oh.. and with winter comes the depression!

[foild1]

ok guys.. lately i have been fighting with my self to get outside and ride... it has been very windy.. rainy.. etc etc.


i try to ride 4-6 times a week.. but lately my minds been telling me it would be more enjoyable just lying on the couch!.. untill i get onto the bike.. and i wonder why i ever thought twice about going out..

my only concern is that the thought of not going out will outweigh my determination and that i will slow down on the riding untill the summer... does this happen to any of you and how do you set your mind straight??? its allways so fun when you get up and get out.. but its getting yourself to that point that i find hard... any suggestions?

 

[OscarC]

It sounds like you need a vacation from cycling. Maybe you should take a week off completely. And probably by the end of the week, you will miss it and come back refreshed. It's good to do that anyways once in a while. Time to let your knees, joints, muscles and mind fully recover and re-focus.

ok guys.. lately i have been fighting with my self to get outside and ride... it has been very windy.. rainy.. etc etc.


i try to ride 4-6 times a week.. but lately my minds been telling me it would be more enjoyable just lying on the couch!.. untill i get onto the bike.. and i wonder why i ever thought twice about going out..

my only concern is that the thought of not going out will outweigh my determination and that i will slow down on the riding untill the summer... does this happen to any of you and how do you set your mind straight??? its allways so fun when you get up and get out.. but its getting yourself to that point that i find hard... any suggestions?

 

[Eden]

ok guys.. lately i have been fighting with my self to get outside and ride... it has been very windy.. rainy.. etc etc.


i try to ride 4-6 times a week.. but lately my minds been telling me it would be more enjoyable just lying on the couch!.. untill i get onto the bike.. and i wonder why i ever thought twice about going out..

my only concern is that the thought of not going out will outweigh my determination and that i will slow down on the riding untill the summer... does this happen to any of you and how do you set your mind straight??? its allways so fun when you get up and get out.. but its getting yourself to that point that i find hard... any suggestions?

Join a club or a team - when you have other people who have commited to go out it is much harder to talk yourself out of going - they are counting on you!

 

[ptlwp]

We are having the lovliest fall in a long time. It's cool and warmish here and has it ever has been, the leaves are turning beautiful colors (gotta be careful not to wipe out on them)!!, but this is a great time to take up biking again here, in the Mid Atlantic States.

Cheerio!!!

 

[foild1]

well.. the main problem is that it is dark everytime i have free time.. i work every day mon-fri 8-5. Its the fact that i am riding in the dark by myself....

i still make myself go because i love it when i am out.. in fact i just got back..

but i was just wondering if others go through a lull in the winter..

We are having the lovliest fall in a long time. It's cool and warmish here and has it ever has been, the leaves are turning beautiful colors (gotta be careful not to wipe out on them)!!, but this is a great time to take up biking again here, in the Mid Atlantic States.

Cheerio!!!

 

[ptlwp]

well.. the main problem is that it is dark everytime i have free time.. i work every day mon-fri 8-5. Its the fact that i am riding in the dark by myself....

i still make myself go because i love it when i am out.. in fact i just got back..

but i was just wondering if others go through a lull in the winter..

I think I am so used to SAD (seasonal affective disorder) for so long that I hardly notice anymore!!!! Wait til late January, I'll be in a worser way...

 

[Spunout]

well.. the main problem is that it is dark everytime i have free time.. i work every day mon-fri 8-5. Its the fact that i am riding in the dark by myself....

Take a break. If you have been on a racing program all year, now is the time to rest and re-charge.

Loss of daylight and SAD is a real thing, especially for fitness junkies. Get outside at lunch and go for a walk, get some sun on your face every day. On the weekends, take an easy ride or hike. Ski when the snow comes. By January you'll be ready to start putting in the hours again.

 

[Cprace1]

I know how you feel once I get out of work it is dark and getting colder it is kinda hard to get back on the bike I have taken the last few days off see if I just need a little break and I am going to get back going again this weekend.

 

[Adam-from-SLO]

One positive about going out in the cold, say under 50F degrees , is that the COLD seems to kill nasty things like bacteria, etc. Micro-living organizms(bacteria, viral strains-maybe ??) seem to have an increasingly difficult time surviving when conditions get colder ... as opposed to getting warmer 80+ degrees . Just something to consider.

Ohhhh, also a great time to work out that nasty-thick multi-colored flem in the mucus-membrains in the nose/throat ........ and chuck out some nasty stuff thats building up.

Cold makes it so you dont "over-heat" the muscles as easily with warmer weather.

Cold makes it so you take the time to warm up properly- and ease into a ride

Cold makes it so you can see your breath

Cold makes it so you can feel how fast your going by every passing second/MPH increase- decrease.

Cold helps hold in the tire pressure.

Cold makes your nipples rigid ..... the ones on your wheels

Cold is good. Dont be so 21st century..... industrialized "kick the heater on", hybernation sloth dwellers . This leads to the dark side of the force

 

[dterner1]

Persevere... also, get on that trainer and get your heartrate up there for a few hours a day. So it's boring compared to a ride? Sure.
Go find a winter ride. I'm in Denver and there are days when it's snowing, and other days when it's just thorn city, but I put on the toughies, and the slime tubes, and take two spare tubes with me, and patches, and I am off to the races..

Also, I'm sure you've heard of SAD (Seasonal Affective Disorder). Turn on the lights BRIGHT and keep yourself busy with activity, people, friends, and sound.

Dave

ok guys.. lately i have been fighting with my self to get outside and ride... it has been very windy.. rainy.. etc etc.


i try to ride 4-6 times a week.. but lately my minds been telling me it would be more enjoyable just lying on the couch!.. untill i get onto the bike.. and i wonder why i ever thought twice about going out..

my only concern is that the thought of not going out will outweigh my determination and that i will slow down on the riding untill the summer... does this happen to any of you and how do you set your mind straight??? its allways so fun when you get up and get out.. but its getting yourself to that point that i find hard... any suggestions?

 

[Traffic Jammer]

I ride everyday, through the winter sometimes to work in the dark and home in the dark and yes, the lack of sunlight does a motivation no good. As Adam put so well there are plenty of reasons to ride in the winter. You bike handling skills are sharp to the point of being superior in the spring after a winter of slipping and sliding around. I've also heard that full spectrum bulbs and the occasional tanning session can help with the effcts from lack of sunlight.

Sometimes it's an absolute blast to go out in in the most digusting of weather, all dressed, and slog through some real winter ****. Quite a work out too...
Get out the MTB, ride over plowed piles of snow, have some fun with it.
Enjoy the other half of the year as much as the warm half. As a bonus I rarely get sick to boot.

Anyone interested in ice racing in the Frozen Feburary of Canada?