Last Updated on May 21, 2023 by Michael Brockbank
One of the things I wanted to do in the near future is to ride across the state of Colorado on a bicycle. After today, I realized that I still have a long way to go before I can give it a shot. Then again, I don’t plan on going on a bike ride across Colorado in 91° heat.
It was awfully silly of me to think I could handle a quick, 20-minute ride without water with it being so hot. But I just fixed Sam’s bike and took it for a test ride.
Although I am burnt out at the moment, I’m looking forward to doing more rides.
How Did My First Bike Ride Go?
I Haven’t been the most regular when tracking progress with Runkeeper. Mostly it’s because I tend to walk circles around in my backyard, which doesn’t do well for GPS tracking.
Still, I like using the app when I have a chance. And today, I dusted it off and headed out for a grueling, 20-minute adventure.
Too Hot for Me to Go Far
First of all, it was 91℉ when I set out on my little excursion. This is entirely too hot for me to do too much outside. I don’t handle the heat very well at all, especially since I already generate an inordinate amount of body heat as it is.
Still, I was able to sustain a decent clip throughout the entire 20 minutes. In fact, I kind of surprised myself that I was able to handle it without totally collapsing by the time I got home.
Next time, I’ll go for a bike ride when it’s much cooler, say, closer to 80°.
No Water During My Ride!
I was a bit disappointed that none of the bikes at my house have a water bottle holder attached to them. Guess I’ll have to go out and buy one for everybody.
I didn’t think anything of it, especially since I had only planned for a 20-minute ride. As soon as Runkeeper informed me I hit the 10-minute mark, I turned around and made my way home.
Nonetheless, having a bit of water during the ride probably would have made it much easier to handle. At about mile three, I was feeling the effects, especially with it being so hot.
Burned 300 Calories, According to Fitbit
Even though Runkeeper said I only burned 257 calories, my Fitbit recorded an even 300. I tend to put more stock into Fitbit as it monitors my heart rate, which Runkeeper does not.
Besides, I’ve already discovered that Fitbit’s calorie burn is relatively accurate in my case.
The only real downside is the fact that riding a bike really doesn’t rack up the step count. This means that if I want to continue adding more rides, I’ll need to shift my overall health and fitness goals.
Right now, I am more focused on hitting a certain number of steps per day. I guess I’ll have to simply maintain the 3,500 calorie burn goal instead.
In the end, it really doesn’t matter. As long as I hit my weight goals by October, I’m a happy camper.
Broke Several Records
Much to my surprise, I set a few personal records today for “Best Activity.” Runkeeper tracks activities individually while also providing records for your best month and week depending on each type of movement.
For instance, you’ll have a separate record for walking than you will for riding a bike.
In this case, I set a new bike-ride record for Distance, Duration, and Calories Burned. I wasn’t really aiming to set new records, but I’m not really all that shocked. I’m in far better shape today than when I set the previous records back in 2014.
I wasn’t including Runkeeper records when I set my goals for my 12-week fitness challenge. Frankly, I kind of forgot about them. So, I’ll integrate Runkeeper into the challenges for the next three months.
Breaking Bike Ride Runkeeper Records in August
I kind of feel like I’m cheating a bit. The records I’ve set in Runkeeper were mostly from 2014 when I weighed 280+ pounds. I have lost more than 50 since those days and added a great deal of physical fitness overall.
Breaking the records I have for a bike ride in Runkeeper is going to be super easy, barely an inconvenience. Well, that is as long as I maintain my workout schedule and keep myself focused on what I’m doing over the next three months.
It would be nice to see all of these numbers reflect “2022.” I’m also going to set a few goals in Runkeeper just to keep things interesting.
The hardest one is probably going to be the total time for the Best Month. I might have to go on longer rides to beat that record simply because I am normally on time constraints throughout the week.
Eh, there are plenty of ways I can get more cycling in. Perhaps I’ll buy a decent lock and start riding to Walmart or to Planet Fitness in the mornings.
I Forgot How Much I Like Runkeeper
After today, I forgot how much I like the Runkeeper app. It’s one of the few apps I’ve used since 2014 that hasn’t really changed much, which is great. A good example of a failed “update” is Exercise.com. It was an awesome exercise app until they made it more “mobile friendly.”
In the end, they took out a lot of the social elements that people really liked. Now, it’s barely on life support.
Anyway, Runkeeper has been on my phone since 2014 and will keep track of any outdoor activity ranging from swimming to snowboarding. It uses GPS tracking to monitor your progress and will let you create custom routes.
It also tracks weight lifting, sleep, and a few other things. However, I rarely use Runkeeper for those aspects.
Nonetheless, I think I want to get back into using the app more.
I Thoroughly Enjoy a Good Bike Ride
It’s nice to get on a bike again after such a long hiatus, even if the ride was a tad too hot. Seriously, I didn’t have a car until I was about 22 only because I loved riding my bike everywhere.
Well, if I want to cross Colorado next year, I need to get back to where I was…20 years ago!
Good times.
How often do you go for a long bike ride?
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