First 20-30 mins of each ride..
Discussion
I wonder if anybody can give me any pointers or advice...
I have been riding my bikes regularly now for around 18 months. I used to be very unfit and 2-3 stone overweight but am fitter now. I’m still far from an athlete (6 foot, 88kg, 34 inch waist) but can cycle for 4 hours off road or 50-60 miles on road reasonably comfortably.
My question is about the first 20-30 minutes of each ride – I always feel absolutely terrible. At home (in flat Suffolk), I just take it very easy for the first few miles but when I go to Wales with my MTB, the first climb is always horrific. I feel sick, dizzy and like I’m going to faint. When I get over this first stage, I feel much better and can climb more easily.
Is this normal? I wondered whether it may be a hydration/nutrition thing or just a process of warming up. I have mild asthma and usually use my Salbutamol (reliever) inhaler once or twice during a ride but don’t think my initial unfitness is asthma related.
Any advice, comments or pointers would be most welcome, particularly as I’m off to Coed-Y-Brenin next week.
I have been riding my bikes regularly now for around 18 months. I used to be very unfit and 2-3 stone overweight but am fitter now. I’m still far from an athlete (6 foot, 88kg, 34 inch waist) but can cycle for 4 hours off road or 50-60 miles on road reasonably comfortably.
My question is about the first 20-30 minutes of each ride – I always feel absolutely terrible. At home (in flat Suffolk), I just take it very easy for the first few miles but when I go to Wales with my MTB, the first climb is always horrific. I feel sick, dizzy and like I’m going to faint. When I get over this first stage, I feel much better and can climb more easily.
Is this normal? I wondered whether it may be a hydration/nutrition thing or just a process of warming up. I have mild asthma and usually use my Salbutamol (reliever) inhaler once or twice during a ride but don’t think my initial unfitness is asthma related.
Any advice, comments or pointers would be most welcome, particularly as I’m off to Coed-Y-Brenin next week.
I presume it's normal, for the first 3 miles of my rides I feel tired and can't be bothered. I push on and after 3 miles my legs have woken up and I'm chomping at the bit to carry on.
I have noticed a piece of toast 30 minutes before I go out seems to reduce the tiredness.
Hopefully someone who knows what they are talking about will be along to correct us both in a minute.
I have noticed a piece of toast 30 minutes before I go out seems to reduce the tiredness.
Hopefully someone who knows what they are talking about will be along to correct us both in a minute.
I’m hoping it’s not a classic symptom of some deadly cardiac condition!! Yesterday, I had to hurry home on my bike. It’s only about 1.5 miles and has one very steep but short 200m climb. I thought I was going to have a heart attack – I felt awful. I know though, if I had done that same climb at the same pace at the end of a 50 mile ride, I would have felt fine.
To me, it sounds like you probably ride at a steady pace for those 4 hours or 60 miles, and your body isnt used to the initial demand placed on it to go from resting to riding.
I'd recommend doing some shorter, harder rides, or maybe some interval training. Get on the bike and go flat out from rest for 10-20 mins(warmed up, you dont want an injury)
Get your body used to reacting quickly to the demands of exercise and you should find that the effect will diminish. I find the first 5 minutes a bit crap, but you should generally be able to get up to speed quite quickly
I'd recommend doing some shorter, harder rides, or maybe some interval training. Get on the bike and go flat out from rest for 10-20 mins(warmed up, you dont want an injury)
Get your body used to reacting quickly to the demands of exercise and you should find that the effect will diminish. I find the first 5 minutes a bit crap, but you should generally be able to get up to speed quite quickly
Rob81 said:
I wonder if anybody can give me any pointers or advice...
I have been riding my bikes regularly now for around 18 months. I used to be very unfit and 2-3 stone overweight but am fitter now. I’m still far from an athlete (6 foot, 88kg, 34 inch waist) but can cycle for 4 hours off road or 50-60 miles on road reasonably comfortably.
My question is about the first 20-30 minutes of each ride – I always feel absolutely terrible. At home (in flat Suffolk), I just take it very easy for the first few miles but when I go to Wales with my MTB, the first climb is always horrific. I feel sick, dizzy and like I’m going to faint. When I get over this first stage, I feel much better and can climb more easily.
