I keep record of my mileage and days per month cycled. Anyone else keep such records?
Hi Matt!
Recording mileage is a great way to track one' s progress, fitness, and training, and can add greatly to the excitement and enjoyment of cycling. It even makes scheduled maintenance easier. I think it is terrific and it is something many -- perhaps a majority -- of cyclists do. I used to, don't now, and the reason is because:
a) I couldn't handle it.
b) It eventually Hoovered all the fun out of cycling for me 'cos of a) above.
Let me explain in a cautionary tale (Story Time)...
When I was an undergrad at uni, Intramural and Club Sports started "The Century Club" (bet you can already see where this is going...) where people who ran, swam, or cycled could log their mileage. Being relatively new to cycling and coming off the knee injuries that got me into the pursuit, I grabbed the opportunity like a terrier. My commute distances swelled from 5.5mi to the mid-40s or more. I rode in the snow and ice and at -12°F/24°C and got frostbite in my fingers that still pains me on cold days. I rode sick and I rode with "walking" pneumonia 'cos I wanted to post my mileage on the wall. This went on for the four years of my undergraduate work. I also led tour groups at the time, racking up a consistent 8,000-12,000mi/13,000-19,000km each year. If you're a self-starter and highly motivated, it doesn't take much to move toward an ever-expanding goal, and the Century Club's minimal structure was enough to poke me along.
And...I rode less well and eventually didn't enjoy it as much. Cycling became Work and I needed Recreation to re-create and renew myself. When my resting heart rate also rose steadily and I began to pop awake at 4AM with my chest pounding -- classic signs of over-training -- I figured Enough.
I removed my odometer and "retired" from The Century Club. By coincidence, that very day they distributed little booklets fresh from the printer listing "All-Campus Champions" in Club Sports and I was top-list among cyclists. I took it as a Sign.
For the next two years, I rode when and where and as far and as I wished I came to learn there's no bad rides, and it put the joy of cycling back in my life. A Tour de Neighborhood was Alright and more; I wasn't settling...I came to truly
enjoy.
As a result, I became a far, far better cyclist than when I was working at it. It was so much easier, and -- almost without trying -- I found much longer daily distances were possible. Zenlike, the rewards came from letting go. I guess you could say I surrendered to the battle cycling has become; a sweet surrender with such generous terms the vanquished became victor.
By the time I finished my first graduate work, I was at a place where I could handle knowing my riding mileage. My family'sgraduation gif to me was one of the earlierbike computers, a CatEye CC-1000 with a sensor ring the size of a hub-mounted disc brake. I was fascinated to see the little bar graph shoot along the top of the screen and the numbers roll over (digi-analog display), but it was more in marveling at what it could do and show than about the distance.
I do enjoy riding long distances in a day, but largely because it just...happens. 200-300km happens more frequently than 300-400kmm. When I am tempted to get back on the Distance Wagon, I pull my copy of the
Randonneurs' Handbook off the shelf and read all about sleep deprivation and bad weather and misery. This is not meant in any way to denigrate rando-riding; been there, done that, greatly enjoyed it at the time, but I'm in a different place now. I still ride frequently and far and pretty fast for a tourist, but it is my headspace that changed. It's more fun as a result, and that has made cycling "better" for me. I wouldn't have seen myself "happily here" 34 years ago, but it's not a bad place to be. I feel like a kid again riding for the joy of it. I'm still pretty driven, but in cycling, the dial now goes to 15 instead of 50.
Much of this serves as motivation to finish sorting my "SOL Kit". Whether one calls it S240 (Sub-24hour Overnighting), ultralight touring or unintentional touring, it would be nice to stop after several hundred kms and pitch the tiny tent and sleep in a warm sleeping bag after heating up soup and tea on the little meths stove, and listen to the little night animals under the moon and stars. Sure beats flogging myself back home in the dead of night with double vision fatigue or sleeping wrapped in a space blanket on some hay bales. I enjoy musing about a long day ride when a tour breaks out. See:
http://www.thorncycles.co.uk/forums/index.php?topic=4251.0You may have noticed my tagline, "reisen statt rasen"; it means to "travel rather than race". Pretty well sums up where I am now. See:
http://www.thorncycles.co.uk/forums/index.php?topic=4009.0 for more.
All the best,
Dan. ("Your mileage may vary"...)
