Bad habit of not finishing what I start

I have a horrible track record of keeping with exercise. I start off all gung-ho, but then somewhere between 3-6 months later, I just fall off.

I don't want to do this with cycling. I don't think I will, because I really do enjoy it (and I have since I was 15, so this isn't a "ooooh this is all new and shiney and cool" kind of thing). That's not something I would have ever said about anything else I've done (and I admitted it at the time; my excitement was more about the thrill of being able to say I did it, than actually enjoying the activity itself). There is a zen about riding that I haven't felt with anything else (other than sitting under a tree in cool weather with a good book, but that doesn't really count as exercise ;) ). And I'm noticing that while I'm looking at my times and distances in order to see improvement, it seems to be more of looking at results after the fact, rather than the other way around. When I ride, it's for the fun of it, and seeing how far I can go. But I don't want to go gung ho into buying an expensive new bike only to fall off again.

I know only I can prevent that from happening, but I'm just wondering if there are others who were in a similar situation, and what you did about it. I'm thinking of giving myself a time frame after which I can have a new bike as I think a reward system for myself would be good. But at the same time, my current bike is pretty tough to ride so I hate to "torture" myself, too. I've read posts of others who were plodding along on an old mountain bike (like myself) and how dreamy their new road bikes felt afterwards. I want that dreamy feeling. :) Part of me wants to run right down to a LBS, get fitted, and put a bike on layaway (no way can I afford one up front right now, anyway), but the logical/sometimes overly-reasonable side says I should hold off.

Thoughts?

well, judging from your user name, i'd say involve your family.

When my kids were small, we went out all together on bike rides.
Then by the time my younger son was 11, they were doing centuries.
They are adult men now and both still ride and are fit. I'm still riding too,
but truly, I"m not sure I'd be riding at all if I was the only one in the family interested.

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Originally Posted by Biciclista

Then by the time my younger son was 11, they were doing centuries.

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Wow! I went for a ride with my older son (8) a couple of days ago. He was painstakingly slow (mainly just because of the size differential). We went a couple of miles and he wanted to go further, but it was getting dark. I've promised him I'll take him again this weekend. It was wonderful together time and I enjoyed it immensely, but it wasn't "riding" for me. I do know that that will come with time/growth/experience.

My youngest son (6) just got up without training wheels for the first time last night (big momentous occasion :) ). He wasn't really interested in trying until I told him I would never take him on my longer rides until he was out of training wheels. Amazing what a little motivation does. ;)

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Originally Posted by Biciclista

Then by the time my younger son was 11, they were doing centuries.

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Jeepers, how many hrs. did take for them? :confused: You know, there are advantages of being young and naive. :) Impossible goals don't look impossible to some young'uns. They probably had some fun along the way without realizing the distance passing underneath their tires.

happytexasmom: Have you thought of tracking /writing down your mileage each day? It adds up...and can be quite a motivator. :) You expressed it very well, the "zen of cycling". :)

I rode this bike, a Specialized Rockhopper, for 6 months including doing my first organized century on it in 2002. I'd done centuries before while touring in the early 90s on a mountain bike, also a Specialized Rockhopper.

http://www.tandemhearts.com/coppermi...7/DSC00109.JPG

The next bike we got was a tandem and I rode that exclusively for about a year.

Then I got a single bike and I rode that for a while. Then I started doing double centuries. Then I got a second, lighter road bike and did a few more double centuries. Then I got an inflamed hamstring from overuse. I went for a bike fit and that issue went away. Then I decided to do a Half Ironman Triathlon and do a 200K a month. I did 9 200Ks and just got burnt out. I did 4 tris last year and still love that. I bailed on my 10th 200K last December with about 30 miles to go. It just wasn't fun anymore. I've got about 400 miles on my road bike this year. That would have been my monthly mileage 2004 - 2008.

I'm in great shape ( the best I've been in since I was 19 and on a college swim team. I'm 42 now) because I've been doing other things - running, swimming, lifting weights with a trainer, boxing, yoga, plyometrics.

We're going to Vermont next week to do a self guided, in-law supported tour of the Gaps. My in laws are hauling our stuff from one hotel to the next. :D And I'm excited about biking again.

