Goals

[Veronica]

So, since this monthly mileage goal has made riding feel like a chore, I've been trying to go out with no objective, other than to enjoy the ride.

Yesterday after work I spent a frustrating hour trying to do my report card print out. Then I went out for what should have been a leisurely ride. It started out that way. I was just going to do 10 - 12 miles. It was late, I still needed to make dinner.

Somewhere along the line I get this crazy idea that I should ride the same number of miles as my average speed. Wouldn't you know it, my average speed picks up! I'd been tooling along, averaging just over 14. Okay - so I thought of this just before a good descent. Somehow my average finds it way up to 15.6 and this with the big clunky tires I'd put back on Fluffy! Must have had a tail wind. I had to figure out a way to add on a couple more miles. Life is rough.

I live on a hill so my average dropped some. But it made for an amusing ride and I did have to go around the block to get in a few more tenths.

V.

[SadieKate]

Oh, you poor baby. Glad you're going for the little goals and not the mileage.

On Monday, I got over and between some crank-wide rocks at the top of a climb and felt like shouting it to the world. Not something you can record that anyone else cares about but I know I did it. It's the silly little goals you come up with on the fly that seem like the most fun.

We also have our traditional post-McKenzie trail ride celebration where everyone rides up and down the parking lot multiple times with hands waving in the air. We gets lots of strange looks and it isn't really a goal, but we get the same kind of silly satisfaction.

[KkAllez]

My goal is T.I.T.S: Time In The Saddle which I told my husband about yesterday and he said what about N.I.P.P.L.E training? I thought for a second and came up with this: Needy Incomprehensible Pedal Pushing Estrogen Swillers!

I don't care if I only go four miles, my goal is to be on that bike every day possible. The last two weeks I have managed close to a hundred miles each week. I do 26.8 every other day and off days just have a fun ride of 12 miles or less.

What really burned me the other day was that for months Ben has been on me to buy the Roubaix so I can 'keep up' with him. So, it is my second ride on the Roubaix and I am just dropping him at every hill and every flat. I'm screaming along. We get half way into the ride and he says, "Whew, I feel like I am just pulling a 50 pound block today." I'm like, WHAT? You just can't let me win fair and square can you? You have to find some excuse and reason for me actually outbiking you some days. So, I'm really working hard to up my average. And it isn't easy as we have fairly stiff crosswinds and hills. And somehow, and don't tell me I wasn't warned on another thread about this, but my Flight Deck....let me repeat, my FLIGHT DECK cancelled out! So, I have no idea what my average was. But I did shave 20 minutes off of the ride. ARGH!

[singletrackmind]

I'm JRA-
but monday my hubby offered to watch the kid so I could leave the trailer home and pedal actual roads instead of car-free trails. I headed out from home on the road bike with no particular direction in mind, that eventually ended me up in downtown St. Louis and the Arch, over to JB park and here and there. Ohhh, it felt SOOOOO good to just RIDE!!!!!!!!!! I reluctantly ended my ride 70 miles later-it was sweet!
Tuesday it was back with the trailer and the Riverfront trail. 25 miles. It's so cool to have some guy come up to you later to say they'd be scared to see how fast you are when you aren't towing a kid, even if he is in his near double my age!
Today I am taking a break, went for a walk instead.

Life is good.

[LBTC]

yes
life is good

I may have (hopefully) resolved some of my sick issues from this spring. Ginger allergy, possibly. So today is day 2 without ginger and I feel fabulous!

We've had way lots of rain the last two days, so I opted for kickboxing tonight. I'm going to call the girls tomorrow as the forecast is for clouds only tomorrow and a nice doodle on a fun trail would be grand!

I totally get the little goals concept. Especially on the mountain bike. I'm always relaying back my ride results to DH - I made that sidehill....I got further on that rooty section...you know that log over past the swamp that I usually have trouble on - I *nailed* it this time...that sort of thing. It totally keeps me excited and involved and motivated!! The computer is fun, too, as we can look at how long a section took on one ride compared with a previous time....
heh. of course, for some reason, my computer is really wild. it doubles my speed and distance. heehee. it's fun to tell the guys that I lapped them! didn't you see me pass you?

Little goals, big goals, hey, whatever keeps us having fun!!

Namaste,
~T~