Once a month or so I like to retry the Strava segment that I created which is a time trial from the Coyote Creek Trail visitors’ center to the Bailey Ave underpass and back. Yesterday I did it again and finished in 46 min 27 sec, a 2-minute improvement over my previous try. My first effort on this segment was 58:34, but that included several mistakes I discussed here, including not eating breakfast and not wearing stiff biking shoes. When I corrected those errors I got it down to 51:30. In three more tries since then I’ve trimmed it to the current 46:27. That feels good because it shows steady improvement due to training. I’m certainly a lot slower than when I was younger, but still getting faster compared to my previous efforts as a 70-year-old.

I’m still number two on the leaderboard, but closing in on number 1. Of course, the most important thing is improving vs. myself rather than comparing vs. others, but it is still motivating to have a target to chase!

I also have to keep it in perspective that the main point of my exercising is continued good health. Performance improvements are tied to fitness gains, which are fine as long as they support health.