New Year's Resolutions Checkup!

[emily_in_nc]

Hi all!

Early this year there was a thread in which many of us posted our NY's resolutions for the upcoming cycling year. The new year is now half over, and I wondered how everyone is doing?

I haven't met all mine (by a longshot). Hubby got injured, and that curtailed some of our plans (like doing an event in the mountains, one of my goals), but I have managed to achieve a few of my goals, which makes me happy!

I wanted to beat my fastest speed for a metric distance from last year (16.6 mph). I managed that about a month ago with a 16.8 mph average speed in a metric. I also wanted to improve my almost non-existent pacelining and sprinting skills, and I have definitely done that. I don't know that my goal of improving my hill-climbing skills has been met; I am still working on that one!

The most exciting goal I just met yesterday. I wanted to average over 18 mph for a ride. My fastest rides had been in the upper 17s before, but I'd never managed to break that elusive 18 mph mark in the rolling hills of central NC. Yesterday at a 44-mile club ride, with the help of a great paceline of five men (I was the only girl!), I averaged 18.9! It would have been 19 if we hadn't had to come through part of town at the end and get slowed down by stops, RR tracks, etc. But no matter, I was elated! Now I realize I should never say that I'll "never" be able to do something. I remember telling my husband just last summer that I'd "never" average over 17!

I'm still trying to wrpe the smile off my face. I hope the rest of you are meeting your goals too - would love to hear your updates!

Emily

[NYCrider]

Congrats. I was not a member at the beginning of the year but my personal goal was to do 25 mi... and now I am training (well starting to train) for a century. I am only at 13 mph an hour, but I hope next year I can post 18.9 mph!

[trekchic]

Ok, I'll be the first to say..........I haven't acheived any of my goals. My work has controlled most of my time for the past 4 months. I don't see it getting any better any time soon. I get to ride a few times a week, but only for about an hour and a half. I am so frustrated! I've not dropped any of the weight I wanted to. I have been stagnent.

Anyone else?

[aka_kim]

I'd wanted to do a century, do a ride out of state, increase my average speed, learn to tape handlebars, and match or beat last year's time in the local hill race.

I still can't wrap handlebars worth a damn and the hill race isn't until October, but I've done 2 centuries and a bike tour in Wyoming, and my average speeds are better than last year.

[bounceswoosh]

This wasn't a new year's resolution, but I set a goal for myself of 30 miles on my mountain bike a week.

It's been hit or miss, but I'm riding a lot more than I did last year and I've even exceeded my goal a few weeks.

[pedalfaster]

Since my resolutions were "drink more wine, eat more chocolate" they were pretty easy to follow during the long cold winter months. I'm sad to say, that with summer here, I've fallen off the pace a bit. Perhaps I'll have a chocolate-dipped strawberry blizzard this evening to get back on-track....

[caligurl]

way to go, emily and all the others that are meeting your goals! especially pedalfaster! gotta love your goals! lol! i need to think about this and set me some for the 2nd half so i can join the update at the end of year!

keep up the good work!

[maryellen]

*Last* year's resolution was to learn to ride a bike and I definitely accomplished that. This year's bike related resolutions were to do a spring training group (accomplished!) and to do a century (I'm getting there!)

Feels good.

[Trek420]

forgot what I resolved ;-) must resolve this next year...work on short term memory, so I looked it up I said I'd:

"Ride a metric century, either the Cinderella Classic at the end of March, or perhaps sooner than that.....

Check! Did the Cinderella, did several other centuries on the AIDS ride.

"Meet the Bay Area members on this list"

Missed you all on the Cindy....next ride I guess.

I also want to commute more, haven't done that because I've yet to find a good route to BART from my home (have to cross 2 freeways). But I did ride to BART last weekend, wasn't half bad still looking for a safer route.

TREK420

[jobob]

LOL, I thought some of those looked familiar

- Ride a metric century, either the Cinderella Classic at the end of March, or perhaps sooner than that, do the full length & back of the American River bike trail near Sacramento.

Check!

- Get to the point where a 50-60 mi ride isn’t a big deal for me. I'm about at that point with a 30 mile ride, so there's hope

err, 2 steps forward, one step back on that. Mid-March thru May I was doing 60-70 mile rides. Then in early June I came down w. the head cold from hell followed by a long vacation/work trip. After being off my bike for over a month, my first ride after I returned home I could barely manage 15 miles I'm working my mileage back up though, and it's taking me less time than the first time around.

- Go by the 15 mph speed limit signs on the paths I ride without wistfully thinking “yeah I wish!”. At the very least, I'd like to be able to keep up with my husband (or maybe even start pushing *him*, heh).

Yes!! I can do around 15-18 on the flats now, where I used to just manage 10-12 mph. And I'm definitely keeping up w. the hubby these days.

- Meet the Bay Area members on this list (and, if I'm really lucky, learn from Kim how to tape handlebars)

I've met snapdragen, melissam, and aka_kim, and hopefully before the year is out I'll finally meet Veronica & Adventure Girl & Trek420. As for taping, I've twice swapped out the handlebars on my bike so I think I've become reasonably OK at taping handlebars ... the tape stays put so I guess I'm doing it right!

- Maybe, maybe, maybe do a 100 mile century ride this year. A girl can dream.

Well, that's why they call them stretch goals. At least I have over 5 months to accomplish that one

- Jo.