Back in the day I was a highly disciplined racer, and for 20 years I followed a training schedule. Have not "trained" in at least 12 years and have seriously enjoyed riding more than ever. The only thing I am interested in anymore is riding at sunrise for a couple of hours and soaking up the presence of God to start the day. Of course, in the Midwest, this is not doable in the winter months, but then I take long hikes in the forests.

1) No schedule; I adapt to life, weather, and recovery status. Rather, I have goals in mind: 3 hard rides a week; recovery or easy rides between. Easy rides are always solo.

2) "Prep for for long rides": Just a general awareness to 'build up' to it; but not by any measured means. As Eddy Merckx put it, "Ride lots"

3) Gadgets like power output, cadence, heart rate? Just power and HR. Power: to track accumulated training stress; I've come to realize training is really a game of stress management. HR: measured to a much lesser amount; rather, it's like a barometer, letting me know how my body is reacting to training. Sometimes it can show I'm not ready to hit it hard.
Cadence: I see no real purpose to measure it. Mine might be lower than average; but there are a lot of hills here.

4) "Do you pay close attention to optimal nutritional intake pre-ride, during the ride, post ride?" A little. I don't ride hungry, and I try to get in some protein within 1/2 after hard rides; for muscle recovery.

5) "do you set goals that you make a real effort to achieve ... e.g. speed, distance, anything else?" YES! My goal is to stay an A-rider; not embarrass myself if I race; and to tackle some 'adventure rides'. Because life needs adventure.

5) "Any other, even if a bit OCD, things you do that involve a measure of discipline and rigor to your cycling life" A couple:
* I post my rides on Strava; I like knowing what my riding peers are doing; so I reciprocate in kind. Through Strava, I've discovered a lot of new rides; and have expanded my network.
* I also still race a little. Not that I think I'll necessary win, but I find that racing fuels my motivation to train.
* I'll do anything to avoid the trainer. Even if it's a long endurance ride at night with lights.

I'm 73 and just ride for a bit of exercise and being outside enjoying nature and the scenery.

1) The main discipline I have is getting myself up very early and out on the road at 4:30 in the morning every weekday and about 6:30 on the weekends. I did miss some days in January due to heath issues (spinal stenosis) but I got back on the bike in February and did not miss a day.
2) I have no plans to ride a century. I enjoy my 1:20 minute weekly rides and up to 2 hours on the weekend. After six years of cycling, I have not gotten hurt and plan on keeping that way.
3) I use no gadgets at all but do track my rides with Endomondo.
4) I pay close attention to my diet but not for cycling just for living. I have been a vegan since 1978.
5) My goal is to ride every day and hit 7,000 miles for the year.

Appreciate the replies and hearing about how you all approach your riding ... thanks!

1) In your weekday training rides, do you have a disciplined scheduled ... like intervals one day, normal pace the next, etc etc? Never involved in school sports growing up so never had a need for a discipline schedule and do not currently have weekday training rides. Just ride more.

2) If you're planning for a long ride, like a century, do you follow recommended training plans regarding building up your mileage ... like, some sites I've read call for increasing your long ride by 10% each week. Never followed any recommended building plan for longer rides. Just ride more.

3) Do you have and use gadgets to measure things like power output, cadence, heart rate? Wife got me a Garmin 920XT watch for my 2013 Ironman Florida triathlon and it does a great job.

4) Do you pay close attention to optimal nutritional intake pre-ride, during the ride, post ride? Optimal nutrition.... NOPE!

5) do you set goals that you make a real effort to achieve ... e.g. speed, distance, anything else? I have goals but strive to achieve them in a relaxed manner that does not require me to hurt myself.....i.e. no pain-no gain is something I do not follow.

Today I was unexpectedly out at 3:44AM and rode a leisurely non stop 62 miles at 17.1mph average. Yesterday I got out at 1:00AM and rode a first segment of 35 miles when the fog forced me back in. Waited for the sun then back out and met the Tuesday group that I was able to hang with for about 15 miles then on my own again and finished with 113 miles. Last Thursday was a 101 mile day again starting early at 3:54AM. Have the one day 170 mile Cross Florida ride in April and will just ride my usual Tuesday, Thursday, Saturday riding days. Don't like riding much more than those particular days.

