This year's cycling goal

[jefito 5,589]

OK, it's been a little slow in this forum recently, so I'll share this summer's cycling goal: more commutes. The goal is 80 this year.

I live about 7.5 miles away from where I work, so it's a nice distance to ride, 22 - 28 minutes, depending on weather, wind (beastly this week) and general inclination to push myself. I'm up in the Northeast, which limits my season, as I really prefer not to ride at night (narrow back roads where people drive too fast, no thanks), and usually don't ride if there >30% chance of rain (not great for the bike).

Realistically speaking, my commuting season goes from mid-March through mid-October, about 7 months. Over the past 7 years, I've averaged ~55/year, with a high of 69 (yes, I am geeky enough to keep a spreadsheet logging my rides). A jump to 80 seems do-able, but I'll need to stretch a bit (80 - 55 = 25, 25/7 months ~= 3.5 more commutes per month, a little under 1/week). Overall that's 11 or 12 commutes/month, ~= 3.5/week.

So far, the weather gods have been smiling -- we've had some stretches of unseasonably warm weather, and it's been pretty dry, so even when it's been cold in the mornings (32F is my lower limit) it's been OK. I am at 18 now, starting from March 19. Judging from previous years, I am pretty far ahead of my usual pace, so so far so good. If we get a few stretches of rain, I could get knocked back pretty quickly, so we'll see.

Anyone else have any summer goals, cycling or otherwise?

[GrumpyMonkey 4,319]

OK, it's been a little slow in this forum recently, so I'll share this summer's cycling goal: more commutes. The goal is 80 this year.

I live about 7.5 miles away from where I work, so it's a nice distance to ride, 22 - 28 minutes, depending on weather, wind (beastly this week) and general inclination to push myself. I'm up in the Northeast, which limits my season, as I really prefer not to ride at night (narrow back roads where people drive too fast, no thanks), and usually don't ride if there >30% chance of rain (not great for the bike).

Realistically speaking, my commuting season goes from mid-March through mid-October, about 7 months. Over the past 7 years, I've averaged ~55/year, with a high of 69 (yes, I am geeky enough to keep a spreadsheet logging my rides). A jump to 80 seems do-able, but I'll need to stretch a bit (80 - 55 = 25, 25/7 months ~= 3.5 more commutes per month, a little under 1/week). Overall that's 11 or 12 commutes/month, ~= 3.5/week.

So far, the weather gods have been smiling -- we've had some stretches of unseasonably warm weather, and it's been pretty dry, so even when it's been cold in the mornings (32F is my lower limit) it's been OK. I am at 18 now, starting from March 19. Judging from previous years, I am pretty far ahead of my usual pace, so so far so good. If we get a few stretches of rain, I could get knocked back pretty quickly, so we'll see.

Anyone else have any summer goals, cycling or otherwise?

i have about the same commute. the weather has been pretty poor this week. i will probably start up again next week. i have a new office now, which gives me a place to change and store clothes. i am looking forward to it!

80 rides? No. But, maybe 60 or 70. I think I will go for 12 a month. Even with a stretch of bad weather, that seems doable. i'll start next week

[AnthroChad 11]

I love the idea Jeff. Can you update us weekly, or monthly in this thread so we know how you're doing?

I'd like to set a summer goal of gaining 10 lbs. I'm currently at a lean 180 and I want to get to a lean 190. The key is that I'm not just gaining any kind of weight. I want my composition to stay the same or improve. Lean mass gains. I would like to do that by August 1st.

[jefito 5,589]

10lbs? You can have 10 of mine.

[GrumpyMonkey 4,319]

10lbs? You can have 10 of mine.

I'll pony up and offer some too. I'll send you a link to my shared notebook: cellulite. I've got about ten pounds to lose. I have gained about 8 since last year, and apparently, sitting on my butt all day is not a good way to lose the weight

[AnthroChad 11]

10lbs? You can have 10 of mine.

The key is that I'm not just gaining any kind of weight. I want my composition to stay the same or improve. Lean mass gains.

[jefito 5,589]

Time for a check-in here, seeing as how the new Fitness Challenge is ongoing.

May was wretched, weather-wise, and so I suffered a concomitant drop in commutes -- only 5.

June has been better (I just gave in and rode in the rain a few times; it's not bad, really, but it's not good for the bike -- grit in the gears, etc.). I'm at 10 so far, so it seems likely I'll hit my goal of 12.

