Unmotivated

[The Historian]

What do you do to get your motivation back? My motivation to ride seems to have left me. For a person who logged 3K miles in his first year of riding a bike, I find I have little inclination to go out these days. Help! :-)

[chunkyd]

You can do it man! This weather is doing that to me also.. but with all the success you've had.. we all KNOW not much can stop you!

[tntom]

Neil
Sometimes we just get that way. I was there in January. I just make myself go ride most of the time I have a good time and that helps. If I dont I know I have done something trhat is good for me. I don't brush my teeth because I enjoy it I do it because I like my teeth.

[dallen]

Find a group to ride with and make yourself go. Buy something new from your lbs. Tour de France usually helps renew my motivation, but that is a long way off.

Dave

[b_young]

I have posted this before and I guess will continue to do so when someone needs some motivation.

http://i236.photobucket.com/albums/ff168/cyclearkansas/kick.jpg

Its like any other hobby, you have your ups and downs. Mine are normally weather related. As mentioned finding a riding partner can help. Keep talking to your friends here, always keeps my spirits up. Your post are always an inspiration to me. I have not done a tour yet, but I am planning one this year.

[KingTermite]

What do you do to get your motivation back? My motivation to ride seems to have left me. For a person who logged 3K miles in his first year of riding a bike, I find I have little inclination to go out these days. Help! :-)

You aren't alone my friend. That has been my issue of late too. It started when I hurt my back last August. I was off the bike for about 6 weeks. It's so hard getting back. I finally got back at least on the commute. I did a few weekend rides, but not many to be honest.

Then December came and I forget what took me off bike my last week before I left for vacation (back to FL for family/holidays). Then I came back tired and took a week and a half to get back on the commute again. That was another 4-5 weeks off bike.

Now I've been back on, so far commute to work only, for about 4 days.

I UNDERSTAND the motivation thing. I've not had much in the way of a group to ride with lately either, so that makes it harder. I've thought about setting up my old bike in the living room on the trainer, but I just don't get the same out of it and don't end up riding that much when on the trainer.

[CliftonGK1]

I recently gave my personal motivation plan to someone else, so now it's your turn.

- Get out of bed right when your alarm goes off. Do not brush your teeth, comb your hair, or wash your face. Just get up and start movin'.
- Take off all your clothes, step on the scale in front of a full length mirror.
- Look at the nubmer on the scale. Look at yourself in the mirror. Do this until you feel motivated to get on your bike and ride.

Sure, I'll take a couple days off here and there. Sometimes an entire week, just to keep from burning out; it's easy to burn out when your commute is in the rain both ways for 20 straight days. A break is a good thing to do... but make sure to get the motivation back to start up again. Usually, a few days off the bike is enough to drive me nuts with wanting to ride again.

[CliftonGK1]

I UNDERSTAND the motivation thing. I've not had much in the way of a group to ride with lately either, so that makes it harder.

Oh sure... make me feel bad for not getting the gang together... :p

I'll see what I can do in a couple weeks about getting people out to ride. This moving process is slowly killing me, between the commute, work all day, then move a couple car-loads of stuff each night. I'm on a 4:30am to 10:30pm day right now, every hour is crammed full of activity. This weekend should be close to the end of it, though. (And I've got some killer new routes planned if we start from my new place.)

[bautieri]

What do you do to get your motivation back? My motivation to ride seems to have left me. For a person who logged 3K miles in his first year of riding a bike, I find I have little inclination to go out these days. Help! :-)

Let the air out of your car tires then your choice is ride or walk :D.

Look back at your accomplishments and how far you have come since that night in the ER. This is just a setback that is most likely weather related. It's cold, wet, dark early, and just all round gloomy. I havn't rode my bike outside since late December. All my miles have been on the trainer where its at least easy enough to watch TV and movies...but is nowhere near as fun as riding outside.

Want to go back out to Stony Creek and finish that ride we started back in October? I'll leave the stone pile alone this time.

[East Hill]

I figure, if I don't ride the bike, I still get out and walk. It's such a habit that I don't even think about it. My routine is going to change a little, because I no longer have the same days off as my husband, but he's thinking about changing his days off to better match mine. He may go to day shift, too. Hard to tell right now.