So in essence, what I did do when I burnt out? I picked something else to focus on, something that still included some biking. And instead of riding my bike to train, I ride my bike because it's fun.

Veronica

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Originally Posted by HappyTexasMom

I have a horrible track record of keeping with exercise. I start off all gung-ho, but then somewhere between 3-6 months later, I just fall off.

Thoughts?

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You're certainly not alone in the procrastination department! A few ideas:

How about rewarding yourself from now on for every mile logged by 'paying yourself' a little something per mile to put toward that 'dreamy' new bike? $1/mile? $.50/mile? $10/hour? Label an envelope and keep small bills handy to make it easy to pay in. Keep a log of how you're doing---you might be amazed at how quickly the miles and the dollars will add up.

Remind yourself that you are *choosing* the pleasure of riding your bike---it's not a chore or a 'have-to'. It's amazing how a little shift in language can affect mindset. "Wow, I get to ride my bike for an hour today!" not "Ugh, I've got to get on the bike for an hour."

Start memorizing how great you feel when you've come in from a ride. Call up the memory of that satisfying feeling of accomplishment anytime you're hesitating to jump on the bike.

Have all of your bike gear ready at a moment's notice so you can head out straight out the door when an opportunity to ride comes along. My bike bag is always organized: shoes, gloves, helmet, gels are stowed and handy; water bottles are under the sink. A little pre-planning can make a big difference when you're on the fence! :D

Good luck and have FUN!

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Originally Posted by shootingstar

Jeepers, how many hrs. did take for them? :confused: You know, there are advantages of being young and naive. :) Impossible goals don't look impossible to some young'uns. They probably had some fun along the way without realizing the distance passing underneath their tires.

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When Tom was 11 he was one of those little tiny boys. He had a 10 speed schwinn. He wasn't really that slow, in fact, he learned the advantages of drafting, and left his dad and brother behind by latching onto some bike team's paceline. This was on the Seattle to Portland Ride.
They did the first 35 miles friday, rode 90 on saturday, and did the last 80 odd miles on sunday. Kids are tough. they broke it up into 3 days because their father had had knee surgery 6 weeks before.
I'll post a photo if i can find the scan.

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Originally Posted by HappyTexasMom

Wow! I went for a ride with my older son (8) a couple of days ago. He was painstakingly slow (mainly just because of the size differential). We went a couple of miles and he wanted to go further, but it was getting dark. I've promised him I'll take him again this weekend. It was wonderful together time and I enjoyed it immensely, but it wasn't "riding" for me. I do know that that will come with time/growth/experience.

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My 8 year old has pretty much doubled his speed in two months. We only go out once or twice a week and keep the rides short (no more than about 3 miles) but it's nice to get out and feel like we're doing something "together" - I normally go on for another 7-10 miles after I drop him back off at the house.

I know that part of his problem is not understanding how to use gears effectively, so we've been working on that - he seems to want to keep it in the higher gears and pedal harder than he has to, he doesn't understand that it's easier to pedal faster with less resistance, and he won't get as tired so fast. As his confidence grows, so does his speed, and I think we can start going on some longer rides soon.

Also, part of the frustration is that my 8yo is still too small for a 24" bike... and the options for 20" bikes with gears are very limited - all you can find are MTB's (and not exactly great ones at that). Even the selection of 24" bikes leaves a lot to be desired, but there are "some" decent options out there if you're willing to pay.

If "we" stick with this, in a couple of years when he's big enough for 24" bike we may look more seriously into small road bikes (like the Felt F24, or Fui Ace, but probably used).

But yeah, I agree, include the family.. I'm still trying to get my DH out to ride with me. Part of the problem there is the kids, and not wanting to take them out in the trailer on the road... and we currently don't have any good way to transport everyone + gear to the nearest bike path.

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I rode this bike, a Specialized Rockhopper, for 6 months including doing my first organized century on it in 2002. I'd done centuries before while touring in the early 90s on a mountain bike, also a Specialized Rockhopper.

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I'm so glad you said this. I assumed that expecting to do a distance ride on a MTB was kind of out of the question. I'm not going for speed (aside from not wanting to be swept LOL), just the experience. This is very encouraging to know.

(Side note: my dad has that exact bike. I wish he'd ride it more.)

