Show us your.......newbie progress! [4 Sep 2012 - 4 Oct 2014]

[Nigelnaturist]

Some nice progress for all of you. I decided I am not going to press for better times for a while but I am going to up my normal daily route from 10 miles to 16 miles with a little more elevation change. I will still time myself and log it but i am just going to relax a little more, listen to a little music and not watch the clock as much for a bit. I think this will still help my speed in the long run.

I have come to the same conclusion, but its interesting to note times on strava edge up a little, I know my avg sp is down and I know why, because I am climbing more,
This is my spread sheet from this month.

The VAM and Watts are estimates from ridewithgps.

 

[Sillysimon10]

After making huge progress last Sunday - I feel i have wasted it by not having anytime to go out since!
Quite annoying really. I'm not even going to get much time this weekend!

Yeah I agree with Nigel. Im in the same boat, find the time to do a really good ride, and then everything seems to get in the way for the next week! But because of that, psychologically I feel I have to put more in each time it happens. I just relax in the saddle and enjoy every ride I do....win win.

 

[BrianEvesham]

Well you are all putting me to shame, still haven't managed more than 15miles in one hit, I do make it out nearly everyday and do at least an 8 mile circuit.



Note to self;
Must allocate more time and make more effort

 

[twentysix by twentyfive]

Well you are all putting me to shame, still haven't managed more than 15miles in one hit, I do make it out nearly everyday and do at least an 8 mile circuit.



Note to self;
Must allocate more time and make more effort

You're doing great Brian. Build up gradually. It gets easy before you know it that way. Now and again just add an extra bit

 

[BrianEvesham]

You're doing great Brian. Build up gradually. It gets easy before you know it that way. Now and again just add an extra bit

Thanks, I am trying ! I am still well over weight but that is coming down slowly.
Just come back from a ten miler and I am frozen (mainly the beer belly!) really need to sort some decent wind proof clothing, surprisingly the Lidl tights are still doing very well, toasty warm legs.
Any recommendations for cheapo wind proof tops?

 

[Noodle Legs]

Well you are all putting me to shame, still haven't managed more than 15miles in one hit, I do make it out nearly everyday and do at least an 8 mile circuit.



Note to self;
Must allocate more time and make more effort

There's nowt wrong with that- I don't do much more than that in the week cos there just ain't enough time!

If 15 miles is all you can manage then just make it more intense if possible :-)

 

[BrianEvesham]

There's nowt wrong with that- I don't do much more than that in the week cos there just ain't enough time!

If 15 miles is all you can manage then just make it more intense if possible :-)

Yes it's the time thing for me. At the moment I do a school run with a coach taking kids to school and then park up at home, but I am on call if anything is needed during the day so don't like to go to far away, hence the circuits. I normally go for it but the 8 miler is about 33/34 mins its certainly not flat just a bit hilly. Then the weekends are for the family, two boys, seven and five so don't get much time unless my wife's in an exceptional mood. The eldest will come with me on the circuits which is great fun but at a much slower pace.

 

[JohnMc]

Brian don't be comparing yourself to other cyclists, it's all relative to yourself. Set yourself some achievable targets whether they be weight, distance, speed it's up to you. I set myself a target of 1 stone weight loss earlier this year, after that I set another target... and so on. I found it much easier to maintain pace once I bought a cheap cycling computer for about £15, that way I could maintain a certain speed and then see my average when I'd finished my rides. I was lucky enough to have a friend who has been a keen cyclist for many years, going out on some rides with him helped, and he has offered loads of advice. I also changed my diet and stopped munching crisps and chocolate, once you start seeing the results when you step on the scales it really does act as a further motivation tool.
The most important thing to do though is to enjoy yourself.
Good luck...
John

 

[BrianEvesham]

Thanks John I hear what you are saying. I do enjoy it, immensely. My diet has changed a lot since I restarted, alcohol was kicked into touch completely and I find I am eating smaller portions. I do have a cheap trip computer which helps but would love a training partner but realistically this will not work due to funny hours I work.

 

[Noodle Legs]

Brian don't be comparing yourself to other cyclists, it's all relative to yourself. Set yourself some achievable targets whether they be weight, distance, speed it's up to you. I set myself a target of 1 stone weight loss earlier this year, after that I set another target... and so on. I found it much easier to maintain pace once I bought a cheap cycling computer for about £15, that way I could maintain a certain speed and then see my average when I'd finished my rides. I was lucky enough to have a friend who has been a keen cyclist for many years, going out on some rides with him helped, and he has offered loads of advice. I also changed my diet and stopped munching crisps and chocolate, once you start seeing the results when you step on the scales it really does act as a further motivation tool.
The most important thing to do though is to enjoy yourself.
Good luck...
John

+1

Bang on the money! :-)

 

[Nigelnaturist]

Thanks, I am trying ! I am still well over weight but that is coming down slowly.
Just come back from a ten miler and I am frozen (mainly the beer belly!) really need to sort some decent wind proof clothing, surprisingly the Lidl tights are still doing very well, toasty warm legs.
Any recommendations for cheapo wind proof tops?

Here you are Brian I hope this encourages you the first table was my first 10 rides.

and this one are my last 11 rides.

Just keep going the more weight you lose the easier it will become. It took me more than three months before I felt ready to be able to do 40-50 miles with 2000 ft of climbing, I still stop sometimes and admire the view, thats what cycling is about, getting places and seeing things you wouldn't in a car, I used to feel guilty about stopping, I thought it was because I was not very good, and in the beginning I guess some of that was true, but now I stop because I want to, it helps as well, but not for to long otherwise you cool to much.

 

[RWright]

I have more weight I want to lose as well. I am afraid I am going to have to cut down on the ice cream I had planned to just push harder on a shorter route during the winter months but since I got one of those cree lights I think I am actually going to increase mileage, even less traffic around too. The cold will be a battle for me though. I did get some tights...they are really tight too

Nigel, thanks for all the info, you are informative and good motivation for me. I like having someone that is a few stages ahead of me offering insight.

 

[Nigelnaturist]

I have more weight I want to lose as well. I am afraid I am going to have to cut down on the ice cream I had planned to just push harder on a shorter route during the winter months but since I got one of those cree lights I think I am actually going to increase mileage, even less traffic around too. The cold will be a battle for me though. I did get some tights...they are really tight too

Nigel, thanks for all the info, you are informative and good motivation for me. I like having someone that is a few stages ahead of me offering insight.

Thanks, I never thought i was that.
If anyone wants a copy of my spread sheet please feel free to ask, it will work with just basic data like distance, and time, you can get elevation data from the likes of gpsies if you want to go that far. It will also show pace calories a ride difficulty level ft climbed per mile avg % incline for height climbed, a load of other stuff as well if you wish to put it in, it will total weekly, monthly and do a last 7 day 14 day ect... last 30 days ect and last 1/4.

Its not perfect as I am always changing it, but it seems to work well enough, and you dont need a gps for it.

 

[Andrew_Culture]

I no longer have pubic flab.

 

[MattHB]

I have more weight I want to lose as well. I am afraid I am going to have to cut down on the ice cream I had planned to just push harder on a shorter route during the winter months but since I got one of those cree lights I think I am actually going to increase mileage, even less traffic around too. The cold will be a battle for me though. I did get some tights...they are really tight too

Nigel, thanks for all the info, you are informative and good motivation for me. I like having someone that is a few stages ahead of me offering insight.

The cold is ok, just make sure you kit up right. Core, head, face, feet and hands warm.. Legs will take care of themselves if you wrap them in good tights.

It's the wind that's the worst thing about winter, not the cold.