What's your average distance, pace, etc?

[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.

[Fredwina]

one of the thing I think we forget is that we have different aims for getting on the bike.
An example: RUSA or my local rando club had a discussion on the e-mail list about posting elapsed time for brevet. The faster folks wanted to (i did 200k in under 5 hours! am I a He-man or what?") and the slower folk had more of the traditional "it's not a race, and the last person to finish in the allotted get as much credit as the first". in the end - the website shows finishing times.
another time I showed up at the woman's ride after I gone by the library and checked out some books. judging from the reaction, you would have thought a homeless bum was trying to join the peloton on a huffy! "OMG, those heavy books! (i Think had two James Thom paperbacks) and I've similar reaction with showing up on Saturday with the bike rigged for errands (" you ride for fun and do errands? that's unpossible!")
I would say more, but I may have start a flame war (Been meaning to comment some threads here, but I've been holding back lesy my good intentions be mistaken)

[Jiffer]

I don't think there's a right or wrong when it comes to keeping track of computer stats. It's different for everyone. If you are competitively training to race, you certainly need to keep track more than the average cyclist. If you don't race, then it's more of a fun tool to use to see how you're improving, For me, getting faster and seeing the numbers on the computer is what MAKES it fun. When I go faster, I can keep up with certain people and do certain rides that I couldn't do in the past. When I see that I'm at a 16.4 average near the end of a ride, like last week, and it encourages me to push as hard as I can to the end to try to get to 17, this is a GOOD thing for me. I need any motivation I can get to make myself work harder, because I can be a wimp sometimes! (By the way, I got to 16.9 that day ... my fastest non-group ride ever.)

If keeping track of stats becomes an obsession and your only means of feeling good about your rides is based on what the computer says, then it makes total sense to leave the computer at home and go out and simply enjoy yourself. Right now I'm sort of in the honeymoon phase, where I'm new enough at this, that I am improving faster than someone who has been riding a long time and has maybe plateaued at a certain level, or over trained or gotten sick and weakened their fitness level. For me, the average pace number on my computer is consistently getting higher and this is hugely motivating for me to keep getting on the bike.

[Aggie_Ama]

For me, getting faster and seeing the numbers on the computer is what MAKES it fun. When I go faster, I can keep up with certain people and do certain rides that I couldn't do in the past. When I see that I'm at a 16.4 average near the end of a ride, like last week, and it encourages me to push as hard as I can to the end to try to get to 17, this is a GOOD thing for me.

Right now I'm sort of in the honeymoon phase, where I'm new enough at this, that I am improving faster than someone who has been riding a long time and has maybe plateaued at a certain level, or over trained or gotten sick and weakened their fitness level. For me, the average pace number on my computer is consistently getting higher and this is hugely motivating for me to keep getting on the bike.

Hit the nail on the head. Everyone has their goals and achievements. Some of us (ME) have been riding 4 years and this year felt the tracking miles/pace/distance got oppressive. I still put them in but it is more for maintenance tracking not to see if I can put up a 200 mile week or notch yet another century like this time last year. I don't care that it has been over a week since I rode (I have been running, landscaping, cheerleading my racer husband).

There have been past threads where the daydreamers, photographers and sight seeing riders (my current place) have been completely flamed for being slow. Right now when I do ride it is slow for where I was last year, if I were actually concerned I would be depressed but I know I am mentally in a different place. I am in better shape than last year overall just not on the bike. And you know what? I don't give a darn. I am happy, slow, playing in the dirt and puttering along taking photos Happy.

I still like hearing someone is overjoyed to make a hill, do a century, have a large mileage month but this year I am not that person in 2008. Oh but the photos I have taken this year, the sites I have pedaled by, the critters and the discovery of mountain biking have made this a totally successful year. Some years our success cannot be quantified in number of miles or average speed. And if yours can that is good, you are happy and that is how everyone should feel when they hope on the bike.

[jobob]

There have been past threads where the daydreamers, photographers and sight seeing riders (my current place) have been completely flamed for being slow.

Wait a second ... apart from the thread that I had posted, in what other thread have people been "completely flamed" for being slow?

And in that thread I posted, there was only one person doing the flaming, and she's no longer here (oh darn )

Seriously, anyone who criticizes another for how slow one is has really screwed up priorities and is a bit pathetic.

But I find threads which are based on bragging about one's own speed in comparison to others a bit distasteful anyhow ... so, ciao.

[RolliePollie]

I had to stop looking at my average speeds on my computer because I was obsessing over it. I have to turn that function off while I'm riding or I'll look at it constantly and obsess over increasing it. I do use my "real time" speed on my computer for hills. There are certain hills where I've set a goal to stay above 5 mph or whatever, depending on the hill. I also keep a training log spreadsheet just to kind of keep myself on track with training goals.

Like everyone is saying, comparing speeds and such is really pretty pointless, especially when you don't know the terrain where another person is riding. If I say my average speeds are usually around 13 mph, lots of people would probably think I'm slow. But I ride hills...every time I ride, hills. And more hills. Did I mention the hills? (I actually like hills now...call me crazy...but when you get to the top of a hill, many times you get to ride back down the other side!)

Comparing myself to faster riders always just makes me feel worse about myself. I know my average speeds as well as my stamina improve as the season progresses and that's good enough for me.

[Aggie_Ama]

And in that thread I posted, there was only one person doing the flaming, and she's no longer here (oh darn )

Seriously, anyone who criticizes another for how slow one is has really screwed up priorities and is a bit pathetic.

But I find threads which are based on bragging about one's own speed in comparison to others a bit distasteful anyhow ... so, ciao.

Oh no that is the one I mainly meant. In fact I never posted in that one because the whole thing made me sick! I should have said there has been an instance in the past. Since that is the only ugly example I can think of and yes Ariel I think 99.99% of the time we are a supportive loving bunch!

Heck I feel fast on paper but when I am riding with area riders including clubs not known for attacting the racing crowd I get dropped almost every time. And when I have rode in the mountains I am lucky to get a double digit average further cementing the idea that it is all relative.

[shootingstar]

On a long-term basis, to keep on cycling regularily for many years ahead, it's probably psychologically better not to over-focus on just one's own cycling speed, etc. If I did, I would not stay cycling regularily up to this point in life for enough years so far. It would suck out the enjoyment of cycling.

I've heard several stories of people who competed/trained hard, then when they were injured seriously or became older/frailer...fell into a depression that took a long time to pull out.

[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.

[Mr. Bloom]

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.

Done! No excuses

Here you go - about 5 miles from the start
http://www.mccormickscreekstatepark.com/