Self Imposed Challenges

[dbnm]

I've decided to ride 50 miles a day for 5 consecutive days. Not a super hard task for me but one that definitely pushes me a bit.

I just completed the 4th day. Totals so far are 205.4 miles and 7566 feet of climbing.

I finish tomorrow.

Have you ever done a similar thing?

[dancinkozmo]

tried to eat at taco bell twice today.....failed due to diarrhea

[MattTuck]

I rode every mile of maintained road in town.

By the end of it, I was tired of doing a 30 mile ride just so I could tick the box on a cul-de-sac that I had missed. :)

In the end, it was pretty fun. And I got to the know the town pretty well.

[Dude]

Not really cycling related but during the week I try to adhere to 'whole30' eating. For no other reason to see if I can.

Weekends are an orgy of beer, pizza, fresh bread and ice cream.

[HenryA]

Not really cycling related but during the week I try to adhere to 'whole30' eating. For no other reason to see if I can.

Weekends are an orgy of beer, pizza, fresh bread and ice cream.

Duuuuuuuuude......
What a stoic.

[msl819]

I've decided to ride 50 miles a day for 5 consecutive days. Not a super hard task for me but one that definitely pushes me a bit.

I just completed the 4th day. Totals so far are 205.4 miles and 7566 feet of climbing.

I finish tomorrow.

Have you ever done a similar thing?

i rode 40 days in a row the year of my 40th birthday.

[false_Aest]

eating keto currently.

im so tired of meat!

[weisan]

I decided to lose 10 pounds last October without having to give up my weekly ritual of Popeye's Fried Chicken on Tuesday Specials and one pint of Rocky Road ice cream on Fridays at my local grocery store.

So far I have lost 25 pounds, weigh in right at 145 pounds.

And still having fried chicken and ice cream every week.

My secret?

Eat less....on everything else.

Disclaimer: the people who performed these stunts are professional, don't attempt this at home.


http://3.bp.blogspot.com/-6Y1882PoTFc/UXmOMOdj8BI/AAAAAAAAK4Q/adfqCIY423o/s1600/popeyes+special.JPG

[dbnm]

These are not challenges.
You guys are talking about restrictions.

[Seramount]

do it all the time...

set a goal of 10K miles last year...had to have some interim goals along the way tho.

did a 1K month, 10 consecutive days of 30+, etc etc...

[gdw]

I gave up alcohol for 2 1/2 months... It definitely was a challenge.

[Jaybee]

It's currently not that much of a challenge, because I'm only 39, but I try to ride my age in miles every year on my birthday. This may get interesting in 30 or 40 years, universe willing.

I also did a "ride every day this month" a couple years back. Had an emergency trip for work and only kept the streak alive thanks to the OKC bikeshare program.

[Mark McM]

I've done something not exactly the same, but similar.

Some friends in Massachusetts (where I live) decided that a good way to jump start the season would be to spend a week in Florida in February and ride every day there.

After not having ridden my bike for about 3 months, we arrived in Florida Saturday night. Starting Sunday morning, we did one or two rides a day of varying length, typically about 20 - 40 miles each ride. One other guy and I decided that in addition to that, we should set aside one day to do a century ride, so that's what we did on Friday toward the end of the week.

By the end of the next Saturday (7 days of riding), I had ridden 420 miles, or an average of about 60 miles per day. My longest day was 100 miles, and the shortest was 20 miles. At the beginning of the week (after not having ridden in months), my butt was sore. By the end of the week my butt had toughened up, but my legs were really sore.

After getting back to Massachusetts again, I didn't ride again for another 2 months.

[cgolvin]

On my birthday last year I set out to climb one of our local peaks by its six different routes, one for each decade. It was during the huge fire so conditions were sub-optimal and I only did half of the planned ascents.

So I used revisionist history to alter the goal to 10 miles and 1K feet per decade and was able to claim victory.

https://www.strava.com/activities/1305004449

I felt satisfied coming home to a cold beer or two, and proclaimed "not bad for an old fart".