Yesterday I both went for a ride (had a doctor's appointment), and later in the evening, went for a 3 mile walk when my husband went to work.

East Hill

[B Piddy]

Three ingriedients to my motivation: (Useful in all aspects in life)
1. Where I've been
2. Where I want to go
3. Knowing I can do anything I put my mind to

Look at pictures of you in the past / numbers (i'm an engineer...love numbers) . Think about the aches/pains/embarrassment you felt as that person.

Think about how much *** kickin/ name taken you've accomplished to get to today.

Think about the consequences of giving up....

Take the phrase "I can't" out of your vocabulary...its bullcrap

****Keep an eye on the prize...different for everyone...could be anything you could possibly imagine. Ya gotta have a drive/determination to make it all worth it...otherwise why do it. This applies to so much more than cycling and is my personal opinion.

[Bionicycle]

What do you do to get your motivation back? My motivation to ride seems to have left me. For a person who logged 3K miles in his first year of riding a bike, I find I have little inclination to go out these days. Help! :-)

Like many of the other people have said, I think it is mostly weather related. I think I will just hunker down, and try not to eat too much, and wait until spring, or until the weather breaks. :mad:
Personally, I just try to find other things to do to keep my mind and body occupied as much as I can, outside of work, and other normal day to day things.

It’s not like I have been lazy, I’m in the middle of a bathroom remodeling project. I have been up and down our basement stairs so many times in the last four days, that my quads are more sore then they normally are after a long bike ride. Who ever built those steps to our basement must have been tall… I’m 6’+and I have to almost jump going up and down each step. I think I’m going to get some bricks and make some half steps in between each full step… anyway I digress. :rolleyes:

I think once the temperature warms up a bit, and the sun comes out for more than nine hours a day, your desire, and motivation to ride will come flooding back with full gusto. Until then maybe you could go to a local gym and do some exercise… just a thought. Good luck with it... and don't beat yourself up over it too bad, we all have good, and bad, days... mounths, years, decades, lifetimes...

[DnvrFox]

Biking
Swimming
Walking
Weight Lifting
Spinning
Singing
Trainer
Whatever

It's all exercise, and good for you. I mix things up a bit. So far this week, 20 mile ride Monday, 4 hours swimming, good walk or two, lifted weights. Going to a spinning class next Tuesday. Rode the trainer an hour.

It all adds up. And, it is this season of the year. It was -7F last night, supposed to snow again tomorrow, wind chill of gosh knows how low.

Today, a bunch of the guys in my singing group (http://www.xyzingers.info) all went to the hospital where one of our members had a hip replaced after a bad fall on ice, and sang to and with him, and the nurse asked us to sing to the entire floor, which we did. Even singing is good exercise! The nurse said it was great for our friend to sing with us to help prevent pneumonia.

[ang1sgt]

I guess you need me to come down and pounce on you!

Winter SUCKS in the North East and we just have to bide our time and wait for that day to come when we KNOW we can ride. Don't make an excuses, just go do it!

[KingTermite]

Oh sure... make me feel bad for not getting the gang together... :p

I'll see what I can do in a couple weeks about getting people out to ride. This moving process is slowly killing me, between the commute, work all day, then move a couple car-loads of stuff each night. I'm on a 4:30am to 10:30pm day right now, every hour is crammed full of activity. This weekend should be close to the end of it, though. (And I've got some killer new routes planned if we start from my new place.)

Sure.....everything is about YOU isn't it? :p

That wasn't a dig toward you. It was more of just a general statement. You have been busy, the weather has been crappy, that one guy's wife had a baby, don't know where Sharon is......... I've been off bike and have to start slow and build endurance back up again. It's about 10 different reasons all working at once....it wasn't meant as a dig toward you.

[Elwoodab]

Wow, I wasn't going to get as deep as some of the other suggestions, I was just going to say, do what I'm going to do, go south for a week and a half and ride on the Florida beaches. It's hard to get motivated to ride in PA. when it's snowing outside. I have been going to the gym on a regular basis, but not riding my bike much at all. I haven't ridden outside since 12/29.

[superslomo]

Try to find ways to make it not seem like work... or find ways to integrate it into practical activities.

