Well, well, well...
Got a little piece of gadgetry at lunch yesterday, a bike computer. (No Dan, I didn't get one with cadence, I'm still sticking to cheap). Vewwee Intewesting. Seems my 0.25 mile per lap estimate was a little off. It is really a little over 0.28 miles. Doesn't sound like much, but it means Monday's 32 laps was 9 miles, not 8. And that means today's 36 laps is 10.22 miles, not 9 as I had thought it would be. So yeah me! I've broken into the double digits! It may not be as exciting as SpaceshipOne officially reaching outer space Monday, but hey, that's ok by me.
I'd like to thank everyone who has left comments, I really appreciate the advice and encouragement. It really does help a lot. Things are progressing a bit faster than I thought they would, but I do know there will be a wall ahead. Or, I should say, a steep hill. Or, I should say, a hill in front of my house. I've got to try it sometime. Still not sure when I'll steel myself to the task, but it must be done.
Back to the bike computer... Since I got a cheap one, all I get is odo (non-reset), distance, max speed, current speed and time. But, by glancing at it periodically, I can estimate some things.
Avg Speed:
1st 10 laps or so, about 13.5MPH
Next 20 laps or so, about 12.2MPH (shifted to lower gear)
Last 6 laps or so, about 11.5MPH (tired)
Except for those last few laps, the rhythm was fairly steady, with two spots per lap where I coast about 100 ft. Once sitting down with my legs stretched, once standing up.
Max Speed: 15.9MPH
This is leading into the stand up portion probably around the fifth lap.
I have an urge to go back and recalculate distances... (beats geekiness into submission).
2 Comments:
That is both excellent progress and impressive. Many beginner riders have about the same speed you do. Never feel you'd be holding them back if you were to ride with others. Two of my teammates are riding at about the same speed you do.
Even better, how's it feel knowing you're not only doing more miles than you thought, but faster than you thought?
Thirteen and a half on a mountain bike ain't bad, you're way up high so you've got lots of wind resistance, and those big ol' tires give you lots of rolling drag.
Even though you didn't get the cadence readout (a decision I understand, last weekend I rode with a guy who's so hardcore he's building up a bike with a carbon fiber frame, but he won't buy an expensive bike computer 'cause he hasn't ever had one last beyond a battery replacement yet), I still suggest trying to keep your cadence high; if you've got something that blinks on the computer at a known rate (ie: a second or half-second flash on the display) counting that in conjunction with your pedal strokes might make something to concentrate on to keep your mind off of how your legs are doing.
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