Re: Determining conditioning distances

[Cyberpony <Cyberpony@aol.com>]

Sue~

When I first started this sport of distance riding.  I was curious about my
exact mileage too.  I was able to purchase aerial maps/photos from the county
for $4 apiece.  Each map covered quite a large area.  The aerial photographs
were better than a man made map because they showed things that maps didn't.

I located a distance on my new maps that I knew to be one mile.  I measured it
with a string.  I tied a knot in the string to mark the begining and the end
of the mile.  Then I tied another knot for the 2nd, 3rd, etc miles until my
string was 6 or 7 miles long (figuratively speaking).  When I came back from a
training ride I would get out my maps and string.  I'd wind the string along
the trails and roads that I traveled and get quite an accurate measurement.

The only problem with this method is that it is difficult to measure your
miles with a cat in the same room ;-)

Good luck,

Nora & Tucker
Ocoee, FL

p.s. I don't use the string and the map technique anymore.  After awhile you
develop a "feel" for how far you've gone.  The string and the map teach you
that "feel".