However, what do I know? I can't seem to get myself out and moving on weeknights in the freezing pitch dark either.

[Tom Stormcrowe]

Neil, when I get unmotivated, I just take a few days break and don't sweat it. ;) It happens to all of us, and usually indicates I've been pushing too hard when it happens to me.

Take a few days and then get out on the bike for a short ride with absolutely no goals but some fun ;)

[CliftonGK1]

Sure.....everything is about YOU isn't it? :p
hehehe

I'll be lucky if I can pull people together by May for the TdC ride, much less in time for the Chilly Hilly. I think the cold weather scared the sane people into putting their bikes up on the trainers or rollers for the winter.
I am everybody's motivation at work. I show up in rotten cold pouring rain, in the dark, sopping wet and lit up like a casino marquee, and I ask people when they're going to come riding with me.:)

[KingTermite]

hehehe

I'll be lucky if I can pull people together by May for the TdC ride, much less in time for the Chilly Hilly. I think the cold weather scared the sane people into putting their bikes up on the trainers or rollers for the winter.
I am everybody's motivation at work. I show up in rotten cold pouring rain, in the dark, sopping wet and lit up like a casino marquee, and I ask people when they're going to come riding with me.:)

Sounds a little like me. I'm one of only about 4 bikes showing up at work right now (used to be 12-20 in summer). I think you and I are definitely the nuttier ones of the bunch. :beer:

I'm just still not geared well for long rides in this weather.

[ChunkyB]

I agree with Tom that you should just take a few days break and not sweat it. I find that when I really get down on myself for not exercising, or if I eat a bunch of junk, it doesn't help. It just kills my motivation. Just accept the fact that you're not going to be perfect, and take a few days off.

Also, I feel much more motivated when I have a goal to work for. Especially a public goal, such as a group century or other kind of ride/race. If you know that you have a deadline, and you know people are going to see the outcome of your training, then it might help you to get back out there.

Also, try something new when you ride. If you never listen to music, listen to music. If you always listen to music, listen to an audiobook or podcast or nothing. Ride somewhere you've never ridden before. Maybe if you switch it up a little, it will help to make it fun again.

I know it has nothing to do with luck, but good luck anyway.

[thaetviking]

I have been battling this the last week or two with the gym lately. I find that once I am there though I am ready to do everything I set out to do. A few years a go I would have just skipped it and started slacking. I am not sure why this change of motivation has come about but I am not going to question it.

[guybierhaus]

Niel, don't confuse motivation with sanity. I had no problem with motivation to ride back on Jan 8th when it hit 60 degrees. My sanity checks in and does have a problem with riding below 45 degrees. And the weather we had the past week and the week ahead, 45 would be a warm day. Only rode 3 days January 2007 and 1 day in February. Using the time for non bicycle activities. What little conditioning I lose comes back very fast. I gotta clean the basement some time, and get the Trek 1000 prepared for listing.

[neilfein]

It's like anything you love, you're going to get burned out from time to time. I get it with the bike, I get it with songwriting also. I go through dry spells of not being able to write anything - once for as much as a year - and it always comes back when I have something to say. Have faith that, when you need to be on the bike, for whatever reason, you'll do it.

[landshark1]

Sign up for a challenging ride in the near future. Easier to get riding when preparing for an epic ride.

I'm no shrink, but I would guess that your motivation loss might have a conection to the cancellation of you cross-country tour. You've delayed the journey, so you don't have that pushing you to go out and ride hard, so find another ride to challenge you into training!

The weather also probably has something to do with it! A little warm weather might kick start things again. Works wonders on me! You'll get it back, don't sweat it too much!!

[The Historian]

Let the air out of your car tires then your choice is ride or walk :D.

Look back at your accomplishments and how far you have come since that night in the ER. This is just a setback that is most likely weather related. It's cold, wet, dark early, and just all round gloomy. I havn't rode my bike outside since late December. All my miles have been on the trainer where its at least easy enough to watch TV and movies...but is nowhere near as fun as riding outside.

Want to go back out to Stony Creek and finish that ride we started back in October? I'll leave the stone pile alone this time.

