Long Distance Competition/Ultracycling, Randonneuring and Endurance Cycling - Mentally getting through a century

HELP! I am doing my first century soon and need help with getting through it mentally. I will be by myself for most of it so how do I pass the time???? I can only sing to myself so much. I find that I get really bored after 3 to 4 hours on the bike. Any tips on passing the time?

Ride with friends and other rides to have conversation. Break it down like 4 twenty five mile rides or however many rest stops. When you know how far too the next rest stop and have a general idea of the route you will think of that more than ever getting bored.

Try talking to yourself. (It won't make you look any crazier to the non-cyclisti.) Seriously. I've "written" several articles during long rides, and I've been working on a novel since... uhhh... 1991
or so. I'll carry on a running banter... with myself... from about mile 30-ish through however long I stay out, usually 105 - 110 miles. That's a lot of brainstorm time for an aspiring writer to have at his disposal.

Hard part is finding time to write it all down before I forget it. Someday I'm going to go out with a digital voice recorder.

Good on yer for not giving in to tempatation and strapping on an iPod! (What's on Fred's playlist, anyway?)

If you are bored, you are not challenging yourself enough. Ride faster -- there is nothing boring about being in pain.

Alternatively, just enjoy the scenery and the sensation of riding or work on your stroke. I can't say I've ever been bored on a bike.

HELP! I am doing my first century soon and need help with getting through it mentally. I will be by myself for most of it so how do I pass the time???? I can only sing to myself so much. I find that I get really bored after 3 to 4 hours on the bike. Any tips on passing the time?

If you get bored on your bike, why do you want to ride a century?

I thought of another way to not be bored without pain. Do not carry anything that would be useful if you encounter any problems. No tubes, tools, pump, CO2, cell phone, money, ID, clothing to deal with temp changes, etc. Carry only the very minimum food and water for the ride not to be dangerous.

Your mind will occupy itself with the various things you aren't prepared for and the boredom problem will go away for the entire ride.

for super-long rides, i like to break it up into pieces. when you roll out, don't think about the next 99 miles you need to do.

think about the 20-30 to the next town, and keep your mind on that. when you get there, your next target stop will be another 30 or so miles down the road. just don't think about the total distance so much.

this helps me on super-long rides, like 400k's and up.

I just let my mind wander wherever it wants to go, and if I latch onto a particularly interesting train of thought, I pursue it more thoroughly. People just don't have enough time to think these days because we're always bombarded with stimulus (TV, teacher, other people yapping, etc. etc. etc.) ... cycling gives me that time alone with my thoughts. It's great!! :D

I just let my mind wander wherever it wants to go, and if I latch onto a particularly interesting train of thought, I pursue it more thoroughly. People just don't have enough time to think these days because we're always bombarded with stimulus (TV, teacher, other people yapping, etc. etc. etc.) ... cycling gives me that time alone with my thoughts. It's great!! :D

Well said. I've done two cross-country motorcycle trips and wondered if I would be bored for so many hours going across I-10...especially through Texas. I purchased a portable radio and installed speakers in my helmet. I used it for about an hour there and back. Found it much more fulfilling to simply get lost in my own thoughts and even prioritized things in my life.
Quite the zen experience.

Maybe "bored" was not the best choice of words. I am just looking for techniques that might get my mind off the discomfort, pain, tension...whatever...that I might feel after 50+ miles on a bike.

Watch pro's racing....they seem to be enjoying themselves.

Lighten up...it's a big deal the first time (for me at least) and, then it hardly registers on the cycling scale.

I find that once I get over the hump of the first quarter the rest seems to disapear rather quickly.
Also I enjoy playing "road kill" spotting. Not to say I take any pleasure in dead animals but if I see something especially interesting that always makes for an interesting story for after the ride.

I also have a picture of my son and wife in a tiny frame that is mounted on my Bento box. There have been many a ride where I was riding all by myself and near quitting, then I looked at the picture and it makes me crack a huge smile then I try and finish the ride as quickly as possible. That way I can get home and see my family.

Otherwise I just zone out and let km's pass tell the next control.

Look around you and enjoy the scenery.

Maybe "bored" was not the best choice of words. I am just looking for techniques that might get my mind off the discomfort, pain, tension...whatever...that I might feel after 50+ miles on a bike.

Why would you feel discomfort, pain, tension and whatever after 50 miles???

If you've gradually built up your distance in preparation for this century ... if you have perfected the fit of your bicycle ... and if you put into practice the nutrition strategy you've been experimenting with while you've been building up your distance ... you shouldn't experience discomfort, pain, tension and whatever.

Maybe "bored" was not the best choice of words. I am just looking for techniques that might get my mind off the discomfort, pain, tension...whatever...that I might feel after 50+ miles on a bike.

Take your time and keep positive. If you're not enjoying being outside on your bike you shouldn't be out there at all so just relax and have a good time. There probably will be moments when you wonder if you can make it but just power through them and before you know it you will be on the home stretch. I found the hardest part of my first century to be around the 30 mile mark but that could have been because it was in the middle of a 20 mile climb. If you find your mind wandering or if you're too focused on something unpleasant, just try to snap out of it and concentrate on something positive, whether it's the weather, the scenery, the fact that you're riding a century or that you're just alive in a beautiful world.

