Colorado Kid

Yesterday, I had a vacation day to burn but I was so burned out from work, life etc., I didn't feel like doing a thing. (Anyone been there?) So I figured to had to do something as it was a nice day. So I rode to little country story on the edge of town and sat on the bench. (About 5 or so miles away.) I sat there eating my chips and drinking a soda and watch the world go by. It was good. I should've cleaned the house, put big miles down but I didn't care. It felt good to just sit and relax for once. Was I wrong to waste so much time? Has anyone done this sort of thing?

I-Like-To-Bike

Maybe it was a wake-up call to rethink about the use and value of your time spent on putting down big miles.

Why do you think you should've "put big miles down" instead of "wasting time" enjoying yourself as you did?

Chuck Naill

I rarely see people leisurely riding a bike. Maybe it because biking has become a competition rather than a form of transportation for those that have a bike. I enjoy watching the children ride up and down the driveway or on a trail. They are just riding.

BTinNYC

When the brain tells us to take a break, we should.

PhilFo 

Back when I was racing in undergrad, myself and other college team members would regularly commute on bikes and also do big training rides on the weekends. We'd often remark on many other commuters who are looking like they are racing with the comment "commuter olympics!"
Slowing down in life is a good thing, when it is for the purpose of self-care. If you're a person who regularly commutes on a bike, you don't need to "put down big miles" for fitness, just get on the bike and enjoy the ride. Even if you're training to race, you still need soft-pedaling days and you still need days with no pedaling.

BobbyG

Any day that includes any bike activity, from maintenance to a ride of any length is not a wasted day.

mdarnton

I think your basic problem is thinking that there is such a thing as "wasting" time. Life is for experience and any experience is valid. In the proper context sitting and staring at the wall is a valid experience. The trick is balance. . . . not to let one single experience happen more than necessary to do the "experience" job.

It sounds like in the context of your life and needs you did exactly the right thing.

raqball 

I am 57 and retired. I generally try and do 30 miles a day 5 or 6 days a week BUT I am never in any hurry. If I see something interesting I'll stop and admire it. When I see a comfy spot to stop and take a break, I do it..

For me cycling is not only about fitness but equally about enjoying the ride. Enjoying the ride includes stopping and taking breaks to enjoy the surroundings whenever I want..

I see nothing wrong with you going 5 miles and stoping to relax and enjoy your surrounding. Clearing the mind and relaxing is a part of life that should be done often. The fact you cycled there is better than driving you car there to do the same..

Relax, enjoy cycling and soak in all the surroundings that come with it..

My .02

Colorado Kid

Your right. Biking isn't about climbing that next big hill or putting in big miles. Sometime, the small things in life or the most important.

Clyde1820

Have never felt "recharging the batteries" to be a waste of time, myself.

Everybody recovers and "recharges" differently, at different times and in different ways. For me, it's almost always helped by going simplistic out in nature ... walks, sitting in a meadow watching the world go by, dangling my feet in a stream, an easy bike ride to see what there is to see, etc. Nothing else to do but one thing: being present.

People would probably be healthier and better-grounded if each took the occasional time to "smell the roses." It can work wonders.

PhilFo 

This is why I can't stand setting aside time for vacations. They can get filled to the gills with itineraries and a schedule at least as busy as the regular workday.
If I can't find a few moments to recharge and actually be in the moment, at peace, with myself, wherever I am, I'm probably not going to be able to find that calm on a vacation holiday. More likely I'd sleep away a few days out of pure exhaustion, which I've done plenty of in the past.
This is why self-care at our own pace, set by our bodies and recognized our minds, is key.

tyrion

Yes you were wrong. You should have been listening to Waterloo Sunset while you ate your chips.

BobbyG

I loved the movie, "Juliet, Naked" (about an obsessive music fan), which ended with this surprise rendition of Waterloo Sunset.

GhostRider62

When my wife and I go on vacation, we never do more than one thing in a day. For instance, we might have a leisurely breakfast and then spend a couple hours at the Musee d'Orsay and then sit a few hours at a cafe before going back to the hotel for a nap. A walk before dinner. If we are feeling really energetic, maybe a late movie. We never, ever have a schedule on vacation.

I do plan my rides or at least pencil them in. If I have planned a big ride and then if I do not feel like doing that ride, something is very, very wrong. Increasing training load should be so gradual as to be imperceptible. When I used to work, stresses beyond riding often got to me. Stress from all sources is cumulative. In which case, you did the right thing, assuming you care about fitness. I figure it is better to err on the recovery side

pdlamb

I suspect your 10 miles plus snack ride may be more valuable for your long, healthy, cycling-enjoying life than any "big mile" day could have been.

M Rose

I do this at least once a week. I have several places I like to go and just relax. I unplug, read a book, people watch, but most of the time sit and watch nature. Mental health is just as important if not more important than physical health.

What is wasting time?
Wasting time is when you are on the work clock and you are supposed to be doing something work related but you aren’t.

Sittiing at a convince store watching the day go by isn’t a waste of time, it’s a mental recharge. Or better analogy would be mental “recovery” day. Just like in physical training we need to incorporate recovery days so as to not over work our muscles and give our body time to rejuvenate, our mental well being also needs a day of rejuvenation.

I suffer from several physical limitations that have taken their toll on me both physically and mentally. I started cycling as a way to rehabilitate my physical body. I found the mental benefits of riding to be more profound than I could have possibly imagined.

rumrunn6

better than warming the couch!