Trying to get back on the bike...

[milkbone]

I've had to take, oh, almost the past year off...mostly medical reasons. Gained about 10 lbs or so in the process.

Any hints to get motivated and get back. I'm frustrated - I know where I once was, and I am so far away from that now lol.

Thanks!:D

[Owlie]

I wish I could help. Has your motivation run off with mine?

Take a short, no-pressure ride. Don't try to accomplish anything. Just ride.

[smilingcat]

It's okay to think of where you were last year. If anything just make a mental image of where you want to be. Just remember that you will get there and it isn't going to happen overnight. Go ride a shorter distance and work your way back up like the first time you started to ride. Unlike the first time, you will "improve" much faster. Each week lengthen your ride and or your speed.

Try not to think in terms of dread but rather think in terms of I'm getting closer to where I used to be. And enjoy your ride instead of I have to work out to get there.

keep a positive outlook to your ride ;)

[Pedal Wench]

leave the bike computer at home

[MomOnBike]

Take the bike out for a no-pressure ride to, say, lunch with friends. A non-bike goal and companionship is a great way to ease back into things.

[ClockworkOrange]

Hi milkbone

What a lot of sensible and thoughtful answers. :)

Fully empathise with you, am in a similar situation and because I cannot ride until the end of next month, I have just bought a cheapy exercise bike, maybe you could start of with one of those?

When you do go out, just enjoy and let us know how you get on.

Clock

[milkbone]

Yes I love that suggestion! Thank you! I am so addicted to my computer when I ride..thank you for all the suggestions, going to head out on my next day off (Wed) and let you know how it goes.

Going to try to get my mojo back by remembering why I love cycling in the first place. No computers, no distance, no set speed.

Thank you again for the encouragement.

:D

[DarcyInOregon]

Milkbone, I don't get why you would want to leave your bike computer off the bike if you are recovering from an illness. You need to track your improvement, and your first day back on will show you how much fitness you lost, and then you can watch the improvement over the weeks. It doesn't matter that you lost fitness because it is to be expected.

Last November I was knocked sideways off my bike by a side gust, was unconscious for 90 minutes, and spent the weekend in the trauma center with a fractured rib cage, a punctured deflated lung, and a severe concussion. On January 1 I was back on my bike. Sure the computer numbers were quirky, but then I was laboring with a right lung that wasn't totally healed and hurt with the mending bones. It was pure delight to watch my progress via the bike data and in only two months I was able to go up a 13% grade with my lung inflating and oxygenating my blood normally. It is FUN to regain fitness, not some big nasty chore.

This forum has a lot of negativity regarding bike computers, but it doesn't mean the advice has to make any sense for you. It makes sense for others for whatever reasons, but gosh, if you are recovering from a medical condition, the bike computer is a plus, not a negative. If you want to watch your physical improvement, and to know exactly how bad it is on the first day, then use the bike computer. Using a bike computer doesn't mean you don't ride. It merely provides the data to show how you are doing on any given ride, and you can track the data over time if you desire, or not if you don't desire.

[Pedal Wench]

Milkbone, I don't get why you would want to leave your bike computer off the bike if you are recovering from an illness.
<<>>
This forum has a lot of negativity regarding bike computers, <<>>

Don't get me wrong - I typically don't leave home without my 705, and been known to double-up with that and a Cateye double-wireless to make sure I've got everything covered.

BUT... if someone is unmotivated and discouraged about where they are, going out the first few times, without a blatant reminder of how far back they might have fallen, is a great way to just get back on the bike. Tracking fitness comes later, once you're back in love with the joy of just being on the bike.

[marni]

been there done that several times and will probably repeat myself.

Speaking just for myself. Each time I start up aagain after a pause whether for injury or just for life, I leave my computer at home- I don't need to be riminded of where I am vs where I was, I just want to fall back in love with the whole experience first and remember why it is I ride, and train and track statistics. I wait until I find myself counting pedal strokees between points and working out rough distances before I put the computer back on the bike. I also leave my watch at home because I want to learn to listen to my body and not worry about when I have to get back or what I have to do when I get there.

Either way, I hope the joy returns soon.

marni

[DarcyInOregon]

BUT... if someone is unmotivated and discouraged about where they are, going out the first few times, without a blatant reminder of how far back they might have fallen, is a great way to just get back on the bike. Tracking fitness comes later, once you're back in love with the joy of just being on the bike.

