How do you find time?

[CorsairMac]

Fish: another thought would be to "drive" partway there and then bike commute the rest of the way in - if there's a safe place to leave your car all day. Don't know what your work schedule is like but (when I deem the weather is warmer) I ride on my lunchbreak. I get an hour for lunch so I can get at least a 45 min ride in with the extra 15 min for changing and freshening up. Would that be doable for you??

Also: does your DH ride?? If you could get him involved you could get trailers and ride with your DH And your kids - then you don't have to feel guilty or leave anyone at home.

[DrBee]

After an hour or so of power outage...

I have thought of riding to work. My fear is that the roads are pretty lousy (remember - I'm in Mississippi) and there are many large scary, bike chasing dogs between here and home. I've become pretty much completely paranoid about dogs after I was chased last Fall. It's all pretty much farmland with packs of dogs - seriously they run in packs of 4 or 5 around here. I'm going to drive the back way a couple of times and scope out the dog situation. As I said - I carpool. I could ride one way and ride in the car the other way.

Corsair - Good idea on the lunch rides - I only get a 1/2 hour for lunch, however we have very flexible schedules here and I could just work longer in the afternoon. We have nice roads around the research station (and only nice dogs). I might try to figure out a way to do the bike 1/2 way in thing, too.

I'm going to try to get the family (DH included) out with the trailer more this Spring. He also takes the kids out in the trailer during the day sometimes. That's how he finds time to ride. He's been really sweet about letting me ride in the afternoon.

Great advice y'all - thanks!

[BikeMomma]

Hey Fish -

Like Corsair suggested, riding at lunch is an option. I checked your stable on the "Getting to Know you" thread, and it says you don't have a road bike. If the dogs are that big of a threat to you (you DO have to take that seriously, unfortunately), get yourself a portable trainer (I have a Cyclops Fluid), set yourself up on that, and ride. You can use mountain bikes on them too (just use slicks).

Granted, you don't exactly go anywhere, but you'll still reap the benefits of the fitness gained or maintained. That's actually what I do -- I'm in a similar situation as you. My kids are 8, 5, and 3 (as of today! My baby's 3!), and I get the "mommy's home" mob when I get home, and then I'm pulled from the trainer for baths, tuck-in's, "cuddle with mom" time, etc. and don't get all the trainer time I need. A way to gain back that time is to bring the trainer to work (I keep a spare bike there). I can ride just long enough to get the heart rate up, do some intervals, and get a good sweat going before I have to stop. We have a shower room downstairs, but wet wipes would work just as well to freshen up if you don't have access to a shower.

You're fortunate that your husband rides, so he understands the joy you get from riding, and that he is willing to watch the kids for you when you go out solo. Please do not feel as though you're being selfish, though -- and believe me, I understand exactly what you mean. With all the demands we woman are under these days, holding down responsible jobs (yours is cool!), keeping up the house, raising the kids, handling the finances, planning the birthday parties, and lots more, we need moments in our lives that are just OURS, ones that refresh our soul and lets us be ourselves. Like I said, you're lucky that your husband understands that and supports you. You should NOT feel guilty for what you need to be YOU, an individual, with no labels attached (i.e. mom & wife). You need YOU time.

Good luck and have fun!
~BikeMomma

[bikerHen]

I have a business. I currently split my time between working at home and a retail location. I generally work about 25 to 30 hours a week, leaving me time to ride. I have an opportunity to lease the entire space where I currently sublease a small portion. I could move both my machines into this space which would really be much more convenient, practical and better for business. The drawback? The lease would cost a WHOLE bunch more so I would really have to be there 40 hrs. a week, maybe more. I would of course, continue commuting to work, but wouldn't have time for the longer rides I currently do. My other option is to move everything home, sell one machine and hope that I continue to have enough work to make the payments on the remaining machine. At least this option would give me plenty of time to ride. I really want to lease the space and hope for the best business wise, but I don't want to lose my riding time.

So, those of you who do work 40 hours a week, how do you find the time for those longer rides? BikerHen