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How about rewarding yourself from now on for every mile logged by 'paying yourself' a little something per mile to put toward that 'dreamy' new bike? $1/mile? $.50/mile? $10/hour?

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I like this idea. Someone else mentioned logging miles. I've been mapping my routes on MapMyRide before I take them (just so I don't overextend myself and take too long to get back to work on time), so it's pretty easy to go log what I do there.

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Remind yourself that you are *choosing* the pleasure of riding your bike---it's not a chore or a 'have-to'. It's amazing how a little shift in language can affect mindset. "Wow, I get to ride my bike for an hour today!" not "Ugh, I've got to get on the bike for an hour."

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So true...my past experiences I've been getting motivation out of being able to say I did X for Y number of minutes/days in a row/whatever. But it was still me tolerating whatever the activity was. I've been waking up every morning saying "I get to go ride", not "if I go ride, I get to mark it on my chart". There were a couple of days this week that I *know* I would have opted to roll over and go back to sleep rather than go to the gym. This morning I didn't go because I really was too tired (I had biked 6 out of the past 7 days after doing *nothing* before that, and I think it caught up with me). Even now I'm hankering to go, but I'm working (sort of LOL), and it's really too hot now anyway. We have company so I won't be able to go tonight. Bummer.

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Have all of your bike gear ready at a moment's notice so you can head out straight out the door when an opportunity to ride comes along. My bike bag is always organized: shoes, gloves, helmet, gels are stowed and handy; water bottles are under the sink.

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I really need to do something about this. Part of the problem is that hubby & I are sharing gear right now. We ride at different times, so it's not really a problem that way, but I keep different things in the camelpack than him, etc. I really do need to get my own gear and that's something I won't wait for a long time to do.

Here's a ride motivator for you...

You love to sit under a nice shady tree and read a good book you said?

1) take one with you and make an adventure finding different new trees to read the book under... after biking there.

Get to the new tree, rest-- eat a healthy snack and read a few pages, stretch a bit--back on the bike for the ride home.

Btw, I have a Delta cargo net I use to strap behind my road bike saddle bag when I want to store extra cold gear (jacket etc.). It would hold your book quite nicely.

2) map out some local library branches etc. and make it a mission to ride a "book bike tour" to each one. Same deal... rest, browse some books, restroom break / H2O refill etc., and pedal on home.

For the kiddies some peeps use a tag-along. It would not be a speedy ride alone for you. But still a chance to pedal and perhaps more resistence work too.

Our local bike club has a "lesiure ride" w/kids on the schedule.

My new ride partner took her DD whose 8 on her tiny Felt roadie last week. They go 10mi or less at a lesiure pace the club calls it.

PLUS, the benefit of you is that you get to socialize with other bike peeps and maybe find yourself some new ride buddies etc. Always a motivator to not give up when someone else is counting on you. Makes a lot of miles pass quick too!

You and DH sharing bike /gear etc... my ride partner has this situation too. I'm not exactly sure what all she does. But, my thought would be to keep your stuff packed in maybe a large zip lock baggie ready to go etc. Then all you have to do is dump it into the Camelback when you take off. Dump it back into the bag when you return.

It helps I think if you take care of your bike gear right when you get home from the ride etc. I know this can be hard if your kids are wanting your attention right in the door. Which I know mine do as a mom. So, we do this...

They are my "helpers". DS has the ever so important job of being my bike door holder to get me in the house. The first thing DS asks is "how far did you ride today mommy?". It's like a private cheer-leading squad lol. Then he helps me go through the check list of laying the gear back out for the next ride.

If there was a way $... I think you should get yourself a reasonably priced bike you love. Just make sure it fits. I just got a new ride cuz my old one was way too big. If you hate your bike, it can kill your will to ride quick. I love my new ride. I have the problem of over-training just cuz I don't want to stay off of her:rolleyes::o.

Good Luck!:)

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Originally Posted by HappyTexasMom

I have a horrible track record of keeping with exercise. I start off all gung-ho, but then somewhere between 3-6 months later, I just fall off.

When I ride, it's for the fun of it, and seeing how far I can go. But I don't want to go gung ho into buying an expensive new bike only to fall off again.

