Fifty Plus (50+) - Work is keeping me out of the saddle...:(

So, I am preparing for a 30 mile event (my first since I started riding a few weeks ago) on June 4th. The problem is I am working two jobs. I own a driver's ed school and I teach 5th grade math at an elementary.
My day starts at 5:30am with two hours of in-car instruction, followed by regular school from 8:00 am til 3:30pm. At 4:00pm I am at my driver's ed school for classroom instruction until 6:30pm, at this time I promptly jump in my driver's ed car for two more hours of in-car instruction until 8:30pm.:(
Can't find time for cycling except on the weekends! Any ideas on how I could squeeze in some proper conditioning during the week? Sorry for ranting!
The good news is summer is just around the corner so I will have more time for riding!:thumb:

Get lights on the bike:innocent:

I hate it when that happens.

Get lights on the bike:innocent:
Yes sir! You are right! I just need to aquire the courage and motivation to venture out at night. I've read where 5:00 pm to 10:00 pm is the most dangerous time for cyclist. I have the lights and reflective gear, mirror etc...

Get lights and ride to work in the AM.
Never heard the 5 pm to 10 pm thing. Cycling isn't "dangerous" if you have good cycling skills and you're visible, day and night.

6 PM to 10 PM is the most dangerous time to ride.
Setting sun, traffic with drivers preoccupied with other things on their mind.

Your 30 mile ride is just 10 days away.
Too late for any serious training.

I'd ride 20 miles on Saturday, and another 20 on Sunday at a real relaxed pace with stops for food and drinks. Your legs will be like rubber when you finish on each ride, but it will give you a taste.

Then, on the big ride, don't feel it is a race. Ride at a relaxed pace and don't feel you must keep up with anybody. Eat and drink frequently. You will have to dig deep for the guts and determination for the last 10 miles but finishing will be orgasmic.

I hope your bike is a good fit and the seat is comfortable. It is late to be making changes.

I hope it goes well for you. It will be difficult while underway, but will be recalled with pride when it is over.

Good Luck.

Hmm, if I was working 5:30am to 8:30pm I wouldn't get enough sleep time especially if I tried to ride my bike too.

Replace your classroom chair with a stationary bike? :)

Long term - Any way you can cut one weeknight off from drivers school and replace it with a Saturday morning session? Overall it sounds like a healthier lifestyle if you are getting more physical activity in during the week.

Here we are in the 50+ forum, and no one has made this suggestion yet: Retire! ;)

And I say that only partially in jest.

Our values change through life. Once upon a time, I valued money much more than I do now. For decades I worked 70 and 80 hour weeks. Things change. I felt life was passing me by.

These days, I've come to value time more than money, so I work half-time at the public library. I sold off most of my own business three years ago, keeping only enough of it for 4-6 hours a week.

Yes, I had to restructure major parts of my finances and lifestyle to fit within my reduced income, and it took several years to accomplish that. But the enrichment these changes have brought to my life has me regretting the hell-bent decades before.

I feel truly rich these days, despite what most other people would call reduced circumstances.

For me it's been work related (end of fiscal year stuff) and rain.. rain.. more rain... and for some reason a flurry of dental and medical appointments for various members of the family including myself as well as being out of town a couple of weekends has kept me off the bike (and it rained all the time out there as well). I got in 300 miles for the month of April when it was cold and windy and I was hoping to put in about 500 this month. NOT.. We've had so much rain I think it's time to start building an ark. I'll be lucky to get in 150 miles by the end of this month since there's more rain on the way. What I have had to do is to get the most out of the time I've had while I'm in the saddle but that's just me.

I'm not a big fan of riding at night (too many inattentive drivers) and I find that after a strenuous workout at that time of the day I'll stay awake until the wee hours of the morning.

How do you find time to do preps and marking ? My wife is a high school teacher and the work is endless long after the day is over.

If you're going from 5:30am to 8:30pm then something has to give. That means you've barely got time to eat and sleep. I think Skilsaw has the right idea. That sounds like a reasonable suggestion because you don't have enough hours in the day during the week. Do the 20 + 20 on the weekend, make sure you get some proper sleep during the week and make sure you eat and drink properly before you go for that ride on the 4th.

I don't know if you've got much in the way of hills or wind but take it easy and you'll do fine.

Good luck.

Err - Simple - sell the auto driving school and start a bicycle riding school? You could teach in "tandem."

Have your 5th grade math students study the bicycle as a math learning project - gears, ratios, fractions, tensile strength,circumference, radius, average speeds, max speeds, graphs of all, frequency of use (mean, median, mode, SD), usage in the community, sales graphs and data, etc., etc., etc. - all sorts of opportunities. Test ride the "project" results. (From a former fifth grade teacher).

