Major Biking Successes

[Blazin'Jane]

I am 66 years old and have been biking since 1996. And I'm slow, but have great endurance. Until this season I could ride 14 mph on flat terrain with the wind at my back. If there was wind or hills (ugh!) involved, it was more like 12 or 12.5 mph.
Well, a few weeks ago after volunteering at the ShowMe State Games biking race, a bunch of us rode the 19 mile course and added 8 miles. It was a reasonably nice day for summer Missouri, and the course was relatively flat. I finished it at 15.5 mph. I was amazed! I can't ride that fast. The following week we rode a familiar course for 27 miles, also fairly flat. I rode it at 16.5 mph. Mercy!
Last weekend we did a hilly 45+ miles and I did that at 15.3 mph, a really wonderful improvement.
Here's the thing. The only thing that's different this year is that I've been RAW since Dec. 27 and have lost 37 lbs. in the process. I'm sure the weight loss alone is a help here, but I also feel so darned good when I'm finished and have no lingering muscle fatigue--ever--not even after the hills.
This week I've been on 3 bike rides between 22 and 50 miles each, swam 2 miles, did an hour of yoga plus 2 30 min. sessions, lifted weights 2 mornings, and did 2 hours of strength and yoga training. And tomorow We're riding 52 miles in 90 degree heat (again, ugh!). And I'm ready!
The point is that all this nutrition I'm getting in the RAW diet is paying BIG dividends in my athletic performance and stamina. (The people I ride with, who have noticed a difference ask, "So where do you get your prtein? Fruits and vegetables? How interesting. Hmmm.")
Go figure. For me, RAW is where it's at!
Thanks for letting me share.

[Eva]

Can I be YOU when I'm 66? That's such a great reason to be raw! Thanks for your post! :D :D :D

And that's so interesting about people asking how you get your protein... Verrrry interesting!

[tinystrawberry]

that's awesome
im so glad to hear your riding your bike that mucH! i'll be there soon :) right now i do about 8 miles a day, but i could go on! i love it!
drink lots of water:cool:

[Veganforlife]

Blazin Jane? Your are definitely living up to your name! I KNOW what you mean! The stamina and endurance when raw is tripled at least! It's way cool!!
Congrads! Ride my sistah - Ride like the wind!!!

[Blazin'Jane]

Blazin Jane? Your are definitely living up to your name! I KNOW what you mean! The stamina and endurance when raw is tripled at least! It's way cool!!
Congrads! Ride my sistah - Ride like the wind!!!

'Funny thing is I got the Blazin' Jane thing years ago when I was in a running club. I was theslowest runner in the group, always, but could "go the distance". The name stuck --'sort of a joke, but my riding buddies now, all 20 years my junior, are wondering How DOES she do it?! Anyway, it's fun, and I'm lovin'it.!

[Eva]

Blazin' Jane: My 12-year-old stepson just came to bring me his math homework (I know, I'm a tough cookie giving him math homework over the summer!)... I had just seen and responded to your post when he walked up. He was asking me some questions about how it works on RFT.

It gave me a great opportunity to read your post with him, and what I had written... And it was such lucky timing because his dad has only recently gotten off of the "but they need lots of protein" stance.

My guys are getting healthier and healthier, and it really helps for them to understand how important it is to eat food that gives you stamina and really good health!

And that is REALLY funny that you got that nickname because you were really slow!

I really do thank you for posting! :)

[spicyfull]

Instead of saying.......I'll have what she's having. It's simply Amazing but it did not happen by chance. You have to WORK...and I commend you for Achieving such a fete......Keep up the Wonderful Work..........

[katacykls]

Hi Blazin J. I Am 21 Years Old And I Ride With My Cycling Group In Santa Monica California And I Too Have Noticed That Over The Past Month Of Being Raw I Have More Desire To Use My Body: Cycle. On Thursday Night We Did A 54 Mile Ride And My Friends Were Asking Me Why I Was Going So Fast. This Is Not The Usual But I Am Begining To See The Rewards Of Treating My Body With Maximum Love.
Good Love Good Luck And Good Job.

[Blazin'Jane]

Hi Blazin J. I Am 21 Years Old And I Ride With My Cycling Group In Santa Monica California And I Too Have Noticed That Over The Past Month Of Being Raw I Have More Desire To Use My Body: Cycle. On Thursday Night We Did A 54 Mile Ride And My Friends Were Asking Me Why I Was Going So Fast. This Is Not The Usual But I Am Begining To See The Rewards Of Treating My Body With Maximum Love.
Good Love Good Luck And Good Job.

You go, girl! isn't it great!!? We did a hot, humid, wind 50 miles yesterday, and I didn't have much left in me when we finished, but I woke up this morning feeling fine--no muscle fatigue, etc., and I'm all set to go again. Ride on, girl!:)

[garden granny]

Wow Blazin jane your amazing. I love to ride my bike whenever I can - we live right beside a federal park and that's usually where we ride, & we see a lot of deer and wildlife out there. I think the farthest I ever rode was about 15 miles, but I'd love to be able to ride at least 25 to 30.

[Blazin'Jane]

Wow Blazin jane your amazing. I love to ride my bike whenever I can - we live right beside a federal park and that's usually where we ride, & we see a lot of deer and wildlife out there. I think the farthest I ever rode was about 15 miles, but I'd love to be able to ride at least 25 to 30.