I know only I can prevent that from happening, but I'm just wondering if there are others who were in a similar situation, and what you did about it. I'm thinking of giving myself a time frame after which I can have a new bike as I think a reward system for myself would be good. But at the same time, my current bike is pretty tough to ride so I hate to "torture" myself, too. I've read posts of others who were plodding along on an old mountain bike (like myself) and how dreamy their new road bikes felt afterwards. I want that dreamy feeling. :) Part of me wants to run right down to a LBS, get fitted, and put a bike on layaway (no way can I afford one up front right now, anyway), but the logical/sometimes overly-reasonable side says I should hold off.

Thoughts?

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Seriously - you sound just like me in this situation. I also have an old mountain bike that I'm plodding around with. I have test rode a road bike, and damn...:-) I bet I could log in a LOT more miles than I would with my mtb.

However - if you think about it...you're working "HARD" with your mountain bike...once you get the road bike, everything will be a breeze, and you'll be flying by people in no time.

I also have a very bad habit of starting something, then not finish or continue it. I think it's because I get bored so easily, and I'm a bit shy with meeting up with people due to my disability (deafness). This time, I'm determined to make it work.

I rewarded myself by telling my fiance that I will get in 100 miles FIRST, then get the road bike. Once I complete 100 miles (cumulative), that will help. Meanwhile, I am going to different bike shops to browse, get sized up, and test rides. By the time that I finish 100 miles, I would have my mind set on what bike to get...that way I don't have to wait until after I finish 100 miles to do the browsing/shopping/test riding as it can take weeks.

SO...we both are in the EXACT same boat. :-)

We can do it!

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Originally Posted by Miranda

You love to sit under a nice shady tree and read a good book you said?

1) take one with you and make an adventure finding different new trees to read the book under... after biking there.

Get to the new tree, rest-- eat a healthy snack and read a few pages, stretch a bit--back on the bike for the ride home.

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Thanks for the idea Miranda! I did just that today.

I have been only moderately motivated to ride this year, to the point of picking up running again in the summer. (I don't normally run when it's hot.) I don't know exactly why, or rather I know of a multitude of reasons why.

After reading your message, I threw a novel and a notepad in my (huge) saddlebag (isn't that what it's for? well, that, and carrying wine!) and rode to a quiet waterfront park about 15 km away. I almost finished the book (saved the last chapter for tonight) and rode back home the long route.

It did me a lot of good. Thanks.

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Originally Posted by KathiCville

How about rewarding yourself from now on for every mile logged by 'paying yourself' a little something per mile to put toward that 'dreamy' new bike? $1/mile? $.50/mile? $10/hour? Label an envelope and keep small bills handy to make it easy to pay in. Keep a log of how you're doing---you might be amazed at how quickly the miles and the dollars will add up.

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That's an incredible idea!!! I'm not even done paying for the layaway on my mountain bike, but already I want to get myself a comfy touring bike (maybe even custom! :eek:) But I would really need to work hard to justify the funds.

You don't need a lot of specialized gear to head out the door - just a helmet. Get your own so you can go and ride! A water bottle is way better than a camelback (IMHO) and gives a little more freedom.

When we were 12, and we used to call our friends on the phone, and our friends would be like, "why don't you come over?" we thought nothing of hopping on our bikes and riding over. So you just have to be twelve sometimes. :)

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Originally Posted by HappyTexasMom

I've read posts of others who were plodding along on an old mountain bike (like myself) and how dreamy their new road bikes felt afterwards. I want that dreamy feeling. :)
Thoughts?

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You know, it's funny how we all go through seasons of cycling. I started on a mtb, then a road, and now would prefer to be on a mtb. With each bike I entered a new season of cycling and gradually learned what it was that I was lacking in terms of performance. Then I would work toward finding that bike to fit a specific need.

What I learned is that with each bike I would acclimate to it and my performance would change accordingly. I was initially very fast on a road bike after riding an mtb with slicks on the paved roads. But eventually my road bike speeds dropped and I settled into a different rhythm.

The bike that is the most dreamy to me is the one that fits me the best and that beckons me to take it for long rides. To me, comfort provides that dream quality of a good bike ride.