[Clean39T]

I rode every mile of maintained road in town.

By the end of it, I was tired of doing a 30 mile ride just so I could tick the box on a cul-de-sac that I had missed. :)

In the end, it was pretty fun. And I got to the know the town pretty well.

That sounds really cool actually.

[David Tollefson]

When I turned 50, I did a personal challenge of a sprint tri for each decade. I planned the route, fiddled with the numbers a bit (as I wasn't keen on 15 miles running), and ended up with a 2.7 mile swim, 81 mile bike, and a 10 mile run. No real pace goals, just get through it. Chronicled here. (http://www.bridersplace.com/2013/09/a-triathlon-50-years-in-making.html)

[Clean39T]

I've been seeing what I can do with a 39/23 or 39/25 these days.

Sometimes I'll see how far I can go standing while riding up a climb.

My current road bike weighs 21-lbs.

I find that all to be "challenging" as opposed to say...buying a 14-lb bike with aero wheels and compact gearing to ride in the hills by my house.

[livingminimal]

I am trying to get out and ride dirt twice per week, and run twice per week.

In conjunction with this, I am trying not to be eaten by a mountain lion.

I switched off alcohol almost completely and moved into smoking thc/cbd concentrate only once or twice per week. I dunno what that has to do with this, but I am really happy about it.

[d_douglas]

I rode every mile of maintained road in town.

By the end of it, I was tired of doing a 30 mile ride just so I could tick the box on a cul-de-sac that I had missed. :)

In the end, it was pretty fun. And I got to the know the town pretty well.

One of my favourite things to do is just ride in uncharted suburbia in my city.

I was on a 'fitness' ride a few weeks ago and saw a realtors sign at an intersection that led up a steep hill to a small cluster of houses. I had never even noticed the street, so in hopes of finding a nice house that we are searching for to buy, I rode up and looked around. It was totally depressing surburbia with lots of giant, ugly 1970s houses, but it was a great new adventure, so I was happy.

[simonov]

Knocked out 7 centuries in a row last year. Felt better by the end of the week than at the start. It was fun, but I'm not in a rush to do it again. 5 centuries in a week is much more fun.

[Chris]

I had a crash last year that put a hiatus on 30ish years of riding. My challenge to myself was to not just get back on the bike and do more of what I know and I’m comfortable with. I decided to get into Jiu Jitsu with my two girls. So far I’m having a blast being an absolute beginner. It sure was tough though going Tulsa Tough this past weekend and watching instead of racing.

[Peter P.]

I was laid off from Job A and hired at Job B within a week.

I asked the new employer if I could take a one week "vacation" before I started.

He said sure, so I used the week to set a goal of 350 miles-50 miles/day.

The worst part was finding new places to ride each day. An yeah, being slave to a daily mileage and having to watch the odometer got to be laborious.

[weisan]

These are not challenges.
You guys are talking about restrictions.

Oh ok...what'bout...5 more pounds and my power to weight ratio will surpass Froomey.

[572cv]

I rode every mile of maintained road in town.

By the end of it, I was tired of doing a 30 mile ride just so I could tick the box on a cul-de-sac that I had missed. :)

In the end, it was pretty fun. And I got to the know the town pretty well.

When I was serving as a Selectman, I decided to ride every road in town.... including the unmaintained Class 4 roads/rights of way. The town has some great connectors for bikes that aren’t being used, and a few that have come into play in recent years. There are 62 miles of maintained roads in town, and about 5-10 of unmaintained.

[makoti]

It's currently not that much of a challenge, because I'm only 39, but I try to ride my age in miles every year on my birthday. This may get interesting in 30 or 40 years, universe willing.

I also did a "ride every day this month" a couple years back. Had an emergency trip for work and only kept the streak alive thanks to the OKC bikeshare program.

Been doing this for about 35 years, now. Just did 60. Thinking of switching over to KM....

