Distance or speed?

[Gravity Aided]

LSD, or Long, Steady, Distance, should be on everyones' training plan. It builds the muscles necessary for speed. Sooner or later, you will feel like sprinting. Follow the urge. Fartlek (speed play) is also helpful. Before you know it, you'll be going on club rides and needing N+1.

 

[wilkie]

Have you heard of strava the cycling app?? Sign your self up its free gives you trophies and medals for personal bests its a good motivation tool :-)

 

[Broughtonblue]

I work double days (6-2 and 2-10) alternate weeks. When on a morning shift i have all afernoon evening to enjoy longer ries of 3hrs plus. When on the afternoon shift i do a shorter 15-20 mile route at fast pace. So i seem to benefit from mixing the distance and speed rides.

 

[nappadang]

All your advice is greatly appreciated, quite frankly, I'm overwhelmed by the sheer number of people offering sound advice. I wish I could reply to you all individually but my typing is even slower than my cycling. I'd be here all day and not have any time to ride my bike......... hmmmmm, this could be a good ploy to get me out of gardening/ ironing/cooking/ dusting/hoovering (i know, either a modern man or hen pecked to bits).

Thanks again, this really is the most sociable forum I belong to (with one exception).

mick

 

[cyberknight]

Is your workplace within commuting distance? you can get some good bonus time on the bike all in the name of work and saving money ( its not true as you will tell your other half you are till you add up how much you spend on "essentials ").
Many on here do some serious mileage and my commute is 10 miles each way which is just a nice amount , i do not ride extra in the week what with overtime atm and 2 young kids but i used to and intend to get out every other sunday for a long ride.

 

[nappadang]

Hi Cybrtknight, I work for a local College which has five campuses all of which are varying distances away. I'm not back to work for a few weeks yet but I will be considering the bike as a means of transport. I'd never thought of the "essentials" angle, this makes it an even more appealing proposition. This coupled with the stunned look on my colleagues faces means it has got to be worth a punt.

 

[mr_hippo]

Ride for smiles not miles!

 

[Kies]

Ride for smiles not miles!

Love it :thumbsup

 

[nappadang]

A big thanks to everyone who contributed to this thread, your advice has been a big help. In the space of a week, I've doubled the distance I'm cycling and also improved my speed, without too much trouble. I was using a pretty flat and mundane circuit of just under 6 miles. After starting this thread last week I immediate upped the distance to just over 8 miles and included a 2 mile uphill pull.
This morning I added another 3 & 3/4 miles to this route and still managed to maintain a decent (by my low standards) pace. Moreover, this new extension gets me right into the greenbelt and enhances the whole cycling experience. I got excellent views of a Buzzard this morning in an area where I've never seen them before (bird/wildlife watching is another interest of mine)
Had I not received the advice from this thread, I'd probably be still plodding along the same boring route, trying to shave a few seconds off my time. I say it again, a big thanks for all your helpful advice.

Mick

 

[puffinbilly]

Quite impressive nappadong - are you cycling up Lobley Hill if so I'm impressed !! There's some excellent cycle routes around now - use the Gateshead Consett route to take you up onto the Derwent walk and into red kite country. If you have your passport, cycle over the millenium bridge use the C2C to go down the coast or the Keelmans way to take you up to Wylam with a lovely pub for a lemonade.

 

[nappadang]

Quite impressive nappadong - are you cycling up Lobley Hill if so I'm impressed !! There's some excellent cycle routes around now - use the Gateshead Consett route to take you up onto the Derwent walk and into red kite country. If you have your passport, cycle over the millenium bridge use the C2C to go down the coast or the Keelmans way to take you up to Wylam with a lovely pub for a lemonade.

"nappadong," not heard that for a while. The Americans used to use that to try to insult me on Call of Duty.
I belong East Gateshead so it's up from Wardley to Springwell, not Lobbley Hill. Still a canny hike though, for a chubbster like me.
I've been across the Gateshead Millennium Bridge and down to North Shields for the ferry. Never rode to Wylam but I've sunk a few "lemonades" in the Boathouse.

 

[Cush]

Ride up to Hexham on the Hadrians Wall Cycle trail on the North side of the Tyne one week and get the train back to Newcastle. The next week ride up the South bank but at Riding Mill take to the Hills to Hexham or knock off at Corbridge. Or just ride through to Haltwhistle and train back. That Tyne valley railway line offers a million routes easy and hard.

 

[Lanzecki]

Cheers Ian - the fiver's in the post

Can I just say how much I admire @Sittingduck posts. They are erudite, to the point and well written.

I fail to think of a time where I don't envy his vast knowledge and intelligence.

My address is :

 

[Sittingduck]

Nice try but it's not pay day for ages...!

 

[nappadang]

Ride up to Hexham on the Hadrians Wall Cycle trail on the North side of the Tyne one week and get the train back to Newcastle. The next week ride up the South bank but at Riding Mill take to the Hills to Hexham or knock off at Corbridge. Or just ride through to Haltwhistle and train back. That Tyne valley railway line offers a million routes easy and hard.

Hi Cush thanks for the ideas. How easy is it getting bikes on trains these days? Back in the day, it was down to the guard's discretion and there used to be some right miserable guards on that line.
I know the Tyne Valley really well, both before the confluence, up to Kielder in the north and to the source in the south. Your're right vast scope for all kinds of riding but I had ruled it out for transport reasons, that and the fact that I'm still a lot less fit than I used to be.
I look forward to hearing your views on bikes/ trains on the Tyne Valley Line.

Cheers,


Mick