Numbers Tell The Story

I really believe my slump and lack of interest stemmed from over training.  I didn't think so at first but a lay off from riding for nearly a week and a steady but low mileage comeback has improved two things 1) my riding and 2) my mood and desire.    In the first week of June I posted monthly stats from May.  Below are the stats from June.  They indicate a decline in mileage from the previous month, but I was away for several days on a short get-away and we had a bout of rainy weather.  From about the middle of May till the end of June is when the bulk of the over training went on and it didn't show up until I hit a wall.  Click here for a link to May totals.

When I read back over my notes in my biking log I see that early on in the season I pushed myself  and the results were improved performance, the problem was that keeping up that pace and intensity for nearly two months was not a good thing.  Live and learn I guess, by now you'd think I'd know better. What I can say for sure is that in the last two days I'm feeling great on rides, happy to be out on my bike and not dog tired or feeling like I'm pushing myself.  It feels good.

Last Friday I had nice new set of tires put on my bike, the originals had a little over 1,600 miles on them and I was flatting the front tire twice in a short time.  At the end of last years riding season I thought that I might be needing them and the shop where I bought the bike said they were still okay.  When I took it in for a minor adjustment over the weekend they agreed, the tires had seen better days.

June Stats

		Miles	Time
6/3/13	Mon	22.73	171
6/4/13	Tue	10.29	77
6/5/13	Wed	0	0
6/6/13	Thu	0	0
6/7/13	Fri	8.29	122
6/8/13	Sat	1.32	8
6/9/13	Sun	10.55	76
Total		53.18	6.67
6/10/13	Mon	0	0
6/11/13	Tue	11.27	82
6/12/13	Wed	0	0
6/13/13	Thu	0	0
6/14/13	Fri	0	0
6/15/13	Sat	0	0
6/16/13	Sun	0	0
Total		11.27	1.37
6/17/13	Mon	10.58	117
6/18/13	Tue	8.95	71
6/19/13	Wed	3.72	32
6/20/13	Thu	25.59	180
6/21/13	Fri	0	0
6/22/13	Sat	0	0
6/23/13	Sun	0	0
Total		48.84	6.67
6/24/13	Mon	9.59	79
6/25/13	Tue	0	0
6/26/13	Wed	16.25	121
6/27/13	Thu	12.78	93
6/28/13	Fri	5.65	54
6/29/13	Sat	2.18	18
6/30/13	Sun	8.08	62
Total		54.53	7.12

2011 Recap, Stats and Other Ramblings

As the 2011 outdoor riding season came to a close for me, I've compiled stats from the year and share them with readers.

Outdoor Riding Season 2011
Total Miles rode  1213.85
Total Hours riding  143.84
Total Days riding   147
Total Weeks of riding  35

The outdoor season started on March 21, 2011 and my last ride of the year was on November 26, 2011.  There was a week in April where we had a late winter storm with snow and there was no outdoor riding at all.  It's official we had the wettest year on record and I am not a rainy day rider so weather plays a big role in Michigan outdoor sports.  Of those 35 weeks days of riding ranged from 1 to 6 days per week with most weeks falling into the 5 day range.  Rides were nearly an hour in average and that is time spent moving on the bicycle.  Actual time out was considerably longer due to rest time, stopping for conversations and photography, exploring on foot and sightseeing and minor repair work.

A forum that I frequent had an indoor riding challenge (TE December indoor riding challenge) and I managed to eek out just a tad over 8 hours on an indoor trainer.  Indoor riding on a trainer is loathsome but a necessary evil to keep up with fitness and not lose the gains that I spent the summer achieving.  It comes with living in a climate that has severe swings in temps and gets snow covered in the winter.  The upside is that regular riding through the off season months allows me to hop back on my bike outside in the spring without spending time getting acclimated all over again.  Keeping up a healthy heart rate and aerobic fitness allows me to expand on my goals for the coming year, push a bit harder and achieve more.  This year my speed picked up from the previous year and hill climbing improved, however I have a long way to go with hills.

The Team Estrogen forum is continuing the challenge into January and that will help to keep me motivated.  I look to outling goals for 2012 and posting them here as a committment for the coming year.

Lastly I am posting a link to a fun post in a blog that I follow from a fellow bike rider in the UK.  Mixedbabygreens is the blog and I thought this little video was so cute it just tickled me, hope you enjoy it too. Mixedbabygreens bicyle bell choir playing Auld Lang Syne

I hope that each of you had a great year of bicycling!  I thank the readers of this blog for your patience in following with my ramblings and adventures and wish the cyclists out there to have a smile on your face and the wind at your back.

Last Ride?

Sunday November 20th and I was still riding.  I was not the only person pushing the season, I stopped lakeside and watched as a barefoot skiier took one last run across the lake.  Where was my camera when I needed it?  The day had started out at 58 F at 8 am but took a dive all day long.  By 3:00 when I rode (and watched someone ski) the temps were down in the 40's F. Brrrrrr.

I explored neighboorhoods close by home and noted how different everything looks with trees mostly barren of leaves, homes with doors and windows closed and the lack of people out and about.  There were folks doing the last bits of raking their yards and other winter chores, but in general there were not many people outdoors.  This was likely my last outdoor ride unless we get a fluke of a day.  It's time to break out the indoor trainer and set my bike up for it.  I need to swap out my outdoor riding tire and tube with the special tire I bought for the trainer last year and I'll be ready to go.

The fortunate thing this year with having two bikes is that I can always hop on my new bike if we get a rare good weather day.  This will be really handy in the spring when the weather is iffy and and mother nature has whimsical days where we have cold snow one day and mild warm breezes the next.  I'll miss the outdoor riding, indoor riding on a trainer is good for keeping up muscle memory and helping to sustain some of your conditioning but it is NO substitute for being outdoors and the adventure of exploring.

When I've recapped my mileage for the year and processed stats I'll notate that on this blog.  Now it's on to Thanksgiving Holiday preperations!

Wishing a blessed and Happy Thanksgivng to all!

Still Riding!

It's November 4th and I am still riding, what a great thing to be thankful for.  I am practicing using the month of November to be 30 days of thanksgiving and find something to be thankful for each day.  What a mood booster!

I have not posted on bike rides in a very long time, nor have I been tracking my weekly mileage here in several weeks so this post is going to be filled with stats.  The last week of posting mileage was week #27 that ended on 10/7/11. 

Week #28 53.5
Week #29 11.48 (rained nearly all week)
Week #30 32.49
Week #31 42.81 (this week ended today)

Week #28 had the Tour de Livingston in it.  I finished the month of October with 151.47 miles for the month which was considerabley less than the summer months where I was riding 180 to 220 miles a week.  Considering the weather in the fall can be wet and very windy, I'm not complaining and also grateful that I am still able to get out.  Last year my last day of riding was November 13th.  I am not a cold weather or winter rider.  So glancing at the calendar it looks like I may have another week of riding if all goes well.  If I get any days past this next week I will consider myself very lucky. 

There are days when it has been brisk and I had to really motivate myself to get out, however those have been some of the greatest rides because of how invigorating they are.  Afterward I am so happy that I went that it makes it far easier to get out the next time the temps are less than ideal.  The deep blue skies of October are enough to warm your heart even if the temps chill your hands and cheeks.  Add in the woodland smells this time of year and it makes for one of the best times of all the year to ride in. 

Autumn is glorious in Michigan and I am lucky to be well and out in it.