Resting up vs. pushing too hard

[Jiffer]

Flybye - I love your detailed list of instructions. In regards to the riding only downhill plan, my sister and I drove to the top of a hill a few times and ran down to the bottom for our first ever "run a whole 3-ish miles without stopping or walking" runs. That was before I retired completely from running and eventually took up cycling which is SO way much more hugely fun!!!

RoadRaven I've never heard anyone else use the word "muchly"! I use it from time to time! Got it from an old friend who used to say it.

Sara If you have more and/or steeper hills than I do, then you may be about the same level as me, or better. And, by the way, my pace average doesn't include stopping to rest or stopping at signals. My computer pauses when I stop.

What you said about taking less breaks, I can relate to that! I was proud of myself yesterday for not stopping at one of my usual rest spots. I have a goal to stop less and less. I don't stop a ton, but more than I want to or probably truly need to. I'm one of those people who sort of eases into things. I hate to push myself "too much", otherwise it won't be fun and I won't want to do it. (i.e. retiring from running!) However, there are days that I really want to see what I can do if I push myself and I surprise myself sometimes!

[Starfish]

What I'd really like to do is conquer a hill or two in my middle ring instead of my granny gears! But heck, that's what those grannies are there for, so I might as well use them, right?

Sara, wish you were bringing your bike up next week...I think we would be similar riders.

But, about the middle chainring. A couple weeks ago I was out on a loop I hadn't done for awhile. One one certain hill, that I ALWAYS use my granny chainring for, I was shocked when I got to the top and went to shift to learn that I had ridden up it in the middle ring, without realizing it!

So, maybe that will happen for you, too!

[RolliePollie]

Sara, wish you were bringing your bike up next week...I think we would be similar riders.

I really wish I was bringing my bike up too!!! It will be 6 days without riding...oh my, I hope my muscles don't just wither away! But I kinda doubt we'd be similar riders...you rode all the way up Hurricane Ridge for goodness sakes! There is no way I could do that yet

And Flybye - I loooove your recovery ride idea! I'll have to find someone to help me out with the ride back to the car though. When I was a kid, we used to ride to "town" (all downhill) and then call our parents from a pay phone so they could drive down and get us. It was fun...but we didn't even wear helmets back then! AHHH!

[Starfish]

But I kinda doubt we'd be similar riders...you rode all the way up Hurricane Ridge for goodness sakes! There is no way I could do that yet

Well, I don't know you, but I read your posts, and your workouts, and I think you might surprise yourself.

[RoadRaven]

RoadRaven I've never heard anyone else use the word "muchly"! I use it from time to time! Got it from an old friend who used to say it.

My Poppa used to use it... he did lots of "fun" nonsense stuff with words... when I had been sick he would ask if I was feeeling betterly...
My poppa was pretty cool...