Where do I stand?

[grey]

I'm 34 and have been riding 5 years, but the past 2 years have been a little rough - first I hurt my back in the Spring of 09 and couldn't wiggle my toes, let alone ride, that killed one year. Last year I rode off and on, when I was home. It was a crazy busy year and I just never had the time to really get into shape.

So this year, things have been great, I have a good schedule and my back seems to be ok. However, you lose a lot in basically 2 years of not riding, so far this year my longest ride is 30 miles. I'm just south of Chattanooga, so I also have KILLER hills. Some days I just do a 17 mile very hilly loop - but I confess, on some of this looooong bad boys I stop in the middle, catch my breath, and then go on - it's much easier than pushing myself to the brink, and shows me just how far I still need to go conditioning-wise.

My goal this year: to do the 60-mile century in August and go up the mountain at least once.

You can't compare yourself to others. All you can do is your personal best. Besides - the point is to have FUN!

And in my case, part of the fun comes later, as gastronomy is one of my favorite indulgences, riding lets me pig out! Unfortunately, it means losing weight is a wee bit slower when you're eating fresh bread dipped in homemade pesto, a creamy pasta of whatever sounded good and a glass or two of red the night of a ride... and then top it off with chocolate mousse!

[Grog]

I have recorded pretty much every kilometer I've ridden on my road bikes (not necessarily my commuters) over the past seven years, but I quit recording time about three years ago. Don't miss it one bit!

[suzbyrd]

I go through stages where I record every little thing I ride, and then where I don't record anything. I'm in one of those right now where I want to show myself my progress as summer progresses.

[Catrin]

I do keep an eye on my average speed and miles, also like to see what my avg. cadence is after my ride. I don't worry too much about time - my speed is slow-moderate - I just keep track of speed and cadence as a way to measure my improvement.

I also refuse to refer to my rides as "training", though they are - I have more fun when I think of them as "rides". It is a small distinction but it makes a difference for me as a relative newbie.

[Crankin]

I'm with you on this, Catrin. Even though I might have certain goals on specific rides, I am not training. That sounds like work, and work is a, well, a job. Sure, I do my share of suffering, some intervals, and plenty of climbing. But if i call it training, I know what will happen.
I'll get burned out and stop riding.
This works for me because I don't ride with speedy groups and I am happy seeing improvements on my own schedule. Also, I've been riding long enough to know just about how long and how much I need to do to achieve certain things. For example, I am not very good at getting large numbers of base miles in the early spring, to build up slowly to long rides. I tend to do lots of short rides and then make myself suffer either with a longer ride (like yesterday, 42 miles) or a multi day tour. I just do it, it hurts a bit, but then I am at a new level. Same way I didn't train for the century I did. I did lots of riding, lots of hills and no ride longer than 68 miles. I was more than prepared for a flat century with lots of wind, and although I suffered a bit after mile 85, I think most people do. When I decide to do something, I do it and that's it.

[Catrin]

... When I decide to do something, I do it and that's it.

We are very much alike in this department. When I focus on "training" like I did last year I just burn out and hurt myself This year, while I do have some long rides planned for the fall, I have decided an approach very much like yours so it is good to hear that others do this as well.

[Artista]

I have recorded pretty much every kilometer I've ridden on my road bikes (not necessarily my commuters) over the past seven years, but I quit recording time about three years ago. Don't miss it one bit!

I'm quite the opposite. I focus more on time & perceived exertion rather than miles. Some of my rides are a few hours long on flat terrain while others are shorter rides with long hills. I also mountain bike; those miles feel very different than road miles. I don't even have a computer on my mtb.

Perceived exertion is the only constant that I can compare in all of my rides. I kind of keep track of the miles on my road bike just for fun but I know that they aren't fully indicative of what I am accomplishing on the bike.