Setting and achieving individual goals!

Like most cyclist, I have kept a record of my riding miles for years, but never really set an annual mileage goal.  In 2006 I decided to implement a "Personal Mileage Goal" program to be measured in miles on my bicycle.  Soon, others with whom I ride became interested in the program so I made available the ‘Daily Activity Form’ I was using for our riding group.  That year as a group we exceeded 35000 miles.

Beginning January 1, 2007, a new element was added to the program.  Although the primary focus is on cycling, it was suggested that some other sporting activities such as walking, running, kayaking, canoeing, hiking and swimming.  So, additional training miles were incorporated into the program and a new ‘Daily Activity Form’ was born available to you and for your pleasure.

Here’s the overall mileage criteria I set for myself:  First, that my miles be human in nature meaning that I am the one providing the only source of energy as in cycling, etc.  Secondly, that my miles be individual miles and not team miles.  Individual miles are miles obtained as a result of one or two individual's synchronized efforts.  A rule of thumb is - one or two means individual while three or more is a team.  Third, that the miles I claim will not be a by-product of my normal activity, i.e., walking on the job or grocery shopping, etc.  Finally, that I have a way to accurately record my miles for the particular sporting activity I’ve chosen such as with a cyclometer, pedometer or GPS.

If you are interested, I have made available the "12 Month Daily Activity Form" on which I record my miles.  You can safely download and use the same form by clicking "HERE" (NOTE: this form is zipped in an Excel ".xls" file format).  Download it, save it to a file and see if it will work for you.  When you open the file you will notice at the bottom, it has a TAB for each month of the year for your use.

This year, 2008, I have included 'Individual Time Trials'.  Do the ride, submit your name, date, time (am or pm), ride time and submit it for the record.  Click on the link in the left border for details.