Reflecting Back on 2011

I think it’s important to look back on the last year to see where I started and finished the year. Doing so let’s me try and figure out what worked and what didn’t, what the successes and failures were, and it helps me plot a course for the new year. This period of reflection is critical to my, and your, riding and weight loss.

Riding

My first ride of last year was a short 8 miles that I didn’t even manage a 13 mph pace on. I had to start somewhere right? Over the next 10 months the mileage increased and the pace followed. One of my best rides of the year was the Patriots Ride where I managed 57 miles at a 19.2 mph pace (in a group). I’d say that’s a huge improvement.

2011 also saw me start group riding on a regular basis. I started riding with one of the local bike shops on Saturday mornings and it was one of the best things I did all year. Riding with a group introduces you to new skills, a little comraderie, and it helps you make huge gains from a fitness standpoint. While I was never able to finish with the fast group, I was able to hang with them longer throughout the summer. One of the last group rides of the summer was one of the more memorable where I rode 47 miles at a 18.8 mph pace. Great stuff.

Everything wasn’t rosey with my riding though. I achieved my 2000 mileage goal in Oct-11 and raised the bar to 3335 miles. I failed to reach that ending the year with 2715 miles total. I think that was a great number but it could have been so much more. Why? Because I only rode 46 total miles in November and December. Ouch.

Weight Loss

This was totally a mixed bag but, in my opinion, a failure for me. Did I lose weight? Yes as I finished the year down two pounds. 279.5 down to 277.5.

Give me a second. I feel like I just got punched in the gut. I seriously just looked up the total weight loss and am at a loss for words.

[Pregnant Pause]

I only lost two pounds total for the year? I knew I had gained some back over Nov-Dec but I didn’t know it was that much. Oh man. I’m totally embarrassed now. How pathetic. Not even close to my 30 pound goal for 2011.

As you can tell, I have a real problem with this and it highlights my biggest area of improvement needed for 2012. Lots of things here need to change to include not eating out, structured meal planning, no binge eating, etc., etc., etc.

Recap of 2011 Goals

Here’s a quick recap of my 2011 goals:

Ride 2000 Miles – Achieved
Ride a Charity Event – Achieved. I actually rode two.
Ride a Century – Fail. I only managed 80 miles at the Tour de Cure.
Lose 30 pounds – Epic Fail
Only eat out once a week – Epic Fail
Do more group rides – Achieved

So, I was 50% for the year with my goals. Overall, I still think I made a lot of improvement in my cycling in 2011 but looking back it’s obvious I need to really focus on a my eating in 2012. As if I didn’t know that already.

How did you do with your cycling or weight loss goals in 2011?

Jaxgtr

Who were you riding with on Saturday? Are they still riding during the winter?

Anonymous

I rode with the Champion Cycling group out of their San Jose Blvd store. Good group of folks in both the A and B groups. I haven’t been to a Saturday ride in about 2 months (I have lots of excuses why) but I do believe they are year-round riding group. Albeit smaller until daylight saving time kicks in. I plan on re-starting with them soon.

Jaxgtr

cool, I will check them out.

Anonymous

Let me know if you plan on going sometime and I’ll look for you.

http://www.cyclistdad.com/ Dean

Unfortunately 2011 was not as good for me as I had hoped. Not nearly as much riding as I wanted but did have some good rides with a group here. I have been riding with a group for about the last 6-7 years and that has proven to be the best choice I could have made. The relationships I have made are some of the best in my life. Also, the more experienced members of the group are an awesome resource when it comes to diet, technique, training, etc.

Anonymous

Thanks for the comment Dean. Last year was my first time riding with a group regularly and I enjoyed it a lot. Hope your 2012 is better.

http://www.sinebotchen.blogspot.com/ Sine Botchen

At least you lost weight.. I managed to gain 10 pounds. I’ve gone from an all time low of 157 pounds in 2009 to 190 pounds as of today. Bleah. Now I’m committed, more than ever, to riding when I can, where I can. My greatest success came when I was able to ride at least 4 days a week, and with two of those rides being 40 miles or more. For me 40 miles on a ride was the magic number that saw my greatest return on investment. Good luck!

Anonymous

Good luck to you as well Sine. I’ve found that having a plan helped me a lot in making sure I was on the bike when I needed to be. I’ve been working on my 2012 plan for about a week and hope to publish it soon.

Keep us updated and let me know if I can help.

Marama48

Hi there!! Well as I sit gorging myself and reading your blog i feel fat but good. Goals ah!!
1    To complete Lake Taupo cycle challenge in 8 hours. Completed challenge in 10 hours.
2    Bike with group. Too many excuses…….eg bad weather, no motivation. Went out once and was too slow for group.
3    To lose weight. Short term lost 4kg then put it back on.

2012
Goal
1    Ride with group.
2    Learn technique and skill.
3    Regular cycling.
4    Lose weight 5kg.
5    Find a cycling buddy.

Anonymous

Those are great goals. Good luck!

When I started riding with the group I couldn’t stay with the faster riders and still can’t for an entire ride. The key is finding a ride that has groups that are both fast and slow. The more you ride with a group though the stronger you’ll become.

Suraj

Hi, thanks for your blogs and congrats for your achievement. That’s pretty far total distance to cycle. Pretty interesting goals.

Just to share my fun experience in 2011, since started in October:
1) Fun cycling <300km
2) Finished a sprint dual 5km(run)-32km(cycle)-5km(run)
3) Completed a fellowship ride Day 1(31/12/11) – 70km

2012 so far:
1) Fellowship ride Day 2(1/1/2012)- 180km
2) Fun cycling < 50km

This year focus:
1) No goals on distance or numbers of participation
2) Enjoy the rides as much and many as possible
3) Join charity ride, endurance ride (12H), full dual-thon event (10km-60km-10km)
4) Practice awareness during rides
5) Make more friends