Back in January, I set a goal of riding 3,000 miles this year. Today is the warmest day so far this year with the mercury marking nearly 83 degrees fahrenheit, and with Andrea and Elizabeth out of town until late tomorrow, going on a ride today was a really easy choice.
I will admit I was a little glum when I got back from my 33 mile ride and logged my miles. Only 99 miles so far this year? That’s a long way from 3,000! It’s actually bad, but not quite as bad as that — I didn’t touch the road bike until 18 February, but did manage to get in 110 miles on the new mountain bike by then, so my total so far this year is 209 miles, 199 farther along than I was this weekend last year. Still, I think I need to step it up in order to make some solid progress towards my goal.
I’m trying something new this year, which is taking it easy early in the season. Last year I got a heart rate monitor to help me figure out how hard I was working when I used my indoor trainer, but I actually find it just as useful out on the road or the trails. I have a tendency, I think left over from my years of swimming, to want to work really hard, especially when I’m riding around other people. My neighbor, who also rides, was talking about his “base miles” and keeping his effort moderate rather than hard to build a good base of fitness without breaking down lots of muscle.
That really got me thinking about how I ride, how I feel immediately afterwards, and how I recover from a ride to get ready for the next one. I admit I haven’t been doing this on the mountain bike mainly due to the exuberance of trying something new, but on the road, I’ve been pretty careful to try to maintain a moderate effort. It’s still early in the year and I don’t think 209 miles is enough to draw any conclusions about the method; my pace is about 30% off its peak last summer, but I’m a lot less tired when I’m done with a ride, and I’m ready to go again the next day at the latest. On days like today when I rode earlier in the day, I even want to go again!