Help me find motivation

[ozstriker]

I absolutely love riding but find the most ridiculous reasons not to ride.

The wind is too strong
It's too hot
I had a poor night sleep
I had a hard session to other day I really should rest

Am I the only one.

I find that I feel awesome after a hard session and love the feeling of being out for a ride but seem to always try and find excuses.

Sometimes I feel like I get tired of the same old boring route, but being where I live (toowoomba) if I try another route I have to do a ridiculous amount of climbing.

Please no HTFU posts, constructive ones only.

[Benz250]

Hi Ozstriker,
The year before last I had a year like this where I would look for excuses not to go out. Too cold over winter was the main problem!
Last year I decided that I would ride every weekend both days unless it was pouring rain, lucky it didn't rain much. I just had to focus on riding 80-100 km each weekend, as I didn't have the time to do this all on one day I had to get motivated to go out both days.
If I wasn't getting motivated enough & was being couch potato, I'd look out the window see it was a nice day and go do a ride. It was really about changing my mind set & once I did this it became easier to ride. Good luck, get out there!

[brentono]

It is probably because of the great meditational effect of Cycling
(joyfully calming and naturally stress relieving)
... that after you've travelled down the road a few kilometers,
you begin to enjoy your ride.
So you then cannot understand your excuses, they do not make sense.
Perception of fatigue can be considered a mind-body disorder.
The beginning of any journey, is the first step.
And that step is the one, to get out the door to your bike.
Enjoy.

[g_dorazio]

Ozstriker - you may want to consider a target - a race, gran fondo, or even a local group that you want to be quick enough to keep up with.

Then, choose a metric to measure yourself by - something objective - e.g. Heart rate or power...then, try to improve on your LT over time (eg higher speed for a certain HR, higher average power output)...that will give you the ability to track numbers and measure your improvement - once you catch the training bug, you won't want to stop!

[ozstriker]

Ozstriker - you may want to consider a target - a race, gran fondo, or even a local group that you want to be quick enough to keep up with.

Then, choose a metric to measure yourself by - something objective - e.g. Heart rate or power...then, try to improve on your LT over time (eg higher speed for a certain HR, higher average power output)...that will give you the ability to track numbers and measure your improvement - once you catch the training bug, you won't want to stop!

I think you raise a good point, at the moment I'm riding for nothing, I don't even ride with a group, I have been wanting to race for a while but have been waiting for that moment when I wake up and I am magically fast haha but as if that is ever going to happen.

Maybe I should aim for something.

[foo on patrol]

Do you want to grow old and regret how you through away your opportunities as a young fella, huh?????????

Now get your bloody finger out and stop making excuses.

Foo

[DoogleDave]

All great advice but I feel the same as Brentono....the hardest part is stepping out your front door. 30 seconds down the road any second thoughts you had will be gone.

I, too, used to make excuses (especially when it was windy), but the wind is your friend, not your enemy.
It is a free tool to use at your disposal. It can allow you to do a hard workout on your outbound journey and when you turn to come home you get to ride with a tailwind and take it easier OR push even harder and mainain a high ave speed on the return trip.

Wind is a great equaliser and it makes sure you are working hard at all times. Slacken off a little and your momentum drops and you have to work harder to get it back and keep it going....just like climbing hills.

It is also good for practicing your handling skills (particularly in strong cross winds).

If you're not into measuring data then have a think about what targets you could set yourself...say x number of rides during the week and/or on the weekend, or x no of km's ridden per week. Something that isnt too easy. But will get you out there striving to complete your targets. It could even be ride with a friend or local club once a week for something different.

Most of all, just focus on enjoying riding. If it stopsbeingfun you're not doing it right!

Dave

[Marty Moose]

Go racing its a great motivator.

Sent from my MB526 using Tapatalk 2

[toolonglegs]

All great advice but I feel the same as Brentono....the hardest part is stepping out your front door. 30 seconds down the road any second thoughts you had will be gone.

I would even go so far as to say the hardest step is putting your knicks on... once you have done that you will go out the door.
Oz... when all the questions pop into your mind just push them back for 5 minutes while you get dressed... just tell yourself to stop making excuses, because once you are on the bike you quickly realize you were being silly.
Saying that I struggle to sometimes... especially this time of year... I use group rides, strava, wind in the right direction, hill climb challenges... any thing I can think of to forget I am going to get really cold over the next hour or two .

[Apple]

I know how you feel. I often lose that Mojo, and when I think I find it, its gone again. At present Mojo is back and is a killing machine but I don't know for how long
Get your gear ready make a programe for your self, ride with friends, if you have anyone that rides. Or find a Group.
Find an event to book into, that always helps me.