[bigbill]

I've done a couple, one I did from May 1st to September 30th a few years ago where every ride was at least 30 miles. My most recent was the thousand mile May last month where I rode 1007 miles. Annual totals just work themselves out.

[rccardr]

We have a local ride called The O Loop. 32.86 miles from my front door, a mix of paved bike path, housing developments, and park roads. Bumpy in places, about a dozen intersections where you have to be careful, and 10 significant hills you love to hate. Great training loop, and I try to do it several times a week. 16.X mph average doesn't seem like much, but with the hills, intersections and all, it is hard to keep up a high average.

Now down to 1:55 elapsed riding time, and at 67, I come home dripping. In a nice way. Shooting for sub 1:50.

[MattTuck]

Been doing this for about 35 years, now. Just did 60. Thinking of switching over to KM....

My birthday is in February. Maybe I can do my age + 1/2 mile on my half birthday.


When I was serving as a Selectman, I decided to ride every road in town.... including the unmaintained Class 4 roads/rights of way. The town has some great connectors for bikes that aren’t being used, and a few that have come into play in recent years. There are 62 miles of maintained roads in town, and about 5-10 of unmaintained.

I bet all the people came out on to their lawns to wave to the selectman going by, like those old timey presidential whistle stops.

I picture a view like this.
http://extras.mnginteractive.com/live/media/site46/2014/0927/20140927__28TCAROOw~2.jpg

[MattTuck]

One of my favourite things to do is just ride in uncharted suburbia in my city.

I was on a 'fitness' ride a few weeks ago and saw a realtors sign at an intersection that led up a steep hill to a small cluster of houses. I had never even noticed the street, so in hopes of finding a nice house that we are searching for to buy, I rode up and looked around....

The only downside is that this is how some people end up on Unsolved Mysteries. :eek::p

[velofinds]

Completed the Rapha holiday riding challenge last year. In order to pace it, had to do something pretty similar to what you're doing now, i.e., 50mi/day or so for N number of days (forget how many exactly). +/- 5-10mi on any given day due to scheduling, weather, etc.

[dbnm]

Just finished!

Day 1 - 51.3 miles and 2720 feet of climbing
Day 2 - 51.9 miles and 1919 feet of climbing
Day 3 - 50.7 miles and 1237 feet of climbing
Day 4 - 51.5 miles and 1690 feet of climbing
Day 5 - 52.3 miles and 689 feet of climbing

Totals : 257.7 miles and 8255 feet of climbing

Pretty proud of myself.

[Seramount]

Been doing this for about 35 years, now. Just did 60. Thinking of switching over to KM....

yeah, used that trick a few times...

this year, I did half the age in miles on the bike and the other half in laps at the pool.

gave me a good workout and I didn't have to spend most of the day riding.

[MattTuck]

Just finished!

Day 1 - 51.3 miles and 2720 feet of climbing
Day 2 - 51.9 miles and 1919 feet of climbing
Day 3 - 50.7 miles and 1237 feet of climbing
Day 4 - 51.5 miles and 1690 feet of climbing
Day 5 - 52.3 miles and 689 feet of climbing

Totals : 257.7 miles and 8255 feet of climbing

Pretty proud of myself.

Nicely done. :hello:

[weisan]

Just finished!

Day 1 - 51.3 miles and 2720 feet of climbing
Day 2 - 51.9 miles and 1919 feet of climbing
Day 3 - 50.7 miles and 1237 feet of climbing
Day 4 - 51.5 miles and 1690 feet of climbing
Day 5 - 52.3 miles and 689 feet of climbing

Totals : 257.7 miles and 8255 feet of climbing

Pretty proud of myself.

Good job!
I been riding for five consecutive days now mainly because my son is going to an evening Economics class at a local community college, and I would ride around the hilly neighborhood for 2.5hrs after I drop him off.

I have to say this....as much as I love riding,
The law of diminishing returns still applies!!!

