[COLOR= #0000ff]Hi, Alan![/COLOR]
[COLOR= #0000ff]Thanks for the encouragement! I think you're right that the positive re-enforcement is a biggie for me -- especially after decades of thinking negatively about myself and my inability to lose weight and to make myself do the drudgery-type exercises. And I absolutely agree that probably the most important thing right now is for me to continue to enjoy cycling, because it's the only exercise I DO do, at this point, and if it becomes no fun at all, I would probably stop doing it. As Eastwood would say, 'A woman's got to know her limitations," lol. It's part of why I'm so hyped about cycling. It's exercise, and it burns lots of calories -- but it's FUN exercise, and that makes it unique for me. Like you, I just try to extend myself a little further each week. That gives me a feeling of accomplishment and keeps me from getting so exhausted or achy that I don't want to do it any more, but also keeps me from stagnating at one level. [/COLOR]
[COLOR= #0000ff]Just as a guess, I think I probably do have a naturally high cadence, because when I think of the pedal taking a full second to go around at my normal speed, that seems awfully slow to me. I'm going to test it out as soon as weather permits, but I suspect mine is more than 60 RPMs. It will be interesting to find out! I do down-shift going up minor hills (there are no major ones near me), but find that if I use too low a gear on flats and pedal too fast, that's when my legs begin to bother me. It may be just deconditioning and take more months of building muscle; or it may be that I need to be doing something different. I EXPECT exercise to make my flabby muscles ache SOME, or I figure it's not working. I just don't want it to hurt really badly or to do any damage to my already-in-need-of replacement knees. If it starts worrying me too much, there are people I've seen advertise here in town who train cyclists and offer to watch you bike and make suggestions, so I may check one of them out at that point. [/COLOR]
[COLOR= #0000ff]But as long as things are going well, I'm happy with that! The way I look at it, there are about 28 weeks left until I will have been cycling for a year. If I gain only 1 mile a week in that time, which is the minimum I currently aim for, I'll be riding about 38 miles a day. That may not win any records around here but, for me personally, to go from never having ridden a bike in 45 years (or done any other form of exercise either), to being able to bike 30-40 miles a day semi-comfortably and lose somewhere between 75 to 100 pounds in the process is HUGE in and of itself, and if that's 'all' that happens in that time, I'll still feel proud of what I've done. So I try to keep learning and getting suggestions on how to improve my riding, but if nothing else changes and I continue just as I am, I will still feel that I've accomplished a massive amount and changed my life for the better. What more can anybody ask? [/COLOR]
[COLOR= #0000ff]Thanks again for the input. I'll be eager to hear how you're doing.[/COLOR]
[COLOR= #0000ff]Sierra[/COLOR]