Sure, although why deprive me of the spectacle of you taco'ing your wheel again? But I want a proper mountain bike to ride next time. I guess I'd better begin to haunt Craigslist for a cheap MTB.

[The Historian]

I guess you need me to come down and pounce on you!

Winter SUCKS in the North East and we just have to bide our time and wait for that day to come when we KNOW we can ride. Don't make an excuses, just go do it!

I am in dire need of a pouncing. :-)

[The Historian]

Neil, don't confuse motivation with sanity. I had no problem with motivation to ride back on Jan 8th when it hit 60 degrees. My sanity checks in and does have a problem with riding below 45 degrees. And the weather we had the past week and the week ahead, 45 would be a warm day. Only rode 3 days January 2007 and 1 day in February. Using the time for non bicycle activities. What little conditioning I lose comes back very fast. I gotta clean the basement some time, and get the Trek 1000 prepared for listing.

How much do you want for the Trek?

[ronjon10]

I'm no shrink, but I would guess that your motivation loss might have a conection to the cancellation of you cross-country tour. You've delayed the journey, so you don't have that pushing you to go out and ride hard, so find another ride to challenge you into training!


Neil, didn't realize you canceled your tour. That would definitely be deflating to me. Heck, I've lost it after canceling plans to do a 50 mile ride :rolleyes:

Don't force it, that won't help. Just try and stay active even if it's not on the bike so you won't lose too much inertia. In the meantime, I'll repeat the advice, find another ride you'd like to try and lay out a training program to make that ride happen.

[The Historian]

Biking
Swimming
Walking
Weight Lifting
Spinning
Singing
Trainer
Whatever

It's all exercise, and good for you. I mix things up a bit. So far this week, 20 mile ride Monday, 4 hours swimming, good walk or two, lifted weights. Going to a spinning class next Tuesday. Rode the trainer an hour.

It all adds up. And, it is this season of the year. It was -7F last night, supposed to snow again tomorrow, wind chill of gosh knows how low.

Today, a bunch of the guys in my singing group (http://www.xyzingers.info) all went to the hospital where one of our members had a hip replaced after a bad fall on ice, and sang to and with him, and the nurse asked us to sing to the entire floor, which we did. Even singing is good exercise! The nurse said it was great for our friend to sing with us to help prevent pneumonia.

My singing is an exercise in sadism. Ask Neil F. Or anyone who has heard me belt out "Great Is Thy Faithfulness" in church, for that matter. :-)

[The Historian]

Neil, didn't realize you canceled your tour. That would definitely be deflating to me. Heck, I've lost it after canceling plans to do a 50 mile ride :rolleyes:

Don't force it, that won't help. Just try and stay active even if it's not on the bike so you won't lose too much inertia. In the meantime, I'll repeat the advice, find another ride you'd like to try and lay out a training program to make that ride happen.

The tour is postponed, not canceled. May 2009 is the new departure date. Money is a problem; all my rich uncles are still in good health, alas. :-)

[Mazama]

I sift through posts on BF. Hearing people's stories makes me want to get out there.

Set some goals for yourself.

Tell yourself you are only going around the block. Once you get out there you will thirst for more.

[Swimjim]

As said, setting goals is a good way to get motivated. I lived in Reading Pa for four years and I suspect that good riding days are scarce this time of year. Hence the dillema. Don't sweat it. Like Arnold said" I'll be back!" Another way I use is to work on my bike (bikes). That will always get me in the mood. Of course up here in Wisconsin it's about three degree's so It's off to the trainer for me. You might consider talking to you bike shop and or local club about taking a Park Tool course if you haven't already. That will really get you involved with your bike. And if that's the case, you'll ride. Most important though, don't get too serious. HAVE FUN WITH IT. Not doing that is a recipee for disaster.

Jim

[beingtxstate]

I sift through posts on BF. Hearing people's stories makes me want to get out there.

Set some goals for yourself.

Tell yourself you are only going around the block. Once you get out there you will thirst for more.

+1 Between Tom, the two Neils, and several other on here, I have pulled through more than one bout of lack of motivation.

