, my cheeks burning in
shame. Eventually I was able to ride it at a reasonable pace, although
I never really got to enjoying it.

> I was suprised at just how out of shape I've gotten. I've done this 3
> days this week. I'm wondering what the best approach to building
> endurance for both lungs and leg muscles is. Is it best to ride till I
> can't anymore? Ride a mile, rest a while and repeat? Ride 0.5 miles,
> take shorter rests, and repeat more times?

Well, I don't think you want to ride until you can't ride anymore--that
might start associating negative feelings with cycling, and will thus
discourage you. Is there any landmark with 1-2 miles, say a coffee shop,
bookstore, ice cream shop, park or friend's house? I'd say just ride
there, loiter a bit, then ride home. Make the cycling fun, a means to
and end.

> I'm curious how long it's going to take though to build up to a
> respectable ride.

Depends a lot on your current condition, but in my case the next time I
hit that hill I climbed it on the bike, and within a few weeks I was
ascending at a fair clip. Just keep up with your cycling, and you'll be
amazed at how what was once nothing to sneeze at becomes nothing to
notice.

--
Robert Uhl <http://public.xdi.org/=ruhl>
Twelve as a divisor has always been preferred to ten. I can understand
the twelfth part of an inch but not the thousandth part of a metre.
--Napoleon

 

[Brian Kerr]

Randy W. Sims wrote:
> Jeff Starr wrote:
>
<snip>
>
>> As someone else mentioned, you should see almost daily improvement,
>> for a while. Do you know how to make use of your gears?
>> There is lots of good info here, be sure to read the section on "Gear
>> Shifting": http://www.sheldonbrown.com/beginners/index.html
>
>
> He he, I can't stay on the thing long enough to practice shifting yet.
>

I think what Jeff is trying to convey to you is a common problem amongst
beginning cyclists and that is the desire to pedal in too hard of a
gear. The key word for figuring out cycling is "cadence" a.k.a.
"spinning" a.k.a. RPM's or the number of times your pedals go around in
1 minute. You should strive for about 100 rpm when beginning. When you
find that cadence, you'll realize you feel like you are pedaling your
butt off and not going anywhere. It can be a frustrating thing at first
but ask anyone that rides and they'll tell you cadence is the key.
How do you figure out what your cadence is? If you have a computer
attached to your bike that shows cadence (or rpms) you can just look at
that number and get it up to around 100. If you don't have a computer
that's okay too, just count the number of times your feet go around the
pedals i.e. left foot at top, then left foot at top again = 1 rotation.
Count the number of those rotations in a minute and you have your
cadence. If you can do the math you could just count for 5 seconds and
multiply it by 12. So, if you can pedal 8 times in 5 seconds you're at
96rpm and that's a good cadence to strive for starting out. You might
very well need to be in the lowest gear your bike has to get into this
cadence starting off and there's no shame in that. BTW, is somebody had
told me this when I started off I could've saved myself months.
HTH,
Brian

 

[Rich Clark]

"Randy W. Sims" <[email protected]> wrote in message
news:[email protected]...

> He he, I can't stay on the thing long enough to practice shifting yet.

This makes me wonder if you're exhausting yourself by pedaling in too high a
gear. You should be in a gear that lets you pedal at least 60rpm (this will
go up, possibly to 90 or more, as you become better conditioned).

The point is that, except on hills, it should really not take you much more
effort than walking, except on hills, if you don't push it. Can you *walk*
1.2 miles? Can you run 1.2 miles?

Ride around in a parking lot and learn to shift. Stay in a gear low enough
for easy pedaling. Don't concern yourself with speed.

