How did you do or the 2013 Goals Recap

2013 was an interesting year of highs and lows. I had a blast in BAFS, but then found out I was going to be furloughed 22 days, but got the opportunity to drive a pedicab meet new people, make some money, and had a blast while getting into great shape; our furloughs were cut to 11, then 6, but then some insane ass-clown with a sawed off shotgun decided to shoot up my office and I kind of lost motivation to spend extended time away from my family. My weekly 100 mile commutes (on pace for 5k) dropped to around 15mi/wk, as we were relocated to the Pentagon. I went to 20 coffee clubs before the end of July, but since the shooting have only been to 2. I will enjoy getting back out there during BAFS ’14, but definately won’t be a mile counter for 2014.

I failed as I broke a bone, and I didn’t do any races nor any rando events. I still had a ton of fun though, rode a decent amount of gravel, a bit of snow/ice amongst a lot of winter riding, and I also managed not to buy more than 1 new bike, though I did also acquire a new CX/gravel disc wheelset, and a used rear Powertap.

Managed 5 centuries (all but one was pre-crash), in my 5k+ mi. I also compiled 80+ miles test riding a couple of S-Works bikes (a Venge and a Tarmac), which was fun but also more or less confirmed that I’m happy with my bikes.

Hmm, see my midyear report below. Did accomplish the C&O Trip, totally whiffed the Total 200. Got to a new state in August, but it was too smoky from wildfires to ride much.

BUT I did learn to ride a mountain bike better and completed the shortest course of the Moco Epic with acc!

Some other things that I wasn’t expecting: a new shop ride in my neighborhood (thanks, Dirt!), riding with and getting to know more of you, learning to be a barely competent mechanic, a new mountain bike with cool stickers on it and riding 1614 miles on the first 79 days of the year. Oh and I RAN three whole miles in a Turkey Trot.

Thanks all, learned a ton from you this year again.

Liz

@eminva 56691 wrote:

Hey, I didn’t make any mileage goals! Brilliant. So, um, I’m exactly where I wanted to me on that front.

For 2013, I’ve signed up for the Total 200 — not sure if it will be 200 miles or 200 kilometers; we’ll see how the training goes. I am also leading the scouts on the C&O Canal towpath from Cumberland to DC

Still on track to accomplish both by the middle of July.

I might be getting to two new states I have never been to next year, and if that happens, they are both excellent places to ride, I am told.

Well, I’ll be getting to one new state in August — and WILL be riding.

Other than that, I’ll put the perennial “learn how to mountain bike better” on the list again,

Um, *crickets* . . .

and continued domination of Strava segments where no woman has gone before me.

Yep, I am pretty much the QOM of every segment where I’m the only woman who’s ridden it.

Liz

Major goal this year was to do a century – the last one was in 1976. I got two, the Backroads and the Seagull, plus a solo training ride.

This was also the year I got a nice carbon frame. I’ve been riding steel forever.

And the final goal was to commute by bike thru November – met that, now I’ll see if I can go thru the winter. I’m OK with the cold, not so much with ice and snow.

@ShawnoftheDread 72787 wrote:

It ain’t over till it’s over!

I would be riding more this week, but I’ve got something strange. I thought it was a cold: low-level soreness, congestion, sinus pressure. After a few days, the symptoms stopped… except whenever I eat something. Then the congestion returns within 10 minutes. Then it goes away again, until the next meal. I’m thinking that I did something to irritate my stomach last week. I didn’t drink any alcohol. I had some Baked Lay’s for the first time in a year. Those felt like they were drying my insides out and I started getting minor headaches even before the “cold” came on. Maybe all that salt upset my electrolyte balance, or something like that. Or maybe I have some type of strange cold.

One thing’s for sure: no more Baked Lay’s or other extremely salty, artificial foods. It has messed up the entire week.

@PotomacCyclist 72808 wrote:

I would be riding more this week, but I’ve got something strange. I thought it was a cold: low-level soreness, congestion, sinus pressure. After a few days, the symptoms stopped… except whenever I eat something. Then the congestion returns within 10 minutes. Then it goes away again, until the next meal. I’m thinking that I did something to irritate my stomach last week. I didn’t drink any alcohol. I had some Baked Lay’s for the first time in a year. Those felt like they were drying my insides out and I started getting minor headaches even before the “cold” came on. Maybe all that salt upset my electrolyte balance, or something like that. Or maybe I have some type of strange cold.

One thing’s for sure: no more Baked Lay’s or other extremely salty, artificial foods. It has messed up the entire week.

Dr. Dread prescribes a good stout.

This was the year that I finally bought a road bike and learned the basics of riding one. My first real ride on the new bike, to learn/practice riding clipless and using STI shifters, was planned as about a 20 miler but turned into my longest ride ever, at 91 miles. It was a pretty day and I was having fun, so I just kept going further and further. (I learned a few lessons from that – always carry a cell phone, a credit card and a light, because you just never know how far you might want to go.) Added: I just checked the stats for that ride and I’m still the second woman overall (out of 4) on Strava for the segment of the whole W&OD both ways, so that’s pretty cool considering how slow I am – I have no idea how that happened.

I didn’t really have a mileage goal, but am ending the year with 3733 miles, my best year ever. It would have been nice to finish out at 4000, but I got sidelined by some things recently. The highlights of the year were all the fun with BAFS, the great friends made through that and this forum, and the fun of seeing people I know along the way.