TeamPlayers

Where do you find time to ride? All I want to do is ride/train/race but my work schedule changes once a month. I gotta be a work at 6am till 6pm. In the winter time I never get to see the sun unless I'm off. And then theres the "PT" crap that I can't stand. Not to mention time with wife and son. I got a trainer but I can only ride that thing a couple times a week and I start to go crazy. So how do you guys/gals stay in shape.

NomadVW 

I have a much easier schedule, maybe R.H.I.P in this case? I haven't had to work 12 hour days since '04ish.

My SSgt takes care of the PT for the Marines working for me. They would rather I not do their PT cause they'd be set up in the gym on spin bikes and me on my KK road machine. I'm also the fastest of the bunch in the running department(sad to say), so they don't dig the running with me part.

Most of my long rides happen while kids are in school except for 1-2 group rides a month that take up a weekend day. Most of the other weekend "long rides" start at 7am and end by noonish so I can get other things going.

If I really bail out on a week with bad weather, or the likes, it's plopped in front of the TV with the kids while I'm on the trainer (with the closed captioning on so we can all enjoy!)

Finally... my wife is EXCEPTIONALLY gifted at longsuffering, knowing I have particular race goals in mind this year and am training specifically for them. Without goals set, she wasn't nearly as forgiving last year.

branman1986

Firing on all cylinders, eh? Sounds like you've got it down

DrPete 

Over here in the land of the Army Medical Corps, things are a little different. Our schedules are so whacked that there is no organized PT, and we just show up to take our APFT twice a year when we get the e-mail. Nobody really cares what you do to stay in shape as long as you show up and pass the test.

This year is an exception to my usual life of working about 5AM to 5-8PM with some overnight on-call stints thrown in there, so I know exactly how you feel. Lots of trainer time and longer weekend rides are the key for me when I'm working a tough rotation. In July, when my schedule goes back to hell, I'll be making space in my on-call room for a trainer, and sneaking rides whenever I can. I usually get a day off every week or two, so I'd use that to get in a long ride if I don't spend it sleeping.

I go back to the above grind on July 1st... lots of races to cram in between now and then...

ReedZ

Same here Dr. Pete. I'm lucky enough to be in a unique military unit which allows more flexibility with my time, although my schedule is almost NEVER the same from week to week. Along with my personal training time I have to have a great deal of time to practice for my job.

TeamPlayers, good luck, I hope to find a solution.

Regards

Gus Riley

Before I retired from the USAF (6 years ago) the only time I found to ride was to and from work. My commute was 14 miles one way. Sometimes there was time for a weekend ride. Commuting netted me a few thousand miles a year.

rapidcarbon

bet none of military cyclist are infantry. When I was in, I could not find anytime to ride, always training and training, and the pay suck

Doggus

Agreed. Hard to find time to do these cutsie civilian hobbies while your buried in a hole on some hill side or some desert (think 29 stumps) or maybe sitting in some berthing area wondering why the hell you couldn't have found something better to do with your life.

This is why I found my way out and went to college.

Central_Rider

I didn't ride when I was in, but the last thing I would have done after being in the field was any type of PT. Unless beer drinking is a form of exercise. Especially on deployment.

wrote4luck

DrPete, how bad are the schedules for the med service guys you work with? If I don't get assesed dust-off like I hope, I plan to do hospital admin.

mxyzptlk

Bull****. I was an infantry company commander and I found time to ride on the weekends. Rarely did I ride during the week.

You can't look at it as a weekly schedule, but you can look at it as a yearly schedule. There are times during the year when you can ride more than others. The few months we were in garrison is when I rode. Obviously, field time = no riding, and I couldn't ride every day or whatever, but that's just the way it was. I had the "luxury" of not having a girlfriend or family at the time so it made it a bit easier.

As cycling is a sport that is measured by suffering, I'm sure there are plenty of groundpounders of one form or another here.

pathdoc

To you all of you military folks I say, Thanks for your service.

TeamPlayers

I am kinda blessed with a wife that understands how much I love to ride and that I rode before we got together. Just as long as she comes before at least one of my hobbies(cars & cycling) shes happy.

Ramjm_2000

For us Air Force types we have these lovely things called flight lines (ie..runways) on Air Force bases. These made for nice (although windy) training loops. My current assignment has it's own set of time constraints (along with a new baby boy) but when I was at my last assignment I kept a second bike at my office. I generally worked from 0700 to 1700-1800 and could usually fit in 20 miles before it got too dark.

rapidcarbon

Excuse me Mr Commander, try to be in an E5 shoes, especially guys in a line unit, then you know. Wonder Mr Commander had to clean up any gears after 3 weeks on the field. And besides, after all the field training, daily PT, I don't think any of us has time and energy to ride bike.

Since you are in DC, wonder if you were a commander in 3rd Infantry If you were, then I know why you got time to ride.

TRaffic Jammer

I can't imagine a ground pounder EVER having time to ride.

DrPete 

If you end up in hospital admin, I'd expect you to be a cat 3 in no more than 2 seasons. It's pretty freakin' cush.

mxyzptlk

I responded to this post, but I decided to delete it. In the interest of keeping things from getting out of hand and turning this into a penis size contest, I'll just say that I am not part of 3rd Infantry. All of my time was done with 3/2ID at Fort Lewis. I will also say, however, that you have no idea who I am, or what my military service history is.

No, there isn't much time for riding on a regular basis as a groundpounder/infantryman/grunt/lightfighter, but if you are dedicated, then you can find time. That's all I'll say about that. You all can flame me all you want and tell me I'm some officer-piece-of-crap, that's ok, I'm cool with it.

TRaffic Jammer

Just don't call me Sir.....

Patriot

Leave the uniforms at WORK!!!

It's also becoming quite common for military personnel to take up commuting to work, to help provide much needed base mileage. This is a good thing. It used to be, no one rode to work, now I hear about lots of them doing it. Good for the military.

What was nice about it, is that there were always showers at work, and lockers for all my uniforms. Once a week I would drive and take my uniforms home to be washed, and swap them out with clean ones. This always left me extra clean uniforms at work, in case I needed them.

I could also ride to and from without needing a packed lunch, as chow was also available. So, just my bike, and road gear was all that was needed. Just like normal riding.

rapidcarbon

I never meant to call you officer-piece-of-crap, even though I had seen many in time, and I was a little harsh (and I thought you were with those 3rd ID wuss) when you called it bull*****. I was with 325th Reg, 2/82 and you know what I meant, it's really hard to find time to ride when you are always on alert, deployable within 18 hours.

mxyzptlk

Hooah. 82nd is a whole different ball of wax, though... all bets are off if you are talking about a fast-deploying unit.

MKahrl

Commuting fulfilled my cycling jones for a number of years. I would get passed by my shipmates on the way in but by the time they found a parking place and walked the length of a quarter mile long pier I was onboard enjoying breakfast. When stationed on a roomy ship I would get permission to bring a bike and store it in a gear locker. I did some pretty nice cycling; every ride started at sea level, went up, coasted back, and ended at table on the waterfront with several to many cervezas. The last 100 yards to the accom ladder had to be done carefully.

Snuffleupagus

Before I got injured I often rode during lunch time when and after work. Bragg has a lot of great riding loops.

After I destroyed my knees in 2006 I started being able to ride in the mornings too...I can't too well lead section PT in knee braces on an L3 breathe at my own pace profile.

Will G

Didn't pick up cycling until after I left active duty but it would have been tough with the long work hours although I could have done the commute thing easily. Riding home at night after the Friday night bar olympics (yes, that means riding while impaired) would have been a challenge.