caloso

Average speed can be a decent benchmark but only if you ride the same route under the same conditions every time. And if you’re only comparing yourself to yourself.

pepperbelly

I use it as a gauge. I only mentioned it here because it all the cool kids seem to talk about it.

CACycling

I started riding at 265ish and am at 205 now. I took a break for a while (life got in the way) but am getting back into it. I retired after 39 years in public works. Knees get a lot better with consistent riding for me. Back does better as well. I started using Strava (feee version) to track my riding, hiking, walking and kayaking. Makes it easy to track progress and motivates me to keep my mileage up. Just keep riding and keep it fun. For me, the hardest part of the ride is usually getting started. Once I’m moving, it’s all good.

pepperbelly

I’m the same way. At about 1 mile I think I may cut it short but I warm up quickly after that and keep going.
I only spent 20 years in public works, but I didn’t start until I was over 40. After I turned 60 the jackhammer etc. started kicking my butt.
I really like riding but a torn meniscus takes some of the fun out of doing stuff.

caloso

You mentioned a 3/4 mile hill on your route. That could be a useful progress test. Once a week or so, get warmed up and then hit the hill hard. Note your time and try to beat it the next week. Before power meters and heart rate monitors, having a benchmark hill was a standard way of measuring fitness improvements. Still works.

pepperbelly

I’m not sure it classifies as a hill. There is one stretch about 3/4 mile long that it an up grade. I don’t really have hills, just slight inclines.

CACycling

I was diagnosed with chondrocalcinosis (buildup of calcium in the cartilage in my knees) so I feel you on the knee pain. Just pay attention to your body and you will get better.

I read “Younger Next Year” recently. It’s a good book to help you understand what’s going on in your body and why it’s important to keep moving.

DiabloScott

For me, knowing my riding buddy is going to be there also is the kind of commitment I need to get started and be on time. So I recommend everyone find a ride buddy.

CACycling

I’m married to mine and, yes, it helps us both stay motivated.

BTinNYC 

Pepper,
Two months in, I'm up to 10-12 miles per day and have lost 4 pounds. A month ago I was dying after 5 miles, now I'm thinking about a light tour in the summer. This is really workiing.

All Good, Brent

pepperbelly

That’s encouraging. I am fighting torn meniscus in my right knee with arthritis. Plus a kid hit my truck. I still can’t believe a Lexus sedan could break the lower A-arm on an F150 in half.

downtube42

On October 10th, 2019, my Strava ride title is "Crash Ride". That put me in a hard neck brace for three months, and off the bike until February 2020.

That previous September, I rode 1000km in 67 hours. A month earlier I'd done Paris Brest Paris.

The fitness loss from four sedentary months was shocking. I suppose I still had a fair amount of muscle mass, but the road to "back in shape" has been tough. Weight gain is also an issue. First ride back Feb 5th was less than five miles, and I was knackered. Feb 9, four months after breaking my neck, I managed 9 miles. Feb 16 I did a whopping 32 flat miles on the recumbent. My legs were rubber after that ride.

From there I rode one or two times daily, mostly 3-6 mile rides with a couple over 20. On March 6th I rode 100k (62 miles) on a mostly urban route. Tough day, but got it done.

My first recorded brevet was a 200k in August. In 2021 results indicate I'm "back" in terms of distance, as I completed a 1200 km brevet. But the speed is still not there. I plan to work hard on the indoor trainer this winter, to try getting back into pre crash form.

I know this "back in shape" story is different than the OP's, but the challenges are similar.

Cheers

pepperbelly

Setting the bar a little high?
I appreciate any and all stories about getting back in shape.
My knee has really limited me lately, and the lack of activity has the weight piling up.

GhostRider62

I would argue two shorter rides per day are better than a long one. Even top athletes do split days.

I've been off the bike for 3 months due to some bones that found themselves broken. I figure it takes 3 times as long to regain shape as it did to lose fitness, so, I have something like a 9 month uphill battle. 2-3% increase in power per month would be fine. Consistency is most important. Can't take 2 days off in a row and need to exercise at least 5 days per week with rest when needed.

cyclezen

what makes riding the bike a longterm thing for many is to keep it being 'enjoyable'.
Enjoyable, doesn't necessarily mean 'fun'.
Sometimes 'enjoyable' is challenging yourself, sometimes it means backing off at times when you're not ready to take on the world.
It means that every time you end your ride, you're in a more positive state, mentally - the physical state may be worked, but you're happy you went on a ride.

