Motivation to train

[Gravity]

as for motivation, spend a couple of moments on thinking of those who cannot live an active lifestyle.

think of the homeless, the sick, the deformed and the handicapped, and those who were able to choose to get up early for that ride, but now for whatever reason cannot.

There is an old homeless cripple that begs in the road near where i work.

That old man motivates me.

 

My post comes off as depressing but that is not my intention.

As a collective us cyclists are some of the luckiest people alive.

[Smartie]

 

 

Rule #6

// Free your mind and your legs will follow.

 

Your mind is your worst enemy. Do all your thinking before you start riding your bike. Once the pedals start to turn, wrap yourself in the sensations of the ride – the smell of the air, the sound of the tires, the feeling of flight as the bicycle rolls over the road.

 

Nail on head! So true. If your mind is not right, your legs won't be as well.

[djsam]

Always found it best to mix a bit of road work with MTB'ing for fun chilled rides nothing too crazy... just breaks it up a bit.

[Vanstone]

I found the quickest away to regain motivation is to take a week off. No riding, nothing but watching tv and sleeping in (if you can call getting up at 06:30 "sleeping in") and by the end of the week your wife will force you to start riding again

[arendoog]

Started doing races with Single speed .Whole new experience than on DS with gears .I have done some flat races but am aiming for more challenging events and stage events .I don,t do any training longer than 2h30 min on my own .1h on the SS is plenty .I am fortunate that i have lots of steep hills all around .Some days i only do hill repeats with easy gear ,hard gear ,standing and so on .You have to keep changing your program .Even started swimming again just to do some trianing with different muscles

[Guest DieBees]

For me the worst part is getting dressed. Once Im out of the house it is me in my happy zone.

 

So. Just get dressed and do it!

[Leon Besaans]

 

 

Rule #6

// Free your mind and your legs will follow.

 

Your mind is your worst enemy. Do all your thinking before you start riding your bike. Once the pedals start to turn, wrap yourself in the sensations of the ride – the smell of the air, the sound of the tires, the feeling of flight as the bicycle rolls over the road.

 

I like that, and dodge all the taxi's I suppose

 

Regards

[Mads]

mmmmm Lost it too.

[jcza]

Race more!

[Jaco-fiets]

as for motivation, spend a couple of moments on thinking of those who cannot live an active lifestyle.

think of the homeless, the sick, the deformed and the handicapped, and those who were able to choose to get up early for that ride, but now for whatever reason cannot.

There is an old homeless cripple that begs in the road near where i work.

That old man motivates me.

 

My post comes off as depressing but that is not my intention.

As a collective us cyclists are some of the luckiest people alive.

 

+10

[Leon Besaans]

Thanks for all the replies guys, appreciated.....

 

Took a week off, and was back on bike yesterday afternoon and this morning commuting to work and back. Felt great.

 

Sometimes a break just is the ticket.

 

Regards

[Denny Menchov]

Hello All,

 

I have hit a real down in my training.

 

How do you guys motivate yourselves to train. Make no mistake, I enjoy riding, but have really lost interest spending endless hours in the saddle, and spiniing you can have for free, I endure that only in the coldest months of the year.

 

Would love to hear your motivational stories.

 

Regards,

 

Leon

 

Teach someone close how to ride their bike.

 

Recently I had the opportunity to teach my mom how to ride her new bike:

• how to change with the new shifters,
  
• choosing optimum cadence,
  
• when to brake,
  
• how to check for cars,
  
• how to climb,
  
• when to get out the saddle, etc.
  

 

It was brilliant seeing her confidence build up.

Benefits to you?: it forces you to stop, have a drink, catch your breath, and realise that cycling is a sport you don't have to ride your nuts off every time you head out of the garage.

[alleyne]

I used to be the only one in my family as well as my partners family who used to ride, run and train. I had always aimed to to start triathlons but just never quite got there.

 

Now my partner is a avid mtb and runner, running and riding pretty close to my times. her parents are also mtbing 3 times a week. My sister is doing triathlons and looking into doing the half-ironman.

 

So my motivation is now stronger than ever. It is not necessarily that I want or need to be fitter or better but they all look to me for advice and training tips etc and I like being able to help them. Another added benefit is that I am now in charge of any problems that happen on four mtb and two road bikes which has forced me to increase my knowledge and repair skills.

[Sworks20]

I train every morning, 99% of the time alone. Motivation can be difficult, but it comes from within. I want to ride at my maximum potential and thus I train hard. However, I admit, some days are quite tough. A very good motivator is coaching. I pay for my coaching in advance and thus, if I do not train, I not only disappoint my coach (and myself), but I also loose money! So, I put my head down and train! Coaching can definitely help with motivation.

 

That makes a lot of sense. Can we ask who you use as a coach and are they motivating on the days or weeks you not motivated to get on the bike?

 

 

[Smartie]

 

 

That makes a lot of sense. Can we ask who you use as a coach and are they motivating on the days or weeks you not motivated to get on the bike?

 

John Wakefield @ S2S

 

Edit: Yes, they help with the motivation to train.

Edited November 21, 2013 by Smartie

[Sworks20]

Thank you, I follow all the coaches on twitter and decided I will be starting with them 1st December and looking forward to it. They look really passionate and their knowledge is also really up to date.