kateri235

Help!
I've been riding very little this season and it bugs me!
Need motivation.
Cycling still favorite motion.

Bikepacker67

Until you - and only YOU alone - become disgusted enough with your slugness, no one can help ya.

"Hello my name is kateri235, and I'm a lazyazz wannabe winter rider"

"HI Kateri!"

Portis

+1

I don't need motivation to ride. In fact it is usually the best part of my day, at least close to it. No help here.

geraldatwork

A few things motivate me to ride. One for health reasons I want to do at least 3 workouts a week. Not only is it good for obvious reasons but I have a low HDL and exercise helps to keep it at the low end of normal. I consider anything that keeps my heart elevated for at last 30 minutes exercise. A few months ago I discovered bikejournal.com and keeping a record of my mileage,average speed,etc is addicting. It really helps.

chipcom 

How much more motivation do you need? Go ride!

Machka 

Someone once asked me how I motivated myself to ride when things like lying on the sofa and watching TV etc. etc. beckonned enticingly.

I just stood there and started at the person. I didn't know how to answer. The thought that I might NOT be motivated had never occurred to me.

I believe I finally came up with something like the following:

I ride because I love it! I ride because I want to! I ride because something inside me needs to ride! Staying inside, and doing other things, are just not all that enticing.


As for you, kateri235, do you have a goal for the upcoming season? Maybe that might help.

Mtn Mike

YES! I think the key is setting a goal for yourself. Your goal could be aimed at making you more healthy as a person, or your goal to make you a better cyclist next season. Or maybe it's just to drink more beer without getting fat (thats mine )

Machka 

Those are noble goals (well ... maybe not yours!! ), but they aren't definite enough to motivate many people or for most people to actually attain. They are too vague.

A goal should be definite and concrete ... like, for example:

-- cycling your first century
-- cycling a century each month
-- riding your first road race
-- joining the local racing club and planning to do at least 10 events
-- riding a weekend tour with the local cycle-touring club
-- riding the local MS150 event

Something like that!! And then along the way health, and becoming a better cyclist, can be attained.

For me, my main goal for 2006 is to ride the Boston-Montreal-Boston 1200K next August. That ride is reported to be the toughest of all the 1200K randonnees, with about 33,000 ft of climbing including some steep, long climbs, and with traditionally rainy, cool weather. If I don't train throughout the winter, I won't be completing that event!!

tulip

I've been lazy for about a month, but this week I started riding to work again and IT'S FABULOUS! The trick for me is to get everything set up the night before. Then it's easy to just get up, get dressed, and get on the road.

Do you commute to work on your bike? I like to have a concrete goal (like getting to work). If I'm just "going out for a bike ride", it'll never happen.

Gojohnnygo.

Go out and buy some new winter riding gear. That works every time even for us guys.

Portis

I don't subscribe to this "goal" business. I don't think setting goals accomplishes much. Don't get me wrong I am all for goals. In fact I actually had one once. The primary goal should be to make cycling a lifestyle. No group of events can solely accomplish this.

Making something a lifestyle, just mainly means consistancy. Whether it is diet, exercise or whatever, it only becomes a lifestlye when it meets these criteria:

1. You find yourself doing it without having to motivate yourself to do it. You somewhat do it automatically. THis is the way riding is for me. I roll out of bed every day and am soon looking over the handlebars of the bike. Some days i don't even know how i got there.

2. You feel strange when you DON'T do it. I feel this way when i don't get to ride.

Mtn Mike

these all sound like specific goals to me Even if you weren't conscious of it, you made an ultimate change in your life because you wanted to achieve a particular end, and thats a goal. Maybe you didn't need much motivation. More power to you if you've accomplished them

digger

To me it sounds like you need some time away from the bike. It might be helpfull to take up another activity to keep you in shape. Maybe running, X-country skiing, snowshoeing, hiking, swimming, if your a roadie how about mtbing, or vice versa, etc.

This lazyness happens to me every fall, by October I'm sick of road riding, I hang the bike up on its storage hook and take down my mtb bike. During late fall I spend my time hiking or geocaching (www.geocaching.com). Then in the winter I put my road bike on my trainer 3 times a week and do more weight training (in the summer i tone the weights down a bit).

Then by the time April rolls around I can't wait for the road cycling season to start and it all repeats itself.

Maybe you need some time away and to do other things?

Digger

va_cyclist

I love riding in the summer.

I hate riding in the winter, so I don't do it.

No problem.

Think I'll go have a beer and a few more nachos.

detrieux

Got up and the weather was raining, drizzle, cloudy and 39 F. It was suppose to be 45 and not raining. Was not to happy but got dressed in appropriate gear and went for a ride. Climbing on the bike was not the easiest thing but once on and going that is when it turned to a very good experience.

Point is, I could always find a reason not to ride but once I am riding, I am glad I did.

kateri235

Wow, I really didn't expect any response at all. I was just venting.
When I am riding (and I do commute on my bike) it is almost automatic.
I love the traffic, the trees, all of it!
Thanks to all of You for your differing and valid points of view.