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Need some motivation!
Last Post 02/12/2014 08:37 AM by carl x. 16 Replies.
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Nick A
Posts:625
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| 02/07/2014 10:49 AM |
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Oy! I think I'm like a number of folks here. Used to road race a long time ago. Ride for fun now. It's only been a week, but I quit my full time job and am working at home. So I have a flexible schedule and not many excuses to not ride at least a couple-three times a week. It's only been a week, but I'm already beating myself up for not riding. I haven't ridden in a couple of months, so it's so hard to get over that hump. Too much weight doesn't help either. Living in NM, the weather is fine to ride compared to NY where I grew up, but for here, it's grey and cold (like high 30-s). Oh well, just whinin'. Maybe I need to watch that 102 year old again. LOL. |
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THE SKINNY
Posts:506
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| 02/07/2014 11:06 AM |
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| sign up for something? gran fondo? |
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| How we spend our days is, of course, how we spend our lives. |
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Cosmic Kid
Posts:4209
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| 02/07/2014 11:33 AM |
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Just make the commitment and the motivation will follow. Carve out 45 min a day for a quick ride. Soon you'll see the gains (faster, thinner, etc) which will fuel either more time on the bike or harder workouts.
A great analogy I once heard.....it is like a savings account. The first few deposits suck. You get nothing or very little back and it is a hassle to make another deposit (or in this case, a workout). But before long, you start to see the deposits pile up (or fitness builds) and that motivates you to keep making more deposits.
So open your savings account and make a deposit today!!!
And sometimes buying yourself a little swag can be a motivator to get back out there....treat yourself to a new jersey, helmet, gloves, whatever. |
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| Just say "NO!" to WCP!!!!
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Spud
Posts:525
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| 02/07/2014 12:28 PM |
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Here is a little motivation.
Want to look like this?
Now get on your bike and ride!
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zootracer
Posts:835
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| 02/07/2014 01:04 PM |
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| Throw a leg over your bike and go for a ride asap. The longer you wait, the harder it will be when you get back on. Chances are you might have a great ride and all is well. Three days a week is enough to keep you in shape if you cross train. P.S. I used a Concept2 rowing machine.... |
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thinline
Posts:325
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| 02/07/2014 01:16 PM |
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| Okay, Nick, if I can get my butt outta bed at 4:50 most mornings to climb on my Spinner bike for 45-60 minutes before a bowl of cereal, a shower and a 50 minute commute to work in single digit temperatures, and then like 3 times a week, slog home through the dark, cold and snow (okay, we haven't gotten that much snow this year and the skiing is pretty mediocre), haul in the night's firewood, stoke the woodstove, and climb back on the bike for another hour, all so I can be good to go when it actually gets okay to ride here (all the while staring at my brand new undridden bike in the living room . . . torture!) you can get out there 3 times a week for an hour! Just remember, it always feels better to have the wind in your face than the computer screen! |
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79pmooney
Posts:3189
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| 02/07/2014 03:46 PM |
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Spud, in defense of the man in your photo, without him, I would never have known about that big smile on the front of those Lampre shorts!
Nick, drag you butt out there. Do it 3 times a week for the next three weeks. Don't worry about the distance, the speed or how you feel. Just do it. If the first ride hammers you, ride a cog or two lower two days later. In two weeks or three, you will have a magic ride, and you will know all over again why you ride a bike. I guarantee it.
Ben
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Orange Crush
Posts:4499
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| 02/07/2014 04:00 PM |
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sacriledge, that's all I have to say about this situation.
You must bow over your handlebars and repent before the cycling gods. |
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Ron
Posts:34
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| 02/07/2014 07:31 PM |
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A lot of good advice already, but here goes.
Hey, as a fellow New Yorker who now lives somewhere much warm, 605 miles to the south to be exact, that should be all the motivation you need! I'm sure you still have family or friends there, ask them to send you a photo of the snow.
If you are just riding for fun, yep, just stay at it. I can still recall when 20 kms seemed far. Now it doesn't seem like I should bother heading out for that few.
Find a few different routes you like. Remember that every time you ride, you're reducing that beer belly. I know that feeling, it blows when your bibs feel like a girdle. BUT, remember, every ride is a step in the right direction. Also, as others have said, just get out and ride. Don't worry about distance, cadence, form, etc. Just ride.
