Training & Nutrition - Motivation!

MOTIVATION thread:
Stories, tips, advice, ANYTHING motivational.

Post up your favorite stories, songs, pictures, tips, advice, jokes, comments... etc. I wanna hear what gets people psyched to ride and ride hard/long/fast/far. Post things that make you proud to ride, post all the stories, songs, pictures, tips, advice, jokes, comments... etc. that make you proud to be a cyclist. Post stories of your favorite pros, best races, ANYTHING.

"RIDE LOTS!"


*I searched the forums and didn't find a thread like this.

MOTIVATION thread:
Stories, tips, advice, ANYTHING motivational.

Post up your favorite stories, songs, pictures, tips, advice, jokes, comments... etc. I wanna hear what gets people psyched to ride and ride hard/long/fast/far.

"RIDE LOTS!"


*I searched the forums and didn't find a thread like this.

Time available is for me a limiting factor, along with inertia and weather.

What gets me on the bike about six days a week, year round for 14 miles a day, is to commute. I have extended my riding days to include rainy and icy days through reading Bike Forums.

What gets me to increase my mileage beyond my usual 14 miles per day is to train for a couple of century rides using a ten week program with specified daily mileage quotas, eventually to 30 miles on a week day and 75 miles on a weekend long ride. I find it satifying to plot out my daily mileage on a spreadsheet and watch the charts grow. Here in Boston though I only train from May through September, then quickly back to 14 miles per day for the rest of the year until the next May.

I just eat a piece of cake and remember what it was like to be heavy, that motivates me to go ride my bike just fine ;). Its a never ending cycle really ride bike, eat cake, ride bike, eat cake.

I just eat a piece of cake and remember what it was like to be heavy, that motivates me to go ride my bike just fine ;). Its a never ending cycle really ride bike, eat cake, ride bike, eat cake.

:lol:

I started watching The Wire (DVD from Netflix) and it gets me on my trainer ~3x/week!

Motivation is [IMHO] the biggest single challenge we face in the realm of fitness. . .not just cycling. Think about it. It's uncomfortable. It's cold. It's hot. It's wet. It's sweaty. It's a pain getting all the gear set up for a ride. There's family, work, and a billion other priorities. There are lots of mundane forces working against you!

Here's a view:

Integrate fitness into who you are rather than what you do. Look to the community of cyclists (like this forum) for support. Carve out fitness as one of those inviolate things you do for YOU. Seek out others in your private life that share the view. Take personal pride in these choices and inform those around you that such things are central to your happines. . .and that support on the part of friends and family will be reciprocated in the form of support for their goals. . .and follow up with action.

I love these ideas. I love reading stories or watching cycling movies. But...
What gets me on the bike 6 days a week...

http://www.crib5.co.uk/uploads/I%20Love%20My%20Bike.jpg

OH, and one more thing. Lighten up! Sometimes just let family, friends, and work [and a sip of port wine] bubble to the top and just freakin' relax and go with the flo' of life. Nuthin' kills motivation like one's slavery to it!

In no particular order, my motivators are:

Being the "teacher's pet" when I go to the doctor's office. I love hearing the nurse say, "wow, your blood pressure is great". I love hearing my doctor say, "keep up the good work". I want to be able to bike, backpack and hike as late in life as humanly possible.

Setting a goal that scares me. Anything from, "I'm going to tackle that nasty climb" to "I'm going to enter that race" to "I'm going to do that epic century ride". It has a marvelous way of focusing my attention on proper diet and preparation/training.

Being fit enough so that at a moment's notice I can take advantage of a beautiful day and go for a nice, long ride.

Having my sweetie admire my butt. :thumb:

This. (http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=cKVCcMs6TSE&feature=related)

This. (http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=cKVCcMs6TSE&feature=related)

that's all i'll ever need to keep going.

This. (http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=cKVCcMs6TSE&feature=related)

Absolutely amazing, Thanks for posting!

Absolutely amazing, Thanks for posting!

this is inspiration

This. (http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=cKVCcMs6TSE&feature=related)

I watched this in my concepts of fitness class last year, its enough to make a grown man cry. Absaloutley Amazing!

as for me i like this to help me run cause i dont like running

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=zk8kIsER4dY

cycling though never takes much motivation cause im still new

Fear of failure.