Is this normal? I wondered whether it may be a hydration/nutrition thing or just a process of warming up. I have mild asthma and usually use my Salbutamol (reliever) inhaler once or twice during a ride but don’t think my initial unfitness is asthma related.
Any advice, comments or pointers would be most welcome, particularly as I’m off to Coed-Y-Brenin next week.
Normal I have been riding my bikes regularly now for around 18 months. I used to be very unfit and 2-3 stone overweight but am fitter now. I’m still far from an athlete (6 foot, 88kg, 34 inch waist) but can cycle for 4 hours off road or 50-60 miles on road reasonably comfortably.
My question is about the first 20-30 minutes of each ride – I always feel absolutely terrible. At home (in flat Suffolk), I just take it very easy for the first few miles but when I go to Wales with my MTB, the first climb is always horrific. I feel sick, dizzy and like I’m going to faint. When I get over this first stage, I feel much better and can climb more easily.
Is this normal? I wondered whether it may be a hydration/nutrition thing or just a process of warming up. I have mild asthma and usually use my Salbutamol (reliever) inhaler once or twice during a ride but don’t think my initial unfitness is asthma related.
Any advice, comments or pointers would be most welcome, particularly as I’m off to Coed-Y-Brenin next week.
It's the warm-up period, where you're never at your best, and you're probably not used to the climbs what going from flat Suffolk to hilly Wales.I used to live and ride in Wales, hills weren't much of an issue. Moved back to Essex, can bang in 60-70 mile road rides with ease, yet returning to Wales on the MTB now kills me!
Rob81 said:
I wonder if anybody can give me any pointers or advice...
I have been riding my bikes regularly now for around 18 months. I used to be very unfit and 2-3 stone overweight but am fitter now. I’m still far from an athlete (6 foot, 88kg, 34 inch waist) but can cycle for 4 hours off road or 50-60 miles on road reasonably comfortably.
My question is about the first 20-30 minutes of each ride – I always feel absolutely terrible. At home (in flat Suffolk), I just take it very easy for the first few miles but when I go to Wales with my MTB, the first climb is always horrific. I feel sick, dizzy and like I’m going to faint. When I get over this first stage, I feel much better and can climb more easily.
Is this normal? I wondered whether it may be a hydration/nutrition thing or just a process of warming up. I have mild asthma and usually use my Salbutamol (reliever) inhaler once or twice during a ride but don’t think my initial unfitness is asthma related.
Any advice, comments or pointers would be most welcome, particularly as I’m off to Coed-Y-Brenin next week.
You are just experiencing the gap between your body changing from anaerobic metabolism (the instant sugar stores in your muscles etc) to aerobic metabolism (burning digested food and body fat).I have been riding my bikes regularly now for around 18 months. I used to be very unfit and 2-3 stone overweight but am fitter now. I’m still far from an athlete (6 foot, 88kg, 34 inch waist) but can cycle for 4 hours off road or 50-60 miles on road reasonably comfortably.
My question is about the first 20-30 minutes of each ride – I always feel absolutely terrible. At home (in flat Suffolk), I just take it very easy for the first few miles but when I go to Wales with my MTB, the first climb is always horrific. I feel sick, dizzy and like I’m going to faint. When I get over this first stage, I feel much better and can climb more easily.
Is this normal? I wondered whether it may be a hydration/nutrition thing or just a process of warming up. I have mild asthma and usually use my Salbutamol (reliever) inhaler once or twice during a ride but don’t think my initial unfitness is asthma related.
Any advice, comments or pointers would be most welcome, particularly as I’m off to Coed-Y-Brenin next week.
Things you could improve would be like eating a good complex carb meal/breakfast before riding, and keeping hydrated - especially if boozing the night before.
Increasing your regular excercise will also help make the step less bad by increasing your aerobic capacity and strengthen heart and lung function. Strength training could also help, as bigger or denser muscles can store more sugars to burn in the initial period.
I used to have mild asthma, but being fitter defiantly reduces symptoms as you body becomes more efficient at using oxygen.