This might be down the line...but get a few different bikes. I have a few road bikes, a few cross bikes. Some days I don't feel like dealing with drivers, so I hit the trails and fire roads. Some days I want to tear around on my carbon road bike. Others, let's go out on the classic steel roadie.
Also, use it as a break from work. I too work at home (graduate school) so I try to get up and work for as long as I can, then take a break and use it to stretch my legs and mind.
I got pretty serious about riding a few years back, doing group rides that were really races. Now I kinda can't remember that me. I just ride for fun, exercise, to let my mind go, my legs spin. I absolutely LOVE cycling. I grew up playing all sorts of sports, then one sport competitively in college. After college I needed something to stay busy, but didn't like elbowing people in the face to win anymore.
Cycling has been great for that for me. I can challenge myself as much, or as little, as I want. Awesomeness.
I'd say:
1) find a few good routes that you enjoy riding. I love heading out and making my mind up as I'm out there which to take.
2) maybe get a road and a cross/gravel bike so you can do different riding
3) do you have a pal or partner to ride with? It can be tons of fun to ride and chat, totally makes you forget you're even exercising. But, I don't see bike riding as that, I see it as pure darn fun.
Good luck, just get out there. The more you do it, the better it will all feel! |
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smokey52
Posts:498
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| 02/07/2014 09:13 PM |
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Get a copy of Grant Petersen's "Just Ride". He's the guy that founded Rivendell Bicycle Works. He's a bit of a contrarian, and I don't agree with all his ideas, but he makes a lot of sense in a lot of ways. No ride is too short.
My suggestion is to get on your bike and go for a ride. If you enjoy it, you will keep riding. If not, you will find something else to fill your time.
best of luck, and some skill too,
smokey |
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Nick A
Posts:625
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| 02/09/2014 02:37 PM |
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Thanks all for the blend of inspiration and shaming. LOL. It took two days, but I DID ride today. Very short, and slow, but it was a ride. This is always the toughest time of the year for me...
Nick |
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longslowdistance
Posts:2886
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| 02/09/2014 11:59 PM |
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| I hear ya about the "toughest time of the year". Dreaming of spring myself. But the snow skiing was great today. |
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smokey52
Posts:498
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| 02/10/2014 08:10 PM |
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| For me, the toughest time of the year was last summer when I had Lyme disease. I got back on the bike, but my arms felt like limp spaghetti. A quarter mile ride was a major accomplishment. When I stopped, I had to lay the bike down and step over it to dismount. That was my standard dismount for about a week. Fortunately, with rest and antibiotics, I recovered. Now the trainer isn't so bad. Too much salt on the roads to take the bike out. I look forward to the spring rains. |
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THE SKINNY
Posts:506
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| 02/11/2014 02:09 PM |
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i just read the article in adventure cycling magazine about the npr guys that did ragbrai last year. i almost signed up but i need to check with the significant other first. that would be a nice goal 6 months out.
smokey52, have you had any reoccurances of the lyme's? i get some odd joint pain which for me is a sign that it's still in my system. the antibiotics make it go away for a while. |
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| How we spend our days is, of course, how we spend our lives. |
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smokey52
Posts:498
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| 02/11/2014 08:37 PM |
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Hey SKINNEY,
Not recurrences of the Lyme's, but the effects are not completely gone. I still have tingles in both arms and weakness in one, plus my shoulder joint is still susceptible to aches. I have trouble throwing snowballs at the deer abusing the birdfeeder. I need to get into the pool more often. That seems to help. Massage and chiropractic sessions help too.
The antibiotics whacked the bacteria, but the toxins the bacteria generated have a lasting effect. The diagnostic tests detect the specific antibodies generated to combat the bacteria. Those antibodies persist for quite a while, so repeating the diagnostic test too soon doesn't make sense.
I have to sort out the exact nature of the pain, since I have had muscle pain associated with Lipitor. I stopped the Lipitor, and the pain went away. My cardiologist suggested I take CoQ in conjunction with the statin, and it seemed to work. When the pain flared last summer, before I knew it was Lyme's, I suspected the statin again, so I stopped. I since resumed, but I still harbor suspicions.
smokey |
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