Questions about speed, pedalling, and shoes

Hi again,
It is a beautiful day here in Morgantown, WV. A little overcast but cool and mild thus far. I'm off work today so I'm headed out here a little bit. I have a few more questions to ask and a bit of insight that I gained yesterday.
Questions:
Is there a certain speed I should be going when I ride? Most of the routes I ride have some flats and rolling hills so my speed varies a lot. When I'm on a flat, I'm going anywhere between 13-15 miles an hour. On the hilly parts, depending on the grade, usually 8-12 mph. Should I be trying to go faster? I find that as I get more comfortable and go along that my speed just increases and I don't even realize until I look at my computer.
How do you learn to pedal in a circle? I've tried to do it while I ride, several times, but I am just not getting this technique down. Any helpful hints on how to learn that and how to tell if I'm doing it right? A guy at my LBS said that I should feel constant pressure on the balls of my feet but I don't understand what he's talking about.
Speaking of feet, how is my foot supposed to be oriented on the pedal? On my left shoe, it feels like my foot is clipped in closer to the inside right under my distal first metatarsal. On the right, it feels more toward the fifth. Is there a proper placement?
Not a question but...I am so excited. The more I ride the more I want to be on my bike. The more info I get the more I want to learn and thanks to all of you out there for that. I've gone through so many changes since I started this 11 weeks ago in mind, spirit and body. Especially body. I can't believe how much weight I've lost and how different my body feels. I didn't realize that I'd have to make so many changes to my bike as my body changed, but I have and it's awesome. The guy at my LBS is also very excited for me which makes it even more special. Okay, I'm done for now. Have a great day everyone.
OH! One more question, is it tacky or stupid to name your bike and/or to put some stickers on it to give it some more personality? Just a question.
Gray

I don't think there is a 'normal' speed when you are riding alone? Do what feels comfortable to you. If you ride with a group of people later, then maybe you would want to increase your speed to keep up with them.

This is what someone told me about circular pedalling. Pretend there is a glass of water on your foot. Don't spill the water when you pedal, that will keep your foot even, and your heels down.

Have fun riding, because it IS fun! I have a great time here, glad you are excited and are doing the same! Name your bike, put your stickers, it is your bike! Give it personality! I am still thinking of what to name mine! As long as it isn't 'Crash', it will be fine!

my bike is named Cavalletta, which means grasshopper, in Italian.

About your cleats in your shoes, they MIGHT not be in the best place for your knees, feet. etc. On most shoes, there is a range of where they can be. So you might try moving them a bit and see if they are more comfortable. Of course, if you are already very comfortable, leave them alone.

Have fun. ride like the wind! when you are feeling less ambitious, slow down. Unless you are training for something, ride how you like. Now if you want to get faster and stronger, focus on hills.

Info on cleat position and shoes. Overall, though, it's a matter of comfort. Keep in mind that your feet are probably not identical, so even if your cleats are positioned the same on the shoes, you will need to move them based on where the ball of your foot actually is in each shoe. If they feel uneven, work to make them feel more the same. There should be no unnatural orientation with toes in or out for your biomechanics. You shouldn't have hot spots on the balls of your feet. You should be able to pedal at a high cadence easily. You shouldn't feel like the orientation of your feet on the pedals forces you to pedal too slowly (usually, cleats too far back) or to lose power (often cleats too far forward).

As for pedaling in circles, there are other ways you can visualize this. Some people think about the legs moving as pistons versus having a smooth pedal stroke. Don't just push down. You want to pull up too. But what about those "dead" spots? Just about everyone will have them around the top of the pedal stroke, which is why some cranksets are designed with oval or quasi-elliptical chainrings to help keep tension on the chain during the dead spot where you are using smaller muscle groups like the hip flexors in transition between the larger groups: hams and quads. At the bottom of the pedal stroke, there could also be a dead zone, but this one is easier to combat. Some people try to visualize scraping something off the bottom of the shoe as they pull their foot underneath them towards the upstroke. This ensures that you won't be too toe down at the bottom of the pedal stroke. Your ankle should move in a natural motion throughout.

As for speed, there is no rule. Go however fast you want, given your fitness level and the terrain! :D

Lots of people name their bikes.

Stickers can be fun too, like mine :p
http://s3.amazonaws.com/ibike/pictur...0512_large.JPG

Whooo HOOO! Boy, I'm wiped but I feel good. I just tackled a new route that had way more hills to it than I thought but I made it! 20 miles of almost all hills. Wow! What a rush!!!! I almost ran out of energy at mile 14 but I knew there was a place for me to stop and grab some quick energy and take a break so the last 5 was smooth sailing. I will say this, usually I pedal on the downhill but at mile 12 after pedalling up a really long incline, I just didn't care to coast to the bottom of that monster. I deserved it! Hehe! Whew, I feel good. Tired, but good.
Thanks for all the great responses about speed. I tried really hard to keep my speed up even on some of the smaller hills, but I just couldn't do it. But, I'm faster than I used to be so I guess I'll just keep trying. As for my cleats, I stopped by the LBS and talked to them. I'm going in tomorrow and they're gonna help me out with that. Put me on a trainer and try different positions. I also think they might need tightened a bit because I kept popping out of them when I climbed. But I don't want them too tight.
I'm still thinking of a name for my bike. Thought about it all during my ride. Haven't come up with anything yet although during that one hill I think I almost named "You've got to be kidding me!!!" along with a few other choice names. I've got some stickers in mind to put on it too. My timbuktu sticker and a WVU decal should do nicely for a start.
Have a great day everyone.
Gray

You are doing great!! We do not have any hills where I live here in Central Fl. so we are training on bridges and trail crossovers - lucky you for having some natural hills to train on! The name for your bike will come to you. I like to name things too - I named my bike “Spirit” since I feel like such a free spirit when riding. I do calligraphy, so I was thinking of painting her name on her at some point. The stickers sound like a neat idea too. I did not really like her color when we got her (she is a very dark purple) and her first name was “purple pavement eater”! Good luck with your bike and I appreciate you sharing your enthusiasm with us!!

Grayson,

A good way to get "rounder" without the cost of buying a fixie is one-legged drills:

http://forums.teamestrogen.com/showthread.php?t=953

The other way to get round is eat. Off to cook breakfast :D

As for stickers, I think it's perfectly acceptable, plus if they're reflective, they can increase your visibility. I just ordered these from TE:

http://www.teamestrogen.com/renderIm...=300&padding=0
Asterisks Fun Reflectors from TE shop