How disciplined are you? When it comes to cycling ... not very.

I do have goals and I work toward those goals, but life isn't going to come to a screeching halt if I choose to cycle tomorrow rather than today.

Interestingly, I was a bit more structured when it came to my January running goal.

1) I've used a disciplined approach leading up to specific events - a couple 24 hour races and 1200k brevets. It works, just isn't very fun.

2) I feel I can ride a century any time I want, so when I train it's for speed. On multi-day events, more speed means more time to sleep.

3) I use a GPS for nav, and sometimes use Strava to monitor progress against goals.

4) I wouldn't say optimal, but a fair amount of thought goes into staying fueled during endurance events. Rice crispie treats, for example, are great on-the-bike food because they are readily available, rugged, calorie dense, and provide both quick energy and longer lasting energy. I don't think anyone would consider them optimal, though.

5) Usually I set one big goal a year: x miles in 24 hours, x hours for a 1200k, and often chase shorter distance speed goal as a means of achieving the big goal.

5) I obsess over what gear I carry on long brevets. Clothing for weather, tools, tubes, etc. The obsession isn't about carrying everything, but rather about carrying just the right things.

Is it ok to has how in the world you "unexpectedly" went out at 3:44AM???? Then, AGAIN at 3:54AM (congrats on the precision in the time of departure - that suggests a fair amount of discipline to me!).

btw, not to distract the thread, but how to people get multiple quotes interspersed into one reply?

Early morning rides, at least on work days, are another area I've not yet trained myself to do regularly. I am an early riser so I'm up. When I have gone out early, I really enjoy the peace and quiet as the sun is just coming up. But, I just haven't invested the time to make it a habit. Good on you for doing that ... it is a good way to get the day going!!!

Wasn't planning on going out AT ALL since the day before I got out at 1:00AM. Rode 113 miles and my legs were tired but since the moon was so high and bright I just had to ride again.


Bottom right click on icon next to QUOTE first then QUOTE then return to thread by clicking your return arrow and repeat.

I dont do early mornings. In the deer hunting season (archery in the deep swamps) sometimes but not on a bike. Gives me the shivvers thinking about being a toy for cougars to play with as I ride by.

When I lament to my wife about my shortcomings in discipline she brings me down to earth and reminds me to enjoy that I can and still want to excel in it. Discipline is far too subjective of a term.

The only discipline I have is trying to ride every other day, and even at that if there is a reason to ride two days in a row, I do.

As probably everyone knows all those other things that a "real cyclist" is supposed to do is not on my list at all. I simply ride for fun and exercise.

No idea if I am, or ever have been considered a "real cyclist', or why it matters if someone uses discipline in their life, whatever the aspect they chose to apply discipline to. Out of the OPs questions, I have to answer yes to all, except having a power meter, or heart rate monitor. That would be like timing a snail with a chronometric stopwatch.

I use a simple wireless bike cycling computer, and I keep a detailed Cyclist Diary (mainly for my health issues.) Its how I chose to ride and keep things going. Its worked pretty good, over 7000 miles for four of the last five years, only 6000+ last year, my bad there. Crashing heavily last May when a dog darted into the front wheel of my Tommasini, while I was doing 20mph+, and causing a concussion with severe facial injuries, put a damper in my desires for the summer. Cycling helped me bet Stage 3B renal failure in 2012, and to manage my progressing Parkinson's disease quite well.

Oh, I guess I don't use planning for events, riding in groups with my PD would be irresponsible, I am disciplined enough to avoid endangering others when I cycle.

The cycling will continue, but the Holter Monitor I am having put on this morning, and wearing for 48 hours, to find out why I have Afib, might convince me to get an HRM now, depending on what the cardiologist finds. But, it will not blunt my discipline or determination.

Bill

"Leisurely", he says. 62 miles at 17 mph, he says.

I'd be gasping for air and begging for mercy riding 17 mph after about 20 miles.

