goals- the finishing year and the new year [Archive] - Women's Cycling Discussion Forums

azfiddle

12-28-2010, 05:34 PM

Did you set goals for last year? Do you have goals for next year?

I had hoped to ride 4000 miles this year. Due to injuries, I didn't quite make it, but with one more possible ride on the 31st, I will reach between 3760 and 3780. That's still an "A" by percentage, so I'm pretty happy. My other big goal was to ride the 109 mile distance in El Tour de Tucson, but that didn't happen due to the hip issues this fall. I did log over 75,000 feet of elevation gain, including a ride up Mt. St. Helens, and 3 very cool rides in Ireland: around the Dingle Peninsula and two rides in County Clare near Doolin and Kilfenora.

New goals? Mainly, I want to keep having fun on my bike, it makes me smile and is helping me maintain my weight at a level proportionate to my height for the first time in my adult life (that would be several decades!). It also has given me and the DH a lot of wonderful time together, and has been very positive for our relationship. I would like to set my mileage goal for 4000 again for next year, but it will all depend on whether the hip, legs and back will cooperate. The actual miles aren't nearly as important as the rest of the stuff

What about you?

Koronin

12-28-2010, 05:58 PM

Coming into this year not only did I have no goals, I did not have a road bike and had mountain bike that was too big for me and I was not comfortable riding. So I know have a road bike and a mountain bike that I am comfortable riding. I guess my goals for next year are a bit more arbatrary as they are to just increase stamina and speed while riding.

Chile Pepper

12-28-2010, 06:12 PM

For 2010 my goal was to ride 3,000 km. I was on track to do that or more until I fell on Easter and then spent four months on the DL. My ride tomorrow should put me at 2,175.

So this year, no goals. I do not want to tempt fate again by aiming for anything. At all. Except, maybe, to be injury free for as much of the year as possible. See? Even there, I'm giving fate an out.

nscrbug

12-28-2010, 06:33 PM

I had a goal of riding 7,000 miles for this year, but fell just 41 miles short of it. I may have one more shot at it, on New Year's Eve...as the forecast is calling for near 50-degree temps, but flooding rains to go with it. If there is a dry window of opportunity, I'll try my best to hit my goal.

As for next year...well, I guess I'll shoot for 7,000 again, if I don't hit it this year. And if I do hit it on Dec. 31st, then my goal for next year will be 7,001. ;)

Catrin

12-28-2010, 06:45 PM

I had a goal of 2500 miles in 2010 as my first year of cycling, but injuries stopped me cold at about 1,700 miles. Considering that I only made it out of training parking lots in March, and didn't start riding actual roads until May, I think that I still did pretty darn good! I had to back way down in mid-September so there is no double in my mind that I would have met that goal if I hadn't injured myself.

For 2011 I want to set my goal at 3,000 miles, and if my body will let me ride further than that then I will just let it happen :) I have already selected some events that I would like to participate in, body and finances permitting, and am looking forward to taking advantage of my new home's location and riding every opportunity that I can and just having fun with it :D

maillotpois

12-28-2010, 08:02 PM

Congrats on those of you who set and made (or came really close to) goals for this year.

I had no goals for 2010 and I didn't even keep track of my mileage, which I have done religiously since 2005. I generally hit between 4000 - 5000 miles a year and have no reason to believe I wasn't right in there somewhere. I did some really good rides, including my longest ride in about 3 years, and had a lot of fun on my bike.

I have some ride specific goals for 2011 (I'm going to do a brevet series and some double centuries), but I probably won't track mileage overall. I'm really trying to focus on quality of rides, not so much quantity. And having fun.

chicagogal

12-28-2010, 08:16 PM

2010 was my 1st season racing, so I didn't really have "goals" per se except to have fun and gain experience. I accomplished both, and even had some good results along the way! So now I have some real goals for 2011, mostly centered around races I really enjoyed last season that I am targeting for next season. As such, I don't have mileage goals. I just plan to train smart so that I show up prepared for my "A" races.