Having a bum knee is really a challenge no matter what physical activity you chose. Cycling is actually one of the activities which can be metered better than many other activities.
ASk questions, get info from others with similar challenges and ways they are dealing with the issues.
Don;t blames your knee or lack activity for putting on weight - it's all on you.
If, in your quest to be physically better, a certain weight is in that goal - you need to eat for that weight. You will be whatever weight you eat for. It's all on you.
'Activity' will certainly help you reach that weight goal sooner, and will help during those brief periods of nutritional weakness. Many of us fight that good fight, for a better self, it's not easy.
Find something about each ride that you find enjoyable and makes doing it worthwhile, and you'll always have a good outlook to the next ride.
Regular riding does it's magic over a long time and changes will happen.
Make every ride enjoyable.
Ride On
Yuri

pepperbelly

I am not sure what exactly happened today, but when I walked into the house my knee stopped hurting. It’s still a little sore but I expect that, but the sharp big pain is gone.
I think maybe a flap of meniscus got under a tendon and now somehow moved.
Until today just grocery shopping was very painful.

GhostRider62

Pepperbelly, I think the subtle takeaway from DT42 and me (we are both kind of hardcore riders) should be patience. You smoked and did not take care of yourself for a long time, it will take a long time to get your body in good shape. It can be done. Your lungs can heal. I was riding over 10,000 miles per year before my injury and I expect a 3 month layoff to take me 9 months to get back. If I were you, I'd think of a couple years of fun riding around and one day, you will wake up and realize you have a new body. In the meantime, don't push it too hard and I doubt a beer or two will hurt. Steady and consistency is what is important.

downtube42

I had arthroscopic surgery many years ago to repair a torn meniscus, and once in they found... nothing at all. After six or eight weeks of PT on the knee, all was well. No explanation. I can only conclude whatever was wrong was resolved with PT. Of course ymmv, but I've become a big believer in non surgical treatment.

Re: my earlier post setting a high bar. I hesitated to post, but thought you might find it helpful. I've been at this long enough to know my natural athletic ability is very pedestrian, but i also have a good idea of what is possible - and what is possible for an average person is quite astounding. The biggest difference between those who do things and those who don't is desire. With enough desire, you can plough through anything.

Carbonfiberboy 

Getting stronger. By the end of December, I'll be squatting my bodyweight for reps, ATG. I want it.

thehammerdog

being in shape is relative....

Vintage Schwinn

Here are several things that I believe may be relevant and potentially helpful for some folks who may find it hard to stay motivated and on track:

--- REALIZE THAT IN FOOTBALL TERMS, THAT YOU ARE IN THE 4th Quarter, AND YOU WANNA MAKE GOOD USE OF THE CLOCK, AND GET OUTTA BOUNDS, AND NOT LET THE CLOCK RUN........HOPEFULLY YOU STILL HAVE THE 3 TIMEOUTS YOU CAN EMPLOY, STRATEGICALLY......AND YOU'VE GOT TO SCORE AND THEN PLAY STRONG AND STOP THE OPPONENT IN THEIR NEXT 3 DOWNS TO GET THE BALL BACK AGAIN.....etc

---Steve Miller sang: "time keeps on slippin into the future........Rolling Stones sang: "time waits for no one", and Terry Jacks sang: "seasons in the sun"....................yeah as The Chambers Brothers classic chanted: "Time has come today".........because though it is a classic from 12 x 5 LP, time is on my side NO LONGER APPLIES although mick j did sing great on both versions from 1964 didn't he.....
You gotta find someway to get a positive attitude filled with optimism and find enjoyment in what you do each day. This will allow you to stay more motivated and cheerful and get you out and moving more. ATTITUDE IS EVERYTHING. Somedays won't be great. You are human and not a robot! DON'T TRY TO PROGRAM YOURSELF TO BE MACHINE-LIKE IN THE SUM TOTAL OF WHAT YOU THINK IS THE DAILY GOAL OF MILEAGE, SPEED OF RIDE or AMOUNT OF EXERCISE, or TASKS TO BE COMPLETED THAT DAY THAT YOU THINK YOU SHOULD DO! Be realistic, and listen to your body. Get your needed rest, and at least a decent amount of sleep, and try to eat right and at regular schedules. Stress Less if you can, as there are only 24 hours in the day and you can't do everything for everybody, so you have to come to terms with that if you're still working.

