Iride01 

Sounds like you are doing what you need to. Being somewhat tired is okay for a time. You can mitigate that somewhat with what you eat and drink post ride. But heart and chest pain is not okay.

So don't sit there wondering if you think something about your heart isn't right. Especially if no one else is around to call the ambulance or doctor if you fall out.

Ronno6

Things are looking up.
I am seeing some improvement in my performance.
After a strenuous ride followed by some dire shoveling one day, I got very light headed after taking a rest.
Taking my BP revealed that the bottom had fallen out of it....like 110/55 !!
I NEVER have seen numbers like that! Scared the crap out of me!

So, I had been taking Norvasc for BP for the last 2 years or so.
Only 5mg a day, but, that stopped then and there.
BP seems to have settled at about 130/70.
Feeling much better now, and,RIDING much better,too.
Speeds are up; mileage is up and feeling stronger.
I let my HR go wherever effort dictates, and I just keep pedaling as long as my heart and lungs can keep pace with my legs.
I am also pushing higher gears very comfortably. I never was much of a spinner, liking cadences of 70-80 much better.

It does seem to take me longer to really get into a ride,tho.
Today things really started working about 15 miles into the ride, and
just in time to deal with a pretty strong headwind and about a 9 mile stretch of mostly uphills....
I just didn't wear down........

I hope this trend continues.......
I am down 25# and have at least that much more to lose.....

OldTryGuy

NVanHiker

Ron, as a 72 year-old with, ahem, some experience with heart problems I think we would all feel much better if you would go get a treadmill stress test just to see where things stand. Also, it is generally dangerous to suddenly stop ANY drug (even daily aspirin) all at once. Get a cardiologist referral and get back to us. Take care!

InTheRain

Just getting back on the bike myself after a hiatus. Realizing my age and consenting that I'm out of shape, overweight, and diabetes... I still have some expectations of myself. Being a bean counter, I seem to focus on the numbers in most things that I do. I'm trying to avoid that with getting back on the bike. Right now, I need to just feel like I've accomplished something if I get on the bike without missing consecutive days.

Ronno6

Riding farther,faster,stronger,climbing better,BP down,resting pulse down.
Feel tired, but not light headed after riding.
Maybe this training thing is working........
All this while interval fasting....fast 20 hrs, eat during 4 hr window.
Down 30#, about halfway.
Not as fast or strong as 5 years ago, but not far off.........

Ronno6

Set a new record today..........heart rate got up to 152 !!
Never seen it over 149 before.
On a 1/2 mile 3% grade I got into a rhythm of cadence and breathing....feeling no pain.
Looked at my Garmin and it showed 150 ?? Then, 151..........and, briefly, 152 !!

That's my one-size-fits-all max (220 - 68) I know it isn't right for everyone, but this was the FIRST time for me!
HR came down to 135 real quick, and 125 after some downhill EZ effort.
Gettin' there............

Iride01 

Great, you are still moving. Keep doing those efforts and after your body adjusts, you'll find you can make the same effort, with less HR. Or if you keep it high, you'll be faster than previous.

If you are going to keep working with HR, then setting your zones up based on lactate threshold is a better way, IMO, than using your max HR to set them. Here is a method I liked back when I worried about such stuff..... Joe Friel’s Quick Guide to Setting Zones

Nowadays I just ride. Sometimes fast, sometimes slow. I look at my data and compare to previous rides, but mainly just to see general trends for specific segments of my rides where I usually will go hard at it for a time. Usually a good climb. Long flats are hard to find around me.

Ronno6

Yesterday my buddy and I set off to do 25-30 miles.
I had intended to go easy as I had ridden fairly hard the 2 days prior.
That never works out........
It was an almost perfect cycling day...about 65° sunny and almost no wind.
Things started off easy enough, but didn't last.
We did 28 miles at a pace we hadn't done in over 3 years.

Wen we finished, my old light headed feeling was back, so I know I worked hard.
Strava gave me a 250 on the relative effort scale-a new record for me.
Gonna take today off..........

Ronno6

I have been continuing to ride more strongly as of late.
Partly due to increased strength (I hope)
But, mainly doe to weight loss.
Today I weighed 225.4.
That's officially 40# down since early Feb.
Interim goal is 220, but ultimately I want to weigh under 200.
Should be able to see that by mid August........
Then we'll see if I am any quicker.

Had a best time yet on Thursday, but struggled on a supposedly easy ride yesterday.
Going to take a couple days off and do some yard work..........

Iride01 

Sounds like you are putting me to shame. For various reasons yesterday was my first ride in two weeks. Partly because my son got busy with work and couldn't ride. And my wife doesn't want me to solo ride yet since my crash last year. She seems to be getting less worried about it, so maybe she'll let me off the leash soon.

I just barely made 300 miles in the last 40 days. My wife is actually thinking about trying a bike again. For a while she was wanting to get a tandem. Though after looking at one in person, she is thinking it's too big and we have little space left to keep one. So maybe a 1x bike, without drops might work better for her than the hybrid flat bar 3 x 8 she bought 12 years ago and used twice.