Rebecca19804

12-29-2010, 12:24 AM

Perfect timing for this thread! As it happens, I sat down last night to complete my data for the year on MyCyclingLog

I didn't have any goals for 2010. Last winter was my first winter cycling. I seemed to spend most of my energy experimenting with winter gear and clothing, while trying not blow the budget on bike stuff every month! My only bike at that point was a Brompton, which was ideal for commuting to my office, but then I was sent on secondment to a client's office which was much further away. Then snow & ice & multiple punctures hit! So I didn't cycle much til my secondment ended in May. Boy, I was so happy to be able to cycle every day again that I did! I lost nearly 15 lbs in May without even trying! :D

I bought my first full size bike (my vintage mixte) in May and got it on the road at the end of June. Commuted all summer on it - it was true love! (Still is, but I daren't expose all those original components to winter roads, so she's tucked up hibernating right now.) We did our first century in July. :)

I had all sorts of problems with malfunctioning computers this year, on both the Brompton and the mixte. I know I commuted all through August but have no records of it?! Then the knee surgery at the end of October took me off the bike til just last week.

The only metric I've been interested in noting is mileage. As the year progressed, I formulated an unofficial goal of not letting my weekly mileage drop off from what seemed to be a reasonable benchmark. I didn't always achieve this but sometimes it did make the difference between getting on the bike on a grey morning instead of catching the bus.

The result? For the 9 months for which I have (incomplete) data, my mileage totalled 1,147 miles in 2010.

Looking to 2011? Given my audax plans for the coming year (and beyond... the London-Edinburgh-London in 2013!!:eek:), I'm going to aim for 3,000 miles.

It's good to have goals, right? :D

P.S. There's a woman in my group on MyCyclingLog who is also hoping to do the LEL in 2013... her mileage this year was 20,000!

NbyNW

12-29-2010, 03:35 AM

My goal is to move back to Seattle so I can ride outside for more than 4 months of the year.

ETA: I did manage to do a charity ride that I had been hoping to do, which involved two metric centuries over a weekend for the Ride to Conquer Cancer!

Crankin

12-29-2010, 05:43 AM

I met my goal this year, which was to ride 3,000 miles. Since I have only done this once before, I set an intermediate goal of 2500 (which I routinely meet) and then when I saw I had hit that earlier in the year than usual, it was no sweat. My total was 3,227. I was helped by clear, warm, and dry weather. Our last snow was March 1, 2010. Except for some flooding rains in April, which did not interfere with weekend riding, I don't think I had to cancel any rides. I also rode outside regularly much longer into the year and my tolerance to cold riding increased, too. Oh, and I started riding in the dark, before work at least once a week this past fall.
As for next year, I hesitate to set any goals. I have the perpetual ones of improving my skills, which while I've kind of given up on, I might have the most realistic chance of reaching than others. I will be graduating in May; once I start working full time, I am not sure how often I will be able to ride during the week. It depends totally on how far away my job is, as well as if I can get some time off during the week (a possibility), and if I can commute. My target job is at a clinic 5 miles away. It's the perfect set up for commuting. I've never worked in the summer before, and believe me, I am worried how this will affect my cycling goals!

limewave

12-29-2010, 06:20 AM

It's a tradition of mine to set goals or resolutions. I started it when I decided to stop letting life happen to me and to start living my life instead! I love it.

2010 Goals
1) Lose 40 lbs. I ended up losing 60!
2) Run a 2:30 25k. Finish time was 2:31:06
3) Run a sub 2 hr 1/2 Mary. Finish time 1:59:06
4) Finish Iceman Mntn Bike race in 2:30. Clock time 2:37 and missed podium by one stinkin place

I'm really happy with 2010. I looked at what I thought was possible, and then I set the bar just into the impossible. I achieved things I never thought I could.

