Mar 2, 2010

A Few Goals


Locking Up
Originally uploaded by Snak Shak
Every now and then I put a few personal goals out here as a way to dare myself into doing something. I did well on most of my cycling goals in 2009, so I'll look to extend that behavior in 2010. Rather than set a mileage goal, I have opted instead for some more performance based metrics, I guess. My base commute is only 10.4 miles or so round trip, so unless I take the long way home and do some serious distance on weekends, I won't be a high-mileage guy, most likely.

I think rather than setting a mileage goal I am going to focus on having more fun this year. I have caught myself racing to and/or from work when I don't really need to, or fussing over the fact that I am feeling slow or that my legs feel heavier on a given day than they did previously. This season, one of my big goals is to simply RELAX AND ENJOY THE RIDE. It wouldn't kill me, for instance, to stop at Calhoun on the way home and watch the water for a little bit, or stop for a beer at Sea Salt if I ride the River Road home. Or to just slow down and look around rather than bombing along in defensive rider mode. That's not my default personality type, so it's not going to be an easy goal for me, but it's one I am going to work on, both in the cycling and personal world this year.

Okay - I guess I do have a mileage goal, but it's not a number. It's "as many miles as I can reasonably get in". To me that's going to mean taking my bike to work every day I can and doing as much errand running and recreational rides as I can fit in. We'll see what the mileage adds up to, but since I haven't really tracked this before I doubt I'll be disappointed by the result.

Another goal would be to do a few more group rides. I have done a variety of group rides, ranging from organized tours to Saturday shop rides, to TCBC club rides and even Critical Mass style beer-drinking meanders. I am not a naturally out-going person but I learn something every time I have done one of these things, so I am going to challenge myself to do a few more this year.

Final goal: Commute season from March 1 through Nov. 30

That's enough goal setting for now. Don't want to jinx anything.

7 comments:

  1. If you get the itch to ride and need some company, lemme know. I'd like to up my miles too. My commute is about the same distance as yours, but I don't even get the pleasure of biking through the city -- just Richfield and Edina and there aren't any real options for an interesting ride.

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  2. Good job on slowing down. It is something I need to work on.

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  3. awesome- slow down and smell the roses and the beers and the water (?!)

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  4. That's a good idea, Bro. Yam. Some ideas I've had include a length-of-the-Luce-Line ride, maybe Stillwater and back, etc. but I'm open to other destinations.

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  5. Funny you mention Stillwater -- Mrs and I went hiking at Wm OBrien state park last sunday and thought about organizing a ride to and from Stillwater this spring. There is an amazing bakery/bike shop up by the old Court House called the Bikery that I would love to visit again.

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  6. A beer at Sea Salt could possibly be incorporated into my commute too...

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  7. Pete - we need to do this some time. I'll buy.

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