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08-03-19, 06:02 AM

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Jim from Boston

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Lack of motivation.

Quote:

Originally Posted by sjanzeir

So, I just wanted to put this out there and see what everyone else deals with it.

I really do want to go out and ride, but then, just as I'm about to get bring myself to get off my ass, I stop short. I really don't want to get dressed. I really don't want to pump up my tires. I really don't want to carry the bike down the two flights of stairs. I really don't want to fiddle with my helmet, the GPS app on the phone, or the action cam.

The voice(s) in my head start yelling all kinds of excuses into my ears:…
And it goes on and on, sometimes for days on end.

And yes, I know that I might be having some mental health issues (anxiety? Paranoia? Probably a whole lot more that I don't even know about!) And no, I can't afford to see a shrink right now.

The topic of motivation occurs frequently on Bike Forums. FWIW, as a decades-long, lifestyle cyclist, this is a compilation of replies to this comprehensive thread, “How do you find your motivation to ride?”

Quote:

Originally Posted by Jim from Boston

…To get me out on the road, particularly since I cycle-commute as one alternative to get to work, I’m mindful of these two taglines:

Quote:

Originally Posted by SammyJ

I have NEVER regretted going on a ride;I have often regretted not going when I could have!

Quote:

Originally Posted by chasm54

There have been many days when I haven't felt like riding, but there has never been a day when I was sorry I rode.

Another disaffection, as noted above may just be boredom, and my remedy is:

Quote:

Originally Posted by Jim from Boston

I'm very motivated by novelty, and stymied by boredom on a bike, but I do have the motivation of commuting to work. I have found that when I drive my frequent, decades-old routes I often notice things I had not seen before. I think it’s because I can look around at more than just the road surface when driving.

So when the commute [route] is getting too familiar, I just raise my head higher and look over a wider field of view….

Quote:

Originally Posted by Jim from Boston

A local BF subscriber @rholland1951 who contributes hundreds of photographs to the local Metro Boston thread from the same 11-mile long MUP he rides, once commented something like that "just the lighting / time of day / day of the year makes the ride “different.”

So too does the direction, one way, or the reverse.

Quote:

Originally Posted by Machka

I've never lost my motivation to ride.

I've been injured or incapacitated in some way a few times so that I've not been able to cycle. But I've always been motivated.

It does help to have goals ... like the local century, several brevets, a CAM challenge, etc

Quote:

Originally Posted by jim from boston

…i have previously posted to this thread, ”why didn’t i ride”

Quote:

Originally Posted by jim from boston

my job; either too much to do, so i stay (comfortably) overnight and resume very early in the am, missing my commute; or have to travel afar for a meeting...and to a lesser extent, family activities. …

having a mileage-based training schedule however, effectively motivates me to make time to ride. I have the opportunity to commute a minimal 14 miles one-way during the week (commuter rail home), and round-trip on saturday all year-round, for about 100 miles a week.

During the nice weather, i’d like to put in about 150-200 miles to train and do long rides.

in reality though, i probably get in about 20-30 miles per week during the winter, and maybe about 75-100 during the nice weather (to include early evening rides).

Quote:

Originally Posted by Jim from Boston

Ever contemplate your mortality on the road?

Actually, in one of my most serious contemplations of mortality, the Road served as a relief:

Quote:

Originally Posted by Jim from Boston

My magic moment when I realized what makes cycling fun (important) to me was at a lunch with two doctors about 20 years ago. We got to talking about the vicissitudes of life, like sudden death, or trival symptoms as harbingers of a serious disease. We eventually came around to that old chestnut to live life to the fullest everyday.

As we were leaving, the surgeon, a marathon runner, said, “Well, any day with a run in it is a good day for me.” I was already an avid cyclist and cycle commuter, and that clicked with me, any day with a ride in it is a good day for me.

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