[Wogsterca]

What do you do to get your motivation back? My motivation to ride seems to have left me. For a person who logged 3K miles in his first year of riding a bike, I find I have little inclination to go out these days. Help! :-)

Well, your in PA and PA doesn't exactly have the best cycling weather this time of year, I expect when the weather starts to warm up a little, and the sun does more then make a brief appearance once every couple of weeks, then you will probably come out of hibernation mode, and get your groove back..... :D

[flip18436572]

My motivation. I keep looking in the mirror and seeing my fat. That is my motivation.

[BigBlueToe]

This is something I've faced myriad times, and from reading the posts it looks like others have too. On weekends I have limited free time. During the week, after work, almost none. Should I ride my bike, or should I do something else (laze around the house, fritter away time on the internet on these darn bicycling bulletin boards, watch football on tv, etc.?

I have two main thoughts in my head that motivate me. They've been doing so my entire adult life. I've had many "passions" that have come and gone - brilliant flashes of fervor that all too quickly flicker out, only to be replaced by something new and equally transitory - but bicycling has stayed with me. I manage to get in semi-regular rides during the cold months, and ride very regularly during the warm. I've ridden centuries and gone on many multi-week bike tours over the years. Bicycling has been a regular part of my life, my whole life, and I think it will be until I'm too old to safely pedal.

The first thought that keeps me going is my health. Staying healthy and living for a long time in a healthy state is important to me. So I try to maintain a healthy lifestyle - eating right, avoiding unhealthy things like smoking and excessive drinking, getting enough sleep. Part of a healthy lifestyle is getting regular exercise. Vigorous, aerobic exercise is especially good. Of all the choices - bicycling, running, swimming, etc. - bicycling is the one that appeals to me the most. So I make myself ride to try and stay fit and healthy. And it works, at least in my own mind. I never feel more fit and healthy than when I've been doing plenty of riding - especially on a long bike tour! I don't worry too much about keeling over from a heart attack when I've been riding enough so that a 30-mile ride seems like a short, fun ride. I know this intellectually, so when I'm being a slug and avoiding getting off my butt and onto my bike, I can remind myself that I need to. It's like when you don't want to get out of bed in the morning, but you force yourself to because you know you need your job and if you allow yourself to stay in bed you could jeopardize everything.

The other thought is based on experience. I know that there have been many, many times when I haven't been motivated to get on my bike, but I forced myself because I knew I needed to exercise, and once I did I enjoyed it immensely. I know I pretty much always enjoy riding immensely, once I get going. Not only do I love riding, I also love the feeling afterwards - the endorphins, the feeling of strength in my muscles, the feeling that I've accomplished something. I know that a day with a bike ride is pretty much always a good day. So I remind myself of this and get off my butt and go for a ride.

So, Mr. Historian, if you are feeling less than motivated, try reminding yourself of how good for your body riding is. Try reminding yourself of how much you enjoy riding, every time you go. Remind yourself of that glorious glow you're going to feel afterwards. Remind yourself that, after a good ride, you will have earned the right to lay around and be a slug, and you can do so with a clear conscience.

It always works for me.

Now I've got to go. I'm going on a ride today. (My only dilemma today is whether to go for a road ride or a mountain bike ride.)

Enjoy. Be healthy.

[EasyEd]

I'll throw this out there for you.... I notice that the older I get (40 now) the more proper nutrition and hydratrion matter. If I've been eating junk, and not drinking enough water, my whole mood changes. I just feel kinda slow and lathargic. Realy watching my diet for just a day or two can change my whole mental outlook.

[urban rider]

I am experiencing the same problem, I just can't get it together. I don't have any cycling goals for the year. One thing I usually do is I buy something new for my bike riding. New clothes, new bike equipment, something in order to become more motivated to ride. Right now my biggest focus is riding to work and back. Sice I changed jobs I am only four miles away from the house. It takes about thirty minutes to get to work. On the days I don't ride to work the pi-- poor transportation system that takes 90 minutes to go four miles is a great motivator.

Gas, .69 cents the price of a can of beans.

[barndoor]

Neil, I got burned out from my lonnnng commute (54 mi r/t)back in the fall and have been feeling your lack of motivation.....but now , after taking the winter "off", I am really starting to feel antsy.....

