Last year, I clearly got excited about cycling (again) and committed myself to it. Even though I was 38 years old, I was probably in some of the best shape of my entire life – including my younger years. I cycled a lot when I was in high school, but never the full-on, steady miles that I was able to achieve in 2010.
I targeted 100 miles each week – which means a steady set of four 20-30 mile rides spread over seven days. I would give myself one or two day rests during the week and target two rides over the weekends.
Overall, I was pretty successful with the plan and had a great set of base miles in my body. I felt I could easily tackle any riding challenge. I was fit enough to enjoy the rides – satisfied with the speed and endurance I was able to put out.
This year has been only okay for cycling as I have not been able to match the same levels as 2010. There have been a lot of circumstances (especially the weather) which has made cycling a challenge during my available times. I also switched jobs this past spring and find that my hours stretch later into the day and make for limited opportunity for riding.
So, I was happy to actually have a good week and hit my 100 mile target between Sun 17 July to Sat 23 July. Specifically, it was 102.5 miles. It was the first week of the season to reach my target from 2010. I only hope that it can continue. Even though it takes a tremendous amount of time, I am seldom happier than when I am riding my bike.
