Just curious...miles per year?

[maillotpois]

I really want to offer encouragement to everyone who is concerned about how her yearly mileage compares to other. Remember that it isn’t the number of miles a year you ride but that the miles you ride are satisfying and help you attain your goals. I’ll offer an example. Over the last 7 days, I rode 141 miles. Sounds wimpy by some of the posts above, right? But those were all mountain bike miles at 5,000 ft or higher altitude. I would have to have ridden about 300 road miles over the same 7 days to come close to the same effort level. In other words, my mile is not the same as your mile or anyone else’s mile unless you were there with me under the same conditions.

The miles I rode prior to these 7 days were what I needed to ride to accomplish my goal of having a sufficient fitness level to ride a very hilly metric at the end of March and to enjoy my mountain bike trip. I rode the mountain bike trip at a leisurely and fun pace but used the hills as training for a double metric I hope to ride at the beginning of May. This all builds to another mountain bike trip at the end of May and a flat century in June. Pardon me, but I really couldn’t give a rat’s patootie about the total mileage for the year. Yeah, it is a fun number to see building but the really important numbers are the ones you need to hit organized rides, general fitness goals, conquering that hill, lessening the puke factor, whatever. Focus on the intermediate goals and ride your ride. You’ll remember those accomplishments more fondly and have better stories in your old age.

Here here! This is SO true. Anyone's 10 miles are not the same as anyone else's. There are so many variables. Wind, hills, elevation, bike and equipment, tire pressure, what sort of day you had, what you ate the day before, etc. ad infiniutm. I've done doubles that were "easier" than some 70 miles rides I've done. Ride your ride, compete with yourself if you want. But make it fun.

However, I have to disagree with SK about the whole "lessening the puke factor" thing. How else are we to lose weight and improve speed on hills?

[SadieKate]

OK, I'll tell you what my real training motto is then: "Lessen the pain." Such a positive message, huh? I didn't want to say it because everybody deals with pain differently. I learned a lot about myself when I started riding 10 mile TT's last year. It takes a whole different sort of pain management technique. It's all about how long you can maintain your pain at just below puke level with no motivation other than the clock. Those 10 miles of racing can be excruciatingly harder than much longer rides.

Those excruciating 10 miles made me a faster rider but I just never thought of actually pushing it above puke level for even more speed. Have to think about the logic of that one. . . .

[KnottedYet]

Less pain, more gain!

I've *got* to get a bike computer, mainly so I know how fast I'm going. And if I wanna do the same # miles per year as $ I paid for the bike, hey I'll have it easy! Probably already have 1/4 of my 380 done!

I'm more the instant gratification sort. "How fast am I going now? How fast... now? And NOW? Ooooh, how fast right....now...?" Inquiring minds want to know!

[maillotpois]

Sorry, SK but your (very well-thought out) expanded discussion of your motto has now started the complete dialogue from The Princess Bride where Westley threatens to duel Humperdink "To the pain" running through my head:

Westley:To the pain means the first thing you will lose will be your feet below the ankles. Then your hands at the wrists. Next your nose.
Prince Humperdinck: And then my tongue I suppose, I killed you too quickly the last time. A mistake I don't mean to duplicate tonight.
Westley: I wasn't finished. The next thing you will lose will be your left eye followed by your right.
Prince Humperdinck: And then my ears, I understand let's get on with it.
Westley: WRONG. Your ears you keep and I'll tell you why. So that every shriek of every child at seeing your hideousness will be yours to cherish. Every babe that weeps at your approach, every woman who cries out, "Dear God! What is that thing," will echo in your perfect ears. That is what to the pain means. It means I leave you in anguish, wallowing in freakish misery forever.
Prince Humperdinck: I think your bluffing.
Westley: It's possible, Pig, I might be bluffing. It's conceivable, you miserable, vomitous mass, that I'm only lying here because I lack the strength to stand. But, then again... perhaps I have the strength after all.

Clearly I am disturbed today!

Anyway, the whole 10 miles of pain sounds great. A nice limited window of excruciating suffering.

[SadieKate]

Ah, a new motto for training. "You rush a miracle man, you get rotten miracles."

Or my own: "You gots to be prepared for the ROUS's in your path."

[Veronica]

That's inconceivable!

[SadieKate]

Anyway, the whole 10 miles of pain sounds great. A nice limited window of excruciating suffering.

"As you wish."

The time trials are every other Wednesday night in Davis and they're talking about doing a series in West Sac on the other Weds. You can stop off on your way home one day. Just think how good it will feel to get back in the car.

Everyone needs a Fezzik in their life.

[maillotpois]

"As you wish."

The time trials are every other Wednesday night in Davis and they're talking about doing a series in West Sac on the other Weds. You can stop off on your way home one day. Just think how good it will feel to get back in the car.

Everyone needs a Fezzik in their life.

Mid-June might work for this. Em will be at camp, and I have a lot more flexibility. Also, I don't have anything in Sac on a Wednesday before then. Sounds like fun.

No more rhymes now, I mean it.
Anybody want a peanut?

[SadieKate]

The three of us are off our rockers today.

[Geonz]

So get back on them! Or get back on your rollers....

I'm afraid I'm definitely a "less pain, more gain" person - I **love** being able to back off *before* it hurts, and I do mean before it hurts, NOT before it "hurts too much to stand it." I remember training hard in swimming, and I dont' go there at all. I just go a little faster so I get to breathing hard... but still feels good... and it gets me IN SHAPE.

I've got 1500 miles on the bikes this year (613 on the car) ENDORPHINS ROCK!

[Bike Goddess]

TTs in Benicia on the 1st Wednesday of the month. 6:00PM. 10 miles down and back Lopes Rd (the western frontage road by Hwy 680.) if you want some variation in your pain!