[ColinOldnCranky]

The trouble with motivation is it waxes and wanes.

Now I'm the wrong side of sixty. I have always been more inclined than most with sport, training for sport and generally working out. Pretty since I was in lower high school. Yet I still find reasons to apuse. And while that id not so bad, I find that it can quickly get to become my new habit until I realise months later that I am sliding.

So, an alternate strategy is to make things non-optional. Regardless of conditions, circumstance and so forth, it has to be done. Just like eating, sleeping and going to the dunny.

It is not possible for all things but, if you can manage it, it works a treat.

I have not gone to work withiut the unicycle since Nov6, 2008. Regardless of weather, health, appointments or anything else. My first thought in the morning is attend to the dog and then get riding.

If you can manage it, develop your task into a non-optional part of something that is unchanging. Like going to work five days a week for example.

[PeteV]

Sorry to thread bomb but I can totally relate but at the moment I am pretty unfit but have more motivation than ever. Any ideas on what distances I should be aiming for when starting out & what speed should I be pulling? I try to sit on around 65-75 gear inches on the flats at a cadance of 80-90 rpm. I get pretty puffed (AT) my longest distance (after 2 rides this weekend) is 15km. I feel really slow especially when overtaken by the lycra crowd.

Sent from my GT-I9100 using Tapatalk 2

[ozstriker]

Thanks for the responses, it's reassuring to hear that it happens to a lot of people.

I think starting group rides could be fun, and maybe trying to find a cycling event to participate in.

Does anyone know where I can find events that are on in south east qld. There seems to be plenty of mtb events and not so much road events.

[mjd]

Set some goals for the season & get to work! Nothing like having a target to hit to get you out the door. I am riding 6 days a week most of the time & I must say every thought you have I have but like TLL said push it to the side & put your knicks on. I have to say having a training plan for each days workout keeps me on my toes. Tracking your improvement over the season also makes you want to work harder so you can improve more. Join a club & start racing, you will always be racing people at your own level & you all push each other to improve, meet new people to ride & train with its a win win. Good luck sounds like you just need something to light the fire

[Nobody]

I absolutely love riding but find the most ridiculous reasons not to ride.

The wind is too strong
It's too hot
I had a poor night sleep
I had a hard session to other day I really should rest

I know this is going to be the flip side to most other peoples' posts so far, but are you placing too much pressure on yourself to perform to a certain level?

All the excuses above relate to reduced performance. If this is the issue then I suggest stop making every ride an ITT against yourself, where you have to beat your previous time. So ditch the measuring devices. Don't even take a watch. Just ride. Remember that something is better than nothing (unless you are over-training). I don't time my rides anymore and sometimes I tell myself that I'm going out for an easy ride. I know it probably won't really happen, but it gets me out the door.

[bychosis]

Perhaps a range of bikes/gear? n+1 is always good . Different moods, weather can call for diferent equipment. If you feel as if your good bike shouldn't be out in poor weather get a beater, feel like cruising instead, have a relaxed frame on standby.

More seriously though some sort of target that you can track is probably the best motivation. My target for this year is 3,500km. Not all that high compared to some of those in sig's here but what time will allow for me. I put the sig thingy on my posts to help with motivation too, right I'm off to drive to work - todays excuse car needs a rego check, tomorrow I'll be back on the commute I promise

More than a few of the kms in my target are rides with kids too, everything counts!

[hosko]

Another option might be to give yourself an indoor option on days you don't feel like riding .ie Rain or lots of wind.

Set of rollers and some Sufferfest videos. Always a great way to get the heart pumping.

You can't escape that way!

After a few Sufferfest videos and learning how to ride on the rollers (which is an experience!), you'll want to ride outside anyway

[Karati]

Go racing its a great motivator.

Sent from my MB526 using Tapatalk 2

+1

Racing never fails to motivate me to get out and train. That and doing silly things like playing catch with other riders when I'm out on my own. Strava isn't a bad motivator either, logging all your kilometers ridden and time spent riding and watching as you start moving through the segment leader boards.

[Crawf]

Another option might be to give yourself an indoor option on days you don't feel like riding .ie Rain or lots of wind.

Set of rollers and some Sufferfest videos. Always a great way to get the heart pumping.

You can't escape that way!

After a few Sufferfest videos and learning how to ride on the rollers (which is an experience!), you'll want to ride outside anyway

I'd rather ride in the rain for 3 hours

[ozstriker]

Another option might be to give yourself an indoor option on days you don't feel like riding .ie Rain or lots of wind.

