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The Illusion of Speed…
…and how to measure how you’re doing.
How Fast Did We Go?
My husband and I went out on our road bikes yesterday. He likes to know the data when we come back, how far and how fast we went. I have a Garmin, so I track it all (not obsessively mind you ;-)).
We both estimated pretty well the distance but we both under-estimated how fast we were going by a couple of miles per hour. He often has no idea but I usually have a sense of it-I was surprised because it felt as if we were out of condition-fewer rides in the winter, and also because I’d felt the pace to be ‘leisurely’. (aka extremely slow!)
Oh well, interesting we were so far out, but the pace itself has no real meaning for me. I ride by heart rate-keeping it under a certain threshold-which is why the pace usually feels ‘leisurely’ and I don’t pay a lot of attention to the other numbers other than occasionally to compare speed over certain routes and also to get a general idea how far we go and how long a certain mileage takes so I can plan new routes.
My objectives are to enjoy being out and about, and to keep a modicum of aerobic fitness.
Because I have a pretty good idea of the physiology, I know what measures are meaningful and which are less so, and I have zero interest in comparing myself to others through…
