In the last few years I noticed that I’d been putting on a few extra pounds, so I decided to do something about it. I’ve never lived a sedentary lifestyle or anything like that, but if I don’t have a tangible fitness goal in mind it’s tough to stay motivated. That’s when a friend told me about a personal bicycling milestone known as the century. Just as you might assume from the name, it consists of a 100-mile-long cycling course.

This isn’t the sort of event you can jump into without doing some diligent training. I found some bicycle GPS mounts online and set up a tracking receiver for my Schwinn road bike. It allows me to plot out my practice routes well in advance so that I can time myself along the way and get an idea for how I’ll do once the real century rolls around. In just a few months I’ve cycled my way into shape.