hours or miles?
- Thread starter nitrogenmustard
- Start date
I keep track of hours, but I'm not a competitive cyclist. I exercise for fitness, fat loss and to keep the family inherited diabetes at bay.
I'm more of a miles kinda guy. I have 10 - 12 - 18 - 22 & 25 mile loops mapped out from my front door and which one I ride depends on how long business keeps me at my desk. However, that said, at the end of the week, I like to look at the timer on my oodometer to see just how long I was in the saddle.
I log only distance, but use time as a barometer for how long to go. If I ride a few extra hills, then my milage will be lower. So what? What I try to do is keep the intensity consistent from workout to workout by using a HRM and mixing up the training zones. Ultimately, I've found that time in the saddle for a given HR range is what works for me.
I record hours, distance, weather conditions and I also include
details of how I was feeling throughout the ride (if it is greater than 2 hours), for every training ride.
I find that when I cycle on my training routes (and I have up to 30
different routes covering combinations of flat and climbs, with varying degrees of gradient), that there can be variables that affect ones performances.
I try to keep an accurate record so as to draw more precise
conclusions as to my fitness levels throughout each and every year.
details of how I was feeling throughout the ride (if it is greater than 2 hours), for every training ride.
I find that when I cycle on my training routes (and I have up to 30
different routes covering combinations of flat and climbs, with varying degrees of gradient), that there can be variables that affect ones performances.
I try to keep an accurate record so as to draw more precise
conclusions as to my fitness levels throughout each and every year.
I guess I need to rephrase my original post.
I train by time and heart rate but I do log miles just for comparison's sake. That way I can tailor a workout to fit my needs.
When the weather is nice I prefer riding outdoors. I love it. However, when it rains I don't ride outside for safety reasons. Instead I'll just use a stationary bike in the living room (I don't have a trainer) or lift weights. Last month I was riding between 8 - 10 hours per week. This month and July are supposed to be 10 - 12 hours per week. Most of these rides are between 70% - 80% MaxHR.
During the winter months I don't ride outdoors because of asthma. It kicks in during cooler weather and makes outdoor cycling next to impossible for me, even when using inhalers. Instead I'll use a stationary bike or a stair climber at the gym. I'll also emphasise weight training to give my knees and mind a break from pedaling. Belive me, quickly performed supersets between large bodyparts are as productive as cycling uphill! The only problem is getting a weight workout in while the gym isn't crowded due to not being able to jump between the equipment fast enough. During this "winter" phase I'll only exercise between 5 - 8 hours per week.
Training by time and heart rate allows me to achieve the same level of cardio conditioning, fat loss and muscle tone regardless of the type of exercise performed. I'm not a competitive cyclist nor do I aspire to be. I do believe cycling is a great way to have fun while getting in shape and improve one's health.
I don't want to change the nature of the thread but I'm
Curious... How does everyone record their data? I use an MS Access dbase that I developed, flexible and can change it to suite my needs..
I know there are a couple programs that one can use to record their cycling info.
So what do you use...Software, journal etc?
I record my info after each ride in a "Day at a glance" journal. I'd like to say I'm religious about recording each ride, but I'm not. Usually I only jot something down if it is at all out of the ordinary like when deer use me to cover a move along a sparsely hedged wall or when I try a new route and find it too congested or at what times certain intersections get hairy with traffic.
I use a free (yes, free!) Excel spreadsheet that I downloaded from bikemania.biz. It's called "BikeMania Cycling Mileage Tracker". The exact URL that appears to work is http://www.bikemania.biz/BikeMania_Cycling_Mileage_Tracker_p/bikemania_mileagetracker.htm
Give that a try and see if it works. I like it. It doesn't let me record time or comments, but tracking miles is really what I'm most interested in anyway. I've tracked weather conditions, how I'm feeling, how many bugs I accidentally ate (just kidding on that last one), but when I'd grab my journal at the end of the month, all I wanted to know was how many miles I'd ridden. This product also has graphs that show you how many miles per ride, miles per week/month. It's pretty great, considering the price.
Okay, it looks like the forum software abbreviated the URL I pasted in from my browser. So, go to google.com and type in the exact text "BikeMania Cycling Mileage Tracker" and the first link you see should be the one to take you to the software. You'll have to add it to your shopping cart and all that jazz (typical e-commerce site stuff) but you don't actually have to pay to get it. You'll get an email that tells you when to download it. Good luck!
Two methods.
each year I buy a diary containing A4 pages and physically write
up, in longhand, my training session.
I did this long before the advent of PC's and I like to have a hardcopy of this detail in one book.
I also write my records on to my PC : Excel with pre-coded abbreviations (I really do need to get a life !!).
Twice I have been on the recieving end of a virus (mydoom being the last one) and it scrubbed my data, so it's essential that I kepp two logs of my training.
It's easier using my PC to write up my records but the physical copy in my diary is as good.
I record kilometres travelled with each 24 hr period...I am commuter, errand runner, bike-as-transport, cycle mom kind of person. And I keep track of it all in a notebook where I also keep track of odd and strange facts like how many kilos the grocery order weighed in, the weather, whether or not I had to feed my kid ice cream on the return trip, the current cost of gasoline, etc.