I was in your position, sort of, a few years ago. What worked for me was planning a major trip that involved biking. The first was a bike and barge trip in Holland, and I rode a tandem with DH. I picked Holland because it was flat, and we did the tandem because I was worried that I'd be left behind. But I didn't want to embarrass us too badly, so I rode almost every day. The trip was wonderful fun 20-35 miles a day at a leisurely pace. It was a "family" trip so there were kids along, the youngest was 10. People were from several different countries.
We barely got home before we were planning the next trip, Brussels to Amsterdam, also by bike and barge. This time I rode my own by myself, no problem, but the fear of being left behind was a great motivator to get up in the morning and get out on my bike in the months before the trip. Again we had a great time.
The next year we went to France. France is not as flat as the Netherlands. (duh, nothing is as flat as the Netherlands, even Central Illinois.) And more of the people on the trip were serious bikers. Even though I had sought out every hill in town to practice on, I was bringing up the rear on every hill. Well, somebody has to do it. I think a couple of others were glad I was there to take the pressure off. France was beautiful and we had a great time again. I was glad I'd trained as much as I had and lost the 25 pounds.
This year we rode on the Michelson Trail in South Dakota with some old friends. The rail trails are nice because the hills aren't steep, but some of them are pretty long. It was beautiful. Another good trip.

Haven't decided where we'll go next year, but the year after will be across Missouri on the Katy Trail. That's a long enough trip that I will have to do some serious training to be able to ride further in a day. So far 40 miles is my record.

DH goes on the trips and likes it, but he only rides his bike to work, and an occasional ride with me. We have a crummy tandem that we ride to church or maybe to the park. He rides a recumbent stationary bike while he plays video games. I prefer to get outside.

Anyway, that's what works for me, the pressure of having a deposit down on a trip that might be humiliating if I don't get out there and ride now. Most of the time, though, as soon as I'm on the bike, I'm glad I made the effort.

Kris

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Originally Posted by indigoiis

When we were 12, and we used to call our friends on the phone, and our friends would be like, "why don't you come over?" we thought nothing of hopping on our bikes and riding over. So you just have to be twelve sometimes. :)

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Exactly!!!

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Originally Posted by HappyTexasMom

I have a horrible track record of keeping with exercise. I start off all gung-ho, but then somewhere between 3-6 months later, I just fall off.

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Although I haven't read the entire thread, I'm sure you've already received a bunch of wonderful and motivational ideas. I'm not sure if the one that I'm going to give you is somewhere in there already... apologies if it is.

I think many of us have a problem with motivation. In my experience, more people have this issue, than not.

I was a very active child and teen with swim team and cheerleading, but I totally slacked off from ALL exercise in my 20s.

At age 31, I found running first... and then triathlon.

The SINGLE thing that keeps me motivated to get out there and put in my workouts is that I have discovered that I LOVE to RACE! So for the last 1.5 years my motivation to get out there and swim/bike/run is because I know that I am scheduled to race on X date, the entry fee has been paid and there may be a spot on the podium waiting for me. :)

If I didn't have the race at the end of the tunnel, I wouldn't be out there... that's just the way it is with me. So, basically I train to race; as opposed to racing to train (for the love of exercise). Make sense? This may work for you as well.

Interestingly enough, somewhere amidst all of the "training to race" stuff; I really fell in love with long, slow distance training. Anytime I can take in a bike ride without getting out of HR zones 1-2 or do an easy long run and bird watch at the same time, I'm in heaven! So... you can still have your zen time with all of this "training to race", but you also still have the fire under your butt b/c you know that there is a "deadline" looming.

Good luck to you!!!

I've had trouble over the years staying motivated to exercise, but cycling has been the exception. So long as the weather is halfway decent, I'm usually pretty eager to ride. Perhaps cycling will be your exception, too. It helps to share it with your family and friends. I have a large group of cycling buddies and some or all of us ride most weekday evenings. My BF also rides and while he's not as gung ho as I am, we definitely keep each other on track.

As others have mentioned, event rides, tours and the like are great motivators. Space them throughout the season and you'll generally have something that you're "training" for.

Having a bike that fits you well and the right gear for every season helps. So does having some tried and true routes that are easy and safe to get to. Keep your bike(s) in good working order, too, so that it's always ready to go.

Good luck and have fun.