Current total is 34, with a couple of full months to go, plus September, which dwindles because of the daylight thing.

Also, at some point my commute will increase to 10.5 miles, once we move into our new house, so a little extra pain to go along with it.

[GrumpyMonkey 4,319]

Good job!

I'm at 35 miles with my commutes this week. Finally, we had a few days without rain. The next few weeks ought to be great for riding.

[GrumpyMonkey 4,319]

Time for a check-in here, seeing as how the new Fitness Challenge is ongoing.

May was wretched, weather-wise, and so I suffered a concomitant drop in commutes -- only 5.

June has been better (I just gave in and rode in the rain a few times; it's not bad, really, but it's not good for the bike -- grit in the gears, etc.). I'm at 10 so far, so it seems likely I'll hit my goal of 12.

Current total is 34, with a couple of full months to go, plus September, which dwindles because of the daylight thing.

Also, at some point my commute will increase to 10.5 miles, once we move into our new house, so a little extra pain to go along with it.

This week I got in 44.6 miles with my commuting. Finally, some good weather! Triple-digit temperatures, though, are a little high

[jefito 5,589]

Awesome, GM. I've been off this week, but haven't done much cycling. A combination of weather and too much to do (trying to get the new house ready for occupation, and the other ready for sale), I haven't had as much time for cycling as I'd hoped. I've been getting more miles in on weeks that I'm working, and can I commute -- at least that's a definite 15 mile round-trip (soon to be 21 if we ever actually move) per day. I do need to up my game though, the organized rides will be starting to crop up soon, and those are usually hold the opportunity for a century...

You can keep the 100-degree temps, though. It's been mid-80s here, and humid, and that's enough for me...

[GrumpyMonkey 4,319]

Awesome, GM. I've been off this week, but haven't done much cycling. A combination of weather and too much to do (trying to get the new house ready for occupation, and the other ready for sale), I haven't had as much time for cycling as I'd hoped. I've been getting more miles in on weeks that I'm working, and can I commute -- at least that's a definite 15 mile round-trip (soon to be 21 if we ever actually move) per day. I do need to up my game though, the organized rides will be starting to crop up soon, and those are usually hold the opportunity for a century...

You can keep the 100-degree temps, though. It's been mid-80s here, and humid, and that's enough for me...

80s would be nice

I might go for a ride in the morning tomorrow. There is a new route through a nearby township that I haven't tried yet. But, that is only if I wake up early enough to beat the triple-digit temperatures. I had a great time on my ride today, because I love the heat, but I probably lost a pound or two just sweating. You can feel the sun pushing down on your back. Anyhow, it went in my log. I posted a page on my website about commuting (general stuff), and I am planning to add some pages with my routes later in the week. I have a 16 mile route now that I like, and I am considering extending that a bit.

http://www.princeton.edu/~cmayo/commuting.html

I am also toying with the idea of breaking out the workout/exercise portion of my daily journal, making a note about fitness each day, and putting that in a shared notebook (another Evernote user gave me the inspiration with his shared notebook). Mainly, this would be for selfish reasons -- making it public encourages me to be a little more diligent about getting up, going out, and doing stuff. I am wondering if it is worth the effort, though. I'm not sure that anyone would actually look at it, so I'd be making more work for myself and not achieving the original purpose of motivating myself!

[Volla 0]

I also am excited to scale up my riding milage this season again I was injured two or three times last summer, nothing too bad but I had to stop for several weeks , so I am extra motivated this year! Have been working out with a home bike and a crosstrainer already during the winter, I guess two more weeks and Ill be ready to hit the road again :)

[salmino 0]

I've got about ten pounds to lose. I have gained about 8 since last year, and apparently, sitting on my butt all day is not a good way to lose the weight 

 

 

 

 

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[jefito 5,589]

Hey, I'd forgotten about this post. Not really much to do with Evernote, as I track my rides using an Excel spreadsheet (it's currently up to 15 years worth, hopefully starting on year 16 shortly). Time to start dropping that winter weight; Planet Fitness is fine for what it is, but it's not the same as getting out on a real bike. 5 pounds is a reasonable goal for me this year, 10 pounds is definitely do-able with diet diligence &regular rides. Sadly, commuting is no longer an option, which would really help.