Hi
This is my first post here at cyclingforums but I have been a regular visitor for a while now.
I bought a bike (Trek 7500 06) back in Janurary as part of a decision to get healty and shed some weight by the summer. Before then I had been leading a very un-healty lifestyle with no exercise and decided it had to stop. I am 25. Since then I have been doing about three 8 mile cycles a week. I have deffently lost weight and feel far better inside.
I have really come to like cycling and want to take it to another level. I would like to clear up a few things before doing so.
First of all my heart rate is ususlly in the 170's when cycling and can even drift into the early 180's sometimes when im not paying attection to it. I am completely comfortable training at this rate and if I go any lower I feel like im not benifiting from the exercise. Is this normal because its over the "zone" im suposed to be in.
I have decided to try and do ten 16 mile cycles over the next 2 weeks and see how it goes. Am I pushing myself too far with this challange. I already did the first 16 mile cycle yesterday and all that I found was my legs to be a bit stiff yesterday evening but it's now the next morning and I can't find any thing to be sore or stiff. Here is some data recorded.
Distance: 16.1 Mile
Time: 1h 25mins
Average HR: 169
Max HR: 185
I live in a very hilly area and it was quite windy yesterday which was blowing in my face a lot of the time.
What kind of food should I eat before and after cycling? When I was doing the 8 mile cycles I would eat nothing before and a medium sized meal when i would come back. Yesterday for the 16 mile one I had a banana and a yougrt before and medium sized meal when I came back.
Should I stretch before or after I cycle or both. I currently do both.
I would like to try a 70 mile cycle before the end of the summer. What sort of training should I be doing to achieve this goal?
Thanks in advance,
John.
This is my first post here at cyclingforums but I have been a regular visitor for a while now.
I bought a bike (Trek 7500 06) back in Janurary as part of a decision to get healty and shed some weight by the summer. Before then I had been leading a very un-healty lifestyle with no exercise and decided it had to stop. I am 25. Since then I have been doing about three 8 mile cycles a week. I have deffently lost weight and feel far better inside.
I have really come to like cycling and want to take it to another level. I would like to clear up a few things before doing so.
First of all my heart rate is ususlly in the 170's when cycling and can even drift into the early 180's sometimes when im not paying attection to it. I am completely comfortable training at this rate and if I go any lower I feel like im not benifiting from the exercise. Is this normal because its over the "zone" im suposed to be in.
I have decided to try and do ten 16 mile cycles over the next 2 weeks and see how it goes. Am I pushing myself too far with this challange. I already did the first 16 mile cycle yesterday and all that I found was my legs to be a bit stiff yesterday evening but it's now the next morning and I can't find any thing to be sore or stiff. Here is some data recorded.
Distance: 16.1 Mile
Time: 1h 25mins
Average HR: 169
Max HR: 185
I live in a very hilly area and it was quite windy yesterday which was blowing in my face a lot of the time.
What kind of food should I eat before and after cycling? When I was doing the 8 mile cycles I would eat nothing before and a medium sized meal when i would come back. Yesterday for the 16 mile one I had a banana and a yougrt before and medium sized meal when I came back.
Should I stretch before or after I cycle or both. I currently do both.
I would like to try a 70 mile cycle before the end of the summer. What sort of training should I be doing to achieve this goal?
Thanks in advance,
John.