2011 Goals
1) Lower body fat % to b/w 18-20% and increase muscle mass to 60+%
2) Run a 2:20 25k in May
3) Run a sub 4hr marathon in Chicago
4) Kill-it at the Du-North Duathlon in Sept (it's a new off-road event, 4 mi trail run, 19 mi mntn bike, 6 mi trail run). It just came up on the schedule so I haven't thought about a tangible goal other than I want to do well there really, really, really badly. It's my new "A" race of the year.
5) Iceman Cometh. I have to say, I'm torn between avenging myself and earning a place on the podium or doing the 8 mile race with DD on the tag-along bike. I think she'd get a kick out of doing something like that.
My biggest goal for 2011 is to continue down the healthy-lifestyle path that I started last year. I want to transform my body and see what's possible for me athletically.

roadie gal

12-29-2010, 06:57 AM

I'd hoped to redo my HIM and go under 6 hours. (I did it in 6:09 the year before.) But my blood clot sidelined me. I wasn't allowed to swim at all and I could only ride my bike with other people. As I usually ride alone that left me on the trainer all fall.

I hope to be allowed to start swimming again in the spring. If I can I'll try to do some olys. I don't think my cardiologist will let me do the swimming necessary for another HIM. If I can't swim at all I'll look into duathlons. Either way, I'll keep active.

hebe

12-29-2010, 07:06 AM

Wow, every post an achievement!

I only set two goals this year, to ride 50 miles in each of November and December (modest as I'm a brand new cyclist and a stay at home mum). I didn't reach either, largely due to 2 weeks of snow and ice in each month. I'm glad I tried though, and know that my real achievement was learning to ride. I'm hoping to set some fresh goals for the new year, maybe starting off with just 25 or 30 miles in January which should be more attainable.

surgtech1956

12-29-2010, 08:30 AM

My 2011 goals include: continue to lose weight - my goal is 55# by April 30th(my 55th birthday) - I have 19# to go. Start riding my bike earlier this year - maybe March(I'm in Michigan). I don't have any mileage goal - just ride and ride often. I want to start jogging/running. I guess my main goal for 2011 - keep the weight off, become physically fit.

Owlie

12-29-2010, 12:21 PM

No mileage goal for 2011. I'll just work on losing weight and improving overall fitness.

shootingstar

01-01-2011, 06:13 PM

For all the past years of cycling, I've never set a mileage cumulative goal.

I just ride and hope my heart and health will propel me onward. This works for me 'cause then I never end up disappointed with myself. :)

I only hope to know more about where I live cycling-wise in 2011. 2010 had incredible highs and lows on the path of life for me.

SLash

01-01-2011, 07:32 PM

My biking goal for 2010 was 2,000 miles, I rode 2178.47 according to my Edge.

For next year, make that this year, my goal is 2150 miles. I've been riding consistently for 20 years as of September 2010 and I have never completed a century, so that's on my list for 2011. I've had lots of rides near 100 (85 this year, 97 another) but never a century. I'm overdue! ;)

Just bought a spinner so I'm logging lots of indoor miles 200+ since mid-Nov - lots to me.

Happy New Year everyone! :D

azfiddle

12-12-2011, 10:48 AM

How did everyone do with their goals?

Mine was 4000, and despite some time off in June for back/hip/leg issues, I passed my goal during November, after getting in a lot of miles training for El Tour de Tucson.

I am at 4563 as of today, with my goal reset to 4800 for the year. I have 2 weeks of vacation starting Saturday, and can count on relatively mild weather here in Tucson so I think it should be quite do-able.

Owlie

12-12-2011, 11:03 AM

I was secretly hoping for 1000 this year, but with a very wet spring, grad school (I barely rode in September and October), and this freaking injury, I'm stuck at 700-something.

As for the stated goals in this thread, I managed the weight loss. Overall fitness still has a way to go, I think.

Crankin

12-12-2011, 04:26 PM

I did pretty well with the mileage goal. With 2 weeks left, I have 61 miles to reach 3,000 miles. I might not make it, but I'm going to be pretty damn close. Considering I've been working about 35 hours a week since June, I am OK with that.
I didn't do enough long rides, though.

maillotpois

12-12-2011, 04:32 PM

How funny - I started reading this thread, and didn't even realize it was from last year til I got to my own response. I did scratch my head about your El Tour thing, azfiddle, and said to myself "I swear she did the whole ride..." (because you'd done it this year but obviously didn't complete it last year.) :rolleyes:

It's obviously been a long day. :)

Anyway I hit 3850 miles counting outdoor miles only (I do a computrainer class 1 1/2 hours, ideally 2 times a week). I will probably get to 4000 by the end of the month. I've only had 52 outdoor rides for the year, which seems to show I lived up to my comment from last year about riding for quality not quantity. That said, I did a full brevet series and a half (2 x 200k, 2 x 300k, 1 each 400k and 600k), 3 double centuries and some other fun rides. I had a lot of fun and made some great new friends and left myself some "unfinished business" for next year as well!