In my rando days, I would commute every day, and do 150-200 miles a weekend, with good climbing on at least one of the days. Now that I race, I interval and weight train, and do longer structured stuff over the weekend. As soon as racing season starts, thing change a bit.

As my user name implies, I am a recreational rider. As such, I try to get out four to five times a week for a ride, never with any real goal in mind. I just ride for the enjoyment of it.....usually.

Things are a little different this year (at least until mid June). I've signed up for a two day, 100 mile ride for June 15th and 16th, and in order to be ready for it, I will need to do more than just random recreational rides. I have a training plan in place which, if I can stick to it(i.e., be disciplined in following it and not slack off), I should be able to do the ride in reasonable comfort.

Disciplined riding (or disciplined any activity (how I survived four years in the disciplined military is beyond me LOL)) has never been one of my strong points, so it will be interesting to see how my training goes for the next 3.5 months.

It's from "Training Plans for Cyclists" by Gale Bernhart (sp?).


I'm finding as I get older (will be 64 in a week +), that having a plan laid out by someone who has some expertise (I have lots of experience but not much expertise) makes a huge difference. The time-honored "ride a lot and throw in a few interval sessions" approach doesn't work as well as it used to.


SP
OC, OR

I previously replied on this thread to questions 1, 2, and 5 from previous posts. I wrote about diet back in 2009:

Quote:

Originally Posted by Jim from Boston

I practice the self-named "Dr. Perfect Diet" which after years of learning about nutrition, incorporates healthy eating IMO into a fairly simple strategy: Low fat, low glycemic, vegetarian, in the Zone, with special attention to omega-three fatty acids (by way of salmon and walnuts as exception to low fat and vegetarian). FWIW.

And about gadgets (cycle computer, I-phone, and a clock) recently: Regarding question 6, I guess I’m pretty OCD about posting to BikeForums:

Jim From Boston, thanks for the thorough, well-written reply. Appreciate the time put into your response!

I don't know. At my age "discipline" as it relates to cycling meant going on out and riding anyway in spite of light rain or wind, or cold when I normally would skip riding because of these conditions. So I made it a "goal", if you want to call it that, to try and stay in shape through the winter, riding as often as I have time. Which means sometimes riding in the aforementioned conditions. That's what I was thinking as "discipline" when I read the title of this thread.

But the first point mentioning a "training" ride and I'm out. I don't do training rides, intervals, HR and power monitors. Those 5 or 6 points mentioned would take the fun of riding out of it for me. I ride as often as I can, usually 2-4 times a week, averaging 30-40 miles is ideal for me. I've ridden centuries, meh...
I DO plan to ride a one week tour in a month or so and plan on 40+ to 50+ miles per day for 5-6 days. Is that a goal? And I probably need to ramp up my rides as much as possible the next few weeks. Is that training?

Nothing against those who do all the OP posted if that's your thing. Just not big priorities with me.

Thanks for your gracious note. Those posts I quoted were written well before your thread, but IMO they were congruent with your questions. They represent lifestyle goals I try to attain often stymied by my busy but enjoyable job. Every day is a balancing act between work and riding, partly complicated by injuries from a cycling accident; but don’t cry for me, Argentina.

As I mentioned in my second post, assembling my reply from previous posts is a pleasant pastime for me, and easier than writing a new one.

Quote:

Originally Posted by Jim from Boston

…Posting has become an avocation for me…beside the exchange of information and ideas, I enjoy the mechanics of writing, such as grammar, composition, style, etc. for that addtional mental stimulation.

So with my experiences in cycling, and my frequent posting over the years, if I [or others] have replied on a recurrent topic, written to my satisfaction, I’ll just quote it. A further challenge then becomes finding the post.

Quote:

Originally Posted by my signature line

I use nested quotes (to be read in that order) to improvise an imaginary conversation. Anything outside a quote box is my contribution to the current “conversation.”

Quote:

Originally Posted by Jim from Boston

(from a now-closed thread) I think that the use of quote boxes, which I have not seen elsewhere is a remarkable way to graphically diagram a dialogue.

Personally for me, as a diversion, it’s challenging to find quotes in prior threads and to arrange them in a comprehensible order. I think it’s a succinct way to capture the variety of a thread topic.