For many years I had a road bicycle, a blue one handed down by my sister after she upgraded. It was a bit small for me, but the handlebars and seat could be raised to the point that the lack of size was inconsequential. The most disturbing thing about the bike was that the shifters were located down underneath the cross bar on the frame. Of course, the bike was nearing twenty years old at the time; probably was state of the art when she first got it.
More recently I began storing a variety of bicycle parts as Lisa and her friend Dirk continued upgrading various road bicycles. I had wheels, handlebars, a seat, and many other components. I delayed doing anything about it for quite some time, probably to their consternation. Eventually, in December 2009, I ordered a frame and a few necessary parts online and Dirk built a great bicycle. Best of all, the shifters were in the brake levers! Oh, so easy . . .
I set a goal of riding 3000 miles on the bicycle in calendar year 2010. I am known for choosing out-of-this-world goals, often of a physical nature. Yes, I had been a regular runner for ten years, but there was no indication that I would be interested in riding regularly enough to reach 3000 miles. But I did it anyway. The daily average, to reach 3000, would be 8.11 miles.
January 1: 10.86. January 2: 13.36. Two days in and I already had 7 excess miles. This was going to be easy! Then I didn't ride for six days and I was 41 miles behind.
Oops.
By the end of April I had ridden 61% of the days and had kept up the 8.11 average. I was on my way to 3000, and feeling completely unimpressed with my effort. If I could reach 3000 miles with barely breaking a sweat, what was the point? Something had to be done, so I changed the goal to 4000 miles, which left my eight months to ride 3000 miles. Sometimes I am my own worst enemy.
Several things changed, though. May weather is much nicer than the dreary winter months. Plus the school year was winding down and so I would be called for fewer substitute teaching jobs. I aimed to go out each and every day on the bicycle, even if for only three or five miles, and I did. The first day I skipped after May 1 was June 4, Kristin's birthday. Then I was sick in late June and skipped two more. The next day I missed was September 21, a day I spend riding the motorcycle from Prescott, Arizona, to San Jose, California, after visiting daughter Kate. Seven hundred miles in fifteen hours; I figured I could take the day off.
But I had just concluded 89 days in a row on the bicycle, a surefire way to bulk up on miles. Even traveling to Las Vegas, staying there for a couple of days, and spending four days in Prescott, I didn't miss a day. Even after my beautiful Dirk-built bicycle was stolen from the garage some time on August 30 and I had to revert to the old, heavy blue bicycle (before buying a new Cannondale on November 14) for two and a half months.
After missing September 21, the only other day I didn't ride for the rest of the year (for the rest of the year) was October 16, when I participated in an Amazing Race-style footrace with friend Kurtis . . . which we won, by the way. Rode every day in November, every day in December, rain or shine, or rain. Since May 1 I had only skipped five days, a near 98% success rate. Which no doubt made it that much easier to reach, and exceed, the goal.
The final tally was 4623 miles. High month: July, 582 miles. Closed out the year with 76 days in a row.
A silly goal, a valiant effort, a number of roadblocks, and a patient family. That's the recipe for success, people.
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