Rob81 said:
My question is about the first 20-30 minutes of each ride – I always feel absolutely terrible. At home (in flat Suffolk), I just take it very easy for the first few miles but when I go to Wales with my MTB, the first climb is always horrific. I feel sick, dizzy and like I’m going to faint. When I get over this first stage, I feel much better and can climb more easily.
I think what you're describing sounds pretty normal.The transition from doing nothing to exercising properly is always reasonably unpleasant, with your body telling you it'd rather be doing other stuff. 20 - 30 minutes sounds rather a long time for that feeling to sustain itself, but I wouldn't say it sounds too unusual.
As someone else mentioned, my bold is simply the signs of you beginning to work hard and your body switching from respiring aerobically, using predominantly fat as a source of fuel, to anaerobically, using just glycogen.
As your energy demand is increased by going up that first big hill, a point is reached where the production of lactic acid (the byproduct of respiring anaerobically) is greater than its removal - you've hit your lactate threshold.
At this point lactate will accumulate in your bloodstream (which is what's making you feel sick). There are many physiological causes for why you can be feeling faint and dizzy, but provided you're not actually sparking out I wouldn't worry. It's just hard work!!
You'll probably find that your lactate threshold (if you're not that fit yet) may be around 55% of VO2 max and your body isn't too efficient yet, but as others have said just introduce intervals into your training - the one good thing about being unfit as that big improvements happen quickly!
dangerousB said:
I think what you're describing sounds pretty normal.
The transition from doing nothing to exercising properly is always reasonably unpleasant, with your body telling you it'd rather be doing other stuff. 20 - 30 minutes sounds rather a long time for that feeling to sustain itself, but I wouldn't say it sounds too unusual.
As someone else mentioned, my bold is simply the signs of you beginning to work hard and your body switching from respiring aerobically, using predominantly fat as a source of fuel, to anaerobically, using just glycogen.
As your energy demand is increased by going up that first big hill, a point is reached where the production of lactic acid (the byproduct of respiring anaerobically) is greater than its removal - you've hit your lactate threshold.
At this point lactate will accumulate in your bloodstream (which is what's making you feel sick). There are many physiological causes for why you can be feeling faint and dizzy, but provided you're not actually sparking out I wouldn't worry. It's just hard work!!
You'll probably find that your lactate threshold (if you're not that fit yet) may be around 55% of VO2 max and your body isn't too efficient yet, but as others have said just introduce intervals into your training - the one good thing about being unfit as that big improvements happen quickly!
^ too much information ^The transition from doing nothing to exercising properly is always reasonably unpleasant, with your body telling you it'd rather be doing other stuff. 20 - 30 minutes sounds rather a long time for that feeling to sustain itself, but I wouldn't say it sounds too unusual.
As someone else mentioned, my bold is simply the signs of you beginning to work hard and your body switching from respiring aerobically, using predominantly fat as a source of fuel, to anaerobically, using just glycogen.
As your energy demand is increased by going up that first big hill, a point is reached where the production of lactic acid (the byproduct of respiring anaerobically) is greater than its removal - you've hit your lactate threshold.
At this point lactate will accumulate in your bloodstream (which is what's making you feel sick). There are many physiological causes for why you can be feeling faint and dizzy, but provided you're not actually sparking out I wouldn't worry. It's just hard work!!
You'll probably find that your lactate threshold (if you're not that fit yet) may be around 55% of VO2 max and your body isn't too efficient yet, but as others have said just introduce intervals into your training - the one good thing about being unfit as that big improvements happen quickly!
LOL
first 30 mins = Mr Slow = NORMAL =
Thanks everyone for the answers. I've been reassured that I'm not going to die or anything and just need to eat well, stay hydrated, take it easy for the first bit and get fitter. Thinking about it, I'm not sure that the s
tty feeling lasts as long as I first said. Maybe 10-15 minutes is more like it. Tonight, I've been riding up and down the only significant hill near mine and by the fourth climb, felt better! Thanks again. Rob
tty feeling lasts as long as I first said. Maybe 10-15 minutes is more like it. Tonight, I've been riding up and down the only significant hill near mine and by the fourth climb, felt better! Thanks again. RobGassing Station | Pedal Powered | Top of Page | What's New | My Stuff