dbattan

I started cycling several years ago and I have improved to a solid BB type rider (in local club terms) but I have plateaued and want to get even better, maybe try racing. But I have a job, a family and three small kids (7, 5 and 3) and I always feel tugs of guilt when going for a long training ride.

And the kind of training plans you see always call for lots of weekly miles, recovery rides etc etc.

Just curious if anyone else is obsessed with bikes and also has kids, and how much you train, what your perspective is, etc....

Thanks.

astrodaimler

what I find that works well for me, is to up front, tell your spouse when your long rides will be and when you'll be able to balance that out with time with the kids. For example, on Saturday, I'll do a long ride, and on Sunday, she can do her long run or do whatever she wants and I'll take the kids for this and that. I bring my bike to work with me almost every day and I'll ride during lunch. Right now, my wife is training for a 1/2 marathon so she's out at 5:30AM running. If you wife doesn't do that, you can be out riding in the morning and offer to do the kid stuff when you get back like making breakfast or kids lunches and getting them ready. You may feel guilty because you feel like you aren't around helping out but you can after a long ride. On weekends, if I do a long ride, I take the kids out to the $1 movie theather when I get back or take them to the book store. Balance it out so you wife can do stuff too on those long days you are out.
HTH!!

Zouf

I get up at 5h15 in the morning, shave (gives me some time to wake up somehow), then hit the trainer (winter, bad weather) or the road (summer, nice weather) at 5h30-5h45, done by 6h45, just in time for the whole gang hitting the kitchen for breakfast. In the weekend, I plan one long outing, announce it in advance, place it where everyone is ok, then go; most of the time again early in the morning, around 6h00.

johnny99

Trailer.

Lucky07

I do a short bike commute to and from work Mon-Fri. I try to do a couple of 2+ hour rides at night after I've eaten dinner with the family and put the kids to bed. I'll do one long ride per weekend, with an early start I'm back before lunch.

You can also do off night training at home (basic exercises, yoga, etc) and throw in a short run occasionally. I don't race, so that's plenty of riding for my purposes.

When I'm working up to a long organized ride, I'll squeeze in a few extra miles whenever possible.

Like Astro, my wife runs, so we just make sure we've worked out time. It's not a big deal, we just tell each other what we want to do & sort it out...

Red is Faster!

I have an eight year old daughter and I am divorced.

I bought a used spin bike from my local YMCA when they bought all new bikes. I set it up next to my TV and stereo. During the week I will spin in the morning before everyone gets up. These are my recovery rides and drills. I save my Tuesday and Thursday nights (when my daughter has swim practice) to do any outdoor weekly rides. On Saturday AM I found a group ride that starts at 7 AM so that I am home by 10AM. She is watching cartoons at that time so she does not care.

If It is just the two of us at the house on a Saturday I hire a Baby sitter (ususally twice a month) to come by the house at 6AM until I get home. This costs me $40. I typically do this twice a month. I put that in my bike budget just as I would new tires etc.

I am big about making my kid say please and thank you. When I get back from any ride, I make a big deal of giving my daughter a huge hug and saying "Thank you for letting daddy do something he enjoys". I try to follow that up with doing something special during the day that she enjoys. Bookstore, trip to the local pool, etc... So far so good. However, if she is on the cover of Playboy smoking a joint 10 years from now, my advice will prove it's REAL value!

Good luck!

blue_nose

Good advice here. I have a couple of little ones at home (2 and 4), so I know exactly how difficult it can be to put in the long mile rides. I commute to work 4 out of the 5days a week and get in my recovery rides and at least one interval session on the way home. Once a week I take a longer ride home, but still make it home for 6 / 6:30 so I can have dinner with the fam.

On Saturday I either wake up real early and put in a long ride (50 – 70 miles) or ride with my local club (50 miles). On Sunday, I get up with the kids, make breakfast and let the wife sleep in.

Like others have stated above, just make sure that the long weekend ride is planned. My Saturday morning ride is part of our routine, so it really does not cause much grief.