At the beginning of this month I set the a few modest goals for myself to see if I could stick to cycling as more than just a means of transportation. I started off very strong achieving nearly a third of my mileage goal in the first seven days. This bulk of miles served me well going into the following week when illness and maintenance issues kept me off the bike enough that I didn’t even make eighteen miles that week. When I did start to ride again a few close calls reinforced my decision to buy a helmet and ride a bit more cautiously for my third week and I brought my miles per day average back to where it should have been. At the posting of this journal I have exceeded my goal of one hundred eighty miles for the month by two and a half mile with a couple of commuting trips left to go before November lets out.
I also easily beat my goal of riding at an average of six minutes per mile, coming in at 5:32. This goal was a gross under estimation of my own capabilities and variations in this number tended to have more to do with the route I was taking than anything else; obviously I was slower when my travels involved more inclines, bringing to mind that my total elevation climb for the month was 2,757 feet, which is nearly a thousand feet higher than october. I will also say that my faster averages also came out of purposely taking longer, better planned rides where I could get a going at a good pace without having to get caught at every single traffic signal.
The final few rides were, I think, the most disappointing. As I approached my goals I just kind of rolled into them in small increments. I would take the shorter way to work and took a more lazy pace once I knew my speed average wasn’t in any real jeopardy of falling below my target. In short the closer I came to success the less ambitious I felt about the whole project.
From here I think that my main concern is maintaining my speed and distance for the month of december. It’s going to be a busy and stressful month personally and my daughter will be spending a lot of time on holiday breaks; she is a bit young for really intense riding, though I do plan on getting her on the bike to help keep her entertained and get her at least some exercise while school is out. I think my major objective will be to just spend as much time as possible riding for the next few weeks, for both my physical and mental health. I will be pushing myself from time to time, I just won’t get too caught up in the numbers.
Yeah I think December is going to be mostly about biking for fun and travel and we’ll see where we are come the new year.
Happy biking.
Corned Beef Hashtag 
Rather than overfocus on speed, perhaps build more mileage and endurance. As for cycling with daughter, please, please, cycling together. She will remember that from you. It’s time to be shared as family. Make it enjoyable.
I don’t think that I am over focusing on speed, the goal of six minutes a mile was set to be just nine seconds faster than what I did in October. I agree that mileage and endurance are what I should be looking at. For December I really want to ocus on just enjoying the rides I take; taking my time and paying more attention to the world as I travel through it. I am most definitely looking forward to getting my little girl riding without training wheels, I am really excited about that.
Thanks for your input and for taking the time to read my blog.