Burnt out?

[wildhawk]

Now you’re talking Aggie - just ride for the fun of it and take a break with mileage. I find that on days when I tell myself I will just do however many miles that I want to that I actually end up with more energy and notice more things. Sometimes it is good to just step back and enjoy the scenery! As an artist and avid nature lover, it is easy for me to do that on most rides, although I am disciplining myself to set some rides in as strictly training rides. I am mostly burnt out on my job - I have been at it for over 18 years at my current company and vacation time seems to be few and far between. So getting back into cycling is having a very positive effect on my other interests as well and DH and I are having a blast. Glad you had such an awesome ride this weekend! Hang in there!

[Dogmama]

I like everybody's answer. Here's my problem - I decide that I'm going on "my own ride" and then I get passed. Something clicks inside of me and before I know it, I'm out of the saddle and on a mission!

I did that yesterday. Went on an El Tour training ride. It was supposed to be 45 miles. I did 58 because I deliberately went off track to get away from the crowd. Came home exhausted, sore & discouraged.

Bahhh!

[sundial]

I think I just need to loosen up and let myself just be, pick the activity that suits my mood and not pressure myself to do one because I haven't in a while. No goals, no bars to reach, just ride when I want to and enjoy it.

That's the spirit! Just enjoy the ride and leave it all behind on the trail.

[smilingcat]

mayyybbeee this too is my problem of late. I keep finding excuses not to ride. Well the upcoming event the lighthouse century is going to be a no show for me. WORK really is converging onto that weekend. And I have to be at work (most likely). So this is a real excuse or is it? I keep running into these kinds excuses.

My other excuse is if I'm tired or lacking sleep, I don't go out to train. That was what caused my last really serious accident about 8 years ago. And I can't afford another head banging crash even with a really good brain bucket.

I know I should when I do it feels good; but, the malaise before hand is keeping me tied to my house. blahhhh with tongue hanging out

Maybe I need to move back to a ski resort town and get back into skiing.

[Dogmama]

For me, it comes down to competing with myself. And not in a good way, like "You can do it." My self-talk is more like, "You're lazy, uncommitted, flakey, ungrateful..." etc.

In today's world, why the heck would I want to do that???

I need to get back to the reason I started to ride. And it wasn't to beat myself up because I'm not training to ride the next century. It was about enjoying the outdoors, clearing my head, getting some exercise & relaxing.

If riding is getting to be a job, forget it for awhile. It will come back if it's supposed to. Or - maybe it was a stepping stone to other things like running, yoga or hiking. Relax & let life come to you, rather than forcing the river to change its course.

[chutch]

Good response Dogmama!

[li10up]

Amanda, sorry to hear about your struggle with finding motivation to ride. Just wanted to let you know that my goal this year is 4000 miles...and that is because of you from last year pushing me a bit to set my goal high. It will be tough for me to get to 4000 this year but I think I will make it. I know that if I do, next year I won't have a specific goal. Sometimes being goal oriented can just burn you out. Maybe that's what happened to you. Maybe you burned yourself out a bit by having such a high goal last year?

My suggestion is to find others to ride with and make it a social ride. Maybe that will put a little more joy into your rides. I know I enjoy my rides a whole lot more when in a group. I rarely ride solo now. Do what interests you. You don't HAVE to ride. But I do hope you don't give it up completely.

[Aggie_Ama]

Yep, I think last year I was too focused on centuries, miles and riding my butt off. This year it was hot so centuries were the last thing I could even begin to think about. Tracking miles got a bit OCD, I sometimes get too hung up on things and put unnecessary pressre on myself to do it. So this weekend I am doing a ride, signed up for 65 but will do what feels right Saturday. The Sunday it is mountain biking.

I deleted my mileage goal from Bikejournal, it was too much pressure the last two years. My goal is to love what I am doing whether it is hiking, mountain biking, road riding, running. When I started riding it was like being a kid again, riding my bike to Brushy Creek Elementary school and having fun racing myself or the boys home. Riding to the gas station for some candy, to my friend's house across the neighborhood- 3.5 miles!

But this is yesterday's ride report and how I felt last night is how EVERYONE should feel about cycling, it isn't a job but a chance for fun:

I finally took Miranda, my poor neglected Cannondale out for a spin. Since I signed up for the Rip Roarin' Ride this weekend I felt like we should get back on a first name basis. Man I forgot how wonderful of a bike she is. I have been riding my mountain bike and my commuter for the past month while Miranda sat lonely in the dining room. The mountain bike fits alright but it is a mountain bike. The commuter is a just "good enough" fit. But Miranda, she is perfectly dialed in on fit and snappy. Funny thing is after riding the commuter the bike feels tiny and shocks me at the handling. But the get up and go, I had forgotten how stiff the bike is, I hammered along the rolling hills and scoffed at the head wind. Oh how I love my little Cannondale.