The reason I disagree is because I went through it, the injuries and regaining the fitness. It is like someone is trying to lose weight, fell off the wagon, and the advice is to say, hey stop keeping a food diary. It makes no sense. Regaining the fitness is a time of joy. The bike computer is just a tool to track data like the food diary. The cyclist doesn't have to look at it. But the data is extremely helpful. Telling someone not to use the computer is like saying, hey something is really wrong with you, your data will be bad, and that is going to make you feel terrible. Now why should it? It is merely data, and shows how the first ride back on the saddle went. The fitness level decreased due to illness, therefore the data will be different, so why should that be a terrible thing that makes a person feel bad? And the first ride is awesome. So what if the speed is slow and the distance is low or the cadence is out of whack. Regaining the fitness brings back all of the joy of that first year on the bike, except now the cyclist has the knowledge and wisdom of experience. It is an exciting time, having a bike ride that is only 8-10 miles instead of 50 miles, and experiencing the joy of that first ride again, even if the average speed is only 10 mph. Regaining the fitness isn't a bad thing; it is awesome and exhilerating and incredibly fun. Take the bike computer, just like you record to the food diary, and then use the data or don't use it, but don't leave the bike computer at home. Getting back on the bike and regaining the fitness is a matter of the heart and has nothing to do with a tool that records the data of the ride.

[Crankin]

Marni, I am totally in agreement with you. It's not negativity; when I have been trying to "regain" fitness, I don't need the computer to tell me that I suck. I also don't need it to know when I am moving in the direction I want to go. While I have never taken the computer off, i simply don't look at my average when I am done, or I keep it on clock, so I don't see my rolling speed. I only look at total miles completed.
Three years ago i lost a huge amount of fitness/speed when i was sick. Every time I saw my average the next season, it was painful for me to accept. I still rode my usual number of miles, but it made me want to quit. Last year i changed my way of looking at it. Instead of trying to improve, I just rode. I did lots of farm stand and errand rides on my hybrid, about 300+ miles of my total. I really got into the winter sports I do. When this season started, I felt I got my mojo back. My speed still isn't quite what it was, but I really don't care anymore. I can still climb like I used to, I weigh the same as I did when I was 16 and I feel fit, and I enjoy riding, so I am happy.

[hirakukibou]

Milkbone,
I can really relate to losing motivation and mojo. I find that when that happens, I have to find the joy in riding again. How to do that is a personal journey, I believe. Personally. when I am trying to get back my joy I disregard the speed and the distance and focus on going some place beautiful, often with a friend or riding buddy. My goal becomes "to have fun." Hope you find your way back to the joy soon.

[jessmarimba]

I don't even wear a watch when I'm recovering from something mental or physical (running/biking). It's good to learn to listen to your body and I find that really difficult if I have any source of "numbers" around me, whether I'm trying to use them or not.

Good luck - you'll be back where you were, and I hope you find the fun in it while you get there!

[sundial]

I've had to take, oh, almost the past year off...mostly medical reasons.

Hi Milkbone, it's good to hear you are wanting to get back in the saddle. :)

A few tricks that helped me get motivated to ride was to find a bike that makes me want to enjoy a slower pace.....putting my Garmin in my back pocket.....discovering the joys of back country roads....planning a route that includes a little diner....calling a friend who likes slow rides. Hope you are feeling better by the day and that you'll soon enjoy those long leisurely rides. :)

[Pedal Wench]

It is like someone is trying to lose weight, fell off the wagon, and the advice is to say, hey stop keeping a food diary. It makes no sense. <<<>>>Take the bike computer, just like you record to the food diary, and then use the data or don't use it, but don't leave the bike computer at home. Getting back on the bike and regaining the fitness is a matter of the heart and has nothing to do with a tool that records the data of the ride.

Not what I was really saying...

It's more like staying off the scale. If you've gained weight, and you're feeling bad about it, you don't need the numbers on the scale to know that, yup, you've gained weight. For many people, that's even more of an impetus to give up entirely. I was thinking that she doesn't need the bike computer (and I'm pretty sure I said for the first ride or two...) to tell her, yup, you're slow.

If you're dieting and fall off the wagon, I would imagine it's best to wait until you've got your eating back under control and have the scale moving in the right direction. A food diary is a tool to do that. I equate the bike computer more to a scale than a diary. Most people know about how far they've ridden, but don't need the slap-in-the-face that a slow average speed can be to someone just getting their mojo back.

Go and ride just for fun, and then when you're ready to get serious about it, start looking at numbers again. What could be most wonderful is if your numbers aren't as bad as you think they are!

[DarcyInOregon]

I am the kind of person who doesn’t go through life fearing the possibility or potential of getting bad information that will lower my spirits. It is best to lead life in a way that you confront fears. The easiest path through life may not be the best path through life. If I were to give in to my fears, my life would be nothing but “might-ofs” and “what-ifs” and I would never know what could have been.

I went back through my training log. It was January 2 I got back on my bike, not January 1. Because I had the bike computer, I kept up with the training log. I was expecting to do maybe 6 miles that day and maybe have an average speed of around 10-11 mph. Nope, with a healing lung that labored with each breath and healing broken ribs, I biked 23.11 miles (no hills) with an average speed of 13.52 and an average heart rate of 143 and an average cadence of 76. Maybe these numbers are poor for a racing professional, but I am 56-years-old, will never race, and I was delighted with my ride and my joy in the ride was high.

Because I faced my fears, I was able to keep up the training log. And yes, I was scared to get back on the bike. But on the scale of what is really scary in life, tragedy and extreme sorrow is at the top, and getting back on the bike is just getting back on the bike and way down on the ladder of scary things that can happen to you.