The weather here in the NE just sucks this time of year.....don't feel bad.....you came a long way last year and you just have to find other things to do .... right now I am working out on the trainer 3-4 times a week, in the basement, in front of the big screen tv....my wife walks on the treadmill to keep me company......so far, so good.....

...also, I'm planning my cycling year and putting dates down on the calendar....I like having "events" to look forward to...helps keep me motivated! ..... events like the Lancaster covered bridge metric! :)

[wagathon]

Try breaking in a new saddle


http://www.bikeforums.net/attachment.php?attachmentid=61422&d=1198517981

:)

[neilfein]

Unmotivated Neil B. rode 41 miles today - yesterday, as I write this - Princeton to Washington Crossing and back.

[v1k1ng1001]

I'm just coming off 3 months of being a couch potato and it's not fun.

[jimisnowhere]

Watching bike racing videos on YouTube always inspires me to go push my self. Especially the cyclocross, cuz no matter what I'm gonna go do, its not gonna be that bad!!

[The Historian]

Unmotivated Neil B. rode 41 miles today - yesterday, as I write this - Princeton to Washington Crossing and back.

Neil B. rode 41 miles because Neil F. pushed him into it. Yes, Neil B. liked it, but he was pushed.

[b_young]

:beer:Great job to both Neils.:beer::beer::beer::beer:

[The Historian]

:beer:Great job to both Neils.:beer::beer::beer::beer:

Thanks. Although Neil F. deserves most of the credit for getting me out, and educating me. Here's the report from my blog. Neil F. trusted me to handle the following disclosure with sensitivity, and I hope I've earned that trust:

Saturday's ride with Neil F. was 41 miles from Princeton, NJ, to Washington's Crossing, PA, and back again. The roads were lightly-traveled, the terrain was scenic, rural, with light rolling hills. We had Mike, a fellow Bike Forums poster, with us for most of the ride, so we each had someone new to talk to. Neil's route and cue sheets were perfect, and we had no problems with wrong turns or bad directions. And the threatened snow didn't materialize. The ride was near-perfect for winter weather. The only drawback was that it almost didn't happen.

I've known Neil F. was a person with epilepsy since I'd met him in June 2007. But I didn't give it any thought. After all, he seemed energetic, healthy, and within a couple of months of meeting him he was driving a car, which meant he was stable. So I didn't give it any thought until the evening of January 8, my 42nd birthday, when I received an unwelcome present from my friend.

That morning, about 6:15 AM, Neil had left his house to ride the three or so miles to his work carpool. At some point later, he found himself sitting next to his bike on the sidewalk while a policeman was trying to get him to talk. Somewhere in between, Neil had a seizure. Perhaps he fell from the bike, or perhaps he had enough warning of the seizure that he could dismount and make it to the sidewalk, but the end result was the same. Neil was OK, aside from aches and soreness, and his bike was unharmed aside from scratches.

Neil F. was a lot more calm about his seizure than I was. I'd never considered Neil's epilepsy as 'active', but thought of it as in remission. Aside from my worry about my friend and what might have happened to him, I was horrified by the nature of epilepsy itself. As a person who tries to live 'rationally' and deliberately, the idea of suddenly surrendering control of your muscles and losing consciousness scared me. Like many people, I knew little about epilepsy. The sum total of my knowledge was Shakespeare's reference to the "falling sickness" in Julius Caesar, epilepsy brought on seizures, and those seizures can be controlled through medication and surgery. (Curiously enough, a book on the "neural nature of language" bears the title Conversations With Neil's Brain. The fictitious Neil of the title is a man with epilepsy.)

Partly from concern, and partly from fear, which means mostly from ignorance and guilt, I called Neil a few days before the Princeton trip to discuss the future of our rides. My voice was shaking a little as I said, "Neil, it's Neil."

"Hi." Neil F. replied.

"Neil, I, uh, I mean, ahm, I think that we may need to rethink our rides."

"Why?"

"Well, uh, you know, because of what happened, I, uh, might be pushing you too hard."

"You aren't. If you were, I'd say something."

"I think, uhm, well, the birthday ride took a lot out of the two of us both -"

"Yeah, both of us."

"- and I think it..., well, I think it might have helped cause the, you know, seizure."

"It didn't. If anything the riding is good for me because it helps me keep my weight down and makes me healthier."

