I think I need to have a goal
 

Last year we had an extremely mild winter, and I pretty much rode all winter. I was also training for a century ride at the end of May. It finally got warm here and just started riding again. Just completed my 5th ride of the year for 92 miles total, compared to almost 1300 miles byt the end of April last year. I think I need to set a goal again, without it there was no need to ride when the temps were below 40. I didn't even get out the trainer once this winter. Longest ride so far this year was only 30 miles. Going to try a fairly flat 40-50 today.

I'm trying to balance goals with no goals. Once a week I ride my personal TT for 18 mi. just to see how I improve over the season. And, I am also trying to average 100 mi. a week. On club rides and rides with my gf my "goal" is to forget about goals and just have fun. I need both approaches.

Marshaling the Powers of Darkness in order to achieve World Domination seems like a cool goal.

This year I want to accomplish all sorts of stuff, but with two new grandchildren and the clan stretching from Pittsburgh to Boulder, I have to stay pretty flexible.

One goal was to do the Redbud Green Monster, and I didn't really plan on it until I inadvertently finished it.

The easy century was today, and I would have liked to have done that, but that would have left my daughter home alone for 8 hours and I didn't think that was fair to her.

One simple goal now is to try to take at least one Instagram photo per ride. They link up to Strava automatically. It's cool, too, but not as cool as the World Domination thing.

Ah balance. That's good to have on a bicycle.

I've had the same kind of Spring as the OP, so far. Although I commute a few miles to work each day (weather-permitting) from now until October, that's not much of a goal. That's why I plan at least one overnight ride every summer. I started daydreaming about THIS summer's ride the day I put my bike away last November. However, the first time I took the bike out a few weeks ago, I could barely get around the block, and I wondered how I was going to pedal all those miles in July. Now, getting back in shape for that ride is my "goal." After the invigoration of my summer overnighter, hopefully, I won't need a goal again...until next year. Am I making sense, or just babbling again?

The goal that works for me is just pure miles. I can also work on speed if I want on rides.

To tell you the truth I don't know if I could stand not being able to ride outdoors 12 months a year. It must take some dedication to be on a trainer or spinning class during the off season.

Sometimes a goal can be a motivator. The key is picking the right goal. Sounds like you're using distance as a measure - both total miles and miles per ride. Perhaps a weekly total would make sense?

Goals, for next week's century, made a big difference for me this year. But if I'd set up the goals without having a clear reason for them (e.g. a century), I don't think it would have worked.

http://i8.photobucket.com/albums/a39...ps3b7948f1.jpg

+1

That's what my cycle-therapist says too.

I find participating with my club in the National Bike Challenge to be a good motivator. Also, I signed on to a pledge to ride all 30 days of April and I'm getting ready for my 29th consecutive day's ride today.

I have a friend that is participating (I found out too late). He will pass 900 miles for the month today.

Just freeze your car keys in a block of ice, or put them into a bank vault. That will be all the inspiration you need to go cycling.

Goals work well for me. I've been training for a little fun-ride we have in SoCal called Breathless Agony. Here's a link with all the gory details:

http://www.cyclingpros.com/onyx.htm

Essentially, it's a century-plus (114 miles) with some climbing (12,000 feet).

On Sat. I did a training ride that was 90 miles with 10,300 feet of climbing and I felt good all day.

Here it is on Garmin: http://connect.garmin.com/activity/304214731

Here it is on Strava; http://app.strava.com/activities/51066817

So I'm thinking this year's BA should be even more fun! I think this will be my 6th time . . .

Rick / OCRR

Over in the Clyde/Athena sub-forum, there is a month-long thread every month where people set their goal at the beginning of the month, then throughout the month, they post their ride results and how close they are to their goal. It's sort of a way of being held accountable ... but nobody every gets on anybody else for not reaching their goal. It is very friendly and they are very supportive of each other. I had thought it would be nice to have the same thing here in the 50+ sub-forum.

A new month starts in a few days. Feel free to post a monthly goal in the new thread. Nobody will care if you are or are not a clyde/athena.

I have a sheet printed out and posted on the bulletin board in front of my computer. It shows my yearly goal, divided out to a monthly goal, and further sub-divided into a weekly goal. It is a constant reminder to me. (We've had a very cold winter, and I am way, way behind in my yearly goal. Looking forward to the end of school in a few more weeks so that I can ride in the evenings. I'll catch up by mid-summer.) My personal goal is not just mileage, but also climbing feet. It would be very easy to reach mileage goals, but then I wouldn't be pushing my body. Climbing is hard work, (for me), and having a climbing goal reminds me that I need to push myself.

My goal is to stay alive and stay above the ground everyday . :thumb: