What's your average distance, pace, etc?

[Geonz]

I just got back from a lovely 34 mile ride with my husband. Sunny day in the 60's, rolling countryside....just beautiful!
We goofed off a lot, taking pictures, stopping to chat with people....but even with all that I am really tired now, but in a good way. My legs especially feel like they got a good workout, there were a few good little hills in there.

So here's for all you jackrabbits that whine about your 'slow' speeds .... our speed on this 34 miler today?- average 8.9mph. (ok I'm usually more like a "blazing" 10mph)
Do I care?- not really, because I got several hours of great healthy exercise and got to enjoy a gorgeous day out in the country doing what I love.

Amen!!

I was a little sluggish today because both wheels were dragging, I found out when i took the bike into the bike coop...

Tryin' to keep our club from devolving into a "fast riding only!" club ...

[Fredwina]

Remember, not everyone is riding for speed or for a personal best every time we click in. Some of us like to look and see where we're going (and then take photos )

[indigoiis]

I don't have a computer on the bike that I ride the most. And it's good that I don't. Some days I jam right along, some days I don't. But I know I am faster than last year, I am on my bike more this year than last year, and I'm being taken seriously as a "cyclist" by people at work and my own family.

I think sometimes the bike just doesn't want to go.
It's psychological.
Today I rode in to work, 25 miles, and because it was a Saturday, there was no traffic, no people, just me and the bike. And it took me ten minutes longer than it usually does.

I don't know why.

Think about this, though. Every ride is different. Sometimes, we tank up on water and maybe good food, and the combination of a good night's sleep and a tuned bike leads to a nice clip on the road. And sometimes, we wake up and we can't find our favorite shorts, and the dog won't come when called, and it's a little colder than yesterday, and our watch might be three minutes fast, and we might eat oatmeal instead of cheerios, and we might be a little dehydrated, and we might have ridden "too much" the day before, and man, it's just a drag getting on that hard little saddle and GAWD, didn't I JUST ride up that hill LAST NIGHT??? And the commute is not speedy nor is it particularly enjoyable. But it's still freakin' better than being in a car. I don't care what anyone says.

Stop thinking in terms of training.

Remember why you started doing this.
If you are like me, cycling saved your life.
So don't worry too much. Just love your bike. It's all you can do.

[Mr. Bloom]

Stop thinking in terms of training.

Hmmm...you're making it sound bad

For the Silvers, a big part of the enjoyment comes from pushing ourselves to new limits...if it's not fun, we slow down.

On a more positive note, my year to date miles = >210,000 calories burned which equals > 70 pounds consumed. So, since I haven't lost 70 pounds, I guess it would be said that I ride so I can eat

[7rider]

Hmmm...you're making it sound bad

For the Silvers, a big part of the enjoyment comes from pushing ourselves to new limits...if it's not fun, we slow down.

On a more positive note, my year to date miles = >210,000 calories burned which equals > 70 pounds consumed. So, since I haven't lost 70 pounds, I guess it would be said that I ride so I can eat

That's pretty much how DH and I view it, too. Challenges. Goals. Oh..and ride to eat!

[SouthernBelle]

Unless you ride cyclocross, I can't imagine what you are training for this time of year!

[crazycanuck]

Hey, don't forget that us folks down here in the Southern Hemisphere are in training mode!

[Crankin]

I often say I ride to eat, also...
But the deal about challenges is that while everyone is challenging themselves I seem to get to a certain point and then I get sick. But, like I said earlier, I'm done thinking about it. When I started riding, about 8 years ago, I had let myself get out of shape a bit after many years of intense exercise at the gym. I started slowly, but it didn't take long for me to see improvement. The thing is, is that I never consciously set out to improve my speed. It just happened. Some of it was endurance and some was the fact that i kept getting a lighter bike. So, I never "trained," like some of you do. I just rode, increasing my distance as I went. The fact that I live in an area that is not flat probably helped me a lot. I don't climb mountains, but I do climb short, steep hills on a regular basis. I didn't realize this until I started going on group rides with people who live closer to Boston; as soon as we'd get to a climb, I'd be up front! In fact, this is what got me through the only century I've done. It was flat, but with a vicious headwind by the coast; I hadn't done any rides longer than 65 miles that year, but I was able to do the century in 6.5 hours. So, while inside, I'd like to be competitive with myself, I know if I go overboard, I'll end up doing nothing.

[Veronica]

Unless you ride cyclocross, I can't imagine what you are training for this time of year!

In California we ride all year long. I have a duathlon Nov. 1 and I need to do 4 more 200Ks to get my R-12. So, yeah, I'm still training.

Veronica

[Mr. Bloom]

Unless you ride cyclocross, I can't imagine what you are training for this time of year!

Ahem, the HILLY HUNDRED is next weekend...and why aren't you coming up to join us???

Then, it appears that we're going to do another ride across Indiana AND BACK in November. New Harmony to New Albany...want to come join us SB?

[BleeckerSt_Girl]

Hey Mr. Silver, I like your new avatar.

[SouthernBelle]

Ahem, the HILLY HUNDRED is next weekend...and why aren't you coming up to join us???

Then, it appears that we're going to do another ride across Indiana AND BACK in November. New Harmony to New Albany...want to come join us SB?

I haven't trained for distance at all this year. Can I take a rain check for next? You are hereby appointed to scout out a place for me to park my little travel trailer. All I need is an electric outlet.

[kfergos]

Hmmm...you're making it sound bad

I think it can be bad or good depending on your mindset. If getting faster, stronger, etc. becomes an obsession, training is no longer a positive thing. If you can keep it as an enjoyable activity, a way to challenge yourself without it becoming a compulsion, that's wonderful. But I know personally that if I start trying to push myself, I will inevitably push too hard, become totally focused on the numbers, and ultimately stop enjoying the activity. So I try not to worry too much about my speed, but instead focus on enjoying myself. I have had a very hard time letting go of the expectation to go a certain speed, and now that I have let go (mostly), it's a matter of constantly remembering what the goal is: To have fun. We all are here to have a good time on two (or three) wheels, and whatever that means for each of us -- no matter how different -- is great.