10-15 miles a day, worth it?

Dubliner said:

Well I finally got back on the bike after about a year off and have been getting 10 to 15 a day 5 days a week. I'm doing it for general fitness but I'm wondering if its too much, not enough, too frequent or ?? I'm 48, 220lbs & 6 ft. I know I'll never be Lance Armstrong or even Lance Murphy, but I have to force myself out the door sometimes then when I get out I enjoy it, so I'm curious what others of my "stats" might be doing - TIA Dubliner

Hey its better than nothing. Keep at it. Gradually increase your miles every couple of weeks as you get fitter. What your doing is great.

coneofsilence said:

Hey its better than nothing. Keep at it. Gradually increase your miles every couple of weeks as you get fitter. What your doing is great.

+1, doing something is better than nothing

Keep it up and get faster and then you can go further and before you know it .............you will be 50.
That I can almost promise 100%.

If you mean riding at L2 endurance pace (all day pace) that would be very enjoyable for outdoor rides 5 days a week but soon my FTP would plateau or even drop:eek: and I would pick up the pace. The intensity I am riding at now L4 mostly for 1 to 3 hours per ride is good for 3 or 4 days a week if I tried 5 days a week I would not enjoy it I'm in my early 40s.

Dubliner said:

Well I finally got back on the bike after about a year off and have been getting 10 to 15 a day 5 days a week. I'm doing it for general fitness but I'm wondering if its too much, not enough, too frequent or ?? I'm 48, 220lbs & 6 ft. I know I'll never be Lance Armstrong or even Lance Murphy, but I have to force myself out the door sometimes then when I get out I enjoy it, so I'm curious what others of my "stats" might be doing - TIA Dubliner

To the OP-you are doing the right thing. Do not worry about the jargon others throw around - remember: ride your bike, ride your bike, ride your bike.

You will see your fitness improve gradually and the weight come off. With time you will be able to ride longer and faster.

Remember, you have taken the most important step by starting to work out. The rest is easy...

Just go out and ride. 10-15 miles is a decent distance and will definitely induce training benefits if paced. After all, we are not pros and few has enough time outside of family and work to ride much longer on a daily basis.

sogood said:

Just go out and ride. 10-15 miles is a decent distance and will definitely induce training benefits if paced. After all, we are not pros and few has enough time outside of family and work to ride much longer on a daily basis.

I agree, I remember at one time I trained at 14 miles a day 5 days a week and on Saturday I rode 25 -30 miles with the club. My route is rolling hills and 4 long (3-5% grade) hills. After 5 months of doing this along with ridding with "CC" class club members, I was riding with the "B" class 35-40 mile rides and could keep up with the "A'" class until we got to the first hill then I will fade, not this year though.🙂

Dubliner said:

Well I finally got back on the bike after about a year off and have been getting 10 to 15 a day 5 days a week. I'm doing it for general fitness but I'm wondering if its too much, not enough, too frequent or ?? I'm 48, 220lbs & 6 ft. I know I'll never be Lance Armstrong or even Lance Murphy, but I have to force myself out the door sometimes then when I get out I enjoy it, so I'm curious what others of my "stats" might be doing - TIA Dubliner

I have found that I do better when I ride Friday Saturday and Sunday. I then take Monday off and ride Tuesday and Wed and Thursday off. I take it easy during the week and gradually increase my workouts over the weekend so that sunday is my hardest ride. I am smaller than you and ride a little farther but what you are doing is good, but if you get bored don't be afraid to take a day off, it is good to have some recuperation time. Your cardiologist will tell you that those 10-15 miles a day five days a week is certainly worth it. Vary your route listen to the ipod whatever just get out and ride.

docgtn said:

I have found that I do better when I ride Friday Saturday and Sunday. I then take Monday off and ride Tuesday and Wed and Thursday off. I take it easy during the week and gradually increase my workouts over the weekend so that sunday is my hardest ride. I am smaller than you and ride a little farther but what you are doing is good, but if you get bored don't be afraid to take a day off, it is good to have some recuperation time. Your cardiologist will tell you that those 10-15 miles a day five days a week is certainly worth it. Vary your route listen to the ipod whatever just get out and ride.

Well thank you all for taking the time to respond, the advice, & the inspiration to keep going. If I knew what L2 & FTP was I probably would know the answer to my own question, but nonetheless, its very cool to get answers from as far away as Rome & Sydney. BTW SOGOOD, is your icon/logo your own design? & secondly no one asked who Lance Murphy is :-)

Join a local club if you haven't already. It's much more enjoyable to ride with a group sometimes, and they will induce you to go faster and further.

You hit the nail on the head. "So long as I'm enjoying it" If you enjoy it, you will do it and if you do it, your fitness will improve.

I am going to steal all of this good advice and write a book ! 😉

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