my public statement, part deux

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bonefishjake

Strong like bull, smart like tractor
Team MTBNJ Halter's
EDIT: well, by popular demand, i will have a 2008 blog. all posts that were in the 2007 version from mine on will be relocated here. as soon as i figure it out... :hmmm: :D
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ok, so 2007 is wrapped up. let's take a look back and see how it all shook out, shall we? good. hold onto your hangovers, here we go!

my goal last year was simple: to win a race up the "front side" of the needle @ KVSP on my SS. it ultimately evolved into a few other things, but in the end, i didn't make my goal. i've decided i don't care about that one. what i did do, however, was drop 35 pounds and ride almost 1700 miles. i wanted to get in 2000 miles which i think i did, but without an accurate way to measure miles on a spin bike i can't say for sure whether i did or didn't. either way, the known milage i rode in 2007 was more than double what i did in 2006 so that alone i'm happy about.

so, what does 2008 have in store for jake? what biking goals am i setting for myself? well, i'll tell you:

1. take the 2008 single speed challenge.
2. get in 2500 miles
3. do four races, all on the single speed: KVSP, Lewis Morris, darkhorse 40 and 24HOA (team)
4. drop another 20 pounds, putting me in the 180 range

so, my thoughts on the above, slightly expanded:

1. the 2008 single speed challenge. while this really isn't much of a stretch (i rode a geared bike in the woods four times last year, including my maybe-not-the-best-decision-to-ride-but-did-it-anyway demo of the $4000 titus which i'd do again b/c the conditions were not that bad). i always had the trek as a back up if i needed it. this year, the trek goes. with that the mary will get a new wheel set, a reba and some carbon goodies. hey, if it's gonna me my only ride, it's gonna be pimp.

2. if you rode 10 miles every day you'd hit a total of 3,650 miles for the year. a mere ten miles...that's like 40 minutes-ish (for me). if i can't endure 40 minutes on a bike in the cold how am i going to race? and....the survey says: not well! i have a lot going on with the new job, travel and everything else so the next few months will make or break me. i need to be in around 600 miles by march. that will be a big milestone and should set me up well. i hope.

3. these are the races i wanted to do last year. my only goal: don't DNF.

4. dropping another 20 pounds isn't going to be easy. the weight i just lost was the "low hanging fruit" and i've managed to hang in around 200 despite my absolutely HORRIBLE diet the last three months. time to get serious with this. get my body healthy, get lean, get in better shape, get faster. to encourage this, i'm laying off the sauce for the month of Jan. this should be an interesting experiment as i'm already sad that i won't get to enjoy a pint of fat tire while i'm in chicago in two weeks. bummer.

so folks, there you have it. my 2008. i know for the most part this blog is nonsense but being in the "public eye" so to speak really helped keep me motivated. i encourage all of you to take the leap, put yourself out there and hit it. happy 2008, good luck and i'll see ya on the trails!
 
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dmc123

Active Member
Mileage goals

2007 was my worst year for total mileage since I started riding. My job and as of 12/26, two kids really takes the majority of my time making me mostly a weekend warrior. Jake said he got in 1700 mi. A lofty goal for me is to do half of that. What kind of mileage is everyone else getting in a year? I am not looking to race, just trying to set some reasonable goals for a guy like me.
Dave
 

Norm

Mayor McCheese
Team MTBNJ Halter's
Jake - big job. But why not start a thread #2? Is your SS challenge to not ride anything but the SS? How does the road bike fit in with that? What happens if you bend your wheels tomorrow?

And word on #4. Every year I notch it up a little more and got to 185-ish for a lot of the year. But man I don't know how much lower I can go. Still, a year ago I think I was in the 195-ish range and now after the holidays I'm 188. So it can be done for sure but it takes a long time.

Dave - congrats on #2!
 

hardtale70

She's Gone From Suck to Blow
Shop Keep
2007 was my worst year for total mileage since I started riding. My job and as of 12/26, two kids really takes the majority of my time making me mostly a weekend warrior. Jake said he got in 1700 mi. A lofty goal for me is to do half of that. What kind of mileage is everyone else getting in a year? I am not looking to race, just trying to set some reasonable goals for a guy like me.
Dave

D, just be thankful you're not a desk jockey.It always gives you a leg up on the 9to5ers.I probably average 1.5 rides a week for the year at lets say 20 mi per ride. That's 30x52=1560.I don't keep track and just have fun.I'm no pro but i can keep the hammerheads honest and bring some pain to the rest.Just get out and ride when ya can and focus on longevity.I plan to not let up at all for at least 20 more years.................PS good luck Jake!!
 

