Re: How do you find time for N miles a day?

[lowkey]

<[email protected]> wrote in message
news:[email protected]...
>I work 6 days a week with a commute that means I don't get home until 6pm.
> How do you all find time for these "N miles a day" rides?

I realize it might not be practical but many incorporate commutes into
rides.

> Get up super
> early? Go out as soon as you get home? And where do you typically go out
> to cycle? I'm into cycling on roads and other paved surfaces if that
> makes
> a difference.

It's a matter of priorities. Excepting for workaholics people do have
leisure time. The choice - your choice - is how you choose to use it.

--
'I know you're walkin' down a lonely street
I know you can't get out of the heat
Baby it's alright
Don't have a wasted life.' -tom petty

 

[Maggie]

>
> It's a matter of priorities. Excepting for workaholics people do have
> leisure time. The choice - your choice - is how you choose to use it.
>

What about people who have families and their family members do not
ride bikes. Yes, it is a matter of priorities......and riding a
bicycle is not always the appropriate priority. People who do the
family rides and bike together, probably cannot understand why riding a
bike may be way down on the list of an individuals priorities.

If you have parents, a spouse, kids, grandkids and a full time
job......there actually may be choices to make that do not include
riding a bike. Choices and responsibilities. In a perfect world, we
may all be able to do whatever we want with our leisure time, but it's
not a perfect world.

The only people I know who ride whenever and wherever they want, are
single with no children. Or people who ride with the family. To me
that would be the perfect world The one where the family all rides
together. I love reading Clare's posts about family rides. But it's not
that way for everyone.

It was a beautiful weekend and I was only able to get 2 hours out of it
to bike. Unless I wanted to forget it was Fathers Day on Sunday and
leave all my company and go out on my bike.....or take off when my
Sister in law was visiting on Saturday.

Not all of us can put riding a bike as a top priority during leisure
time.

Maggie

 

[Neil Brooks]

"Maggie" <[email protected]> wrote:

>
>
>
>>
>> It's a matter of priorities. Excepting for workaholics people do have
>> leisure time. The choice - your choice - is how you choose to use it.
>>
>
>What about people who have families and their family members do not
>ride bikes. Yes, it is a matter of priorities......and riding a
>bicycle is not always the appropriate priority. People who do the
>family rides and bike together, probably cannot understand why riding a
> bike may be way down on the list of an individuals priorities.
>
>If you have parents, a spouse, kids, grandkids and a full time
>job......there actually may be choices to make that do not include
>riding a bike. Choices and responsibilities. In a perfect world, we
>may all be able to do whatever we want with our leisure time, but it's
>not a perfect world.
>
>The only people I know who ride whenever and wherever they want, are
>single with no children. Or people who ride with the family. To me
>that would be the perfect world The one where the family all rides
>together. I love reading Clare's posts about family rides. But it's not
>that way for everyone.
>
>It was a beautiful weekend and I was only able to get 2 hours out of it
>to bike. Unless I wanted to forget it was Fathers Day on Sunday and
>leave all my company and go out on my bike.....or take off when my
>Sister in law was visiting on Saturday.
>
>Not all of us can put riding a bike as a top priority during leisure
>time.
>
>Maggie

I don't see what you said as contradictory to Lowkey's post at all.

It sounds to me as though you chose to ride two hours over the
weekend, and likely /could/ have chosen to ride ten nearly as easily,
no?

Sis comes at 11, instead of at 9. Father's Day is a dinner instead of
a lunch, etc., etc., etc.

/I think/ that was Lowkey's point, and--to the question originally
posed in this thread--/that's/ how most of us do it.

 

[SlowRider]

I usually fit rides in 4-5 days per week. Weekday evening rides are in
the 1.5-2 hour range; weekend rides are in the 2-3 hour range.

Weekdays I usually leave the house as soon as I get home from work and
then ride from about 5:30-7PM. Weekends depend on our schedule (and
weather), but often I'll head out at 6AM and get home in time for
breakfast with my wife around 9AM. Or I'll run errands with her until
about 10AM, head out for a ride and arrive back for lunch around 1PM.
If the weather's crappy or I don't feel like going outside, I'll pop in
a video and ride my trainer for an hour or two.

I think if you're passionate about something, you work it into your
schedule. I'm sure kids complicate things, but from what I've
observed, people either take their kids with them (on separate bikes,
on tandems or in trailers) or parents switch off: one watches the house
while the other is off cycling.