I am not as excited about the prospect of riding tonight as I was, say 4 or 5 days ago.

[David Tollefson]

This is one of those things that really stuck with me. Long ago when I was racing on a team, we occasionally ventured out on training rides into an area that skirted where I grew up. One day we had done a little TT loop out in those boonies, and were just heading back to our start location some 18 miles away. Rural backroads with gravel shoulders, no sidewalks... Heading up a little hill, I pass by the dad of one of my hs classmates (we actually went to homecoming together -- as friends), he was running. Which isn't really uncommon -- he and all his kids ran. Anyway, I pass and yell "Hey Mel!" He yells back "Hey Tolley" (his nickname for me). He's clicking along pretty good.

As I get to the top of the hill, I see his wife and a couple of his grandkids there on the side of the road, small card table laid out with water and some snacks. The kids have a sign "Happy Birthday Grandpa!"

I stop and turn around, and he comes sprinting up as they cheer him on. I wait a bit and he looks at me. "Mel, what's up?"

"I just finished 60 miles on my 60th birthday."

"Mel, we aren't even RIDING that far today. That's awesome!"

That was some 25+ years ago. He's still running marathons.

[kramnnim]

A number of years ago, I started trying to ride a century once a month. Then a daily ride was added. 2 miles/10 minutes minimum and indoor "rides" counted. Always miss a few days/year because of travel//illness. For the last few years it's been a century every week. (in addition to the daily ride) Again, indoor "rides" count. (Zwift centuries are worse than outdoors.)

[oldpotatoe]

These are not challenges.
You guys are talking about restrictions.

No kidding..these days I intend to ride everyday I am 'free'..which seems to be fewer and fewer..grand kids, mom in law, various appointments, wife's eye surgery gigs, my quack appts..geezz, don't know how I ever did it when I was 'working'..Maybe 70 days straight when I'm 70(3 years)..or drink 70 beers in 7 days or something(kidding)....

[Miller76]

Towards the end of last year, in the winter, I tired to do 30 for 30 on the indoor trainer - I got to around day 21 or so and then work got in the way. It was getting tough but I fancy giving it another go at some stage. I typically average 100 miles per week on Zwift in the winter so this was probably a step too far but I am looking forward to trying it again

[91Bear]

I rode 505 miles in seven days once - all the way across Iowa.

[dbnm]

I'm taking today and tomorrow off then I am hoping to do a 75+ mile ride on Saturday.

I'm a bit sore today but not too bad.

I think challenges and goals are good for the mind, body and soul.

Push!

[David Tollefson]

I rode 505 miles in seven days once - all the way across Iowa.

You mean you had a rolling week-long party? (RAGBRAI?)

[sparky33]

mine is more of an anti-challenge:

I am trying to ride only what I want, only when I want, and to avoid the hazard of passing up fun because I feel like I should instead be logging some road miles or doing something physically strenuous.

It surprisingly challenging for me as a methodical goal-oriented type2fun person. Most of my achievements so far owe something to my family, lazy friends, flat pedals and moderate day drinking. I fell off the wagon this past weekend and went Zwifting in the basement while it was sunny outside.

[RoadWhale]

My Self Imposed Challenge is to be able to run up this pathway to a spot called Angels Landing. It is in Zion National Park, about 40 minutes from where I live. Years ago, many years ago, I used to run up this pathway and continue on for another 4 miles or so. After auto accidents, heart attacks, and a divorce, I was barely able to walk up to Angels Landing earlier this spring. Of course, I was carrying over 100 pounds more of me than when I used to run up! lol
This is not a short term goal, but I've no doubt that, with cycling and other positive things I'm doing now, I will eventually make it. The reward will be in the effort, but also the view from the top is amazing.
The first photo is the path, the second, the view from the top.

[Asudef]

^Thats really awesome! Good luck with that and fun looking road too!

My only challenge is to be able to ride up the hill a mile from me on my fixed with relative ease. Not the most ambitious but its my short term challenge.