Fifty Plus (50+) - I just can't seem to get on the bike...

I know this may sound pathetic, especially on this forum, but I just can't find the motivation to get on that first ride. I have a whole regimen planned, but it just seems too much right now (and we're having a hot August... oy) . It's all I can do to hike with the dog in the morning, and now to come up with the extra energy to ride as well.... it's just overwhelming.

There were times in my life, that I rode what seemed constantly, that I really didn't have much else I did other than work. It's not like I want to go back in time, no, I've come a long way since then, and I need to pick up in a new place. I don't care to ride with the club, I prefer solo, so nobody's coming to my door to get me out. I like to ride trail and road, both are very accessable right from my door, and thankfully, I dont have to drive to ride. But now that I live in riding paradise >> I'm so out of shape << it's just so sad. It just seems like a lifetime ago that I was so athletic, and I am at this point, completely exasperated, feeling so overweight and depressed, and I know it's all from not riding. My heart and soul are withered because of it.

I have come home from rides before -- when starting all over again on a brand new regimen -- and thought "Wow, that completely fixed whatever was getting me down! ", it feels so good, and I SWEAR I'm never going to stop. But then I do, almost the very next day. It all just feels out of my grasp right now, brought down to a dead stop by the law of inertia. Three good bikes to choose from and they all have cobwebs.

Can anybody dare or challenge me from here? I so wish I had cycling buddy who'd come for coffee 5 days a week and get me going, just to get me going would be all I need.

ps. I need to change my signature to "Save my SELF , one bike ride at a time"

Get off your butt and ride around the block! At least you'll be able to say that you rode today!

6Bikes,

I happen to have 6 road bikes too. One is being converted back to ss/fixie, and the tourer I just acquired is set to be overhauled. When I didn't ride over winter I couldn't ride 5 miles at a time when I started back up in spring. It's amazing how fast that changes!
It's getting a little later in the season and the mornings are a bit fresher, bright, and cooler. If you get out early for a short ride I think you'll remember how much fun there is in just riding. I've also found that a poor diet and sleep deprivation and tire you out and remove motivation.

Perhaps your expectations of yourself are too high?

Try setting a goal of a mile or two, instead of thinking (if you are) that you have to do 20 or 30 miles or whatever your goal is. Then celebrate your mile or two!

OK - go do it NOW!

Get off your butt and ride around the block! At least you'll be able to say that you rode today!The block is 23 miles, if I ride out only 1.5 miles, I've got a hellacious climb of about 700 ft elevation, it seems. I swear, it's almost a prison being out of shape on top of a steep mtn. But yes, of course, get out and ride. No sympathy I guess.

I know this sounds like I'm pouting, but it's sometimes a lonely thing having once been really fit, and letting yourself go to where all your old athletic friends don't want to hang with you anymore.

Alright, I'll go get geared up, and get on my mtn bike, and ride up the ridge a ways, and it will be my celebratory first mile toward improvement. Then tomorrow will be another day.

I hope a couple months from now, and each subsequent month, I'll be able to look back at this very humiliating thread and cheer my progress.

Here I go....

One thing that helped me was setting more realistic goals than in the past. While I do challenge myself, I take more rest days. I ride more easy rides. I also balance cycling with walking, yoga, one very easy three-mile run per week, massage, hot tubs, etc. I give myself goals and keep track of them in a very simple notebook, but I try to mix it up and keep it fun.

The results have been good. I haven't burned out this year. I've lived more in the moment and accepted life and myself more easily when things get a little off track. Interestingly, while taking it somewhat easier than in the past, my time on a recent metric century was 20 minutes faster than two years ago. And I wasn't particularly trying to increase my speed.

If your at the bottom of a well then don't sit there and look up at that hill and tell yourself you can't do it. Throw the bike in the back of the car and go find a flat 5 miles. If you are just starting out a mile or two is not enough and a steep hill is demotivating. 5 or 6 flat miles will do you good. Do this for a couple of days and then take on the hill. In my last house I had to drive to where I could ride, I was surrounded by dirt road and I am a roadie, my bike doesn't like a soft road, I used this as an excuse not to ride for several years.

