The Mileage Obsession

Barbara on a ride earlier this year.

On an almost summer-like Hill Country ride this morning, I caught up to my friend Barbara with several miles to go.

“I want to do 100 miles this weekend,” she said. “I’m at 91 right now. It’ll be close.”

I knew she had done a 60-mile organized ride the previous day. I thought our ride today would finish at something less than 40 miles.

With about a mile to go, I was in front of the group. I turned into the circle drive in a park where we start our rides, and stopped at my parked car. Our ride leader, Debra, was right behind me.

As I loaded the bike into the back, it occurred to me that something was odd.

“Where’s Barbara?” I asked Debra. Then I saw her.

She had ridden past the circle drive entrance and headed out to the highway. Then she turned around and headed back. Once again, I watched her ride past the circle drive.

“She’s trying to get her 100 miles,” said Debra.

Barbara came back to our circle drive, but rode past our cars and did another lap. Then, with thumbs up and a smile on her face, she pulled up to her car and dismounted.

“Got it,” she said.

She showed me her computer. It read 40.6 miles for the day’s ride. My computer showed 39.6. She squeezed one more mile out of the ride to reach her goal.

“I wanted to ride 5,200 miles this year,” she said, “but I’m out of town several weeks, so that’s not realistic. I’ve got 2,500. I want to see if I can get to 4,000 by March 1st. I think I can do it.”

I looked at Debra. “She’s mileage obsessed,” I said.

We all went out to lunch together after the ride. Barbara and Jerry, another member of the day’s group, compared ride data from their smart phones. She uses an app called My Tracks. Both were upset that they had forgotten to turn off the app at the end of the ride, and it was still registering data during their drive to the restaurant.

“Top speed, 51 mph,” Barbara said with a grimace. “That’s no help.”

I asked if they log their mileage apart from their phone apps.

“Well, it’s on the cyclocomputer,” she said. “That’s how I know what I rode this weekend, and how I’m doing at reaching my yearly goal.”

“I enter my ride data on Bike Journal,” I said.

“Oh, that’s a good idea,” she replied. “Then, if my cyclocomputer goes haywire, I still have the data.”

“And then I enter it into a separate Excel spreadsheet,” I added, “because Bike Journal doesn’t record everything I want.”

Everyone around the table looked at me.

Who’s mileage obsessed?” Barbara asked.

 

A Look at the Numbers

Guest poster Don Blount has been looking back at the year through his riding figures.

Lies, damn lies and statistics.

Can you really trust those numbers that you download from our bike computer?

I recently reviewed my biking stats for the year and discovered that I am well ahead of last year’s pace for total mileage.

Impressive?

Not really. I should have more miles in considering that I lost riding time last year because of a broken arm and fractured wrist suffered in a fall.

From May through June of 2010 I rode just under 539 miles, which includes time I spent on a trainer while injured. During that same period this year I rode nearly 1,071 miles. That 532 mile difference accounts for most of the 703 miles I am ahead of last year’s pace through October. For that matter, I have exceeded last year’s total by nearly 133 miles and still have two months of riding left. I may be able to reach 4,500 miles for the year.

Two numbers stand out at me and one may have affected the other: Elevation Gain and Calories.

Through October of last year I climbed 50,147 feet and burned 192,598 calories, according to my Garmin.

For all of 2010 I climbed 56,820 feet and burned 228,927 calories.

By comparison, through October of this year, I have climbed 60,428 feet and burned 495,620 calories. That is double the amount of calories burned in 2010, and nearly triple the amount through October 2010.

If I had to guess, I would attribute this year’s increase largely in part to riding more hills, they do make me work harder, burn more fat and become a stronger rider. So no matter how much they hate me, and I them, I will have to continue riding them.

Sometimes statistics can help us understand what we’re doing on the bike. I have tried to ride more often and to ride harder. These numbers show that I am accomplishing that. But even after all of the number crunching, the most important thing to do is enjoy your riding.

Jan-Oct. 2011
No. of Rides: 180
Distance: 3,633.83 mi
Time: 220 hrs 41 mins 07 secs
Elevation Gain: 60,428 ft
Calories: 495,620

Jan-Oct 2010
No. of Rides: 154
Distance: 2,931.13 mi
Time: 177 hrs 50 mins 43 secs
Elevation Gain: 50,147 ft
Calories: 192,598

Jan-Dec 2010
No. of Rides: 185
Distance: 3,501.28 mi
Time: 213 hrs 09 mins15 secs
Elevation Gain: 56,820 ft
Calories: 228,927

Year-ender

We’re at the end of another year.  Bike-wise, it was a good year for me.  Among my personal highlights:

  • A new yearly mileage record: 4,100 miles.
  • Two century rides
  • Completion of the full two-day MS 150 from Houston to Austin
  • Improved fitness – lost girth, if not much weight – I like wearing smaller pants
  • Improved hill climbing.  Not where I want to be yet, but I can now climb my personal nemesis – as long as I rest to catch my breath at the top

Happy New Year, y'all!

I’m undecided about where my biking will go in 2011.  Both distance riding and more training appeal to me.  Right now, I’m leaning toward doing more long rides – rides of over 60 miles.

I’m also debating whether to back away somewhat from the social aspect of cycling.  I enjoy riding with friends, and one of the highlights of 2010 was meeting and riding with folks I’d only known online.  But I do most of my riding alone, and I think I enjoy that more.  I look forward to our Sunday morning club rides, but it doesn’t kill me to pass one up.

I do enjoy organized rides, and will probably do more in the new year than I did this year.  I’ve missed lots of good ones in this area, and I’d like to try them out.

