training over 50 yrs of age

[54flabonabike]

just wanted to pick any brains out there. I have Cardio Artery Disease (pleas forgive the spelling)
My DR. sa?ys its ok to to ride my bike, even train for a possible tour. What kind of goals shoud i set for myself?

[boonebikeguy]

Have you ever ridden a  bike seriously?(meaning: Have you ever ridden more than 10 miles at a given time and for periods ranging from weeks to months.)
If not then riding neighborhoods and small 10 mile loops is very very wise. As time goes on you can increase this loop and include things liek climbs, descents and other factors to augment your training.
I would be sure your doctor understands what you intend to do and then if he says 'ok' yet again then I say go for it and listen to your body.


"Love is a river where crazy people drown"--Kyrgyz proverb

[mikej2]

I'm in my early (young?) 50's, and starting to get back into shape and drop 40 pounds or so.

Start slow and build mileage gradually, I've heard and read somethink like no more that 10% per week (which I usually ignore and pay for later).  There is also a decent book out titled something like "Cycling Past 50" with some good tips and advice in it.

I learned a long time ago to define where you want to end up then back up into figuring out how to get there.  If your initial goal is a 100 mile ride in a day in August, then start counting back from then to today and build a plan to get you there based on where you're starting from.  But leave room to adjust if things improve quicker or if you need to take a break.  Not knowing where you are starting from makes it hard to know what to say, and I'm far from being an expert.  Take it easy, build slowly, listen to your body, and never give up.  If you can't get to 100 miles in a day by August then just make it 50, the ride is as important as the destination if not more so.

[hotrod]

I'm 64 had a triple bypass operation Nov 02.
As said before start slow,low mileage and build up to what you want to achieve.

You can duplicated touring conditions within your neighborhood (ie)hills,head winds etc on a 5-10 mile neighborhood ride.
 
Your doctor should be consulted what you plan to do and how to handle / adjust your prescripitions
 
Use a heart moniter and check with your doctor to decide what the max heart rate not to exceed.

I have had a trainer help me build up my other core body strengths to make sure overall my entire body is in fairly good shape.    

I assume you have a comfortable bike with low gearing to help you achieve your goals.

Feel free to email me

garygoetz@comcast.net

[Sailariel]

I am 65, have a plastic hip, a treatable runaway heart condition, and am post prostate cancer surgery 2004. With my doctor`s blessing, I ride 15 to 25miles a day in hilly Maine. I average 15.6mph and on really good days can go faster. I average one century a month where I go a bit slower averaging 12.8. There is very little flat terrain here--you are either climbing or descending which accounts for the so-so speeds. It does help that my doctor is a cyclist (Cat 2)

[boonebikeguy]

Sail,
Those are great times sir. I average 18.4 MPH in the mountains of Boone. And that is me trying, 13-14 is great. And centuries are supposed to be laid back you get so much more benefit from the spinning and time on bike.Couple this with your age AND ailments, I think those speeds are good.

"Love is a river where crazy people drown"--Kyrgyz proverb

[Sailariel]

Boone, Don`t see them so much as ailments--plastic hip can`t hurt, so that`s not an issue. All the rest is under control. A lot of the speed can be accounted for because of the kind of bike I ride and the style of riding I do, My bike is a full blown road racer with clip on aero bars. I endeavour to run a minimum cadence of 75 at all times--so I use my gears a lot (I run a Triple--almost a necessity in Maine) On descents I sometimes hit 60mph (if I know the hill) I do tend to descend fast. My background racing motorcycles helps.

[driftlessregion]

If I were in your place I would sign up with a coach, something like Carmichael Training Systems (http://www.trainright.com), or any of the other good online or local coaches that are available. They'll help you set up the training based on your current fitness level. I'm 55 and use a book by Fred Matheny available online at http://www.roadbikerider.com/. There are good books on training with heart rate monitors available at the library. Good luck!

[Sailariel]

Drift, Fred Matheny`s advice is spot on. I`ll second your recommendation.

[WesternFlyer]

Here is my understanding of riding with a heart condition of any sort:  At age 40 you should have an EKG test (everyone should).  Anyone with a serious heart condition and is riding should have a stress test. They push you to your physical limit, but the cardiologist is right there with the paddles at the ready.  The other must have test is a Holter.  It is a 48 hour EKG recording of your hearts every beat during your normal day and night activities.  It showed my heart rate at well over 200 while riding up hill.   I had my meds altered twice and told to take it easy on the hills.  I am running a 24/34 for my low gear now, and anyone and everyone passes me on the up hills and thats just fine with me.

If you are on blood thinners, I am, 60 mph is too fast.  That is 100 kph.  The first thing I was told when I was put on Coumadin was no skiing and no rock climbing, period.  Blunt trauma is more serious than even a severe laceration.  A bike crash at 100 kph could lead to some serious blunt trauma.  I limit myself to 40 kph unless the conditions are perfect, then I might push it to 50 kph (± 30 mph).  Lots of riders also pass me on down hills, and that is fine too.  A lot of riders just pass me period.  My days of century and double century rides are ancient history now, but I'll be touring the Oregon coast next month.

My cardiologist said that the riding and my other physical activities were doing more good than the meds he is prescribing.  His words were, dont stop being active.  

Sixty and still active,

Western Flyer


Western Flyer