RichC

 

[[email protected]]

I'm one of those people who bikes off and on, with the off and on
periods drifting into years. After 5 years off I've tried it again,
and worked myself back into pretty good shape (for me). My advice
would be to be patient and enjoy the rides. You'll get there. It
might help to enjoy the outdoors rather than to set too-extreme
short-term goals. If there are some "destinations" within your current
range, that might help. When I added rides to the library, post
office, and coffee/food joints to my "regular" training rides I noticed
a big jump in ability. I think short hops, as part of the routine,
give more benefit that people give them credit for.

One note - I think when I started I had a tendancy to overtrain. When
my body is out of shape I need more recovery time. I needed to ride a
bit before I could ride every other day. Every body is different, but
if you think you need a couple off-days go ahead and take them (take
longer if something actually "hurts").

Anyway, best wishes and congratulations.

 

[Claire Petersky]

"Brian Kerr" <[email protected]> wrote in message
news:[email protected]...

> How do you figure out what your cadence is? If you have a computer
> attached to your bike that shows cadence (or rpms) you can just look at
> that number and get it up to around 100.

100!

RichC was much more reasonable when he said, try to get it up over 60. The
guy is trying to ride around the neighborhood, not train for the TdF.

--
Warm Regards,

Claire Petersky
Personal page: http://www.geocities.com/cpetersky/
See the books I've set free at:
http://bookcrossing.com/referral/Cpetersky

 

[Bill H.]

Sounds like you're expending too much effort. It shouldn't be quite
that difficult.

Like others have suggested, you may be in too high of a gear. Try to
get it so you just barely feel resistance when you pedal and then just
maintain a comfortable rhythm. You'll often go faster when you spin a
lower gear faster than if you really lean on a high gear, even though
you spend more effort with your legs on a high gear.

When I started bicycling, I wanted to go really FAST, so I got into the
highest gear I could push and wore out my legs in just a few minutes.
I was convinced that this was the way to get around on a bike. I would
ride and then tell myself "I can do a little more" and then I'd upshift
and then I'd push harder with my legs and keep trying to upshift, even
when I was on the flats. I'd arrive at my destination exhausted, or
even worse - I'd have to stop along the way. Remember the tortoise and
the hare? It's a bit like that.

I'm a tad wiser now, and have learned to worship the 32 cog chainwheel
on my mountain bike (which I ride around town). I spend a good portion
of my "around town" cruising time in the 32/14 gear combo, which is
only around 60 gear inches. It's nothing special, but hey, I'm not
trying to win any races, either. I'm out for fresh air and exercise
and to see some of my neighborhood.

I don't know if you have a triple or double chainwheel, but as a
general rule, you should only be in the largest chainwheel when you're
going down hill or once you can easily maintain that without wearing
out your leg muscles. You're probably not at that point, yet, so stay
in the low gears and take it easy. There's no shame in it.

Keep at it and the endurance will come. Don't try to do too much all
at once.

 

[The Wogster]

Randy W. Sims wrote:
> I'm humbled. With my (1st) new bike, I put on a pair of bike shorts, a
> jersey, my helmet, and then roll out the driveway. ~15 minutes & 1.2
> miles later I'm dragging my sorry self back home. Lungs laboring.
> Muscles complaining. And there aren't even any major hills on this short
> route.
>
> I was suprised at just how out of shape I've gotten. I've done this 3
> days this week. I'm wondering what the best approach to building
> endurance for both lungs and leg muscles is. Is it best to ride till I
> can't anymore? Ride a mile, rest a while and repeat? Ride 0.5 miles,
> take shorter rests, and repeat more times?
>
> I like riding and, I can't wait till I'm able to ride for longer periods
> of time. I'm curious how long it's going to take though to build up to a
> respectable ride. Anyone else with humble beginnings willing to share
> their experiences?
>

First, if your over 40, get a physical, make sure there are no problems.

Second, if you smoke, quit, cold turkey is the best, but other methods
can also be used, patches, gums, hypnosis, accupuncture, whatever.

Third, pick a distance you can handle, say .5 miles, go a nice .5 mile
circuit, for a couple of weeks, then add 50% so maybe .75 miles again
for two weeks, every couple of weeks you add to your distance. It
doesn't take long to get to a long distance.