-JR

 

[gds]

lowkey wrote:
> It's a matter of priorities. Excepting for workaholics people do have
> leisure time. The choice - your choice - is how you choose to use it.
>

That's it a nutshell! I have worked 50-60 hours a week (so most owuld
classify me as a workaholic), had time for family, and still had time
for sports my whole life. But it means you can't do some other
things-like watch TV or read as much as you might like.

I've heard frm others that thye simply don't have the time to train and
it has always come back to priorities.

 

[Roger Zoul]

Maggie <[email protected]> wrote:
:> > It's a matter of priorities. Excepting for workaholics people do
:> > have leisure time. The choice - your choice - is how you choose to
:> > use it.
:> >
:>
:> What about people who have families and their family members do not
:> ride bikes. Yes, it is a matter of priorities......and riding a
:> bicycle is not always the appropriate priority. People who do the
:> family rides and bike together, probably cannot understand why
:> riding a bike may be way down on the list of an individuals
:> priorities.
:>
:> If you have parents, a spouse, kids, grandkids and a full time
:> job......there actually may be choices to make that do not include
:> riding a bike. Choices and responsibilities. In a perfect world, we
:> may all be able to do whatever we want with our leisure time, but
:> it's not a perfect world.
:>
:> The only people I know who ride whenever and wherever they want, are
:> single with no children. Or people who ride with the family. To me
:> that would be the perfect world The one where the family all rides
:> together. I love reading Clare's posts about family rides. But it's
:> not that way for everyone.
:>
:> It was a beautiful weekend and I was only able to get 2 hours out of
:> it to bike. Unless I wanted to forget it was Fathers Day on Sunday
:> and leave all my company and go out on my bike.....or take off when
:> my Sister in law was visiting on Saturday.

tish, tosh...get out there at 6am when every one else is sleepying. Get
home by the time they get up.

:>
:> Not all of us can put riding a bike as a top priority during leisure
:> time.

yeah....priorities.

 

[jj]

On Mon, 20 Jun 2005 11:43:27 -0400, "Roger Zoul" <[email protected]>
wrote:

>tish, tosh...get out there at 6am when every one else is sleepying. Get
>home by the time they get up.
>
>:>
>:> Not all of us can put riding a bike as a top priority during leisure
>:> time.
>
>yeah....priorities.

Yeah, (looking for a line from the show) I'm thinking of switching to
tennis, Rog:

http://celebrities.330.ca/sarah024.jpg

jj
(slow news day)

 

[Maggie]

Neil Brooks wrote:
>
> It sounds to me as though you chose to ride two hours over the
> weekend, and likely /could/ have chosen to ride ten nearly as easily,
> no?
>
> Sis comes at 11, instead of at 9. Father's Day is a dinner instead of
> a lunch, etc., etc., etc.
>

Does life revolve around me? The husbands' Sis drives 6 hours to get
to my house. Do I tell her when to get here or work around what she can
do?

Maybe if I am passionate about cycling, I am supposed to bike whenever
I want......but my life isn't all about me. It hasn't been all about
me for decades. I am happy my toddlers have grown up so I can pee by
myself.

Someday, hopefully, I can retire. Someday, I may have different
priorites. Who the heck knows.

No, Personally, I could not have chosen to ride 10 hours this past
weekend with all the people at my home. It would have been rude to just
leave. My sister in law stays over, and Fathers Day was a mad house.
No, I could not choose to ride 10 hours. It would not be in my nature
to put the family behind my riding a bike.

Even if I want it to be, the whole world doesn't revolve around me and
what I want. It took me a long time to learn that. I know people who
think the world revolves around them and they can do basically what
they please. Most of them are single. ;-) I'll ride tonight after
work. That will be my choice because the relatives are gone. My
priority was the family this past weekend, and the family isn't into
bike riding.

Maggie - Last on the food chain

 

[Neil Brooks]

"Maggie" <[email protected]> wrote:

>
>
>Neil Brooks wrote:
>>
>> It sounds to me as though you chose to ride two hours over the
>> weekend, and likely /could/ have chosen to ride ten nearly as easily,
>> no?
>>
>> Sis comes at 11, instead of at 9. Father's Day is a dinner instead of
>> a lunch, etc., etc., etc.
>>
>
>Does life revolve around me? The husbands' Sis drives 6 hours to get
>to my house. Do I tell her when to get here or work around what she can
>do?

Short answer: yeah . . . absolutely.

The point that many people are making is that--kids or no kids, family
obligations or no family obligations--many/most of us are faced with
/similar/ issues (choices). The trick is making the choices that
reflect your priorities.

I mean no offense when I say: cycling is just not your priority.

