Aaayy, getting faster!

How old be you? ...did I miss that?

It's important to keep getting out there, move forward, not backward, meaning, only add a bit more than what you know you can do, then see how you feel tomorrow, then how you feel the next day (if'n you're over 40-45...). If you overdo, the recovery period cuts into training, big time.

Steady progression.

Young people recover faster, but injury is never fun, at any age.

If you add one minute/day, in two months your training sessions are up to two hours/day! That rate of increase is probably too much too fast, right? You get the idea.

Build your mileage; your body will adapt.

As your rides get longer, and AND it takes two or three days of long rides to break yourself down, then THEN start pushing a bit here and there - mark your time from waypoint to waypoint. Remember, you add just a smidge of effort OR time, then see how you cope with that.

Start with time.

I'm 53.

Over five years ago (and some 75 lbs of faaat ago), I rode five minutes, around the block, the seven minutes the next day... when I was SURE that 20 moderate minutes would not injure my decrepid body, I went bike shopping...

...just three years ago, 14 mph on flat ground on a road bike was about my sustainable limit. I started time trialing between waypoints on my training routes. The next year I discovered the local practice racing series. Now I'm quite a bit faster!

Uhm, I can't say, as "we" rowdies don't talk in "average" speeds, ahem.

I have a very good idea what I can do without putting myself in a hole.

Two days ago I did some "exhaustion training," just for fun. Heh, what a f up!

By the way, I trained swimmers for over 20 years, and ran extremely successful programs. The kids progress over time; there's no shortcuts.

It's supposed to be FUN.

Everyone starts with the basics. The basics are taxing, at first.

If you are less than 35 years old, you'll likely "kill yourself" anyway.

That is all, for now.