Congrats to those of you who've hit your goals - or came close!

goldfinch

12-12-2011, 04:58 PM

Round about December of last year, or maybe January of this year, I decided to start losing weight. I had no particular goal in mind, it was a low carb experiment while wintering in Texas. I did count calories, figuring that 1200 a day on average was going to lose about a pound a week for me. After I had lost about fifteen pounds I decided to have a weight goal of 115 pounds.

I made it. I lost a total of 46 pounds, going from 158 to 112.

Now my goal is to maintain my weight in the 110 to 114 range.

I started cycling this year. I have roughly 1350 miles in for the year and may get fifty or a hundred more once I am back in Texas on December 15.

I have to think what would be reasonable goals for 2012. Maybe 2000? 2500? I can't believe it is going to be 2012.

Catrin

12-12-2011, 05:08 PM

I totally missed my mileage goal for 2011. My goal was 3,000 miles and I got half that. I am not upset about that however, because the reason I missed it was that I discovered mountain biking and started spending my former long ride day (Saturday) on the mountain bike trail :cool: I also started 2011 recovering from an injury and have been dealing with an injury since mid-October.

For 2011 I would like to ride 2,500 road miles and would like to do at least one metric century. Someday it would be nice to do a full century, and this might be that year, or not. It seems that the true centuries I am inclined to do are just so very early in the season that I don't want to commit to them. I will do the Hope Ride in September, and whether I go for the metric or full century option at that time will depend on my condition.

I would like to lose 15 pounds and, more importantly, increase my muscle mass/finally loose my apple shape so will continue with weight training - ramping it up slowly as my neck improves.

I want to continue to increase my mountain bike skills, and plan to at least do the short route in the Brown County Breakdown next October. The Gravel Grovel might be a good choice as well, but that is a long time off and I won't lock myself in this soon.

I am starting to think about specific rides I want to do next year, but I don't want to commit myself to more than mountain biking as often as I can and riding the road when I can't mountain bike :cool:

Hmmm, my goals are very different than this time a year ago - but I am learning that it is more fun to leave things open with just a couple of specific targets to reach for. Oh yes - it would be nice to finish next year without injury :rolleyes:

Owlie

12-12-2011, 05:20 PM

I'm going for 1000 miles in 2012. I'd like to be able to do at least some of my own maintenance (saves money long term). I'd also like to manage a metric century in early summer (June).

marni

12-12-2011, 08:47 PM

I totally sluffed on my mileage goal this year. Between ongoing Breast cancer issues between March and June, and then 90 year old resident fils' health issues all summer and for the last two weeks I haven't really been able to be consistent in my riding. I did manage to get myself back to the weight and measurements I was at before all of the BC issues, and am currently at or above the weight and resistance weights I was doing before the surgery, and my cardio is back as well. I did manage to train into running enough to be able to run a 5 k, which got cancelled two days before the race so I have sort of let that slide for awhile.

My goal for 2012 is to get myself in shape (TITS) time to ride a cross country ride from New Orleans to Lake Itasca, MN in May-june with my sister and as a celebration for a hopefully clear of the big C. I am also determined to get my weight down another 10 pounds and get my body fat strongly under 20% instead hovering in the 19-22%.

I will consider it a success if I can ride every mile of the cross country without sagging at all and add maybe another 1000 miles as far as bike riding goes.

Congratulations to everyone for their amazing achievements and tries. This year I have been a committed (committable?) tryer rather than a doer.

marni

Crankin

12-13-2011, 04:15 AM

My only goal(s) for next year are to ride the same # of miles I rode this year (at least 2500, but really want 3,000) and do at least 2 metrics and one century distance, not necessarily organized rides. And more 50 mile rides.
Some of this will depend on our vacation plans. We are currently deciding on 1) a 7 day cycling tour across Portugal next fall, with the same company we used for our Spain trip or (2) a vacation to the northwest, where we will visit friends in Friday Harbor and go other places, too, bring our new bikes, and ride when we want to. And the possibility of a trip to Norway has come up with our friends, who know people there.

azfiddle

12-13-2011, 05:38 AM

I am still thinking about this year and haven't even thought about next year yet.

Maillotpois- got a chuckle from your post. I am always impressed by your super long rides.

Not sure what I'd set as a goal for 2012. It partly depends on the unpredictable "wonky" lower back/hip/leg issues go.

I've been invited/encouraged to do a 200k brevet on Jan 7. It's not a concern about endurance but the possibility of over stressing the unstable side, as I had problems after mile 75 in El Tour. I will probably just try to maintain the average of 80-100 miles per week that I rode this year.

limewave

12-13-2011, 05:50 AM

[QUOTE=limewave;551003]
2011 Goals
1) Lower body fat % -- Well, I didn't lower it as much as I hoped, but I did a bit and have the lowest bf% I've ever had.
2) Run a 2:20 25k 2:13:30!!!!!!!
3) Run a sub 4hr marathon We had a wedding the weekend of the marathon I registered for . . . Didn't run one this year :(
4) Kill-it at the Du-North Duathlon Family obligations caused me to miss this one as well.
5) Iceman Cometh PR by 15 minutes

I started the year off strong and faded as we got towards mid summer. My parents are very generous and have always watched our kids one night a week. In July they stopped doing that which made it incredibly difficult to train (especially on the bike). Then the mntn bike trails by us that were supposed to open did not open. And the wedding clashing with the marathon . . . It just seemed like one thing after another was piling up and I became discouraged.

2012 Goals
1) Run a sub 2:10 25k
2) Ride a couple of XC races with DD
3) Finish a 100 mile XC race
4) Continue to work on lowering my body fat to 17-18%

I don't want to get too wrapped up in mileage or performance goals for this year. A lot of what I'll be capable of doing will depend on the availability of trails in close proximity, help from my parents or how much DH ends up working (or not working) weekends :)

Veronica

12-13-2011, 07:39 AM

Well, I've got some big stuff I want to do in 2012, but mostly I just want to continue to have fun.

April - White Rim trip and Thom and I are planning on doing the Devil Mountain Double together.
May - Angel's Camp Tri - I just want a better time than last year. Should be easy if the swim buoy stays put this year!
June- Tri for Real, it better not rain. Improved time from 2008 should be easy. I'm 15 pounds lighter!
July - Barb's Race - HIM. Still looking to break 7 hours on this one.
August - Rev3 Maine doing this as a relay with Thom. I plan to swim hard for a change :D, hang out for three hours (or less!) while he bikes and then I want to run a good half marathon. Key word being run. I don't care what my time ends up being, I just want to run the whole thing. :D I hope my family shows up to cheer me on.

Veronica

indysteel

12-13-2011, 07:52 AM

V, when are you doing the White Rim (I assume you mean the one in Canyonlands)? DH and I have plans to do it in later with Rim Tours.

Veronica

12-13-2011, 08:28 AM

We' re going over my spring break - closer to Easter. Haven't picked a company yet. We've done tours with three, including Rim, and have been happy with all. Probably going to go with Western Spirit. Their tour, the week I have off, starts the day before both Rim's and Escape Adventures.

Veronica

indysteel

12-13-2011, 09:26 AM

Have a great time! This will be our first trip to Moab. We opted for the three-day WRT itinerary; I sure hope it doesn't kill us. We wanted to have enough time to get some hiking in as well and the dates worked better all the way around. The only hitch is that there's a classic car showing coming into town about the time we're leaving. Hotel rooms were hard to come by, so it's a good thing I started planning this as early as I did.

Roadtrip

12-13-2011, 09:30 AM

Oh yes - it would be nice to finish next year without injury :rolleyes:

THIS. Yes. THIS.

