Finished my 1st week, now I need guidance.. 290lbs

[nola-ron]

Well, I have officially finished my first week on the bike. Last Friday I bought my Trek 1.1 and absolutely love it. After my latest ride today, I am obviously in need of guidance. I hope you bear with me for the full story because I certainly need some input at this point! I also just finished reading Heft on Wheels by Mike Magnuson, a really inspirational read for those of you that have not read it.

Me:
290 lbs (down from 320 16 months ago), 6'2" and have been out of my gym routine for about 6 months now. I have been Mr. Couch Potato and eating unhealthy again. So, along comes the bike...

Here's what my past week has been like:
Friday (last) - 1st day on bike, 4 miles at a steady pace
Saturday - 10 miles in 58 minutes, a few off saddle sprints, a couple BABY hills
Sunday - Rest (Rained all day)
Monday - 12 miles untimed (about an hour)
Tuesday - 13.5 miles untimed (about an hour), 5 minute rest off bike after 10 miles (was going to quit, but went back for more)
Wednesday - Rest (life got in the way)
Thursday (today) - 7.2 miles in 38 minutes, a few inclines, some wind from the river at my side, no off saddle sprints

At the end of Tuesday I felt like wow, this is amazing... I'm having a blast AND getting in shape. Maybe I can be really good at this once I drop the weight (HAH). Today I take on an entirely new route on the levee. I was not expecting the elevation changes that were there, and I didn't get much sleep last night... but at the end of my ride I literally felt every muscle in my legs and core burning like I had been at the gym for 2 hours doing hard cardio.

I came home and went straight to the sofa. I fell asleep and was beyond exhausted. I swear in all my time at the gym before I never had a workout this hard. When I woke up and looked at the mileage I did in that 38 minutes, I was extremely disappointed. I thought I had gone longer with the way I felt. It was also the first day I faced the inclines like that, and also the first day I had a ride in the wind. Keep in mind that I live in mostly flat New Orleans, and an incline here is more like a bump in the road for some of you. We don't have hills and we don't have mountains. We have bridges and slight elevation changes from below sea level to slightly above sea level lol.

So... I'm awake now and feeling like I can function but MAN does it hurt! That's a good thing, but what I'm bummed about is why was my performance so bad today? I felt like I did 20 miles and didn't even match nor increase my maximum mileage in a day so far. My goal here was to build up to 20 miles in a single ride, and then start going into more proper training. I still need to get my bike computer, which I'm picking up tomorrow, along with a few other things I want... so I have no idea what my cadence has been but I am staying at what I feel is an up-tempo cadence. Another thing I noticed today is that my heart rate was WAY up. I need a heart rate monitor too, which I'll get soon.

What do you guys think about how I felt today compared to my ride? Was it just a bad day? Does that happen so soon? Was it the wind and inclines? I don't think I bonked out, because I still had energy.. but my legs were just on FIRE and I was gasping for air. Another thing I did notice at work today, while going up a couple long flights of stairs... is that my legs were definitely sore as they have been all week (another good thing though, right?), but I didn't ride last night... so what gives?

Where do you guys suggest I go from here? Any plan of attack or strategy? I would love to hear especially from those of you that have dropped serious weight on a bike because in the end that's the ultimate goal.. having a blast on the bike and getting out in the world doing it is just a fantastic perk of working toward the ultimate goal. I have also gone back to healthy eating. I never completely stopped eating healthy since I fell out of my gym routine, but I certainly started making bad choices frequently (snacks, ice cream, etc). I have now cut all of that back out and gone back to the diet that helped me drop so much weight before in the gym.

 

[maydog]

You are one week into this, so I suggest that you not focus too much on performance. Right now you are in developing a healthy habit / change of lifestyle and that takes time. Keep things enjoyable, so that you want to go out the next day.

Expect a few down days, we all get them as it is part of being human. The amazing thing is that you are beginning to remodel your physiology down to a cellular level.

 

[danfoz]

Originally Posted by maydog .

You are one week into this, so I suggest that you not focus too much on performance. Right now you are in developing a healthy habit / change of lifestyle and that takes time. Keep things enjoyable, so that you want to go out the next day.

Expect a few down days, we all get them as it is part of being human. The amazing thing is that you are beginning to remodel your physiology down to a cellular level.

+1. Just focus on getting on the bike somewhat regularly and having fun (doesn't mean you can't push it when you feel like it). Take time off when you need/want to. A few years ago I had the lucky circumstances to get more riding in. I'd actually been completely off the bike for several years. I didn't have a specific plan but managed to get out for at least an hour a day, sometimes two, 4 or 5 days a week. Didn't change anything diet related and managed to loose 30lbs in less than a year. Also picked up just enough fitness to start entry level racing again. I think just getting consistent time on the bike at this stage is the best thing. You'll be surprised where you are in a couple of months,

 

[APBG]

Interval or Hill training will see you total performance drop versus a flat ride. The reason is that you are not just pushing the bike forward. You're pushing it up against the pull of gravity, the wind, your own weight. And while every uphill comes with a down, the overall effort you need to climb that hill is going to be burning up your legs.

I'm not a competitive cyclist but when I started riding for transportation and fun I took a decidedly geeky approach to it. I wanted to know why some some rides bonked me out and what I could do about it.