Set of rollers and some Sufferfest videos. Always a great way to get the heart pumping.

You can't escape that way!

After a few Sufferfest videos and learning how to ride on the rollers (which is an experience!), you'll want to ride outside anyway

I just bought the three for 30 sufferfest pack, and just did the downhill spiral workout.
Man it sucks, it's hard to keep the hammer down whilst resisting the urge to puke

[brentono]

I just bought the three for 30 sufferfest pack

Just get a copy of the Armstrong/Oprah chat video, and keep re-watching it, that's a sufferfest.

[Livetoride]

It's hard getting into it mate especially wen it's early morning when you get out. Like a few have said set targets, weight lose, time over distance, amount of rides per week. Set yourself weekly targets and long term ones. Weekly targets are important as you will see ad feel the results quickly and that'll give you the feel good factor.

I've got a few TDF stages recorded o watch from time to time of solo break aways, they always work as a motivation the night before a long ride, but that's me.

LTR

[foo on patrol]

Does anyone know where I can find events that are on in south east qld. There seems to be plenty of mtb events and not so much road events.

Where abouts in SEQ are you? There is stuff that happends at Caboolture through the week, Chandler and at Nerang.

Go to the web sites of Balmoral, Kangarroo Point, Sunshine Coast, Hamilton Wheelers, Ipswich City Amature Wheelers, Toowoomba and I think Caboolture has a Club to.

Foo

[nickobec]

Another +1 for racing as a great motivator

You do not start out magically fast, you go training 5 days a week or more to get magically fast or just to beat those people who just beat you last week and the week before.

If you have not ridden in a group before you go racing, you are at a disadvantage, much steeper learning curve, however it can be done, I did it. But I would recommend riding in a group 1st, ask at your LBS.

Indoor trainers, some people love them, some people hate them. I am in the later camp, but will use mine if face with 3 hour ride in rain, One hour rainy ride or 40C I will take the real world ride.

[g-boaf]

Wind is a great equaliser and it makes sure you are working hard at all times. Slacken off a little and your momentum drops and you have to work harder to get it back and keep it going....just like climbing hills.

It is also good for practicing your handling skills (particularly in strong cross winds).

If you're not into measuring data then have a think about what targets you could set yourself...

....

Most of all, just focus on enjoying riding. If it stopsbeingfun you're not doing it right!

Dave

All good points! Head wind is just demoralising and nasty - you just can't ease off at all. Cross-winds are scary - but they don't freak me out as much as they used to. I guess the wheels I have now are sort of the worst type for cross-winds.

Measuring data with a Garmin and Strava is very motivating - especially when you see the improvements. When you get your first KOM, especially if its one that is a proper KOM going up a hill for a reasonable distance, that really motivates you even more, especially when it's 8 seconds faster than the 2nd place guy. And then you go up the same hill on other rides, maybe not as fast as your KOM effort, but almost always faster than the 2nd place time. Then you know you are doing something right. You don't have to ride fast all the time, and some times I don't - I just get along slowly at 25-30km/h.

But the best motivation is when you've been off the bike for a few weeks, that just makes you really eager to get back to it again.

That and doing silly things like playing catch with other riders when I'm out on my own.

Haha, I do that too sometimes - especially when it is someone I know. Some others have used me as a target too, but I didn't feel easy with someone I didn't know tagging along close behind me - so I just sped up from 33km/h to 40+km/h and held that speed for a while. Looked back, the other two were way back. Got to my turn around point with enough time to turn around and wave to them as they went by. See you later lads, that was fun. I'd overtaken them a long way before and I guess they used that as motivation to try and catch me again.

I've also been doing time-trial like efforts - that's a hard work out and it has paid dividends in my average speed improving quite a bit along the same course. I won't get 1st place though, that's held by someone who wears the rainbow stripes (an actual world-champion). I'm about 6km/h average speed slower, but considering the fact I didn't do much proper planned training, it's not bad. Now I have been working out a proper training plan to follow, so I assume I'll start picking up more gains.

Other than that, any riding you can do is fun!

After a few Sufferfest videos and learning how to ride on the rollers (which is an experience!), you'll want to ride outside anyway

Riding on rollers or on computrainers is just evil, the worst kind of nasty. Especially when guy watching over you presses a button on the computrainer console to increase the percentage level by 5% or so. That's just torture. First time I ever did try that, I left the place with dead legs after one hour of intervals on that. It didn't matter what you did with the gears, that device just maintained the load.