Mike679

Active Member
2007 was my worst year for total mileage since I started riding. My job and as of 12/26, two kids really takes the majority of my time making me mostly a weekend warrior. Jake said he got in 1700 mi. A lofty goal for me is to do half of that. What kind of mileage is everyone else getting in a year? I am not looking to race, just trying to set some reasonable goals for a guy like me.
Dave

Dave:

First off - congratulations on the baby. Can't say I miss the early baby days having been there three times myself.

Second - Mileage goals. I have a similar situation to you with kids, work, and commuting (though that has gotten better as of late) allowing little saddle time. This past year I had 742 miles recorded on the GPS. That includes trail miles and road miles combined. There were a small # of rides not on the GPS, so the total is probably closer to 770 or so. This total does not reflect miles on the trainer, which I ride a fair amount due to the aforementioned constraints. There's a good possibility that I do as many or more miles on the trainer as I do actual riding, but I don't keep track of those miles although I guess I could w/ the Garmin cadence thingy. That said, I have no goals and only know what I've done from GPS data. Maybe I'll ride more this year than last, maybe not.

Also, like Brett said, you'll always benefit from not sitting behind a desk all day. I put a lot of miles on my feet everyday at work and have to imagine that it's good for my overall health and fitness.

Anyway, get your rides in where you can. The roads by us are great for riding, even if it's on a MTB. There's always the dreaded trainer option, too. Assigning a number of miles is a subjective thing based on your situation, so look at where you ride, how many miles you normally pedal for, and see if you can establish a number from there.

Jake - sorry for the thread hijack here - good job on '07 and good luck in the coming year.
 

Norm

Mayor McCheese
Team MTBNJ Halter's
Miles is not a great stat, IMO. What really matters is the time spent pedaling. My daughter turned 1 in 2008 and I work in Brooklyn with a commute some days that comes close to 2 hours. I find the time, you can too. Drop your TV time in half, you'll probably double the time in the saddle.

If you sit behind a desk all day, no worries. A lot of us do the same and still do just fine. It's not like you should go out and get a job as a garbage man because you want to go faster on the bike.
 

ArmyOfNone

Well-Known Member
I also gave up on focusing on miles. Quality time in the saddle is important. A quality 1 hour spin can serve ya better than a EH...30 mile ride.
 

bonefishjake

Strong like bull, smart like tractor
Team MTBNJ Halter's
mike, this entire blog (and site, for that matter) is subject to hijaking so no worries. anyway...

i got about 155 hours in the saddle last year, or as professor norm likes to refer to it, TIS. i'm a desk jockey with two three year olds. granted, i do have a little bit more flexibility b/c i work from home, but not as much as you'd think. in the five years i've worked from home i can count on one hand the number of actual "lunch hours" i've had, and can't even begin to calculate the number of hours i've spent on my laptop between the hours of 8P - 11P. basically, if i can find time anyone can. it's just a matter of figuring out what you really want. like i said, 40 minutes a day is all you need to ride 3,650 miles in a year. climb the mole hills and the mountains will come.
 

bonefishjake

Strong like bull, smart like tractor
Team MTBNJ Halter's
oh, and since i'm derailing my own blog, i ran 4.5 miles today, or about 40 minutes worth of running. i didn't think i'd manage on the bike with the cold i have and it's pretty darn windy out there.

so, who thinks i should can the 07 version and make a new blog? norm suggested it but i dunno.
 
oh, and since i'm derailing my own blog, i ran 4.5 miles today, or about 40 minutes worth of running. i didn't think i'd manage on the bike with the cold i have and it's pretty darn windy out there.

so, who thinks i should can the 07 version and make a new blog? norm suggested it but i dunno.

Hi everyone, I am back from the dead, it seems....

hmm, new year, new thread. I agree with Norm. The progress you made last year was impressive, especially the weight loss. It would have been nice to bring this one to 100 pages before year's end...maybe the 2008 thread will hit it.

Celebrate last year's accomplishments but give your new goals their due attention with a new thread.

Best of luck on a 2008 that is just as successful and then some as '07.

