My First Official 100 Miles!

[50calray]

I'm very excited to report my first officially recorded 100 miles! This may seem minor to most riders but it's huge milestone for this out of shape and over weight 38yr. old Clydesdale lol

(Technically I'm probably closer to 120 miles but those extra miles took place before I was electronically logging my miles. )

It started out real slow, I thought I was accomplishing something doing 4-5 miles a week on a paved bicycle trail. I told the guys at my LBS I was aiming for 10 miles a week and they gave each other a funny look and took me good luck...awkward lol Well, I was determined to reach my 10 miles a week goal Damnit! So I started riding 5 days a week (Mon-Fri) doing atleast 1.5-2.5 miles per day. It wasn't long before I was doing 10-14 miles a week Then I discovered my new area was dotted with MTB trails. At first I was very hesitant about trying them out, for one thing each one is located 20-30 miles from the city one way and I was an experienced mtb rider. Well one day I said screw it, I'm basically retired and have the time. So I picked out a trail and have been riding it every since. Oh the first couple weeks was murder. Each day I was cursing enough to make a sailor blush lol The first part of the trail was only 1.8 miles almost flat but the switchbacks and roots etc was kicking my ass! I guess about the 3-4 week I was able to fly though the first beginners trail/loops and started adding new loops to my ride.

Anyhow, I'm now riding 3-7 miles a day (Mon-Fri) averaging 5.4 miles a day...the lower 3~ mile days are generally exploring difference loops It's been a long road, roughly 10 wks to reach this point and I plan to go further, hopefully 5-10 miles a day in the near future. It's a far cry from my younger days doing 15-20 miles a day on a BMX bike but I'm happy and I feel great.

I would like to Thank the Clydesdales who have come before me giving us new Clydesdales the inspiration to take up the sport or cycling etc...Thanks!

[EnduroT]

Awesome

One other thing you can think about doing, is not so much the miles, but time.

See how much your average ride covers 30m, hour, whatever. Total them up per week, every week add 10% It's another successful tool for getting better.

Keep it up!

[2ridealot]

Nice work!

I have been seeing your miles contributed to the Fat Boy Challenge.

Good job and stay after it

[50calray]

Awesome

One other thing you can think about doing, is not so much the miles, but time.

See how much your average ride covers 30m, hour, whatever. Total them up per week, every week add 10% It's another successful tool for getting better.

Keep it up!

I was actually thinking something along those lines. I started out spending 50-70 minutes on my daily mtb routine. Now it's down to around 30-40 minutes for the same trails and loops. So I'm thinking about adding another Loop/10-15 mins to my routine. That's basically what I did today in order to reach my 100 mile goal. It actually wasn't all that bad. I'm going to try in out next week and see how it goes. If it works, I will be effectively adding an additional 1.7-1.8 miles which would put me around 7.X miles ride per day (35 miles a week).

Also, I'm starting to run errands on the weekends. It's usually not much, like .5-1 0 but it's still burning a few calories.

[PixieChik]

Great work! I find it sort of embarrassing and frustrating, yet secretly motivating, when the LBS guys give each other "that" look. Hey, we gotta start somewhere! Good on you for getting out of the LazeeBoy.

What is the cellphone app you are using? Looks cool.

[millargeo]

Nice!

Keep up the good fun.

[50calray]

Rode another 100 mile!!

I've lost a few more pounds and had a lot of fun

I'm officially setting a goal for my self to ride a total of 500 miles by the years end (Dec 31, 2012). Just need 298 miles to go and only 5wks to try and do it :fingers crossed:

[2fargon]

Good for you! I hate it when I go to a bike shop or running shop where the employees act like they are above you because you're not as experienced as they are. I've only had this happen a couple times but never went back. I guess it's easy to forget where you started. Anyway, keep up the hard work! I remember when I first started riding and by the end of one of the easiest 6 mile loops in the state, I felt like the survivor at the end of a horror movie. It's now 3 years later and I could probably do loops on that trail all day. Not saying this to brag, but to let you know that the fitness will come as long as you're out there riding. Most importantly, have fun always!

[BatCountry]

Keep goin man! My first 1000 mile point was a big deal for me... and luckily the guys at my LBS are supportive. I took an old POS digital stopwatch/wristwatch and put it on my handlebar. Then I simply hit the button when I reach certain points throughout every ride in an effort to improve my times. This gives me the extra push and encourages myself to ride harder. Either way, keep up the hard work buddy.. soon enough you will be at the same level as those LBS guys that gave you the look!

[50calray]

Keep goin man! My first 1000 mile point was a big deal for me... and luckily the guys at my LBS are supportive. I took an old POS digital stopwatch/wristwatch and put it on my handlebar. Then I simply hit the button when I reach certain points throughout every ride in an effort to improve my times. This gives me the extra push and encourages myself to ride harder. Either way, keep up the hard work buddy.. soon enough you will be at the same level as those LBS guys that gave you the look!

Thanks,

My LBS almost knows me by name now lol I've got two bikes (working on a third) and always need something done, had them replace my crank bearings on the ole KHS the old day which was 5yrs old and making noise, then installed some Maxxis Holy Rollers, I busted the pedals on my Cannondale the week before that. Now my rear derailer on the KHS isn't working right...it's alway something but I'm having a blast anyhow lol.

[wallstreet]

That's great! Soon in a day 100miles I did that with my GF on a tandem around a lake in Switzerland from Yverdain les bains. No plans to go with her on a tandem ever again but would do a long ride for sure. It's exhilarating and I remember my first day after many years! I nearly died from exhaustion hitting 1mile lol but changed to a real road bike and found it easier. Same change to a real MTB helped me tackle my mountains. Your new bike will seriously make a huge difference.

[50calray]

That's great! Soon in a day 100miles I did that with my GF on a tandem around a lake in Switzerland from Yverdain les bains. No plans to go with her on a tandem ever again but would do a long ride for sure. It's exhilarating and I remember my first day after many years! I nearly died from exhaustion hitting 1mile lol but changed to a real road bike and found it easier. Same change to a real MTB helped me tackle my mountains. Your new bike will seriously make a huge difference.

Those tandem MTBs look fun!

Anyhow, I remember my first trail ride. I only did one loop that measured 1.7-1.8 miles and was almost completely flat. I had to stop 2-3 times catching my breath and chugging water lol That was about 3 months ago. Now I'm able to ride 4-7 Loops using a 35lb bike with zero issues. My new bike is crazy light, I'm excited to see how well it does.

I'm finishing up another 100 miles. My goal was 500 between now and he end of the year but things slowed down switching trails. I finally worked up to being able to handle more and wanted to switch o something with more hills.

[wallstreet]

I wasnt sure if I would ride much back in 2007 so I bought myself a supermarket heavy chinese bike, it weighed probably around 18kgs! It was a full suspension Yo-Yo! Softer than hell and it made riding up inclines a hellish feat. I ended up getting healthier following my friends on their normal XTR equipped bikes! Yes I kept up behind them and not far on trails, it was higher inclines that dropped me back more or carrying the bike over hurdles... I soon realised I needed something lighter and got into road race cycles... I now prefer MTBs and off roading anywhere... by next year I am certain you will do 100miles in one day if you have a nice friend to join you it makes it an easier hurdle.. Just keep an eye on your heart rate... keep it within your allowable rate... and enjoy..