Mileage
04-13-20, 04:35 PM
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Mileage
52 year old here getting back into cycling. Have rheumatoid arthritis, on plaquenil now. Trying to get 50 miles a week in. How many miles is others getting with health issues? Thanks for the replies
04-14-20, 01:25 AM
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My mileage/ride time depends on how I feel on any given day. I usually set out to do 20 miles and keep going if I feel like it. Tends to vary between 20-40 miles, sometimes 50 or more.
I'm 62 with an auto-immune disorder (Hashimoto's) that kinda mimics a bunch of ailments including rheumatoid arthritis, but the only prescription med I take daily is levothyroxine, after Hashimoto's killed my thyroid. Took awhile to get the right dosage but it seems good now. And I have the usual stuff that goes along with a dysfunctional thyroid/parathyroid and wonky endocrine system, including osteopenia -- not quite osteoporosis yet but premature loss of bone density.
But what usually limits my ride time/distance isn't that stuff, but discomfort from old and new injuries. Back, neck and shoulder injuries from being hit by cars tends to limit my fun time to a couple of hours or 30-40 miles before I either need to take a break for about 15 minutes to stretch and massage my neck cramps, or just head home and call it a good day.
I've usually ridden steel bikes, including my '89 Centurion Ironman, and like 'em. But I must admit after getting a lighter carbon fiber road bike last year (good used '93 Trek 5900) it did make a difference in how far and fast I could ride and how much I'd enjoy the ride. It's only 5 lbs lighter (20 lbs, vs 25 for the steel bike), but that plus the ergonomic issues made it significantly better for some rides. Especially with lots of short, steep hills.
We don't have any seriously long uninterrupted climbs or mountains here, no idea about those. The closest we can get is a few segments of 5-6 miles averaging a 1%-2% incline, which feels a lot steeper into a headwind. Sunday I rode that route into a 20 mph headwind and it drained me. I planned to ride 50-60 miles that day but bailed out after 30, mostly with my knees aching a bit. Still not a bad day.
On my steel bikes I tend to take more relaxed rides and not try for fastest times. They're better suited to longer, casual rides. I generally aim to average 15 mph on the Ironman. I can and have averaged 17+ mph on that bike over rides up to 50 miles, but only on my best days and I usually need a couple of rest days afterward. That extra 5 lbs does matter some days.
My Trek 5900 is currently disassembled for an overdue overhaul but I'm hoping to get it back on the road soon. And I have an even lighter weight Diamondback Podium frame that needs a few components to get into riding condition. Those should help on rides where I'd like to put in a few more miles *and* ride a little faster.
BTW, it took me awhile to work up to doing 400-500 miles a month. When I resumed cycling in 2015 I hadn't ridden a bike in almost 30 years. And until 2014, I needed a cane to walk any distance after my neck and back were broken in a car wreck. When I first resumed riding in August 2015 I barely made it a mile before I bailed out and took a city bus home. For the first couple of weeks I could barely ride 400 yards without needing to stop to gasp for breath and huff my asthma inhaler. Took a couple of weeks to ride 3 miles without stopping. Another month to ride 10 miles, with plenty of rest stops. I walked most hills. A 20 mile round trip to visit friends in the downtown area was an all-day commitment.
I'd say it took about a year to regain reasonable fitness, so my expectations were pretty low. And I still try to remind myself that I got back into this to enjoy riding my bike, not to compete with anyone -- not even with myself. I try to use that naturally competitive drive to motivate myself to just get out and ride, or at least get on the indoor trainer. I'm not even among the fastest of the local guys my age, so I don't worry about unattainable goals.
I'm 62 with an auto-immune disorder (Hashimoto's) that kinda mimics a bunch of ailments including rheumatoid arthritis, but the only prescription med I take daily is levothyroxine, after Hashimoto's killed my thyroid. Took awhile to get the right dosage but it seems good now. And I have the usual stuff that goes along with a dysfunctional thyroid/parathyroid and wonky endocrine system, including osteopenia -- not quite osteoporosis yet but premature loss of bone density.
But what usually limits my ride time/distance isn't that stuff, but discomfort from old and new injuries. Back, neck and shoulder injuries from being hit by cars tends to limit my fun time to a couple of hours or 30-40 miles before I either need to take a break for about 15 minutes to stretch and massage my neck cramps, or just head home and call it a good day.
I've usually ridden steel bikes, including my '89 Centurion Ironman, and like 'em. But I must admit after getting a lighter carbon fiber road bike last year (good used '93 Trek 5900) it did make a difference in how far and fast I could ride and how much I'd enjoy the ride. It's only 5 lbs lighter (20 lbs, vs 25 for the steel bike), but that plus the ergonomic issues made it significantly better for some rides. Especially with lots of short, steep hills.
We don't have any seriously long uninterrupted climbs or mountains here, no idea about those. The closest we can get is a few segments of 5-6 miles averaging a 1%-2% incline, which feels a lot steeper into a headwind. Sunday I rode that route into a 20 mph headwind and it drained me. I planned to ride 50-60 miles that day but bailed out after 30, mostly with my knees aching a bit. Still not a bad day.
On my steel bikes I tend to take more relaxed rides and not try for fastest times. They're better suited to longer, casual rides. I generally aim to average 15 mph on the Ironman. I can and have averaged 17+ mph on that bike over rides up to 50 miles, but only on my best days and I usually need a couple of rest days afterward. That extra 5 lbs does matter some days.
My Trek 5900 is currently disassembled for an overdue overhaul but I'm hoping to get it back on the road soon. And I have an even lighter weight Diamondback Podium frame that needs a few components to get into riding condition. Those should help on rides where I'd like to put in a few more miles *and* ride a little faster.
BTW, it took me awhile to work up to doing 400-500 miles a month. When I resumed cycling in 2015 I hadn't ridden a bike in almost 30 years. And until 2014, I needed a cane to walk any distance after my neck and back were broken in a car wreck. When I first resumed riding in August 2015 I barely made it a mile before I bailed out and took a city bus home. For the first couple of weeks I could barely ride 400 yards without needing to stop to gasp for breath and huff my asthma inhaler. Took a couple of weeks to ride 3 miles without stopping. Another month to ride 10 miles, with plenty of rest stops. I walked most hills. A 20 mile round trip to visit friends in the downtown area was an all-day commitment.
I'd say it took about a year to regain reasonable fitness, so my expectations were pretty low. And I still try to remind myself that I got back into this to enjoy riding my bike, not to compete with anyone -- not even with myself. I try to use that naturally competitive drive to motivate myself to just get out and ride, or at least get on the indoor trainer. I'm not even among the fastest of the local guys my age, so I don't worry about unattainable goals.
