When I first got mine, I was trying to beat a few minutes off rides and that's great for the legs & lungs. I figure I got as fast as I could go on it, so now I look to come in around the same times and enjoy the rides now that a certain level of fitness has been accomplished. BP and heart rates are well into the normal ranges which is what I was really after and now the rides are far more enjoyable now that I notice the scenery. Now adays beating the dark night or a storm is my only concerns.