15.58 glorious miles on the "Dog Ride" loop and I fell back in love.

[indigoiis]

I totally feel for you. I have those moments.

I think a lot of it is psychological.

[li10up]

I'm so glad you loved your ride! Sorry to be so late......

[Jiffer]

I don't think you should have guilt for not "feeling" like riding. You are doing other things. As long as you are doing something to keep yourself fit and enjoying THOSE things. By the time next season rolls around, you might find yourself longing to be on the bike more. Or maybe not. Variety is good for this very reason. I think it's normal to get burned out on something you do so much of ... even if you have loved that thing so much.

My husband runs as well as rides. He goes through periods where he does both fairly equally, or one or the other predominantly. Right now, he is in full on running mode and has hardly ridden his bike this year, his extremely nice Cannondale System Six. He has no guilt, nor should he. It's there when he's ready to spend more time on it.

If you get to a point where you want to try to motivate yourself to get on the bike consistently and find a way to really love it again ... other than the already suggested "ride for fun" and "notice the scenery" and all of that, which is great .... challenge yourself in ways that you haven't really done before (if that's possible ... not sure of your history). If you have always been about building up mileage, then switch to being about your speed. Going shorter distances at a faster speed ... or even longer distances at a faster speed. Or work on being the best climber you can be. Maybe do a time trial if you never have. Explore places to ride that you never have. Think of goals that would be different than the goals you have had before. Maybe try mountain biking if you haven't done that.

My husband does road biking, mtb, street running and trail running ... oh yeah, and triathlons. He mixes it up and gets to experience a lot of different things that way. I, for now, am all about the bike. It's new enough to me that I'm in no way burned out.

Another thing is to find good people to ride with, unless you already have this. I ride at least twice a week with a friend of mine. It motivates me to get up and get going in the morning when I know I have my friend meeting me to ride and it's so much more fun to do it with her than by myself. On the weekends I look forward to the club rides where I'm beginning to know more and more people and socializing with them, challenging myself to keep up with the faster riders. Or for you, it might be challenging yourself to hang back with the slower riders and take in the sights!

[tulip]

Aggie, I've taken a break from riding lately. I just don't feel like it. I've been traveling some for work and my schedule's been all wacky. And now it's gotten cold, which gives me one more reason to hesitate.

I know that riding in the fall when the weather is brisk and the light is perfect is wonderful, but I'm having such a hard time getting my butt out the door! I have one more travel day tomorrow--long, long day--but after that I'm travel free for a few weeks. I'm going to do my best to get out for a fall ride at least twice during the week (I do ride on weekends because I ride with my honey, but we only see each other on weekends).

I try not to beat myself up about it, but it's a pattern that I find all-too-familiar.

[Crankin]

I always get burned out. Every year. So now I just accept it. I slow down and smell the roses. It seems like my body breaks down after whatever big ride/vacation we do after it's over. I should have taken time off after my 4 day tour, but since it was August, I didn't.
I am looking forward to hiking, maybe a little mountain biking, weights, and the snow.
And in the spring, I am going to work on building those base miles.

[emily_in_nc]

I'm with a lot of the others here... as long as you're still moving, who cares if you're riding all the time? Be gentle with yourself. If you're not feeling it, do something else!

I used to be pretty hard line about that sort of thing, but I'm a lot more relaxed about it all now. I used to road ride, period. 4-5 times a week, about 3000-4000 miles yearly. I had a serious accident on the road in 2005, and since then, I just haven't been nearly as interested in road riding. I might become so someday, but for now, I ride a mountain bike on trails more like 300-400 miles yearly. I don't even bother riding in the winter unless we have an unusually warm day. I also run, hike, sail, lift, walk, and most recently, do Pilates (just started a class at work). Oh, and I'm doing the One Hundred Push-Ups program lately too. So, I'm still very active and fit, and I don't seem to get injured any more because I switch up my activities. I love it all! Sure, right now I'm not able to do a century ride or a long bike tour like I could before my accident, but I couldn't run a mile then either!

It might sound blasphemous to post this on a cycling site, but there really is more to life than riding!

[Aggie_Ama]

There are so many wonderful suggestions in this thread and it is nice for anyone to know they aren't alone. I am still not riding much been landscaping, running, visiting friends and just busy. But I did let go of my guilt. I tend to be a bit hard on myself, a bit OCD. Letting go of pressure I put on myself is hard.

But I am content, I might do 2,500 miles this year but I may not. It has still been a great year. Next weekend I am spending Saturday riding back on my Dad's Harley to LUckenbach, Texas. My mom will be blazing along on her harley. I can hardly wait, I have only rode 20 miles on the bike but love it and "everybody is somebody in Luckenbach". Sunday we are hitting the trail for a little dirt slinging. I am happy and looking forward to my weekend. I may ride this week, I may run. Who knows?