But I think the emphasis will be on biking as fun, rather than biking as work.  Best of everything to each of you.

New Year’s Goals

Forget resolutions. I usually break mine within a week, anyway. Instead, I’m going to recap 2009 through my biker’s eyes, and look ahead to 2010.

2009 stats:

  • Total miles: 3,053
  • Avg. speed:14.9
  • Highest avg. speed on a single ride: 17.2 mph
  • Highest maximum speed on a single ride: 39.2 mph
  • Longest single ride: 77 miles
  • Avg. ride distance: 21.6

2009 Recap:

The highlight of the year is total distance ridden. I topped 3,000 miles for the year, 375 miles more than last year. That would be like adding a 13th month of riding to my 2008 totals, so I’m pleased that I got more saddle time in. I didn’t do a century in 2009. As you’ll recall, the first day of the MS 150 was cancelled, and the second day was 77 miles. That was the longest ride distance I had all year. Many of the stats are down a fraction from last year. Average speed fell from 15.1 to 14.9, highest avg. speed fell from 17.65 to 17.2. But my avg. ride distance is up, from 20.6 to 21.6 miles per ride. If I step back and put it all into perspective, 2009 was nothing to crow about. But if I look a little deeper, I know that my stamina is up, my hill climbing has improved, and I feel better about my ability on the bike. I’m more at home in the saddle.

2010 Goals:

I don’t have a lot, which is probably wise. The ones I do have will challenge me both on and off the bike:

  • Ride the MS 150 Houston-to-Austin, this time completing both days.
  • Ride the Hotter ‘n Hell Hundred in Wichita Falls, Texas, next August.
  • Learn bike maintenance, and diligently maintain my bikes.
  • Expand my riding horizons by riding new routes in new areas.
  • Get my weight below 200 pounds.

I’m embarrassed about that last goal. Last year at this time, I indicated that I would work on dropping 30 pounds. But I finished the year at almost exactly the same weight as I finished last year with, so I obviously didn’t take the goal seriously. But the other day, I tried on a pair of trousers I got as a Christmas gift, and was stunned to find they didn’t fit in the waist. Two months ago, they would have.

The third and fourth goals are not specific or measurable, but they’re personal goals, and I’ll know if I’ve met them to my satisfaction.

Now, we’ll see how life cooperates, and whether it throws any roadblocks in my way. I’ll be helping my wife start a new business, and I have some things coming up in my own work that will make 2010 challenging. But I suppose all of us face challenges with each coming year. Here’s hoping you are able to surmount yours.

Ringing out the old – 2008 biking stats

hny2aOn this New Year’s Eve, it’s time to look back at where I’ve been, biking-wise, over the past 12 months. First of all, let’s recap the last four months, as I have done in April and August. Then we’ll recap the entire year.

September-December:

  • Total rides: 38
  • Total mileage: 863.1
  • Avg. speed: 15.73 mph
  • Highest avg. speed on a single ride: 17.65 mph
  • Highest maximum speed on a single ride: 38.6 mph
  • Longest single ride: 101.4 mile

Monthly mileage

  • September: 271.5
  • October: 302.5
  • November: 131.8
  • December: 157.3

I’m astounded by the amount of riding I did, especially when it didn’t feel like I was doing as much as I could have. I’m blown away by my stats for the entire year:

Year-long stats 2008:

  • Total miles: 2,677
  • Avg. speed: 15.09 mph
  • Highest avg. speed on a single ride: 17.65 mph
  • Highest maximum speed on a single ride: 39.5 mph
  • Longest single ride: 101.4 miles
  • Average ride distance: 20.625 miles

Highlights of the year: My century, obviously, given how much I seem to have posted about it. But hey, for a 57-year-old guy, I think it was a big deal. I took the League of American Bicyclists Road I course, which made me a more competent, smarter, and safer rider. I joined a local bike club, and although I am not a regular at their Sunday morning rides, the group did challenge me to go faster and longer. Finally, this blog. It’s been online a little over 10 months, and I am gratified by the amount of page views I’ve gotten. I’ll post a detailed recap of the blogging year on its anniversary in February.

Goals for the coming year: I’ve already mentioned that I’ll be riding in the MS 150 from Houston to Austin. I plan on joining a team to train for the ride, and to ride in several organized events leading up to the MS ride in April. After that, who knows? I want to get better. Better for me could include a number of different factors: faster, more endurance, more skill, or a combination of the three. Oh, and it’s time to shed some extra weight. I need to drop about 30 pounds. Biking will be the major element of that effort.

Here’s to a happy, healthy and prosperous 2009 from the Bike Noob!

Biking stats update

Back at the end of April, I took a look at my riding stats for the first four months of the year. Now, the second four months has gone by, so it’s time to update those numbers:

  • May-August: 54 rides
  • Total mileage: 1167
  • Total for 2008:1814
  • Average speed: 14.87 mph
  • Highest avg. speed on a single ride: 16.8
  • Highest maximum speed on a single ride: 39.5
  • Longest single ride: 52.5
  • Monthly mileage
    • May: 298
    • June: 203
    • July: 344
    • August: 322

The biggest difference in the January-April and May-August timeframes is the amount of riding I’ve done. It almost doubled over the second four months. That’s partly to be expected because of warmer weather and more available riding time. The measures of central tendency haven’t changed much, with average speed up only .2 mph. But, I’ve talked before about my preference for just riding over training. What the stats don’t show is that my endurance and strength are better. Despite the occasional dip, I feel like I am a better rider than I was.