Advice on training/motivation slump

[betaboy]

The TDF is coming up…. Spend time watching others fall off their bikes, for now just do small intervals, TT to the fridge and back for a cool one and practise some VO2 max with a willing partner. No seriously, get some rest and your body will let you know it’s time to head out again. We all been there and we all have our various experiences but it’s a journey. Best of luck.✅😅

[Kom]

1 hour ago, Robbie Stewart said:

You just motivated me to cut the arvie short and go for a ride. 

Ta.

enjoy the trails - what a day to be out!

[Martin PJ]

I take 2 weeks off twice a year. Have been cycling for a long time. First started in 1985. To keep going in this sport you need to try new things, new ways of training, racing. Anything different. If you haven't tried something and somebody suggests it, then try it.

[Jensie]

1 hour ago, betaboy said:

The TDF is coming up…. Spend time watching others fall off their bikes, for now just do small intervals, TT to the fridge and back for a cool one and practise some VO2 max with a willing partner. No seriously, get some rest and your body will let you know it’s time to head out again. We all been there and we all have our various experiences but it’s a journey. Best of luck.✅😅

Yes for some reason the TdF does get me excited to ride my bike. Cant wait for Pogi,Roglic dual

[JayLow]

OP, how have you been doing @sias?

[sias]

13 hours ago, JayLow said:

OP, how have you been doing @sias?

Just got going after the taxi hit me in March, then got a bad case of flu and been off the bike for three weeks. So ja, not the best, but I'll get going again next week.

[The Ouzo]

On 6/13/2024 at 8:57 AM, Jensie said:

Is it just me but with this winter weather there is no motivation/urgency to ride/train????

The cold and the darkness makes it very easy to decide to just roll over and sleep a little longer.

For me, I've got an ambitious goal set for the year, it means I need to train right through winter to keep the consistency up, or it will become a big task come warmer weather, to try and catch up.

Even the week I spent off the bike with flu a week ago, had left me with a little catchup.

 

Ontop of the goal, having a group that rides every morning bar mondays helps to know you are sharing the suffering

[Frosty]

some Friday inspiration... 🤔

[Robbie Stewart]

16 minutes ago, The Ouzo said:

For me, I've got an ambitious goal set for the year, it means I need to train right through winter to keep the consistency up, or it will become a big task come warmer weather, to try and catch up.

Even the week I spent off the bike with flu a week ago, had left me with a little catchup.

I am also chasing a lofty goal for the year, and at one stage I was more than a month's worth of riding ahead of the daily target. Then I got yeeted off the front of my bicycle into a hole I didn't see after landing a jump. That caused some minor unhappiness on my lower back after doing a full cartwheel and landing flat on my back. I have been mostly off the bike due to that for the last nearly 3 weeks since that fall, and I have only been riding again really since last Saturday, but still feeling the ribcage being unhappy with me.

Lucky for me that off-time coincided with a rather large cold front that dumped half the Atlantic ocean on Cape Town and caused some flooding further east.

It's time to stretch that lead back again, so the early mornings start in earnest again now.

 

[The Ouzo]

9 minutes ago, Robbie Stewart said:

I am also chasing a lofty goal for the year, and at one stage I was more than a month's worth of riding ahead of the daily target. Then I got yeeted off the front of my bicycle into a hole I didn't see after landing a jump. That caused some minor unhappiness on my lower back after doing a full cartwheel and landing flat on my back. I have been mostly off the bike due to that for the last nearly 3 weeks since that fall, and I have only been riding again really since last Saturday, but still feeling the ribcage being unhappy with me.

Lucky for me that off-time coincided with a rather large cold front that dumped half the Atlantic ocean on Cape Town and caused some flooding further east.

It's time to stretch that lead back again, so the early mornings start in earnest again now.

 

I used to get very upset and irritable if I fell behind on the goal for the year, but over the last 2 or 3 years I've come to realise its not the end of the world, its my goal and not someone elses. This does lead to the occasional laziness to get on the bike, but I try and keep that to real reasons rather than just laziness though.

[The Ouzo]

32 minutes ago, Frosty said:

some Friday inspiration... 🤔

"The fight is won or lost far away from the witnesses, behind the lines, in the gym and out there on the road, long before I dance under those lights." Mohammed Ali

[ChrisF]

2 minutes ago, The Ouzo said:

I used to get very upset and irritable if I fell behind on the goal for the year, but over the last 2 or 3 years I've come to realise its not the end of the world, its my goal and not someone elses. This does lead to the occasional laziness to get on the bike, but I try and keep that to real reasons rather than just laziness though.

 

One needs to be both disciplined AND realistic in the goals .... without "loosing the plot" when the goal is missed for some or other reason.

 

Life happens, and you fall behind .... write that off, and get on with the bigger picture.

[Robbie Stewart]

I track my progress on Elevate. It helps to see where you are in relation to the same time in prior years.

As can be seen in this graph, one crash and some rain and the steady gains plateau pretty quick.

[The Ouzo]

2 minutes ago, Robbie Stewart said:

I track my progress on Elevate. It helps to see where you are in relation to the same time in prior years.

As can be seen in this graph, one crash and some rain and the steady gains plateau pretty quick.

yeah me too

and since I found out that I can live link an excel spreadsheet to intervals.icu I also have a tracker running on there. More just to satisfy my tinkering spirit though.

 

[Bike Dewing]

Think it’s happening to all of us.. I’m just trying to go no longer than three days without a ride.. even if it’s just a quick 20km.. take time if you need it and don’t be so hard on yourselves.. the end of the day it might be your body needing a little break.. or your mind🤷🏼‍♂️..

Just chill, you’ll get back on the bike when you ready..

[Jewbacca]

You guys are serious!

I have a small ride in November and have no idea where I am re tracking/fitness.

I find if I exercise 4 or 5 times a week, be it running, riding, surfing, trainer, stretching/yoga, golf etc I am fine to turn things over.

Consistency is key and being less focussed and more open to change/variety/rest also keeps me going. I find being too structured/chasing goals sometimes kills my motivation and/or keenness

I see exercise like I see parenting. A little bit of good stuff every day is better than grand gestures and inconsistency.

Years of 'lifestyle' exercise is tweekable and trainable, but if you're not exciting the ticker and keeping the blood flowing most days you're always playing a 'training for' game instead of a 'this is life' type thing.

I'm not saying this will get you into racing groups, that takes tweeking and training, but a very wise Kenyan runner once said, 'you have to run for years before you can train to race'