Go for it!! Take soem water and a banana and just go for it!!! And let us know about it!

[tisha]

That is really impressive! Thanks for sharing your inspiring story.

I ride a stationary bike almost each day. I don't ride on Sundays. That's good enough for me right now. Maybe someday I will want to go outside. :D

I read a book not too long ago called, "The Courage to Start" by John Bingham. He told about being so overweight that when he first started running, he could barely make it to the mailbox and back. He perservered and over time was able to run marathons. He said he was a slow runner, too. What he discovered was that it was important to finish the race no matter if you were the last one or not. Finishing the race was empowering to him. He started a club called "The Penguin Club" for those people who were not the fastest. In fact they were usually the last to finish every race, but it did not matter. The race was for them. Not to compete with others, but to finish for themselves.

[alicemagooey]

Well, i dusted off the old bike today.. and ..

well, a few days ago, a friend suggested i purchase a little gizmo that you can fit on the handlebars and you can read out your speed and miles travelled and things.

i am not a tech.. probably everyone has them who bikes..but not me..

not until today..

i hooked that little puppy on to my handlebars, did everything it said in the instructions, measured my tires, attached the sensor magnet just where it was supposed to go.. and off i went.

i never knew HOW FAST i was pedalling, or HOW FAR i was travelling.
now i know.
10 mph.. ( ok.. i am a blazing alice)..(grin)
and 4.45 miles..

http://www.wtv-zone.com/thanky/FAVGIFS/bikey.gif

been a rawie for 6 months and loving it.
trying to up my excercise routines.
not really difficult, but like variety.

your post and all the posts at this thread are
awesomely inspiring.

Thank you !

alice

[Blazin'Jane]

Keep up your good work! It's really fun to see the miles pile up as you get stronger and have more stamina!
Years ago, right after I quit smoking (and I was rally good at smoking!), I started running (well, jogging, slugging, whatever). The first evening I went out to give it a try, I could barely run past two houses. A week later I ran a mile -- major victory. A month later a daughter gave me a tee shirt that said "Jogger" on the front. 'Best present I ever got! I was a new woman and have been a regular exerciser ever since, though I no longer run. Before I gave it up because of chronic back issues, I ran two 20 milers and 2 marathons in Rome.
Sooooo....stay on that bike and watch your average climb. It's a great life
BTW, if your bike has been hanging in the garage for awhile, you might want to take it to your local bike shop and have it all tuned up and lubed. 'Makes riding much more pleasant. Give yourself the gift! :D

[alicemagooey]

THANK YOU for the encouragement..

my story is slightly similar to yours.. I took up jogging quite a number of years ago.. got to running about three miles a day.
never anything near a marathon or anything, but i was very happy with what i did and felt 'fit as a fiddle' for the first time in a long time.
.My favorite sport when i was a kid was skiing, so i decided to go skiing, and went and broke my hip which really put me out of comission for a while.
So i took up biking, but i lived in Vermont and the roads were narrow and the hills were daunting.
The most i ever biked was about 40 miles.. Took a full day.
But someone , infact more than one person in Vermont near where i lived tried to run me off the road..
So i hung up my bike...
Now that i have moved locales and the landscape is flat, down comes the bike..
I am loving biking again, but it is taking time to get into things again.
i am not the spring chicken i once was...
THANK YOU for the great encouragement..!
And, Yes, i have my eye on a teenager who lives a few houses away from me.. I see him tinkering around with his bike all the time.
I stopped by and asked his advice yesterday when i had installed the little distance / mileage thingy..
Am thinking i might ask him if he would like a weekend job of tuning up one womens racing bike.!!
THANKS AGAIN FOR YOUR INSPIRATION !
once upon a time i had one of those contraptions to use in the house in winter upon which a bike sits..
Unfortunately, i live still in a winter-unfriendly- biking zone..
So i may bring it in..and watch DVD's of lovely scenery before me..
just to make the winter pass quicker.
But for now..a few really gorgeous months remain..!! I intend to take full advantage of the time..before me.

cheerio
alice

[Raw Mom]

....Blazin Jane. Good for you!!!
Yesterday I did my annual volunteer job at the local Century Ride. My business partner hosts it here in Vermont. It has over 450 riders each year. I teach yoga and that combined with raw has helped me tremendously. Keep on going..... you are an inspiration!:cool:

[Angie]

Blazin' Jane, I'm a cyclist who just went raw. for several years I've done some amatuer racing (women's master...i'm 49), but in the past two years i gained 20 lbs, had lots of stress in life&work, and started to just hate the bike, as I was so much slower (racers are NEVER 20 lbs too heavy), and the training was just stressful, I was constantly telling myself how "i should be thinner" and "should be faster" . I love the way you like the bike, announce that you're slow, and then SURPRISE!-get faster!
this year I've stopped trying to race and have started trying to love the bike again....just riding to enjoy the scenery. My husband is an ultra-distance racer and we ride together alot (~100-150 mi. a weekend) but he doesn't mind if I'm slower, he breaks the wind in front, and he just wants me to have some fun.
I went raw just to see if it could ease the aches and pains I have every morning, but if I lose some weight and ride faster, GOSH, what an added bonus!

[c'estlaviebelle]

Wow Alice!! I'm so inspired by you!! I hope and pray I am able to be in such good health now, and I'm quite a bit younger. You are giving me the inspiration to keep this lifestyle for life. That is just so awesome! :)