Hey superwomen...

[SadieKate]

Our social life with non-riding friends and family is organized around optimum ride hours. In hot weather the riding is early but not so in the winter so it may mean an early breakfast together. I usually have one big ride on the weekend, most usually Saturday, so that allows more flexibility on Sunday. We'll limit the number of activities done during the optimum ride hours to maybe one a month. Friends and family have to tolerate this because if they don't I am more than willing to give them a response of "wasn't it just last week that you didn't want to do X because you wanted to watch the [insert pro sports team name here] game?" and then we have the silent internal (nor not so silent) discussions of couch-spudness.

I think one of the biggest challenges for all of us is learning to say to others that riding (i.e., exercise) is not a frivolity or an option. It is critical to our health and happiness, now and for the future. Learning to say no to others or find a more mutually agreeable time without feeling guilt about placing your ride time high on your priorities list is so very difficult but absolutely necessary.

[Cassandra_Cain]

It is all a matter of choices, as several folks have commented.

In my case, it is even simpler...

No kids, no bf, gf, or whatever - I come and go at my whim.

There's plenty of time to ride

[limewave]

I have been to show up at church in lyrca.

We have too! It's a 20 mile ride to our church. We get in a nice ride, have church, go out for a nice breakfast and ride home. But, I'm always careful to wear my best lycra and smelliest-free jersey.

[CycleChic06]

Holy crap, I thought I was busy. But after reading about everyone else's crazy schedules makes me feel like I have been slacking. I work 40 hours a week, am getting my masters part time and play in a wind ensemble once a week on top of other gigs I play on weekends here and there. I find that if I don't find time to exercise and release all my tension then I go crazy. Now that its dark so early I'm not riding afterwork anymore. I usually end up at the gym in spinning classes right after work on the two free days I have during the week and I've been trying to motivate myself to go for a ride on the weekends but it's just sooo cold, and I need to have some sort of social life, so it doesn't always happen.

It's about sacrificing and prioritizing. If you make exercising a priority then you'll make time do it.

[liberty]

limewave and fredwina- I can totally relate! I spied a commuter bike at my church (it is a large church) and have been watching to see who the future biking buddy is...

As far as schedules: I am not nearly as busy as most of you wonderful ladies, and I still have trouble finding the time to ride as much as I want. But I think that only serves to make me appreciate the time I do get on my bike. Hats off to all of you who have kids and jobs and husbands. You deserve medals! Or at least more chocolate.

[Fredwina]

I get inside parking at church.... can't do that with the car.

[Triskeliongirl]

Yes its a balancing act, but its also about setting priorities. I am a university professor with a 17 and 19 year old. How do I do it?
1) My husband and I both bike to work. Now that daylight savings time is over, we plan to just leave at the crack of dawn so we can also leave early and get home before dark. We also bring home work to do at night.
2) Biking IS our social life. Our friends are fellow bike club members, and our social activity is to ride together every sat. and sun. am. Our rides start at 8 or 9am and are usually over by noon, so we have the rest of the day free to do other things (like food shop, household maintenance, etc).
3) Vacations center around cycling.
Basically, all our acitivites center around our work, our family, and cycling. It also helps that our kids are older and need less constant attention.

[Crankin]

