Longest and fastest ride!

[hirakukibou]

I went out with the local club today and rode 63 miles at an average of 14.3 mph. The longest and fastest I have ever rode. Go figure! The club goes out tomorrow and I plan to do a shorter ride, but if I do 40 miles I'll have a 200 mile week. I am not sure I can keep it up, but it's fun in the process. I am going go log my miles for the team!

[RoadRaven]

Well done, hirakukibou

Great to have goals and milestones and see your self achieve and pass them - creating new ones.

[hirakukibou]

Thanks for your support and encouragement Road Raven.
I did do 209 miles for the week.

[bikerz]

That's fantastic! Do you have any organized rides scheduled? I've been riding something less than 100 miles a week - I'd like to get that number up over the next couple of months.

[SnappyPix]

Brilliant stuff Hirakukibou,

Those miles will soon stack up!
What a great start to the season!
How's this week fairing?

[hirakukibou]

I am actually going away tomorrow and won't have such a fabulous week miles-wise. I did manage to get in 101 miles before I go. I have been riding with a local club on weekends which gives me around 80-100 miles for the weekend and then I try to do one 40-50 mile ride during the week with a couple of 20 milers thrown in. When I set my year goal at 2000 miles I didn't realize that I would get so into it. Time to reset the goal I think or alternatively I could reach my goal and go over and bask in the gravy. Hmmm.

[RoadRaven]

I can really relate to one sentence of yours, Hirika

"I didn't realise that I would get so into it"

I mean... I can REALLY relate to that... most days I seriously ponder how I could give up part or all of my job to bike...

[hirakukibou]

Yeah, Roadraven, it's been a hard five days or so. I've been away from home but more specifically away from my bike. This whole process of gettting into cycling has been interesting for me because I was never athletic as a kid or young person. So now, at 45, I have found my "inner athlete" and she is going nuts. It seems that all I think and talk about these days is riding -- I guess that's not quite true, but almost. When I pass other cyclist I look, what kind of bike are they riding? I make my schedule with friends and appointments according to the weather and if I can squeeze in a ride. I even have gotten up early (well around 6 AM) to get out for a ride. Unheard of just months ago. My body still doesn't really like exercize before 9AM, but if it's a choice between riding that day early and not riding, I am up. And then there's the way my body is changing. I have muscles in my legs that I never knew were there. My body shape is changing, although I am not overweight right now, my body is toning I guess, but clothes don't fit anymore. I haven't lost weight, and might have even gained a pound or two, but man, it's weird to have large defined legs and smaller other parts. I may be approaching menopause but I will do it on a sparkling red bicycle!

[RoadRaven]

I recently helped out a sports science student by being her guinea pig - she wrote me a training programme which I had to follow

I gave her a gift at the end of to say thanks and wrote in the card "you made me feel like an athelete, not just some 40 year old riding a bike".

Its great isn't it, Hirika? I've been riding for about 18 months now - and like you, the whole of last year I didnt lose weight - but I did change shape - I have dropped two dress sizes now... and these last couple of months am actually staring to lose weight (good for getting up those f***ing hills)... but its the fitness, the healthyness I feel. Its fabulous...

And I am pleased to have this forum because it is soooooo hard to not talk biking most of the time to my workmates - some of them think I'm a leetle bit weird now I think (well, weirder than they USED to think I was! )