Work stress impact on cycling performance

[The Ouzo]

I wasn’t going to ride tomorrow, but given today’s events I think I need to get out there and clear my head.

['Dale]

The more stressful my life is, the more regularly I spin over them cranks.

Not training, but moving meditation, moving medication. ????????‍♂️

Edited May 15, 2020 by 'Dale

[Patchelicious]

The more stressful my life is, the more regularly I spin over them cranks.

Not training, but moving meditation, moving medication. ????????‍♂️

You have the answer right there ????

[Pure Savage]

Sho, that explains why I been slow, working at KPMG for the past 8 years

[Danger Dassie]

Dale has the right idea, sometimes just leave the watts and what what, just pedal for the sake of riding and your immediate surroundings. 
It's a great coping mechanism.

Cycling is supposed to filter stress not add to it.

Edited May 15, 2020 by danger dassie

[Grease_Monkey]

Dale has the right idea, sometimes just leave the watts and what what, just pedal for the sake of riding and your immediate surroundings.

It's a great coping mechanism.

Cycling is supposed to filter stress not add to it.

Sometimes? Always...

[blondeonabike]

I find that when I ride and I'm comparing my strava times, counting mileage chasing qom and all that junk I put even more pressure on myself. For a while I have not raced and have not bothered with the structured intervals and all those things. To just get on a bike when and how I want to is wonderful. Humans are competitive things...we always compare ourselves to others and our past efforts.....so I've resisted the urge.....and not even bothered with strava for ages. A time will come when I set a race or event as a goal and I'll up my training then...but for now I'm just enjoying myself.

To all the crazy folks freezing their asses off at 6am on a bike...good luck...I'm in bed with a coffee playing clash of clans. I'll ride later when the world defrosts!

Edited May 16, 2020 by blondeonabike

[Vetseun]

I find that when I ride and I'm comparing my strava times, counting mileage chasing qom and all that junk I put even more pressure on myself. For a while I have not raced and have not bothered with the structured intervals and all those things. To just get on a bike when and how I want to is wonderful. Humans are competitive things...we always compare ourselves to others and our past efforts.....so I've resisted the urge.....and not even bothered with strava for ages. A time will come when I set a race or event as a goal and I'll up my training then...but for now I'm just enjoying myself.

To all the crazy folks freezing their asses off at 6am on a bike...good luck...I'm in bed with a coffee playing clash of clans. I'll ride later when the world defrosts!

Hi Blondie .

Same here hey.

I was and always was focussed on goals and performance. Had to do this or that and it was non negotiable.

Right now, I have made peace with the situation.

So what if I skip today.

Previously it would not be an option, robot mode, get up, get dressed and off you go.

Now it doesnt seem so important to me.

I woke up this morning, it was freezing cold, made coffee and climbed into my nest from last night on the couch. Thought what the hell, nobody will die if I dont ride today, quite frankly nobody gives a crap if I ride or not.

I think part of it is that I am focussed on long distance riding. To feel any sense of satisfaction at all I need to ride 100km plus. So these 40 and 50km rides in the permitted timeframe are just not doing it for me. I get home and feel that I am sooo ready to ride now, but I cant. That said, I am thankful that we can ride albeit for such a short time daily.

I think once all this crazyness is hopefully over.

Press the reset button.

Choose an event / goal and go for it.

[blondeonabike]

.

Edited May 16, 2020 by blondeonabike

[blondeonabike]

Exactly. Plus it is a huge responsibility being a pet owner. You cannot leave your poor pups all cold early in the morning with nobody to cuddle with on the couch. That would just be selfish

Edited May 16, 2020 by blondeonabike

[Frosty]

This video says it all... life moves in a full circle.

 

[The Ouzo]

something I've noticed since being back at work.

My resting HR (as in sitting on a chair in the middle of the day resting, not just woke up resting) now that I'm back at work is around 10bpm higher than it was during lockdown.

[Slowbee]

At the moment, stress levels are going up and up which means the time is less and less and there is no time for a bike. 

The parasympathetic system is on full gas and the adrenals are pumping mad. The grounding that is needed to balance the system is still some distance into the future.

[Patchelicious]

At the moment, stress levels are going up and up which means the time is less and less and there is no time for a bike. 

 

The parasympathetic system is on full gas and the adrenals are pumping mad. The grounding that is needed to balance the system is still some distance into the future.

Try and make 30mins time, it makes a difference.

 

Give me a shout if you need. 

[Butterbean]

Im gonna sound whiney but I've taken a break until 1 June. Start of the year I tried to kick my training off better than any year. Had some personal goals to achieve and was on track. Lockdown. No problem, I have a trainer. Trained regularly and all good. Level four came in, and I rode every morning for the first week. Work ramped up, mornings got dark, and I found myself losing sleep over the anxiety of waking up early enough to ride but get back in time for work. Asked work if I can start my day an hour later, our company policy does allow it, but boss denied it... Lost more sleep, and had more anxiety about missing out on working out.

 

So I've taken a break. 1 June was great news, because I can ride in the afternoon, once work is done, and it's a little warmer, normally... The relief I've felt just letting it go and getting the work done, played more computer games, built more stuff, and yesterday managed to upgrade my MTB unexpectedly, it's been so much better for me. Less stress, I walk the dogs, and enjoy my surroundings. Normally riding is a stress relief, but under these circumstances, it just became an unnecessary stressor.

 

Can't wait to ride whenever, where ever, for however long in a week!

[BigDL]

On a related note.

Anyone using a whoop band ?

 

I saw it on GCN, thought it was cool, but upon investigating it turns out rather pricey monthly subscription for someone of my cycling stature

I’ve been using one since June last year. Sort of blow hot and cold with it. Because time is quite tight, I can’t really adjust training to suit what whoop tells me, but I do like the data. I did write a bit of a shpiel on it in another thread a while ago. I keep meaning to sell my Apple Watch and a couple of other bits and pieces to buy a Garmin watch, but the whoop has grown on me and the Apple Watch functionality gets better all the time, so not sure when I will get around to it. I am paying €18 per month to whoop, reduced from €25 after I threatened to cancel, but will likely cancel when I go back to a full subscription fee in three months time.