So, I have had to go through this several times in my life where "things" have tossed me off the bike and it took me a year or two to get back on. When I git back I didn't look for being able to do 20, I just wanted the 5 or 6 and then a little more and so it goes. Within a month I am doing 20 and a month afer that 40 and so on.

You'll find that luvin feeling again - it's just hard at first.

Good luck - you can do it.

Three years ago July, I underwent a total knee replacement. At that time I was riding my bike back and forth to work--a little less than 2 miles each way. Post op, I was laying in bed watching a machine flex my knee for 8 hours a day while I watched the Tour de France on TV. In August I started out patient physical therapy at a rehab center 3 miles from my house. I did not ask the doctor if I could ride my bike to PT, so he never said I couldn't. In September my wife and her mom and I went on a walking tour/vacation of San Francisco and environs (loved Napa Valley).

I kept riding and in November did my first solo century on a Specialized Crossroads hybrid comfort bike. In 2005 I rode 3600 miles, in 2006 I did 5800 miles and so far this year I am at 5600. With a little luck I'll make 7,500.

Since April I have lost 40+ pounds, raised my average speed from 14 to 17 mph and my average ride from 25 to 40 miles. Every year on my birthday in January I ride my age. Last January I turned 65.

My story is not unique. There are dozens of folks on this forum who have overcome far worse challenges that I have. Maybe the reason we shouldn't let kids like you play in this forum is that you don't yet have what it takes to be a 50+ member.

If someone 20 years older than you can do it, I am hard pressed to figure our what your excuse is. When you came onto the forum a few days ago, you were welcomed and made to feel at home. Maybe that was our mistake. Perhaps you should come back in five years to see what you have learned or maybe
YOU SHOULD GET ON YOUR FREAKING BIKE AND SPIN THE PEDALS.

The choice, it would seem, is yours.

Have a nice day.

Three years ago July, I underwent a total knee replacement. I kept riding and in November did my first solo century on a Specialized Crossroads hybrid comfort bike. In 2005 I rode 3600 miles, in 2006 I did 5800 miles and so far this year I am at 5600. With a little luck I'll make 7,500.

Since April I have lost 40+ pounds, raised my average speed from 14 to 17 mph and my average ride from 25 to 40 miles. Every year on my birthday in January I ride my age. Last January I turned 65.


tlc, I am in awe. The last person who inspired me like this was a fellow who was 85 with two artifical knees. I rode up the gondola at Killington and we agreed to ski down together. When we got out at the top I asked him where he wanted to go (thinking nice gentle greens or blues) he said "Down!" and off he went. Top to bottom non-stop on a black. We did this non stop all morning, at lunch he said he was done for the day. Said he skied every morning from opening day to the end of the season. Keep going - there is hope for all of us.

I know this may sound pathetic, especially on this forum, but I just can't find the motivation to get on that first ride. I have a whole regimen planned, but it just seems too much right now (and we're having a hot August... oy) . It's all I can do to hike with the dog in the morning, and now to come up with the extra energy to ride as well.... it's just overwhelming.

There were times in my life, that I rode what seemed constantly, that I really didn't have much else I did other than work. It's not like I want to go back in time, no, I've come a long way since then, and I need to pick up in a new place. I don't care to ride with the club, I prefer solo, so nobody's coming to my door to get me out. I like to ride trail and road, both are very accessable right from my door, and thankfully, I dont have to drive to ride. But now that I live in riding paradise >> I'm so out of shape << it's just so sad. It just seems like a lifetime ago that I was so athletic, and I am at this point, completely exasperated, feeling so overweight and depressed, and I know it's all from not riding. My heart and soul are withered because of it.

I have come home from rides before -- when starting all over again on a brand new regimen -- and thought "Wow, that completely fixed whatever was getting me down! ", it feels so good, and I SWEAR I'm never going to stop. But then I do, almost the very next day. It all just feels out of my grasp right now, brought down to a dead stop by the law of inertia. Three good bikes to choose from and they all have cobwebs.

