Motivational Issues

autoboy

Hi there,

I am just wondering if anyone out there has any issues with keeping up training on a daily basis. Just the last few weeks i have been finding it really hard to get out on the bike. Prior to this i had not trouble at all so i was just wondering if anyone has been through the same thing and has any suggestions or help in relation to it.

ewep

AutoBoy, I went through the same at the beginning of the year. Never in the mood for training, my bike of 3 months just standing in the garage, looking oh so nice.

I then did a small 45km race and found that I cycled like sh*t. From an avg 45km of 1:05 - 1:10 down to a 1:45 (on the same course!!), yuck! All I did was set myself goals (do a certain race at a certain time), etc. I stuck my goals on the passage door (I see the door everymorning, so if I really want to skip training I see it and feel worse than my racing). I'm now already on a 5 day week, going onto 6.

All you do, see yourself race a difficult race BECAUSE you've done so much training. Works for me!!

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autoboy

Thanks Ewep i set out a training schedule last night and put it up in my bathroom so that i can keep some momentium up. I think i do need to step up a little and really get into competing as i think at the moment i am a little to comfortable and the whether is getting colder so it is certainly not going to get any easier.

thanks for the thoughts and good luck with the comps.

J-MAT

Autoboy:

You sound burned out to me. Before, you rode well. Now it's a task just to get on the bike and ride. Disinclination to train is one of the strongest signs of overtraining.

Often, riders will fall in a hole and do more, thinking their poor motivation or performance is a result of "slacking off." This only compounds an already bad sitation. Peformance will not improve, it will decline even more.

This may or may not be your situation. The main signs of burnout/overtraining are lack of motivation, insomnia, depression, lack of sex drive, irritability, loss of appetite, etc. Do you have any of these symptoms??? Also, how much training have you done lately???

You are in Austrailia, and heading into winter. Riding in cold weather sucks, and makes it more mentally demanding to ride in. It also sucks having to wear "snivel gear" like gloves, arm/knee warmers, etc. If you are overtrained, pushing harder in cold weather will make everything worse.

You also have to love your bike and be in love with riding your bike. Cycling is much too hard of a sport to be a "poser" in compared to something like golf or tennis. Most racers are amateurs who risk their health for basically nothing in return except personal glory. You really have to love suffering to find any kind of success in this sport.

I recommend all riders keep detailed, accurate logs of all their rides. It's easy to forget how much hard work you do week after week. When you get fried, go over your logs and examine just how much you have done.

Only you know how hard you have pushed yourself this year. If you have pushed, you need a period of complete rest or easy riding with light intensity. This is personal and variable between riders. Most pros take a week or two of complete rest off the bike at the end of the season, then start building up for the next season.

Also, never try to make up a missed workout, or stick to a schedule 100%. Life throws things at us that makes this impossible, even for pros who get paid to ride. Relax, and understand you can miss days and workouts and be fine.

Whenever I have crashed hard and got a good case of road rash, I would usually take at least 5 days off the bike, maybe more. I used to freak out about it in my earlier days, but soon found that I was faster than ever after a week off. That ought to show just how overtrained most of us are!!!

Good luck!!!

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autoboy

Jim,

Thankyou so very much for your comments and i think you have probably hit the nail on the head with some of that. I will fill you in on where i am at.

I rode for about 6 years and had to give it away on account of relationship troubles but as anything like that it ended anyway and after a few years off the bike and a lot of savings i built my bike up again and got out and trained. I have been out there for about 10 months starting off quite slowely till now where i am getting up at 4:45 each weekday and doing about an hour and a half on the bike by myself as i start work at 7:30 and work quite long hours. On the weekends i do about 2 - 2.5 hours one day with a group that i have just started going out with. I want to start competing again and get back into riding with other people but at this stage i am finding it hard to get out there and find these groups. I am also dounted by the fear of competing again which i just have to get over it and get out there.

I guess i am at a point now where i need some real insentive which i think competing will give me and being able to gauge myself against others.

I find that even on the coldest mornings once i actually get out on the bike i am loving every minute it is just the process from alarm clock to bike that is the problem and i am a very goal/structured person so to speak and do find myself beating me up when i miss a session and i suppose do get a little down and depressed which then in turn probably makes it harder to get up the next morning.

I bought a training diary a few months ago and i was good to begin with but found that i have got a little slack with filling all the info in.

well that is a breif story about me.

Fooz

Maybe not the best advice, but it worked for me. Every year in South Africa we have The Cape Argus Pick 'n Pay Cycle Tour, it's a 1 day 109km ride around the Cape Peninsula, and attracts about 35000 entrants. In 2002 I rode it in 4h17m, and thought it not a bad time, but not great either...middle of the road stuff. Then I set myself a goal of 3h15m, and started training for it. And boy did I train. Many a Sunday mornings we did 100km+ rides while it was raining, I can't count how many of those "between bed and bike" doubtfull mornings I've had... and after 8 months of working with a trainer at UCT's Sport Science Institute the big day dawned. I was 20kg's lighter, and in the correct mental state for the day. It was a perfect day for the ride as many of the South African forum members will agree... I set out and completed the course in 3h15m07s, exactly on my goal time...even though I was cramping like hell the last 30km's.

Then it hit me...for almost 2 weeks I didn't want to see a bike, and I felt as demotivated as hell. Then my training partner picked this up, and convinced me to start riding my MTB more. I was the usual Saturday afternoon 30km MTB rider...nothing competitive, just something to play around with. We put semi-slicks on the MTB's and made training fun!

Now I've also purchased a track bike, and being fortunate enough to have a velodrome in Cape Town, we go ride there when it rains. Nothing like riding with no brakes and no freehub.

Changing a routine has brought me back from the dulls of training and made it more fun. It's winter season now, so the road bike is taking a active rest, and the MTB takes the beating. I also started taking part in MTB enduro's. 55km's on a MTB is a sufferfest (hence my post about MTB specific training), and in July I'm doing my longest MTB enduro yet...86km's.

Try varying the routine, or speak to a friend. Thats my advice. It worked for me )

MidBunchLurker

Another great idea to keep up motivation is to watch videos of bike races. I saw the Paris-Roubaix on TV the other day - if watching these guys suffer over the cobbles for 250+ kilos doesn't get your juices going, then its definitely time for a break!

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