I refuse to let fears rule my life. Nothing is ever as bad as it seems and as I just showed, can be much better than expected.

[ShubieGA]

Hey Milkbone, I am in the same boat. I have been off for a year due to medical as well. Just getting started again. I have been taking short rides with no computer on my hybrid. But am looking forward to getting on my road bike (Pearl) again. I just signed up for a shorter ride (20 miles) on Tour de Pink to give me a goal. Baby steps!!!:cool:

[Crankin]

Most of us on this forum don't race, although it's great to hear from those who do. I certainly don't aspire to that and never will. I enjoyed being around racers/showing my support for my son and exchange student, but since I didn't start this until I was in my late forties, it never even was on the table as something I was interested in.
I think all of the comments stating don't look at your computer, take a slow ride, find the joy, reflect a need that most of this have to make this fun. When I had to slow down, I did, but it still pissed me off. I don't need the "bad information" to tell me what I already know... and this is exactly what the others here have expressed: forget about all of the numbers stuff and enjoy. Like when you were a kid. I am not afraid of "poor numbers," I just don't want it rubbed in my face. It helped me to think about my friends who couldn't do even one eighth of what i could do, even when I was struggling. For people who hang around cyclists all of the time, one's perspective can get a little, ah, out of whack. I know i have been guilty of this. It's why I continue to ride with my friends who are slower than me and will never be as fast.
Motivation is a very tricky thing, especially for people making lifestyle changes. What works for one doesn't always work for another. Training logs and technology increased my negativity and anxiety over cycling. Just one more thing to do, like work. Quitting Bike Journal was the best thing I ever did. In fact, I started improving after I stopped logging my miles there.

[sarahkonamojo]

Welcome back to your bike. It has missed you.

My experience is that I have been struggling with fitness for a couple of years. I keep plugging at it and do what feels right at the time (bike, swim, or run.) And I love keeping track of my outtings.

however, my forerunner recently died. I have been computer free. It has been quite liberating. I might stay that way for a couple of months. (See what Santa brings.) I mostly try to work on spinning up hills which isn't too fast anyway. Then I just enjoy the ride back down. Making sure I get out is what I keep track of now, data be gone. For now.

Sarah

[OakLeaf]

Welcome back milkbone. Sorry to hear that things have been rough for you, but glad that life seems to be looking up.

+1 on not worrying about the numbers - including worrying about whether you are ever going to "improve" from where you are now. "Improvement" can take a lot of forms, and not all of them can be measured with gadgets. And even if you can get past beating yourself up (which I sure hope you do), why turn cycling into a chore that you have to do just so you can see a "better" number on your computer?

Ride for the joy of it. Ride for the feel of the wind on your skin, the smell of the air, the sound of your tires.

[buffybike]

When I'm feeling my motivation slip I change the way I think about the ride. Instead of thinking, "I should ride", I think, "I'm going to do something nice for myself and go for a ride." The experience then feels like a gift to myself rather than a chore.

[redrhodie]

"Improvement" can take a lot of forms, and not all of them can be measured with gadgets. And even if you can get past beating yourself up (which I sure hope you do), why turn cycling into a chore that you have to do just so you can see a "better" number on your computer?

Ride for the joy of it. Ride for the feel of the wind on your skin, the smell of the air, the sound of your tires.

I want to have that engraved on a headset cap so I can read it every time I ride. Thanks, Oakleaf.

[jessmarimba]

Ride for the joy of it. Ride for the feel of the wind on your skin, the smell of the air, the sound of your tires.

I wish that was short enough to fit on a Road ID

[Pedal Wench]

Ride for the joy of it. Ride for the feel of the wind on your skin, the smell of the air, the sound of your tires.

THAT is what I was trying to say all along! :)

[Bike Chick]

Ride for the joy of it. Ride for the feel of the wind on your skin, the smell of the air, the sound of your tires.

It would make a great [Trek, Cannondale, Giant, Specialized, you name it] slogan! Thanks, Oak! That put a smile on my face:D

[Aquila]

I think Darcy makes an important point, though. For some of us, seeing numbers and keeping track helps us. For some, maybe not.

For me, when I get frustrated or feel a loss of biking joy, I try to do something different. Lately, I'm trying to sprint a little. I'm lousy, but it's fun to see if I can go just a little faster for a tiny bit.

Change it up, and totally ride for joy, with or without a computer, with or without caring about mileage, speed, or whatever.

[invsblwmn]

How about just doing a loop. Then maybe another in a couple of days or not. It took me almost a year to try riding after my accident. Only in the last couple of months, 2.75 years later, have I been riding a lot.

Feel the way the breeze hits your face, the sun warming your back, the power in your legs. Remember why you ride. The reasons are still there. Challenge yourself to go one block more each ride.

It comes back as you do. Feel free to reach out, we are here, understanding, and caring. Your time, your speed, your freedom. One more moment of peace with the wheels under you.

[sundial]

...why turn cycling into a chore that you have to do just so you can see a "better" number on your computer?

True words of wisdom, Oak.