Outside of out-riding the injury bug, my goals are a.) increase mileage which has been hard with work, so short evening rides and longer weekend rides b.) weight loss and good food choices c.) winter work indoors for strong spring riding d.) Metric Century before it gets stupid hot/humid or later in 2012... e.) have FUN.

Shannon

Veronica

12-13-2011, 09:33 AM

indysteel

12-13-2011, 09:48 AM

It's a beautiful area, hard to see it all in one trip I think. We did Arches over Christmas one year, did a Maze trip one year, went back just for some mountain biking one year...

What hotel did you decide on? We've always splurged and gone to Sorrell River Ranch. It's expensive, but very quiet.

Veronica

It's the Adventure Inn Moab. It's nothing fancy. I don't know that we've ever splurged on accommodations. We tend to go with something middle of the road and/or use my government rate. We're also spending a week in Maine (Acadia) next September. Both of those trips, even on the cheap, are going to add up. One of these days--maybe our next trip to Paris--I'd like to stay in a more upscale hotel.

We spent a week in Zion last year; I can't wait to return to Utah. I imagine this won't be our last trip. The state is dense with possibilities.

maillotpois

12-13-2011, 09:58 AM

April - ....and Thom and I are planning on doing the Devil Mountain Double together.

Glad you're still planning this. I've encouraged several friends to do it to take their doubles up a notch. Let's see how many are speaking to me after. :p

kcmpls

12-13-2011, 10:37 AM

For this year, my goal was to hit 1000 miles. I hit it in September and put on a couple hundred since then. I also had a goal of losing weight, which I totally failed at.

Next year my goal is 2000 miles and to lose 80 pounds. Since I'm riding all winter this year, I should get off to a good start.

OakLeaf

12-13-2011, 10:57 AM

This year was kind of a bust for me. I started the year injured, and after I healed up I still struggled emotionally pretty much all year. Still, I managed to set some times at shorter distances that I was really happy with, which has to have been all a matter of experience. It means a lot to me that my times have dropped even when I'm out of shape physically.

My goal this year is a sub-4-hour marathon, which would be a BQ for my age. This time, if I qualify, I'm running, before they change the qualifying times again! I'm signed up for the Champaign-Urbana Illinois Marathon the last weekend in April. If I don't BQ then, I may try again in Columbus in October - but then again, maybe not. :p

tealtreak

12-13-2011, 11:12 AM

GLC1968

12-13-2011, 11:28 AM

I can't find where I recorded my goals for 2011 but I accomplished a lot in the year, so I'm sure I hit most of them. I did my first Olympic tri, I dropped 5 minutes off my sprint tri 5K time, I completed my first half-marathon, I did my first sub-30 min 5K, I bested all my previous tri times (not that there were that many!) and I lost more fat.

This year, the goals are similar:

Continue on the fat loss - should meet my overall goal in 2012.
Keep running - continue to PR on running events, particularly half-marathons.
Ride more. I seriously missed this last year and I want to do much more of it this year including the Crater Lake Century again.
Hit 1:45/100y swim times.

Stretch goals:
Sub 2-hr half marathon
Ride up Laurelwood without stopping

deeannef

12-13-2011, 12:36 PM

Hi, my min. goal of 8000 miles was hit at the start of December, I should hit my goal of 8400 miles by the holidays and end with a metric century on New Year Eve day. I managed to climb of 110,000 feet this year. These are both personal bests. For 2012, I want to ride at least the same amount of miles, but do the Crater Lake century ride in Oregon, ride around the circumference of Lake Tahoe and do a double metric century, with hopefully several other centuries thrown in for good measure.

Chile Pepper

12-13-2011, 03:40 PM

I didn't have any riding goals this year, as I was tired of missing them! As it turns out, I am about to hit 3,000 km on my next ride, which is the goal I kept missing (and way more than I rode in previous years). Needless to say, I'm chuffed!

I was down to my ideal weight mid-year, but I've put on five pounds since then that I can't seem to bring myself to lose. I'm using Veronica's sig line as a mantra lately to try to focus my efforts. Finally, I found a great anusara yoga teacher in Santiago. I'm hoping a weekly class will help me stay focused on my other (nonphysical) goals.