2012 Biking Goals

In the upcoming year I am committing to the following and posting this here so that I can hold my own feet to the fire and help myself to stay on track.

• Ride the bicycle trainer during the off season.  My aim is to have 4 sessions a week of 30 minutes or an alternate equivelant.  The actual time and frequency is not as important to me as the consistency of just doing it.
• I would like to ride 1400 miles outdoors this season, it puts me about 15% more miles than last year and going into a campaign year for me this will be a challenge.
• Increase my average speed.  It's though this that I would be able to achieve the 15% more miles.
• Increase my hill climbing abilities through practice, practice and more practice.
• Participate in the Tour de Livingston again and choose a longer route than the last two years.
• Keep my bike's drive train cleaner.

Here they are and it's my job to keep to the list.  Most of the items have quantifiable measurements and a couple are a bit subjective.  It's a good list for me and I'm happy with it.

I hope those of you who read this and set goals for bike riding or other items are able to achieve them in the upcoming year and have fun doing it!

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.

Day 89 and 90

Day 89 October 23, 2010 Day off for rest. Much needed


Day 90 October 24, 2010 7.5 easy peasy ride up one side of the lake and down the other, short on time and needed a "close to home ride" that didn't involve packing it in the car. I haven't ridden on a street in a long time and it took some getting used to the traffic. I didn't like that part.

Physical stuff; last week I had really pushed myself for some longer distance rides each day and as much as I was really enjoying myself I noticed that the Thursday and Friday rides felt more difficult. Getting started was tough and it didn't feel comfortable until I was into the ride about a 1/2 hour and got my pace or gait. Hills seemed harder and felt like they sapped more from me. The last couple of miles on Friday were grinding. I was thrilled with my weekly accomplishments but worn out and spent. Amazing that a day of rest on Saturday and ensuring that I had enough protein (red meat stuff) really made a difference. It was nearly 48 hours since I had been on the bike instead of the usual 24 or less and what a difference that made!

Today I was so energized, riding felt like a breeze. Hills that I had dreaded in the past, I seemed to go whizzing up. Everything clicked and felt good right from the get go till the end. I hadn't realized I was overtraining until I took a break. Not sure I really reached overtraining mode, but notations for the future are thus; push hard, listen to your body, rest and nutrition, push harder, rest and enjoy the fruits of pushing the limits on your next time riding. Yay!