"But that was a stressful ride!"

"Yeah, but I know what caused the seizure. It was lack of sleep starting a few nights before the ride and the new medication. It had nothing to do with the ride."

"I don't want to cause you to get hurt."

"You won't. You're helping me by riding with me. And I don't have seizures all the time, so it's probably not something that will ever come up. But do you do know what to do if a person with epilepsy has a seizure?"

"No."

"OK. The best thing to do is give them space. Let them remain where they are unless there are dangerous things nearby, like broken glass or heavy traffic. Remove any obstacles nearby. If the seizure goes much over five minutes, or another one starts after the last one, call 911. When the seizure ends, help me get somewhere I can rest, because I'm going to be very sore and tired. And don't stick your fingers in my mouth, cause I'll bite them off."

"Why would anyone want to stick their fingers in your mouth?"

"People think I'll swallow my tongue. It's not going to happen. It's too big."

"But could you bite it off?"

"Maybe. It's not likely. I might bite it, but not bite it off. And that's about all you need to do if I have a seizure."

"That's all?"

"Yeah, pretty much. If I seem disoriented, let me know, but other than that, you really don't need to be concerned about me. If you want more information on epilepsy and seizures, go to epilepsyfoundation.org, they have a lot of stuff online. The more people know about epilepsy, the less they will be afraid of it. I'm happy to talk to anyone about it for that reason. So do you feel better about riding with me?"

"It wasn't my feelings I was concerned about, Neil."

"Yeah. Of course. But now you know what to do if I have a seizure when we ride together."

"Yes, I do. I just hope I know which pannier you have the video camera in when it happens."

"I've never seen myself have a seizure. I hope you tape it. Some editing, titles, a soundtrack... we could get a million hits on YouTube."

"I might be too busy fighting off the crowds of people trying to stick things in your mouth to tape it."

"*******!"

And all was restored to normal between the Neils. We rolled on Saturday without any shakes aside from vibration of the bikes on pavement. Just as it should be.

[b_young]

Wow, great story and education on epilepsy. My nephew has it and a neighbor when I lived in St. Louis has it. Both will let you know most of the time it is not a problem as long as they have been keeping on the meds. It is good to know what to do and what THEY want you to do as well.

Thanks Neil F for being a motivator and inspiration.:)

[Pinyon]

I would find something different to do that also helps with your fitness in a different way than cycling, and set a mini-goal for that activity. In fact, I tend to have a graduated set of goals that I use to help motivate me. My mini-goals are things that I'm doing or working towards RIGHT NOW, and no farther than 1 month away from some sort of defining "event". Those mini-goals include things like going to spin class for 6+ hours per week, lifting weights 2 times this week, being in good enough shape to participate in some "event", where I have to "perform" within the next 3-4 weeks. Mini-goals always help me get into shape for my mid-range goals, which tend to be more long-term in nature.

My mid-range goals tend to be more long-term in nature, and include things like going out on group-rides with local groups at least once per month during the snow season here, being able to bench press or squat a certain weight by the end of February, etc.

My long-term goals tend to include both the "must do" and the "dream goal" categories. They include things like how many organized or individual century rides that I will do, what my maximum average speed should be when I peak this year, and...stuff like being able to make it up this one local mountain pass without having to stop to even pee during the ascent (that 3+ hour climb is BRUTAL for us bigger riders - very difficult not to become dehydrated or bonking, or the other extreme of having to stop multiple times to use the bathroom).

I'm not talking about "fooling yourself" here. I don't like that kind of thing either. I just have to have more finite and discrete goals that I set for myself, and have to change things up to keep from burning out. Oh, and I don't meet all of my goals either. That is not the point. The point is that I really do give it a shot, and complete most of them (barring injury, etc.).

[The Historian]

Wow, great story and education on epilepsy. My nephew has it and a neighbor when I lived in St. Louis has it. Both will let you know most of the time it is not a problem as long as they have been keeping on the meds. It is good to know what to do and what THEY want you to do as well.

Thanks Neil F for being a motivator and inspiration.:)

Neil F. is a great inspiration for me. And probably for many other people as well. I'll stop at that, since any more praise and his head will swell beyond the size of even the largest helmets.