I strongly recommend Base-Building for Cyclists: http://www.amazon.ca/Base-Building-Cyclists-Foundation-Performance/dp/193138293X

Pick it up used somewhere, the point is that besides the hardcore training information it has some good general cycling performance information that will help you ease through the tough days.

More to the point. Keep going. You're going to struggle some days. You might need regular rest days so that your legs recover and get stronger. (Rest being an important part of performance).

Bravo on the 30 lbs!

 

[digibud]

Hah hah! (simpson character laugh). Exhausted after 10 miles. That's funny. It's funny because I've been there and done that! Nearly every clyde has a similar story but it's a good story because it is by continuing to push yourself regularly that you'll continue to increase your performance. You might have needed another day of recovery. Maybe you didn't get a great breakfast and ran out of energy or maybe you need some potassium. Who knows? Everyone - even when you are riding 20, 30, or 50mi easily, will still have days when it just doesn't work. One day I'll knock off 60mi with no problem and then a week later I'll be tired at the end of 30. We aren't machines. The biggest variations, in my experience, relate to hydration, fuel (food consumption), rest and recovery. When any of them are out of whack we pay for it with tiredness or soreness, exhaustion, etc.
Follow the basic rules of keeping your riding fun (or you'll never keep it up long term) and continually pushing a bit to stress your body which results in gaining fitness. If you ride the same 10mi each ride you'll get good at 10mi rides and no more. Push longer, push harder, allow for recovery days, eat decent food and your fitness will slowly improve and the weight will slowly drop. It may take a year or two but slowly it will happen. I couldn't make 5 mi on my first ride but since then built up to a 130mi solo over some pretty big hills and I'm down 75lb from the effort involved because I really enjoy it. Just keep riding, keep pushing the envelope and the results are inevitable as long as you don't replace the calories you are burning with extra calories "because I earned it". You -can- grab a few extra calories here and there because you will earn that right, but be careful of that trap!
By the way, if you are gasping for air you have gone anaerobic. You need to learn about aerobic vs anaerobic. Except when you are planning on HIT training and are reasonably near home you should pretty much never go anaerobic. You need to keep your effort at a level that is sustainable, even going up hills. Once you have gone into an anaerobic condition during a ride you'll have a very difficult time continuing. Consider getting a heart rate monitor.

 

[lanceropolis]

Update?

 

[nola-ron]

Originally Posted by lanceropolis

Update?
Well, it's months later but here's the update:

1 Year Update:
I "fell off" the bike during the summer last year. I just couldn't take the heat and couldn't bring myself to get up in the mornings to ride. After the summer ended I got back on it but wasn't anywhere near like I am today.
Current weight: 233 pounds (87 pounds total weight loss)
Average Speed: 19-22 in the flats, 24-25 with a tailwind
Riding 5-6 days a week at 30+ miles a day. I'm signed up for my first 150 mile charity ride in October. Goal for next year is my 1st century
I've also upgraded my bike this week. Last year I told myself if I lost 50+ pounds I would buy a race-worthy bike. Here she is and I'm in love with this thing like it's a woman

 

[maydog]

Way to stick with it and a nice reward to boot.

If you are averaging in the 20's for solo 30 milers - those charity rides and centuries will be a piece of cake.

Are you going to hang on to the Trek 1.1? It is nice to have a backup bike for those days you don't want to get your "A" bike dirty.

 

[nola-ron]

Originally Posted by maydog
Way to stick with it and a nice reward to boot.

If you are averaging in the 20's for solo 30 milers - those charity rides and centuries will be a piece of cake.

Are you going to hang on to the Trek 1.1? It is nice to have a backup bike for those days you don't want to get your "A" bike dirty.

Precisely. I'm keeping it but I have to get a new set of wheels for it. I busted my rear wheel last week in a near crash (riding in the rain, too much speed around a curve). She's going to be my beater and the Cervelo will be for good weather days only. I literally daydream about riding this bike - my girlfriend said I'm obsessed and I told her that a healthy obsession is a good obsession

 

[Darktone]

Congrats! Great story. I started out at 246 and 6'1" and am down to 235 after two months without changing my diet. I am upping my riding all the time. Do 14+ miles on work days and 25+ on my days off. I am two months into it and look forward to it every day. I do have a background of Cross Country skiing and biking in the past so I guess my stamina for this type of exercise was already there. Looking to buy a bike trainer for the winter months.

 

[Lizel]

Don't focus on performance yet, it's only been a week of riding so far.

 

[Keyan]

Give it another week using the same routine or even a few more weeks to be able to establish a good baseline for you. From the looks of it you are making a good progress in general but the body needs to cope up with this new stress on its own. Give it some time to recover

 

[joshposh]

It's a 2 year old thread. We need an update. That's great that the most recent posters are giving advice like it was last week. Don't you guys look at the date of the thread.

But we need a update if this guy is still around. Maybe he is thin as a board by now. Two years is a long time to be cycling and losing weight.

 

[AtlantaSports]

It's a 2 year old thread. We need an update. That's great that the most recent posters are giving advice like it was last week. Don't you guys look at the date of the thread.

But we need a update if this guy is still around. Maybe he is thin as a board by now. Two years is a long time to be cycling and losing weight.

Exactly. This dude might have made a ton of progress in that amount of time.

 

[Prayercall]

I hope I can get into it too. My spouse and I bought our first bikes 4 days ago and we are riding 1 hour a day. 120kg hoping to reach 86kg.