A Year with Strava

Stats for 2016:

5239 Miles
461 Hours
226-ish Rides

Last year I tracked everything with Strava - commuting miles, leisure rides, everything. This year it'll be more of a training tool as I cut back on social media usage. There are several things I like about it - seeing what friends and the competition are up to, racing segments, tracking my own progress. My only complaint is when I got an email entitled 'How to get more Kudos!'... Seriously. Proof that social media is designed to be addictive.

Last year I raced fairly competitively but not as well as I would've liked, especially in the fall. Recovering from the TNGA and a busy football/work season made it difficult to train. This year, however, I'll be stepping it up a few notches, adding intervals and running into my training. Running should help keep my cardio up when my cycling muscles are tired from pedalling the rickshaw.

Early season races:

Tuff Guy Ride - Late February; 60 miles in Oxford including the Whirlpool Trails, Clear Creek Trails, and the road inbetween. I don't recall my time last year, but I remember running out of water. This time I'll have my frame bag and 3L hydration bladder. It's not technically a race, but I'm shooting for under 4 hours.

Rouge Roubaix - Early March; 100 miles of crappy pavement, dirt, and gravel. It's a road bike event, so I'm not sure exactly what to expect.

After that, the Mississippi Off Road Cycling Series begins in late March/early April. With training season in full swing now, I'm looking forward to seeing if this hard work pays off.