>Maybe if I am passionate about cycling, I am supposed to bike whenever
>I want......but my life isn't all about me. It hasn't been all about
>me for decades. I am happy my toddlers have grown up so I can pee by
>myself.
>
>Someday, hopefully, I can retire. Someday, I may have different
>priorites. Who the heck knows.

That's all well and good, Maggie, and I'm not here to sell you
/anything/, but I'm fairly certain that there are parents out there
juggling the same issues that you're raising, and riding N miles/week
nonetheless.

>No, Personally, I could not have chosen to ride 10 hours this past
>weekend with all the people at my home. It would have been rude to just
>leave. My sister in law stays over, and Fathers Day was a mad house.
>No, I could not choose to ride 10 hours. It would not be in my nature
>to put the family behind my riding a bike.

Sigh. And there it all is: the excuse parade. If cycling were as
important to you as it likely is to many of us, the weekend would have
been /planned/ differently to accommodate your needs, *too*.

Notice I said "too?" The assumption you seem to make is, "If I
prioritize riding, everybody else gets screwed." I doubt it, but . .
.. as always . . . YMMV. I'm not here to sell you anything.

>Even if I want it to be, the whole world doesn't revolve around me and
>what I want. It took me a long time to learn that. I know people who
>think the world revolves around them and they can do basically what
>they please. Most of them are single. ;-)

That's somewhere between arrogance and martyrdom IMHO. It's called
"zero-sum" thinking. IOW: For me to win, you have to lose.

There are lots and lots and lots and lots of ways for all to get their
needs met in this sort of situation. If it were your priority, I'm
sure you'd find one . . . but, again, I'm not here to sell you
anything.

>I'll ride tonight after
>work. That will be my choice because the relatives are gone. My
>priority was the family this past weekend, and the family isn't into
>bike riding.

Nice!

>Maggie - Last on the food chain

Only if you put yourself there....

 

[[email protected]]

[snip]

> Not all of us can put riding a bike as a top priority during leisure
> time.

I find that riding the bike actually saves me time. I have a 12 mile
commute to work, that typically takes 20-30 minutes by car (and very
rarely much more than that due to bad traffic). On the other hand,
riding to work takes 45 minutes, and so, I figure I get a 45 minute
workout for a net expense of 15-25 minutes, and that is a bargain! I
try to ride to work at least 3 days a week, when the weather is good
(which is most of the year here in the Silicon Valley). In bad weather,
I take the bus and train to work, which takes a lot more time and
planning (about 70 minutes door-to-door), but this is useful time, when
I can work on my laptop, or read the newspaper. Driving, on the other
hand, is just dead time.

On weekends, I make it a point to get up early for longer rides, and
can manage 40-60 mile rides without really disrupting the family's
weekend schedule. As long as I keep the family's needs a priority, I
have the flexibility to make time for riding, and also have no problem
getting permission for the occasional all-day rides as well (about once
a month). I don't ride nearly as much as many people on this list, but
I think 5000 miles this year is probably reachable. At an average of
about 14 mph (weekend rides are hilly, and I am slooow on hills), that
works out to around 350 hours on that bike - just about an hour a day.

Atri

 

[Rich]

Maggie wrote:

> What about people who have families and their family members do not
> ride bikes.

Convert them.

We got a tandem last year so my wife and I could ride together (it was
cheap by the standards of this group). We can now bike and talk about
the day at the same time.

And now it's her that suggests riding, and she's currently in the best
shape of her life. We got a trailer to pull our kid. The bike's been
great for our health and relationship.

And surprisingly enough the kid (he's two) loves it too. We can be out
for 2 hours and upon pulling into the garage he almost always says "more
bike ride". He's obviously not pedaling....

Rich

 

[Tom Keats]

In article <[email protected]>,
"Maggie" <[email protected]> writes:

> Maybe if I am passionate about cycling, I am supposed to bike whenever
> I want...

No, if you're passionate about cycling, you'll do it
whenever you /can/. Which seems to be pretty much
what you're doing now. I'm certainly not criticising ya.
Making riding a duty seems like a real fun-killer.
Just do what you can whenever you feel like, and get
the most you can out of it.


cheers,
Tom

--
-- Nothing is safe from me.
Above address is just a spam midden.
I'm really at: tkeats [curlicue] vcn [point] bc [point] ca

 

[Roger Zoul]

jj <[email protected]> wrote:
:> On Mon, 20 Jun 2005 11:43:27 -0400, "Roger Zoul"
:> <[email protected]> wrote:
:>
:> >tish, tosh...get out there at 6am when every one else is sleepying.
:> >Get home by the time they get up.
:> >
:> >:>
:> >:> Not all of us can put riding a bike as a top priority during
:> >:> leisure time.
:> >
:> >yeah....priorities.
:>
:> Yeah, (looking for a line from the show) I'm thinking of switching to
:> tennis, Rog:
:>
:> http://celebrities.330.ca/sarah024.jpg
:>

Oh, yeah!