Can anybody dare or challenge me from here? I so wish I had cycling buddy who'd come for coffee 5 days a week and get me going, just to get me going would be all I need.

ps. I need to change my signature to "Save my SELF , one bike ride at a time"


Maybe you need to follow your own advice:


Well RIGHT ON Tom ! We can figure out just how to make a competition of this. Hmmm... wind sprints could prove entertaining. I'll be sure to bring my knitting... :D


Seems like the bike riding may be the easy part, the real challenge will be to keep up with the keen wit and smarts you kids have.

Originally Posted by stapfam
Just ride the defecit as a starter then- Tom will tell you how much it was.

Okay, I'll do whatever it takes!

But yes, of course, get out and ride. No sympathy I guess.

It's not that we don't sympathize, but the simple truth is you just have to...

stop your whining and get on your bike and ride. :mad:

That's what we all have to do. :)

It's not that we don't sympathize, but the simple truth is you just have to...

stop your whining and get on your bike and ride. :mad:

That's what we all have to do. :)

+1, +2 & +3

Great advice!

My wife told me to get off my dead ass. The direct approach seems to work for some of us. Want to borrow her for a few weeks?

I'll trade places with you. The Dr. told me to stop riding due to a pinched nerve. If I can get passed this, I won't need much motivation to get out and ride. But you can ride for me for now.:)

I read about a lady who was way out of shape and wanted to change things. She started, believe it or not, by walking halfway down her block and back. That was all she could really do. OK. Things progressed from there ... a block, a couple of blocks, etc. A year later she was entering 5ks and stuff, and felt terrific.

Go! Go! Go! Do whatever you can do. Do it again tomorrow.

What's the old saying?????

Something like,

"I felt sorry for myself because I had no shoes until I met a man that had no feet"..............................

just something my mother used to say over 50 years ago. Funny how that stuff stays my mind when I was about 5 yrs old.

Wow. Lots of tough love here! I agree with it, but want to add that you sound like you are suffering from depression. Might want to start with a visit to the doc. Depression makes it really, really hard to see things clearly.

My step-father is my inspiration. He's 86. He golfs twice a week and drives (candy-apple red Jag) to SF a couple times a week to play dominos with the guys. He's buried a son and two wives (including my mom), and has a new girlfriend. He refuses to give up. If he feels low, he gives himself a kick in the pants and moves. He walks 2 miles every morning to the store and back just to do it. (And to pick up a donut on the way.) :o)

My step-father is my inspiration. He's 86. He golfs twice a week and drives (candy-apple red Jag) to SF a couple times a week to play dominos with the guys. He's buried a son and two wives (including my mom), and has a new girlfriend. He refuses to give up. If he feels low, he gives himself a kick in the pants and moves. He walks 2 miles every morning to the store and back just to do it. (And to pick up a donut on the way.) :o)

That's great!! My gf's aunt is 86 and she doesn't drive, but we pick her up 3-5 times a week to bring her to eat with us or to go out to eat. She is just as much fun as anyone 50 years younger. Still as sharp as a tack and as full of mischief as a 6 yr old. This lady has NEVER grown up. And you haven't heard the BS a person can put out till you've met Aunt Minnie.:roflmao:

I was expecting the tough love, I mean, what else would I expect? It helps just to state my case, let it be put down, and then use it as a starting point. I've read how so many of you have done great with your goals, and I intend to. I have a long way to go, and I intend to be 180 degrees from here next spring. I'm going to start training, as of NOW, and I *did* get on the mtn bike this afternoon, after I said I was. It *did* feel good. It felt great, as always, never any argument there. I will keep my mtn bike out on the deck for now, to remind myself every morning of my intention.

I've had therapists, and I've come to realize that there is no better therapy than exercise, and cycling seems to push it where the hiking doesn't. I like to call my bikes , my therapists. Thanks all.

Just do it.

