danadear

I have so much trouble getting up and out the door in the morning. It's still dark and it's so early I talk myself out of it too often. My plan was to commute to work (46 miles round trip) twice a week. I've found myself unable to drag my sorry butt out of bed too often so then find myself taking my bike to work with me and riding home thus forcing myself to ride the next morning because I have no car. This totally messes up my running schedule however. If it were'nt for that I wouldn't mind this arrangement.

Anyone have any tricks for making yourself get up and on the bike?

hairnet

go to sleep earlier and have a really loud alarm clock.

cyclefreaksix

46mi is an impressive commute. No real advice I can give to get you outta bed at the butt crack of dawn. However, I've found that getting everything ready to go the night before my commute helps me get out the door on time.

I also have that little voice in my head saying,"just take the car, it's easier!!". Don't listen to it. Get up and just go. Only think about how good you'll feel once you've done the ride.

billyymc

Long commute. Is it possible to drive partway and park n ride? Might be easier to get moving that way, you're still doign some riding.

echotraveler

what time do you have to get up? did you try going to bed early? can you do it?

Right now im having the opposite, im getting up early, without any help from clock or girlfriend. im so eager to wake up and ride... and i think this is pretty strange in me! but im doing it....i dont even whant to smoke anymore!

been talking to a friend, whos a Pro in cycling, and he told me that a good cyclist should at least do 50miles per week just to creat overhead, he used the word "fondo" which could mean depth and ass at the same time lol

danadear

This is actually a great idea. By the time I've driven a ways I'll be awake enough to stop and ride. Maybe I'll try this. I can drive the first few miles. Thanks!

lil brown bat

Why do people always want a "trick" to make difficult things effortless? That's not how life works. Turn off the TV, turn off the computer, go to sleep earlier, be realistic about what your body can do.

Nerdanel 

It is a good idea. But it is also a good idea to wake up before you start the car!

danadear

Ha! I think you're right!

And lilbrownbat you're right also I suppose. Wish I could be as motivated and self disciplined as you are!

ItsJustMe

No trick, just stop allowing yourself the choice. If you want to do it, do it, if you don't, stop whining.

When the alarm goes off, DO NOT use the snooze. Get the hell out of bed and get going. No tricks, just get out of bed and stop being weak.

EKW in DC

Provided you're aware that the alarm is going off. Some days, like today, I first remember hearing the alarm 21 minutes after the time I'd set it for. IOW, I hit snooze three times, and it was not a concious decision. Just sayin'...

Still managed to gather my stuff and get out the door and made it to work on time, more or less...

knobster

I use to do the multi-mode commute and it worked fine, but what I found worked the best was to get to bed earlier. If I got the needed sleep, it wasn't so hard to get on the bike the next day. For me the most difficult aspect of a commute that long was the time investment.

lil brown bat

Put the alarm out of reach.

Just_Ryan

How about making it a matter of pride? Tell all your co-workers/family/whoever will listen that you're planning to ride until they're sick of hearing about it. They'll all think you're full of $hit if you back out, so you'll have to ride. Shame is a great motivator.

DallasSoxFan

If I hit snooze more than 2 times, my three year old wakes up, then wakes my wife up.

I try to avoid that situation at all costs.

wmt3rd

You should look at Think Geek at the alarm clock that blows into 3 parts that you have to put back together to shut it up. You'll be awake and in a really bad mood to start your ride to work.

thenomad

I have a 3 year old. He goes through these stages where he wakes up progressively earlier. (growth spurt I think)

This AM he opens the door and says he wants milk and cereal. I looked over at the alarm clock, 5AM, turn off the 5:02 alarm setting. I guess I'm up.

mredison

Go to bed earlier or snag a midday nap or set the alarm ahead a half hour, knowing that you'll snooze for a bit. I set my alarm's snooze to go off every 3 minutes. After 10 nudges, I'm fully awake.

CCrew

+ 1. I make a commute that's just a couple miles longer than the OP. My motivation is directly related to how much rest I have. Helps me to have a bit of a routine: stuff set out, clothes ready, etc. That way I can still do it with just one eye open

Shower first thing definitely.

wolfchild

I never have a problem getting out of bed, I love getting up early. When my alarm goes off at 4:45 AM, I just get up fast and get everything ready, and out the door I go.

dciskey

My commute is much shorter, but at least two days a week I start at 4AM, so I get up at 2:15. I try to get to bed by 8PM to ensure a decent amount of sleep, and I get the coffee maker ready to go before I hit the sack. It's a lot easier to get out of bed if you know you'll be getting that caffeine fix soon. I just got one with an auto program feature so now I don't even have to wait. It's wonderful.

If you're not down with the caffeine, well, there's nothing I can do for ya.

doorunrun

I'm doing the park 'n ride thing. Otherwise the commute would be a 50 miler. The one big problem I had with this method is one morning I forgot to strap the bike on the the carrier. Yes, it did fly off, but I was sooooooo lucky!

Try to make things as much of a routine (like double-checking the straps) as possible so you don't have to think as much in the morning.

BA Commuter

That is a pretty impressive commute, but I think the consensus is that you need to go to bed earlier & have your gear ready. I would split your ride it in 1/2 and get in the habit of getting up on time. After a couple of weeks, it will become a habit.

Good luck!

Deer Creek

Per Lisa Simpson: drink a bunch of water before bed, then, your full bladder will force you out of bed in the morning (plus you'll be well hydrated for the ride).

bike2math

not directly related to the OP, but I got a Flu shot last week and have been just insanely exhausted ever since. I've been sleeping 10+ hours a day. My motivation to ride has been negative. and I''ve slept through my alarm for five days in a row.

Any thoughts on how much longer to deal with this? I've had flu shots before but I've never had a reaction like this one.

Of course part of my issue is that I work 7 days a week at this moment; so I haven't had time to just sleep for a whole day and try to recover.

All in all, I'm sort of pissed. The reason for getting this shot was to avoid losing a week to the flu. But it seems that's going to happen anyway.