If your in a winter climate, an excersize bike, or a trainer to help to
keep the process going, otherwise pick a winter excersize, hiking,
snowshoing, are both good. Cross country skiing can also be good,
downhill, forget it. If you want to try mountain biking, hiking,
snowshoing and Xcountry can be good ways to find new trails.

W

 

[Chris Neary]

>I quit smoking 2.5 years ago after being a pack-a-day smoker for around
>15 years. I kinda thought I'd be over that by now.

My wife is an ex-smoker, in fact she quit when she started riding. According
to her, it takes 10 years for your lungs to recover from chronic smoking.
I'm not sure what her source for this info is, but she stays well read on
health topics.

She had her 10-year anniversary several years ago.



Chris Neary
[email protected]


"When I feel good, I attack.
When I don't feel so good, I attack."

- Alexandre Vinokourov

 

[Tom Keats]

In article <[email protected]>,
Robert Uhl <[email protected]> writes:

> Well, I don't think you want to ride until you can't ride anymore--that
> might start associating negative feelings with cycling, and will thus
> discourage you. Is there any landmark with 1-2 miles, say a coffee shop,
> bookstore, ice cream shop, park or friend's house? I'd say just ride
> there, loiter a bit, then ride home. Make the cycling fun, a means to
> and end.

I think that's a very good suggestion. Not only does destination-based
riding provide incentives to ride, but it also provides reference points
by which one can measure one's progress.

To the Original Poster, Randy, I'll just add: the better inflated
your tires are, the easier it is to go. So if you haven't yet
invested in a decent hand-held tire pressure gauge, it might be
an idea to consider. The proper pressure range should be in
bas-relief on your tires' sidewalls.


cheers,
Tom

--
-- Nothing is safe from me.
Above address is just a spam midden.
I'm really at: tkeats [curlicue] vcn [point] bc [point] ca

 

[BobT]

"Randy W. Sims" <[email protected]> wrote in message
news:[email protected]...
> I'm humbled. With my (1st) new bike, I put on a pair of bike shorts, a
> jersey, my helmet, and then roll out the driveway. ~15 minutes & 1.2 miles
> later I'm dragging my sorry self back home. Lungs laboring. Muscles
> complaining. And there aren't even any major hills on this short route.
>
> I was suprised at just how out of shape I've gotten. I've done this 3 days
> this week. I'm wondering what the best approach to building endurance for
> both lungs and leg muscles is. Is it best to ride till I can't anymore?
> Ride a mile, rest a while and repeat? Ride 0.5 miles, take shorter rests,
> and repeat more times?
>
> I like riding and, I can't wait till I'm able to ride for longer periods
> of time. I'm curious how long it's going to take though to build up to a
> respectable ride. Anyone else with humble beginnings willing to share
> their experiences?
>
> Thanks,
> Randy.
Start with what exercise physiologists call long distance slow training.
Ride at an easy pace for 30 to 60 minutes several times a week.

What is your goal - fun? health benefits? faster riding later? Just 30
minutes of easy cycling 5 days a week will provide health benefits.

If you want more specific guidlelines, I would suggest using your heart rate
to guide exercise intensity. First you need to estimate your maximum heart
rate. A reasonable estimate can be made by subtracting your age from 220
(there are much more sophisticated ways to do this that I wouldn't worry
about at your stage). Then excercise so that you heart rate is about 55% to
65% of maximum for 30 minutes at a time five or six times a week to develop
basic fitness over 4 to 6 weeks. For example, if you are 40 years old,
your estimated maximum heart rate would be 180 beats / min. Your target
heart rate would be 99 to 117 beats / min. You can measure you heart rate
by feeling your pulse in your neck. Many people use a $50-$70 heart rate
monitor while cycling. Polar is a good brand but there are many others.

BobT