Excuses excuses

[chatnoire]

I'm cranky as all get out this evening, because the weather was predicting rain and thunder and hail and tornadoes. So, instead of going out and riding, we walked the dogs and came back in. It TOTALLY would have been a lovely night for a ride until about 7:30, which is way later than the ride would have been.

Anyway. What are your excuses for not getting out, and what do you do to conquer them?

(I'm going out tomorrow, I PROMISE. Hill Drills at Chatfield!)

[Anelia]

No excuses If it doesn't rain/hail/storm at the moment, I go out and don't go far in case of stormy weather.
Yesterday I dressed up and the moment I did, it started to rain. I watched a movie, waited for it to stop and went out. The wind was awful but here on TE I read this clever thing: "Hills make you stron, wind makes you mean" and I liked it very much.
Some motivation of not quitting is making an appointment with a group or friend and the thought of letting them down makes you pack your stuff and go out. And even if the weather becomes sh***y, sharing the storm and rain with another person is not so bad as being alone in the rain. I've experienced this and when the conditions are not great, you're more likely to quit when you are alone.
But still, don't feel guilty, if the weather is bad, find something that you also enjoy, like you did with the walk and the dogs.

[Owlie]

Schoolwork--I just had a killer exam yesterday, and have been way too stressed/tired/underfed (happens when I'm stressed and tired) to do anything. Usually it's a matter of forcing myself to get out if I'm feeling okay about my progress. If not, I just have to weather the storm and go back out when I'm better nourished and rested.

The weather's the other one. I'm not heat tolerant, and I have an abdominal muscle injury from November that likes to flare up again if I push too hard, including riding when it's windy. I'm okay with getting caught in a sudden shower, but if it looks like it's going to rain, I won't go out. (Of course, once I've decided against going out, it clears up.)

[Kathi]

My excuse tomorrow will be napping.

Have 8:15 am Dr. appointment tomorrow but tornado and severe thunderstorm warnings, hail and heavy rain are keeping me awake. The street and yard is covered with hail. Garden and flowers are probably gone as well as the roof.

A nighttime storm is unusual here. Just a reminder of living in Cincinnati.

[Catrin]

I don't mess with thunderstorm warnings. Period. Sure, they are wrong sometimes, but it isn't worth my life to get caught on country roads out in the cornfields in a Midwestern thunderstorm where there is typically no place to take shelter.

Windy days will change WHERE I ride, but it has to be pretty windy to keep me from riding at all. 23-25 mph crosswinds will, and has, blown me over to the other side of the ride so I won't ride when there it is that windy. I've been fortunate enough that there was no cars on the road when this has happened I am always amazed when I read ride reports from other parts of the country where they deal with stronger winds on a regular basis.

Outside of those two reasons, I just try to listen to my legs. When my legs ask for a break they get it, whether I want to listen or not. I've too many over-use injuries from not listening in the past

[nuliajuk]

I don't mind getting wet, but I draw the line at electrical storms. In a car you're protected by the Faraday cage effect of the body around you (I wonder if that applies to convertibles?), on a bike you are at risk.

[indysteel]

Life. Sometimes there are just things that take priority, like taking my pets to the vet, meeting with a friend I haven't seen in ages, or dealing with a home repair or project. When I was single, I was able to be a lot more regimented, but for whatever reason, life has gotten more complicated and my time harder to manage post-marriage. Some of that is just coincidental. For instance, my cats have had a lot more health problems in recent years. Some of it isn't. The house I owned before getting married was easier to maintain, but our current house just takes more time and energy. I have gotten better over the last 9 months or so at sticking to my plan, but it's taken some work and there's still room for improvement. I've also revised my expectations. I used to ride 100-130 miles over two rides every weekend, weather permitting. Now, I'm pretty happy to get do one ride in the 40-mile range each weekend. I sometimes miss those long weekends on the bike, but not enough to insist on doing them.

Oh, and I don't like rain (I'll run, but not, ride in the rain), thunderstorms or too much wind either.

[Crankin]

I'm pretty much like Indy and I still manage to ride 3K miles a year.

[jessmarimba]

My excuses are usually from broken bones...I can't seem to stay healed for more than 8 months or so! And the doctor is very fond of "well, you can ride but you can't fall" - which for me means just stay off the bike.

But I'm focusing more on running at the moment and I often don't have time for both. I need to work out a schedule where I can bike commute a couple days a week and still run after work.

[lovelygamer]

Winds over 20mph and pouring rain would discourage me. I have dealt with both once I am out, but if it's happening before I leave the house..I might not go. One day, I did go to work knowing it was raining. I pedaled so fast I thought my heart would burst and I made it in between the raindrops all the way. It's only 2 miles.

[indysteel]

I'm pretty much like Indy and I still manage to ride 3K miles a year.

I'd really like to get back to that much mileage (I used to ride in the 5k range). If it weren't for my long commute, I think I could do it. The commute just sucks my time and energy. I end up finding it easier to get on my spin bike or run, than go for a ride. And I don't have enough time in the morning to do anything. Grrr. We just need to move!!!

[Catrin]

...I still manage to ride 3K miles a year.

This is my goal this year, along with the mountain biking and gym work (and hiking when I can). I just need to go a full season without injuries large enough to take me off the bike or have to back off on it, hoping this will be the one

[limewave]

There's too many to list!

I try and make exercise a priority. In other words, I put it on my list of things to tackle first. If that means I ride the trainer at 5:30 AM because I have a busy day, that's what I try and do. Or if I have an hour for a lunch break, that's when I ride--save the laundry and grocery shopping for later that night, not vice-versa.

On the weekend DH and I both want to ride, I always schedule my ride first. I cannot tell you how many times I get back from my ride and DH is too busy, tired, distracted, or something unexpected has happened and he doesn't end up riding.

[indysteel]

On the weekend DH and I both want to ride, I always schedule my ride first. I cannot tell you how many times I get back from my ride and DH is too busy, tired, distracted, or something unexpected has happened and he doesn't end up riding.

This is what I most need to work on. In the winter, when I'm mostly doing my own thing, I'm pretty diligent. But when cycling starts up again, I too easily let DH's agenda dictate my own. He has other hobbies and projects and he typcially has no desire or interest in spending both weekend days on the bike, but there's really little reason why I can't just ride on my own, even if it's just for a short ride. Heck, I rode alone all the time before I got married. Part of my reservation has been guilt. If he's doing work around the house, then I should, too. It's the morning hours though, when he has a tendency to just putz, that I should make better use of.

So, yeah, I guess my excuse is my husband...and that's just not a very good excuse under the circumstances.

[Crankin]

Well, I do lots of short rides. I mean really short, 10-15 miles. One day a week I usually do a short ride at 5:30 AM, as I can't commute any more.
If I get one medium-ish ride during the week and one longer ride on the weekend, I'm good, plus a couple of really short ones.
I've lost my riding partner (Hirakukibou) for the summer, as she is leaving on her cross country tour (the nerve of her ). It's easier for me to go out with her and do 40 miles at 6AM on Wednesdays and be back in time for my afternoon clients. If I do the group ride, it has to be a start place close to where I live and I have to skip the lunch. I will do some of these this summer, but, it stresses me.
I stopped worrying about this stuff after I was sick a few years ago. I spent one summer mostly doing errand rides and I think after that, I realized how quickly miles added up, I started doing more short rides just for fitness.
Between the rides, my classes at the gym, and some hiking, I'm good. I know I get antsy if I miss a couple of days, but sometimes, as my DH says, we want to be "regular" people.