Back from the dead, for my part, involves my resolution to become more involved with this site again, if I can get back into the party :D and ride my ass off - literally. Started with a few EZ trainer rides to get the legs spinning again, set up a dedicated training room, bought new running shoes to inspire my cross-training and, probably most important of all, set up a support structure to keep me from falling into laziness and the abyss of a diet gone bad.

I am not counting miles (officially) but I am counting saddle time by the hours and days. If I can only get in 30 minutes on the trainer due to my schedule or any other inhibitors, its better than sitting on the couch-of-suck-the-life-out-of-me.

Cheers
 

bonefishjake

Strong like bull, smart like tractor
Team MTBNJ Halter's
new blog in. enjoy the jihad-free-ness of it all!

edit: oh, and thanks all. steve, maybe we'll get to ride KVSP once this year??
 

Shaggz

A strong 7
this is going to be a good year. despite a myriad of issues (insert excuse here) which killed the last third of '07, my overall season numbers were not that bad. i also managed to start '08 15.6 pounds lighter than '07. we will definitely be riding more together this year! (4 sentences)
 
T

tlnj

Guest
oh, and since i'm derailing my own blog, i ran 4.5 miles today, or about 40 minutes worth of running. i didn't think i'd manage on the bike with the cold i have and it's pretty darn windy out there.

so, who thinks i should can the 07 version and make a new blog? norm suggested it but i dunno.

Nice, running may be what you need to reach your goal weight. I tend to get a much more intense workout when I do trail runs vs mountain biking. Try mixing in at least 1 run per week and you may start seeing more lbs come off.

Congrats on your accomplishments in 2007!
 

bonefishjake

Strong like bull, smart like tractor
Team MTBNJ Halter's
Nice, running may be what you need to reach your goal weight. I tend to get a much more intense workout when I do trail runs vs mountain biking. Try mixing in at least 1 run per week and you may start seeing more lbs come off.

Congrats on your accomplishments in 2007!

thanks! i actually started running in july. here and there. i could probably track down the post where i went out for a two mile run and just kept going until i had run 5.5. i remember being shocked at how good i felt running which hadn't been the case since i was in college and at least 40 lbs lighter than i am now. at any rate, i've been running here and there to supplement the riding. i'll prolly do one day a week or at least try. it's good to mix it up.
 

bonefishjake

Strong like bull, smart like tractor
Team MTBNJ Halter's
so it's cold today and my wife FORBADE me from riding outside: "you have five meetings and four cities to go to in the next three weeks...do you really want to get sick?? jackass."

nice to know she's lookin' after me. :D

so, with that pearl of wisdom i headed to the gym. 25 minutes on the stair climber, 25 on the spin-o-rama. i've decided that the stair climber is acutally a better workout for cycling purposes than the spin bike so i'll probably split my time most (cardio only) days between the two. at the right speeds (which is like 12/13 for me right now) it actively simulates climbing pretty well. the durations aren't quite there but the "cross country" workout mimic the quick ups 'n downs pretty well.

that's that.
 

bonefishjake

Strong like bull, smart like tractor
Team MTBNJ Halter's
since the goat ride time turned out not to be good since the kiddies didn't sleep all night (every night now since christmas) i headed out to deer park for a quick spin on the white trail. got there a lot later than i wanted to, around 10:30 and did the white loop...probably about as slow as i've ever done it. had to do some walking on some of my favorite climbs b/c of the ice. slipped out once and cracked my knee. that brought the suck. no use for data as everyone knows the white loop. i did run into a guy riding a tangerine mary xc with some halters stickers. picked it up from jdog despite the fact he lives on staten island. says a lot about a shop when that happens. obviously i threw j under the bus. :D no, not really.

anyway, goat riding tomorrow is probably outta the question since my nephew just got dropped off here. oh well.
 

bonefishjake

Strong like bull, smart like tractor
Team MTBNJ Halter's
put in about a three mile run today, probably my fastest ever since i ran with my neighbor. less than i wanted but more than i thought i was gonna get considering the way the day progressed (erin was up at 1:30 last night....). either way, so far so good in terms of getting out and doing something almost everyday. the weather is supposed to be beautiful the next couple days so i'm gonna make sure that i get out on the road bike. hopefully i can pull back to back 20 milers, or if work and time permit, 30 milers.

oh well, time to start thinking about dinner.
 
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