So, I am preparing for a 30 mile event (my first since I started riding a few weeks ago) on June 4th. The problem is I am working two jobs. I own a driver's ed school and I teach 5th grade math at an elementary.
My day starts at 5:30am with two hours of in-car instruction, followed by regular school from 8:00 am til 3:30pm. At 4:00pm I am at my driver's ed school for classroom instruction until 6:30pm, at this time I promptly jump in my driver's ed car for two more hours of in-car instruction until 8:30pm.:(
Can't find time for cycling except on the weekends! Any ideas on how I could squeeze in some proper conditioning during the week? Sorry for ranting!
The good news is summer is just around the corner so I will have more time for riding!:thumb:

Only speaking for myself, it is a matter of PRIORITIES!!

My finances look like that ammittyville horror or even worse. No matter, I am not working an extra job or giving up my exercise or relax time to make my finances get level! Why? Because I have seen TOO MANY PEEPS saying "I GOT TO DO THIS"..and later on, they be carting them out on a slab, or they get too old to really do anything and wonder how life passed them by.

In my humble, old, silly, wayout, opinon, THIS TIME DOESN'T COME BACK. Again, only speaking for myself, I am doing my 8 hours, sheesh, sometimes 6 ;), and then the rest is MY TIME.. All those finances that others say "I got to do this to take care of that" can have it. Through my 70 years, I have found out, that those things will still be here when we are gone.

I said all that to say, make your riding a top priority..;)

Luck to you on which ever way you go..:beer:

Only speaking for myself, it is a matter of PRIORITIES!!

My finances look like that ammittyville horror or even worse. No matter, I am not working an extra job or giving up my exercise or relax time to make my finances get level! Why? Because I have seen TOO MANY PEEPS saying "I GOT TO DO THIS"..and later on, they be carting them out on a slab, or they get too old to really do anything and wonder how life passed them by.

In my humble, old, silly, wayout, opinon, THIS TIME DOESN'T COME BACK. Again, only speaking for myself, I am doing my 8 hours, sheesh, sometimes 6 ;), and then the rest is MY TIME.. All those finances that others say "I got to do this to take care of that" can have it. Through my 70 years, I have found out, that those things will still be here when we are gone.

I said all that to say, make your riding a top priority..;)

Luck to you on which ever way you go..:beer:

Thanks cehowardGS! The thing is I love what I am doing. Teaching during the day is a really sweet gig and the driver's ed buisness is a school I just started up this past September and its really starting to take off so thats a good problem. Probably going to hire in some help with the drivers ed in the fall so I will make more time for riding.
I hope I can be as fit as you when I'm 70 ( I saw your warm up video... freakin awesome! ) I've gotten a little soft around the edges since my basketball days. Thats why I'm glad I rediscovered biking, its an endurance activity that agrees with me.
Keep the faith cehowardGs!
Peace out!

Thanks cehowardGS! The thing is I love what I am doing. Teaching during the day is a really sweet gig and the driver's ed buisness is a school I just started up this past September and its really starting to take off so thats a good problem. Probably going to hire in some help with the drivers ed in the fall so I will make more time for riding.
I hope I can be as fit as you when I'm 70 ( I saw your warm up video... freakin awesome! ) I've gotten a little soft around the edges since my basketball days. Thats why I'm glad I rediscovered biking, its an endurance activity that agrees with me.
Keep the faith cehowardGs!
Peace out!

I had the choice of trying to be fit in my older years, or having my finances balanced...I chose to be fit, finances be dam, I am broke as doornail ;), but as you see I can get around. Not only that, about 2 years ago, I beat a bout with double pneumonia. The docs told me that being in good shape helped a lot in pulling me out of that. And with the help of the Lord above.

Like I said, luck to you either way you go. :beer:

Here we are in the 50+ forum, and no one has made this suggestion yet: Retire! ;)

And I say that only partially in jest.

Our values change through life. Once upon a time, I valued money much more than I do now. For decades I worked 70 and 80 hour weeks. Things change. I felt life was passing me by.

These days, I've come to value time more than money, so I work half-time at the public library. I sold off most of my own business three years ago, keeping only enough of it for 4-6 hours a week.

Yes, I had to restructure major parts of my finances and lifestyle to fit within my reduced income, and it took several years to accomplish that. But the enrichment these changes have brought to my life has me regretting the hell-bent decades before.

I feel truly rich these days, despite what most other people would call reduced circumstances.
I am retired. However my wife thinks that her landscaping and flowers are more important than ridding. After all, I get exercise shoveling and laying pavers down too. Then it's "honey, lets put those flowers over here, no I don't like them there, lets try them over here... I haven't been able to straighten up in three days. Oh my aching back. Oh to be in my 60's again.

Err - Simple - sell the auto driving school and start a bicycle riding school? You could teach in "tandem."

Have your 5th grade math students study the bicycle as a math learning project - gears, ratios, fractions, tensile strength,circumference, radius, average speeds, max speeds, graphs of all, frequency of use (mean, median, mode, SD), usage in the community, sales graphs and data, etc., etc., etc. - all sorts of opportunities. Test ride the "project" results. (From a former fifth grade teacher).

:thumb: I like your idea! But I am not selling the driving school... the profit is too sweet::D May retire from Public School Education and ride the driving school until I drop.