That reminded me of times on the bike when you're in a valley cruising a 20+mph and the next control is 20 miles away and you say to yourself, cool only an hour to go! 15 miles to go and the road starts sloping up and you're going 15 mph and you say to yourself ok,only an hour to go! 6 miles to go and you're climbing out of the valley at 6mph, and you say to yourself alright, only an hour to go! 3 miles to go and it's really steep now and you are going 3mph, and you say to yourself grrrrrr a gosh darned hour to go! :thumb:
Got to love it!

I always just divide the miles to go by 10 and assume that's how many hours I have left. Depressingly accurate much of the time. Last summer, I thought I was flying along a 10 mile stretch and then I got to a sign that said I still had 5 miles to go. In retrospect, I actually think that sign was wrong, but I was upset. This is why I think that bike computers are pure evil, I have a gps now, but I try not to look at miles, time or speed.

If I'm just out on my own ride, I often decide to cut the ride short if I'm not feeling that great. No reason to turn it into a forced march, it's supposed to be fun.

Ain't that the truth!

haha yes so relateable!

I usually get this way about 3am when I do all night rides. It's what I love about ultra endurance cycling. It is as much about psychology as anything. I will often on long rides find I'mexperiencing a whole range of emotions from anger to despair. As soon as I identify them I use them often as fuel. I play with them, it's part of the game like pushing back the veil or pealing back the layers. I have found when riding alone through the night that a good 15 minute power nap will help, but I only pull that card if my mind and speed are starting to wander or my eyes are getting droopy. There is an issue of being able to stop of course. An all night winter ride or ride in the rain makes this impractical due cool down. I have stopped in all night diners, gas stations or other places. A favorite all nighter recovery is to stop in a laundromat and throw something in the wash and then dryer. A 45 and then 60 minute nap and I'm good for the day.

Another one many people use is music.It's a tremendous psychological booster. I used to listen to podcasts on obscure technical subject matter. Was glorious to be riding around the country in the middle of the night listening to someone tell about the latest android release or some new medical research. Awesome counterpoints.

These days I don't even bother much with music though I'm trying to bring back the podcast rides. I occasionally get the same song stuck in my head for hours or even days. Music would help there but I'm cool with it. It's fun to sing aloud when riding through the Canadian and Wyoming Rockies this last week doing the divide mountain bike route. In the dark, in the rain, to the bears and moosei have no musical talent whatsoever and any critter that encountered me might think me insane, but so what, maybe I am, but I'm enjoying myself.:)

Accept psychology as part of the game. It's at least as important as nutrition and hydration. Thus is the first step of psychological strength. It is also the first step of mechanical problems. You will break things. You will go through every imagkneable human emotion from euphoria to despair. Recognize it. Embrace it. Revel in it. Enjoy it as part of the experience. Embrace it.

Today went great! 126.5 miles, over 5000ft of climbing and averaged 16.6mph. at mile 100-110 i caught up with a team who were doing 22mph in a paceline. i lasted 10 miles and had to head back home, running out of food.

it helped eating more and more often, along with peeing clear ever 1.5-2 hours

OH and I meditated on Rule #6 ! :) did all my thinking before and had absolutely zero suffering or negative thoughts! heck yeah

I find a little beef jerky at about 75 miles helps me out in the head. A burger at 125 or so is really tasty!

I'm with you there but I think that would cause the loss of hamberloot's vegan badge. ;)

Late to the party but thought I'd comment.

As soon as I read the thread title I knew what the OP was talking about, and knew my response. Oh yeah, I've been there. Of course all the LD veterans have covered my thoughts, but to reiterate:

1. FOOD
2. Quit thinking. Well, except for things you need to think about, like FOOD.
3. Wake up to your surroundings.
4. The only distance that matters is to the next stop, even if you only stop for 90 seconds.

If you really really feel like crap and want to throw your bike in the ditch and never ride it again, and you hate pretty much everyone and everything, and you just want to be at home sitting on a sofa, then here's what you do:

1. Get to a safe place. I'm talking just off the pavement 50' ahead, not a park 10 miles away.
2. Eat something. Gel or fruit or a candy bar, whatever you have. Just be sure you have something or life is going to be bad for a while.
3. Drink.
4. Soak in your surroundings - flowers, trees, hills, mountains, fields, architecture, whatever there is to see.
5. If you can find someone to talk to, that's great. Otherwise just carry on. You'll be fine.

I like maltodextrin drinks as a way to fend off the low spots, combined with solid foods to cover other nutritional needs. But that's just me, YMMV.

Exactly what happened to me in Illinois one fine day, except it was wind instead of hills.

Easy! I don't want to be at home Here's a trick i've been doing for some time. :lol:

Don't think about quitting......when you let failure enter your mind it's easier for you to give up, so if you don't even think about it you can keep trudging along for the moment and next thing you know you will accomplish the task.

#Beastmode doesn't care about your negative thoughts! :thumb:

Just commenting to say, nice post.

I just took a long ride this weekend and dealt with a lot of negative thoughts near the last half, especially since over 50 miles of it wasn't a trail so much as a glorified, overgrown gravel alleyway. I practice mindfulness meditation every day in my spare time, it does wonders not only for bicycling but for the rest of your life.

As other people have mentioned earlier, it can be helpful when you feel yourself sinking into the funk, to realize that YOU aren't the funk. You're not a depressed person, you're not terrible, you're not a dumb*** for doing it, or whatever kinds of evils your brain creates for you to enjoy. The bad thinking is something unto itself. Looking at your evil thoughts like they are just a temporary unwelcome visitor helps put some space between you and the negativity, and can give you some control over your brain again.

of course, that's assuming you're dealing with negative thoughts that are mostly mental. if you find your mood corresponds to nutrition as other people have mentioned, that's even better--a much simpler fix!


here's a link for anyone interested:
http://www.thegreatcourses.com/tgc/c....aspx?cid=1933

Cant say if it will help with the thoughts but you definitely need to eat and drink more. No doubt about it unless you weight like 100 pounds or less.

Yes, eat plenty. If you still feel negative, try a coffee, or a caffeinated soda. Drink enough water to stop the coffee from dehydrating you.