Hey, there are no rules as to what way or how to approach exercise,biking,getting in shape, hobbies, etc other than TRY TO HAVE FUN---find someway to make it fun, or you know what it doesn't get done....because if it isn't somehow fun, you'll generally be inclined to abandon it.
So remember there are no rules:..................you don't have to ride at a speed of even ten miles per hour.........you don't have to ride anything special.....you can ride a coaster brake bike from 1934, it doesn't f----- matter. You know the old Stones' song called Start Me Up, well you gotta just start and do something and begin to change your attitude and realize that you gotta move it or lose it.......meaning if you do nothing, you deteriorate...........and well you could also say that you gotta move it to lose it(excess pounds)..........but more importantly if you just become a couch potato or someone that doesn't do anything, you will Lose physical fitness and yeah you'll get a shape but it will be so much farther from in-shape that it further jeopardizes the your future health and quality of life.
Get together with some family member or friend to do some riding and other outside activities, even if it is only daily walking at first.
Don't worry about what you cannot do at this point because it is pointless to compare yourself to Lance Armstrong, Brett Favre, Tiger Woods, or Charles Barkley.
What is IMPORTANT is that you DO START and you try to do something every day, and DO DO SOMETHING OF AT LEAST AN HOURS WORTH OF EXERCISE AT LEAST EVERY THREE DAYS, and try to have FUN and become more active so that it is not difficult for you to do something significant each and every day. DON'T TRY TO KILL YOURSELF WITH A SUPER-DUPER SEAL-TEAM TRAINING REGIMEN..........it ain't possible, because even a normal fit person would struggle and get beat to hell and need massive recovery time(days) from over doing it.
Just get started. Put one foot in front of the other and get moving. Take advantage of any unseasonal, beautiful sunny warm, nice days to get outside and move and enjoy yourself and the company and fellowship of others. Negativity won't get ya through.......(Dylan said that in a line from Just Like Tom Thumb's Blues).
Stay positive and avoid listening to and entertaining the ideas of those that you know and associate with that are always negative and pessimistic in their overall outlook on things. I remember a silly saying that I learned at about five years old at the dinner table from my older brothers that went something exactly like beans beans good for your heart, beans beans make you fart, the more you fart, the better you feel, so lets have beans at every meal...... Yep, it is crude, and my parents weren't thrilled but even I could see that they smiled when that was said. Look at it this way think of something memorable, no matter how stupid that keeps you smiling and happy in your exercise activities, start slow, and keep going......go, go, go keeping it somehow fun and regular. This could mean a change of venue or scenery as where you ride..................somewhere like a safe, low traffic area park, or neighborhood streets with very light traffic and 30 mph maximum speed limits.
You need not do the same thing every day, or the same type of riding every day. For example you may want to ride the 1947 balloon tire bike around the park three days a week and another bike on the other days in perhaps another location or through some scenic neighborhoods. There are no rules! You are the Boss! What you decide to ride or where you ride is entirely up to you. The important thing to remember is that if you don't do anything, it doesn't get done and you are jeopardizing your future quality of life by doing nothing at all. I honestly do think that the more that you become able to do, and accomplish, no matter how liitle it might be initially, will get you more easily motivated to accomplish more. Have fun. Be Safe. Be Smart. Above all, trust and listen to your medical professionals, and not some dumbass from the web, etc. Get your ass in gear and get in the game, so you can stay in the game and get the most enjoyment that you possibly can. Certainly, you recall the Schlitz ad campaign......you only go around once........so go for all the gusto that you can.. Everybody is different and we all do have to play the cards that we are dealt. You can't change your genes and luck is something to hope for, but don't count upon it. Do the best you can with what you've got.
A Canadian named Phil Ossinger on an MGB forum came up with a great saying some years ago: "ADVENTURE BEFORE DEMENTIA, THE OLDER THAT YOU GET, THE MORE IMPORTANT IT IS TO NOT ACT YOUR AGE." So don't just sit on your ass in the Lazy Boy recliner in front of the tv like the old folks of generations past who sat in rocking chairs on porch. Move it, while you still can. You've got a lot of great living to do and there are a lot of your family, friends and loved ones who really want you to be vibrant, active and around for many many more years to come.

shelbyfv

Would enjoy having my '67 back. They went downhill after that year, IMO.