My kids are grown ups now and out of the house, but I do work full time and I still want to go out to dinner with friends who don't ride. I am lucky because I am a teacher, and in the spring and early fall, I can get home early enough for a short (15-17 mile) ride twice a week. Once in awhile I ride early in the morning, but since i often arrive at school by 6:40, that doesn't happen too often. I HAVE to be there at 7:30, so I have a little leeway, but most of the school year there is not enough light for me to ride at 5 or 5:30 AM. I commuted for 2 years a couple of days a week until I moved, a year ago. It was a major hassle, no showers, etc. but i enjoyed it. So, now, I go to the gym twice a week for weight lifting and running. I try to make it one day after work and one day before. The past 3-4 years I have gone to spin class 2-3 times a week in the winter, but I also just got a trainer, so I may be switching gyms and just using the gym for weights because I care more about being outside! I find that during the last 2 years, I have been planning more and more of my work around my work out (riding) schedule. i don't do committee work anymore or other "extra" stuff. People know where I'm going when I leave school at 2:30 two days a week and I don't feel bad. But all of this has played into my decision to quit working after this year. I NEVER would have seen myself retired at age 53 even 2-3 years ago. I have always worked, even when my kids were infants and I never felt guilty. But now I just want to play! So, I guess, I have added up a lot of miles doing little rides of 15 miles a few days a week, combined with one longer weekend ride and maybe a shorter one. The last 2 years we took vacations that added 180-200 miles on to my total and doing a century doesn't hurt either. Right now I'm at 2700, which while is not crazy high, but I feel pretty proud of it. All of our major vacations revolve around cycling and both my husband and I will find ourselves coming home a bit early to get in a walk, a short ride, or snow shoe many times. What i have given up is volunteering at my synagogue and even showing up there on a regular basis. I don't go out at night during the week much, unless it's with my husband, and I rarely go out with my girlfriends. We mostly go out with the couple with cycle with, along with 2 or 3 other couples that we will see on a weekend night.
OK, gotta go put air in my tires; tomorrow is going to be 65 degrees and I am bringing my bike to school and riding right from there for an hour or so after my students go home.

[pyxichick]

30 mile ride on Saturday
30 mile ride on Sunday
20 mile ride on Tuesday
20 mile ride on Thursday

or

40 mile ride on Saturday
20 mile ride on Tuesday
20 mile ride on Thursday
20 mile ride on Friday

In other words, whenever you have a big chunk of time, ride your long rides. Then just fit in the other ones when you don't have other activities planned.

I have a theory that people can only handle three work/school/hobby things at a time. If one thing starts to take up a lot of time, something else has to go.

[caligurl]

yep.... it's all about choices..... last year i did over 8000 miles.... that was a LOT of time on the bike for me.... i basically rode 6 days a week..... work days i'd go to work.... ride.... eat.... go to bed!

this year i decided i didn't want to ride as much..... i started out with the 6 days a week... just less miles... because i was conditioned for that... but i've cut back to only 4 or 5 days.... but i still tend to feel guilty when i don't ride.... part of the newbie-itis hasn't worn off yet....

lately i've been in a slump where i don't want to ride... that tell me i've been putting in too many miles/hours on the bike..... now that the time has changed and i don't ride in the dark.... i'll be cutting back even more!

[Geonz]

I ride to work. Having a base of 75 miles a week is a bit of a head start, both in plain ol' numbers and fitness.

Yes, it's reasonably easy to do that here - but it it ieasier than most people *think* in many places.

[bikerHen]

Yep! For me, It's all about the commuting miles. I kill two birds with on stone. I have to get to work, I need to ride my bike! Three quarters of my 3500 miles to date are commuting miles. I live only 3 miles from work but I have routes that give me up to 20 miles a day. Although I do feel like the village idoit as I wander around the northside of town.

I also have a very understanding husband who has picked up some of the slack at home and understands the concept of "the lived in look" of home decor. My daughter, who is 21, is old enough to look after herself and now that she has a steady boyfriend (who likes to MTB) she is rarely home.

With winters approach I will spend more quality time with my MP3 player and indoor trainer. Cold, yes. Rain, yes. Ice and snow, no!

It has taken me two and a half year to make excerise a priorty in my life. Thankfully, my family understand that. Even if they do, on occasion, question my sanity. bikerHen

[MomOnBike]

I've kind of slacked off right now because Life has thrown me a curve or two, but generally:

1) Sometimes it's a choice of get out of the house or go 'round the bend. So I "ride around the block." (Block is defined very generously.)

2) DH & I go on dates on our bikes - mostly because we feel we can "afford" the dessert calories when we do.

3) Small errands are done on the bike. "Small" being defined in this case as under 10 miles and/or 10 pounds total, more or less.

4) Commuting is an easy way to watch miles add up.

5) Take the scenic route home from all the above.

Hey, it works for me.