No exercise + great excuses does not equal fitness. (Wish I knew where the "does not equal" key is on my keyboard!)

Just do it.

Was your business trip to consult w/Nike?:rolleyes:

Go! Go! Go! Do whatever you can do. Do it again tomorrow.You bet! And, in a year from now, I'll dig this thread out of the archives, and I'll have a celebration ! :beer:

One thing that helped me was setting more realistic goals than in the past. While I do challenge myself, I take more rest days. I ride more easy rides. I also balance cycling with walking, yoga, one very easy three-mile run per week, massage, hot tubs, etc. I give myself goals and keep track of them in a very simple notebook, but I try to mix it up and keep it fun.

The results have been good. I haven't burned out this year. I've lived more in the moment and accepted life and myself more easily when things get a little off track. Interestingly, while taking it somewhat easier than in the past, my time on a recent metric century was 20 minutes faster than two years ago. And I wasn't particularly trying to increase my speed.I apreciate this kind of advice. Yes, I think in the past I was a real pusher, though I can't ever really remember pushing myself past 75 percent. In the last year and a half, since the dog came into my life, (I call her my Personal Trainer), I've had to get into the habit EVERY morning NON-negotiable of hiking with her.(the riding natuarally slacked. ) So, it's been a year and a half of learning to exercise most everyday, that in itself is a consistancy I never knew, even in my athletic prime ! At this point, two years later it's just a little more difficult to start. However, I *did* ride SlickRock in Moab, UT last April, and that temporarily got me psyched up, even though I walked a bunch of it. :D

I think I'll leave the road bike out of the focus for a month or so, and concentrate on short little atb rides up the mtn above the house, in addition to my longer morning hikes. When I am feeling a little more fit, I'll hit the pavement on my road bike and work up the distance.

Actually, since my ultimate goal is to bike commute, at least CarLite (PartWay) to do town runs, etc, my goal is by Oct/Nov I'll be able to handle at least PartWay commuting into town.

If your at the bottom of a well then don't sit there and look up at that hill and tell yourself you can't do it. Throw the bike in the back of the car and go find a flat 5 miles. If you are just starting out a mile or two is not enough and a steep hill is demotivating. 5 or 6 flat miles will do you good. Do this for a couple of days and then take on the hill. In my last house I had to drive to where I could ride, I was surrounded by dirt road and I am a roadie, my bike doesn't like a soft road, I used this as an excuse not to ride for several years.

So, I have had to go through this several times in my life where "things" have tossed me off the bike and it took me a year or two to get back on. When I git back I didn't look for being able to do 20, I just wanted the 5 or 6 and then a little more and so it goes. Within a month I am doing 20 and a month afer that 40 and so on.

You'll find that luvin feeling again - it's just hard at first.

Good luck - you can do it.Thanks, it will probably be hard for just a few weeks while I get past the saddle soreness. I think I have been in a similar dilema, being that I have 10 miles of pavement to town where I prefer the speed of the road bike, and 1/2 mile steep dirt road 'driveway' before the house, too long to walk with cleats, and best with the mtn bike. So, I've never really worked that out, just stopped riding into town.

I I have a whole regimen planned

That could be the problem right there. Screw the planning, just get on your bike and do what you feel. If it's only a short ride, then that's what you decided to do. A short fun ride is always better than a long boring ride.

... I *did* get on the mtn bike this afternoon, after I said I was. It *did* feel good. It felt great, as always, never any argument there. I will keep my mtn bike out on the deck for now, to remind myself every morning of my intention.

That's the ticket! :)

... A short fun ride is always better than a long boring ride.I think I'm going to agree on that, for now. :D

I used to walk my dog ( black lab ) by letting her run by my bike. Untill one time I ran her too far. Now she won't go with me if I am on my bike. I'll ride 100' stop and call her. She will run up to me, but when I start riding again she runs back to the house. :(

On my commute into work sometimes I think (while I'm still in bed) that I will sleep in and drive to work. I talk myself out of that by reminding myself how much I enjoying commuting to work.