 

[Roger Zoul]

Rich <[email protected]> wrote:
>
:> And surprisingly enough the kid (he's two) loves it too. We can be
:> out for 2 hours and upon pulling into the garage he almost always
:> says "more bike ride". He's obviously not pedaling....

 

[Maggie]

Tom Keats wrote:
> In article <[email protected]>,
> "Maggie" <[email protected]> writes:
>
> > Maybe if I am passionate about cycling, I am supposed to bike whenever
> > I want...
>
> No, if you're passionate about cycling, you'll do it
> whenever you /can/.


Thank you, I do ride when I can. I will never put riding my bicycle
ahead of some things in my life. Riding my bike is something I do for
fun. I am not training for a marathon ride or trying to prove something
to myself. I discovered a while back that it is just a fun way to get
some exercise.

Maybe sometimes, I feel as if I should be more "into" riding. But I
bike, it makes me happy, I do it when I can and I feel it's the way I
want to ride. No schedules, no goals, just some fun. I feel like a
kid again when I am on the bike. It feels free and childlike to me.
That is a difficult feeling to get back sometimes. It's precious.

If I started charting my progress, or training for something, I don't
think I would enjoy it as much. That's just me. I know most of you
really get into the whole biking mentality. But I need riding to be fun
and I need to do it when I want to do it.

I want to ride tonight. I have nothing else to do, and no one will be
home. Isn't enjoyment why most people ride a bike? And enjoyment
is different for everyone.

Maggie..looking forward to riding tonight.

 

[Tom Keats]

In article <[email protected]>,
"Maggie" <[email protected]> writes:

> Maybe sometimes, I feel as if I should be more "into" riding. But I

You've got nothing to feel guilty about, regarding riding.

Chance are you will become more "into" riding.
That'll just come naturally. You don't have to force it.


cheers,
Tom

--
-- Nothing is safe from me.
Above address is just a spam midden.
I'm really at: tkeats [curlicue] vcn [point] bc [point] ca

 

[Colorado Bicycler]

I think you also have to factor in:

"What are the benefits to me of bicycling?"

If those include reduced tension, reduced blood pressure, fitness and a
host of other things, then bicycling becomes as important as taking the
blood pressure medication or whatever.

If bicycling is seen as purely something else to be done in the milieu
of life, then it goes way down on the priority list.

FWIW, my wife and I NEVER miss a daily exercise of some sort,
bicycling, walking, sationary bike at the gym. That exercise (i.e.,
bicycling) is WAY up on our priority list - actually at the top.

 

[Maggie]

Colorado Bicycler wrote:
> FWIW, my wife and I NEVER miss a daily exercise of some sort,
> bicycling, walking, sationary bike at the gym. That exercise (i.e.,
> bicycling) is WAY up on our priority list - actually at the top.

Exercise is a top priority, I exercise everyday. I just do not take
the bicycle out everyday. I have a gym in my basement, so if I can't
take the bike out for an enjoyable ride, ot go for a walk, or get to
the gym where I have a membership.........I just do 20 minutes of
exercise in the basement. Treadmill, stationary bike, gazelle, free
weights....whatever. No matter what the day holds, I can always get
downstairs to do 20 minutes of something. I don't even have to get
dressed appropriately....I just go downstairs. I wish this freaking
work day would end so I can go bike riding. I have one more hour and
its going so slow.

Maggie

 

[wafflycat]

"Maggie" <[email protected]> wrote in message
news:[email protected]...
>
> What about people who have families and their family members do not
> ride bikes. Yes, it is a matter of priorities......and riding a
> bicycle is not always the appropriate priority. People who do the
> family rides and bike together, probably cannot understand why riding a
> bike may be way down on the list of an individuals priorities.
>

I do most of my rides alone. Yes, my husband & son cycle too, but our
schedules mean that the vast bulk of our cycling is *not* done as a family.
It certainly is a matter of priorities, and sadly, too many view the car as
a priority.

Cheers, helen s

 

[gds]

Priorities have no ultimate truth. They are what is important ot you at
the time. For me, I love exercize and playing sports. I always have. 30
years ago I was very proud that I went almost 2.5 years without missing
a day of training. It was important to me (then).
Now I still love to play and train to play harder. But I also relish
rest days. I also relish eating ice cream.
So, if your priority is getting at least 20 minutes of exercize
(almost) every day, and that is what works for you-- that's great.