Falling back in love with the bike?

[Kelly728]

For some reason I've fallen out of love with riding. I missed a few months because of injury and now I'm focusing on getting my running endurance back. I can't seem to motivate myself to take that bike out on the roads!

It seems like a combination of fear of reinjury and failure. Has anyone struggled with this? How did you get back out on the road?

[ny biker]

I get sick of my bike every year in the fall. More specifically I get sick of putting air in the tires, cleaning water bottles, cleaning chains, drivers yelling at me, etc. etc. So I do other things. Sometime in January or February we'll get a warm weekend day and I'll want to ride it again.

Do what makes you happy, don't worry about anything else. We all need a change of pace from time to time.

[Tri Girl]

It's perfectly normal to fall in and out of love with things. Get on your bike and ride again when you feel like it. If you don't right now- then don't do it. Forcing yourself to ride when you really don't feel like it is a sure-fire way to make sure you won't want to ride again for a very long time.
Take it easy and focus on the running for now. You'll be ready again sometime.

[Miranda]

Hi Kelly

Your post caught my eye as I sat down here at the pc. Just got in from my first ride in a while myself. Had a bad crash a couple months ago. Unfortunately my medical news stuff of what all is permanent damage from my crash seems to be going the wrong way lately. Bleah. But, what can you do? We can't turn back time. So, forward is the only way to go.

First thing my DH asked when I got in was: "how was it? we're you riding scared?". Not a word about how I physically felt etc. Well, that is a good question. I would say I was on high alert of what could re-crash me. But, I tried to take a deep breath and not be over-come with fear & panic. Because surely I would crash then.

I went less than 10mi on my most familiar road traveled today. I picked a favorite landmark, and set my goal to that. Once there, I just paused and took it in like it was a sight for sore eyes. That almost makes me cry typing it. Because like you, I was having this feeling: do I ride again? or do I not? Well, those tears stem from the memory that I really do love my bike. And what all it does for my life on so many levels. Living without it would be sad.

I say just forget about the performance. Unless it makes you feel better. A diff time I was injured (not from crashing) I ditched all of my electronic bici toys. They just depressed me when I started to compare what I rode before. I just rode from the heart, and how my body felt. Simple.

I'm not sure where you store your bike vs. run gear. But, if they are close to each other... one day your heart will tell you when you go to put on the running shoes, that you'd like to put on the bici shoes instead.

Bikes are patient... it will be there waiting when you are ready.

Miranda

[Kelly728]

Thanks for the responses. It helps to know that others have been there (which I obviously knew but I need people to tell me that).

Thanks for posting that Miranda. Performance is always a big motivator for me, as I am a very competitive person. You are dead on about needing to remove my cyclocomputer as I find myself fixated on numbers and not enjoying my ride. I ran (ha...ha...) into the same issue when I wore a garmin during my runs.

I have my bike sitting in my bedroom, so it is constantly staring me in the face. I think the first step will be putting it back on the trainer, at least through the winter months, so I can just hop on if I ever get that drive back.

[KnottedYet]

I haven't ridden any of my bikes in at least a month and a half. Maybe 2 months.

I hurt my back, I got swine flu, I was tired from work... well, sheesh.

My bikes still love me. I still think they are the most beautiful things I own.

Miranda is right. Bikes are far more patient than we are.

When you feel the love, you will ride. I want to ride this weekend. To the next neighborhood. I challenge ANYONE to tell me this is less of an accomplishment than a century.

[malkin]

I am in that same place knot.

[Crankin]

I feel like this every year, around the end of August. This year, it has just started happening in the last 2-3 weeks. I credit this to 1) running a couple of days a week to take the "focus" off of always needing to ride and 2) trying to view my fitness in a more holistic way, by considering everything I do, even stretching, as important.

Two years ago, I got sick and dropped some speed. I mostly got it back by the middle of this season, but all of a sudden, my body seems to be telling me it's time to slow down for the season and switch gears. But, the weather has been nice, so I figure another few weeks of riding outdoors. Then the bike comes inside, goes on the trainer and I focus on other sports. As someone else says, there will be a warmer day in January or February, where I usually suit up and get on my flat bar road bike with sturdy tires and feel very happy to be riding again.
It's all a cycle.

[OakLeaf]

How are you feeling, Knot? On the mend enough to really contemplate riding?

I'm no use in these discussions. I burned out and didn't ride for 12 years and it took an expensive five-day retreat to bring me back.

But I did come back.

[redrhodie]

It seems like a combination of fear of reinjury and failure.

What do you mean by fear of failure?