Chickenwings

GREAT thread there Pepperbelly....I'm a few years behind you and a few pounds lighter.....grin....but not many and not many! Lots of good advice and I hope for you, encouragement. I'm riding your coattails on that by the way.....hope you don't mind sharing.

I hurt my left knee kinda bad and broke three chunks off of the condyle (bottom of the femur that forms the knee - ish, hell I'm no doctor) about 1cm each....sigh....too bad to really do much walking or anything and surgeons won't operate just yet since I can walk ..anyhoo... I am NOT a biker but biking is an activity I will do and it's REALLY good for me says the knee guy...so I too am trying to bike. Just rode again today for the first time in two months.... I get to ride in Arizona for the winter and just picked up a bike for down here:

My FIRST ride this spring was 12 minutes and 1.86 miles and yes I'm getting each and every one of those damn decimal points I'm up now to about 11 miles in about an hour that I do 3-4 times a week....going to work a little more on all that as well.

As I said, I'm not really a biker but I do admit, my wind is better (I gave up the smokes a little over a year ago too) my legs don't hurt as much, as long or as hard and I'm sleeping better. There really IS something to this better lifestyle thing....as someone said, be patient...we took decades to get into this shape (yes, round IS a shape....lol) and it'll take a while to change it.

CONGRATULATIONS on working to get better. Don't lose heart, don't be impatient and be persistent!

BTinNYC 

So happy to read fellow biking rookies working their way up. Getting past the 1 hr - 10 mile milestone a couple weeks ago was huge, and now everything is a bit easier.

Got a reality check last week, off the city flatlands and into the Catskills. OMG, real hills for the first time in 40 years. Lots of S-turning and love love love the granny ring.

LeeG

Hang in there pb. I’m 67, long history of cycling and with last decade of debauchery I managed to put on lots of weight and generally endangered my health with drinking. I’m in a steep hilly rural area now where cycling would be good if I was fit and young but I’m not. I got the perfect bike for here but my imperfect health pretty much made it a tinkering project. What changed is no more drinking and 30 lbs weight loss in about 9months. I’m still not riding a lot but have added an electric motor to my bike which helps with farm chores/fun and just got a hardtail mtn bike. It’s pretty much 10% grade up or down from here.
My general feedback is that some things can be tough but they don’t have to be. Like others said it took awhile to get to this shape and it’ll take awhile to get into a better shape. What is great is that I rode up a steep dirt road I had to walk up three years ago and wouldn’t have bothered trying to ride up two years ago. Also with the weight loss I’m having a lot less occasional hip pain and walking up and down these hills is much easier. Not easy, easier.
Anyway I wouldn’t hold out the expectation to “ride off” weight as it is much, much easier to eat on the weight and keep the weight although with more cycling fitness. I rode regularly after a few pints and was fit enough and fat. But what worked then doesn’t work now. It’s funny, when I got out of great cycling shape in my 20’s from racing and became a fat old fart in my 30’s pushing 170 lbs I could say “yeah I’m fat but still fit”. 20 lbs and thirty years later sure is better than 50-60lbs and thirty years later. I can’t say I’m fit but I am way, way better than a year ago and heading into lighter territory. Anyway I tried riding off weight when I was younger and it took sitting on the bike all day, seriously. I can’t ride like that now and would probably stroke out if I did. So just make riding enjoyable and address the weight loss on the intake side of the equation.
Btw 12 mph average is the speed I covered most of California as a teenager weighing 145 lbs. It’s a number that really has no bearing on the important things you’re addressing. You can average 12 mph and be very fit or average 12 mph leading right up to health related emergency care. Hang in there.