Why would you feel discomfort, pain, tension and whatever after 50 miles???

+1

If this is what you're experiencing, you're riding too hard, your bike is out of adjustment, or you're psyching yourself out. You should feel like a million bucks at this point of the ride.

Enjoy being out there and talk to the animals you see. If you are a technocrat, focus on the numbers on your computer and concentrate on maintaining a steady effort.

I don't get bored very often but now and then I get the ipod out.

+1
Enjoy being out there and talk to the animals you see.

I'm glad I'm not the only one who does this.

From my last ride: "Hello Mr. Horsey. You're looking rather handsome today". :p

I'm glad I'm not the only one who does this.

I've spent enough time by myself that I sometimes fail to suppress this habit when I'm with others, even when in a car. Most people just don't understand...

Thanks to everyone for the tips and advice! My century ride is tomorrow and I think I am just getting a little nervous and psyching myself out! I have been training hard and I do truly enjoy riding. I am looking forward to meeting new people and seeing new places. The scenery is going to be great too (even the road kill).
I will let you all know how it goes...Thanks again!!

I'm glad I'm not the only one who does this.

From my last ride: "Hello Mr. Horsey. You're looking rather handsome today". :p

+2

Am I the only one that thinks cows are sexy? :love: If so, why keep these thoughts to yourself ... tell them! :innocent:

im with the others talk to animals, let your mind wander aimlessly (i often find that ill have passed 10-20 miles or climbed some major hills without even realizing it at times)

other than that my favorite is on perticularly hard sections of the ride imagne youve got phil liggoet in your head...my favorite "he's gone deep into the pain cave" or "he's dancing on the pedals"

Other than that chase down other cyclists you see on the ride or chase cars when possible...i guess the best way to think is imagine your a dog...what would they do? but dont hump peoples legs...thats just rude

Although I've never given it much thought, I have to admit, I talk to the animals too. Luckily they don't talk back...yet!

In a polite voice I tell them to look out or stay on the side of the road. In a past life I was wildlife photographer and always talked to my subjects. Many times animals seemed to be listening...or so I thought. :D

I'm glad I'm not the only one who does this.

From my last ride: "Hello Mr. Horsey. You're looking rather handsome today". :p

I do the same thing, but it's more like an old Seinfeld episode, when Newman is at the door: a semi-disdainful "Hello, horse." Or sometimes I call out, "Oh, you spoiled brat!" if it's a dog.

Of course, if the owner's nearby, then I just say Hi. Humans don't always appreciate my humor as much as their animals do... ;)

HELP! I am doing my first century soon and need help with getting through it mentally. I will be by myself for most of it so how do I pass the time???? I can only sing to myself so much. I find that I get really bored after 3 to 4 hours on the bike. Any tips on passing the time?

The problem is that you are looking at it as doing a century. I've found the biggest mental block on a long ride comes when I start hitting/approaching the halfway point, or the point on an out & back when you have reached a half-century. If you can HTFU to get past that point, the ride becomes and absolute breeze from that point on, and you barely remember why you worried.

Hey everyone...I talked to animals, let my mind wander, and enjoyed the scenery. First century was not all that bad. First 4 hours it was 57 degrees and raining...after that, the sun came out and I finished with no problem. Finished 107 miles in 7.5 hours. Not fast but not bad for the crummy weather. Thanks to all of you for your tips! Can't wait to do another one!

Congrats on a good ride! It won't be long before you'll be tossing around phrases like "only a century." As you do more, they keep getting better.

I'm always worried until I'm half way through.
100 miles? I'm worried till 50
200? I feel great when I'm halfway.

But bored? I don't think so.

+1 on the imaginary Phil Liggett calls.

Sometimes I will imagine Phil, in his trademark accent saying things like "at this point his muscles are loaded with lactic acid, but his brain appears to be loaded with Pabst Blue Ribbon" or " he has to reach deep within himself to avoid looking like a total ***hole." This is when I end up laughing out loud, occasionally getting strange looks from others.

Make a commitment to it by having it be one-way. That way bordom isn't going to make you quit... there's no option to. Have support at the other end waiting for you at a campsite or hotel room and drive back the next day. That makes "getting there" the whole idea of the trip. If I had to do 100 miles on a track I'd go bonkers.

Take a camera, take pictures.
Practice riding with no hands. Then knit. But be careful. Safety first.
Get a hands-free cellphone, call people up.
Sing "This is the Road That Never Ends" to yourself for the last 40 miles.
Ride an organized charity ride so you'll have occasional people coming along to talk to.

Personally, I've just ridden one century and didn't have that problem. I got tired all right, but just sort of thought about being tired. And did take some pictures and did talk to some other people, though, and did stop at every rest stop I came to.

Listen to audio books/seminars on an mp3 player, e.g. Anthony Robbins, Brian Tracy, etc.

(please save the no-headphones debate for A&S)