My heart just wasn't in it.

PostieJohn

It's my day off today, when I realised the weather was in my favour I wanted to go for a spin, but with hindsight I think it was more out of duty than desire.
It being the end of October, how many more days like this are we going to get?

5 miles down the road 'it' just wasn't happening for me I reached the top of the incline I was on, turned in the road and came home.

This is the 1st time such a thing has happened, on occasion I've left not feeling 100% but have gone on to enjoy a great long ride, just not today.

Naturally on the way home I also go a puncture, my bike obviously is not happy with me.

Please tell me I'm not alone, and we've all had days like this.

shanexs

You're not alone in feeling like that. I get the odd ride like that where I force myself out but get 20 minutes up the road and really can't be arsed and head home. Just a mental blip
Nothing wrong with that and you'll soon be out again enjoying a good ride.

CHRISNOIR

I've found it good to just see it as 'a bit of a ride'. I had exactly the same thing on Saturday. Don't get hung up about your speed, don't worry even if other cyclists are going past you. Look up, look around. Just enjoy being out. You'll soon get the passion back.

A p*ncture however...

jimmythecuckoo

I am chomping at the bit as I have had two and a half weeks off... Dunno how long this desire to ride will last as it will be all turbo until the weekend and I usually can't muster up the enthusiasm to ride indoors.

duckiciao

I was like that today, got so bleeding bored and fatigued at 10 miles I came home. I couldnt understand it, but meh, we all have off days.

Clever Pun

Iwas feeling a bit like this on my commute a week or 2 back... the wall on my tyre went so I had to ride an old hybrid for 2 days.... it was horrible

I now absolutely love cycling my roadie again now

Mike Willcox1

I've not been racing since May and started to ride again in August after recuperating from a Heart attack in June. On that basis I'm trying to build up again rather than ease off for Winter. I've been riding about 12 hours a week at a fast pace and doing 3 sessions a week strength exercises.

Today I was totally stuffed. The previous three days I've done 2 hours each day of hard riding plus 2 sessions x 1 hour strength work. The thing is that sometimes you don't know if you are really tired and need a recovery day or just feeling a bit demotivated until you get out on the bike. If you feel rough on the bike as I did like you today I just did 30 minutes easy.

Isn't it strange that yesterday I was giving it some welly at the end of my ride and felt good (could have done another 30 minutes OK) and then today after a night's rest and food I feel tired.

jimmythecuckoo

I suppose these off days and rides where it is hard to muster any interest are what sets most of us apart from the riders at the highest level.

Their ability to ride day in day out in all sorts of weather should be an inspiration...




...but when I draw back the curtains and it is raining, I dont see it that way

popette

CHRISNOIR wrote:

I've found it good to just see it as 'a bit of a ride'. I had exactly the same thing on Saturday. Don't get hung up about your speed, don't worry even if other cyclists are going past you. Look up, look around. Just enjoy being out. You'll soon get the passion back.

A p*ncture however...

This is where I go wrong. I hate being passed and I try to hunt cyclists down to pass them. I start rides thinking I'm going to have a low intensity ride but then I see other cyclists out and about and I end up speeding up. Most of my rides are done at the same pace, which is as fast as I can go. I know that it's wrong and it's not going to make me get any better.

Postie John, if I'm feeling not quite up to it, I tend to give myself a break and take the night off and either do nothing or do a bit of pilates or something like that. I think it's totally normal to not always feel tip top. Don't worry.

CHRISNOIR

Yeah, it is easier said than done! I felt a bit bad at the weekend but putting all thoughts of times and speeds out of your head can let you focus on why you got into cycling in the first place; peace, quiet (possibly...) and just being outside. It was amazing to actually look around at some scenery instead of having my nose on the bars and trying to go faster!

duckiciao

popette wrote:

CHRISNOIR wrote:

I've found it good to just see it as 'a bit of a ride'. I had exactly the same thing on Saturday. Don't get hung up about your speed, don't worry even if other cyclists are going past you. Look up, look around. Just enjoy being out. You'll soon get the passion back.

A p*ncture however...

This is where I go wrong. I hate being passed and I try to hunt cyclists down to pass them. I start rides thinking I'm going to have a low intensity ride but then I see other cyclists out and about and I end up speeding up. Most of my rides are done at the same pace, which is as fast as I can go. I know that it's wrong and it's not going to make me get any better.

Postie John, if I'm feeling not quite up to it, I tend to give myself a break and take the night off and either do nothing or do a bit of pilates or something like that. I think it's totally normal to not always feel tip top. Don't worry.

I did pass two people on hybrids today, they were quite comical. Helmets all skew whiff, denim pedal pushers on the bloke *shudders*, I felt well smug zooming past them sat down whilst they were up out of the saddle.

SteveR_100Milers

popette wrote:

CHRISNOIR wrote:

I've found it good to just see it as 'a bit of a ride'. I had exactly the same thing on Saturday. Don't get hung up about your speed, don't worry even if other cyclists are going past you. Look up, look around. Just enjoy being out. You'll soon get the passion back.

A p*ncture however...

This is where I go wrong. I hate being passed and I try to hunt cyclists down to pass them. I start rides thinking I'm going to have a low intensity ride but then I see other cyclists out and about and I end up speeding up. Most of my rides are done at the same pace, which is as fast as I can go. I know that it's wrong and it's not going to make me get any better.
Postie John, if I'm feeling not quite up to it, I tend to give myself a break and take the night off and either do nothing or do a bit of pilates or something like that. I think it's totally normal to not always feel tip top. Don't worry.

only if you dont allow for sufficient recovery. If you are having days off, then riding hard every time is probably the quickest way to improve. I only get about 8 hours to train, and those 8 hours are all pretty hard even in the winter.

popette

Hi Steve, you've reassured me there - I also have about 8 hours per week and typically ride about 3/4 times per week so get plenty of recovery.

Pagem

there's alot to be said for listening to ones body. as mentioned above, its not always easy to know how fatigued (physically and/or psychologically) one actually is. on days such as this i try to head out but say i'll go for just an easy spin for an hour and no more. if after 20-30mins i'm not in it then i turn around and come home and just write it off as a rest needed. however, occasionally i'll find that once i get going i'm fine but to reiterate; i think it's wise to go easy or turn aournd on days like this than risk burn out. the other trick is not to be hard on yourself for having done so.

SteveR_100Milers

popette wrote:

Hi Steve, you've reassured me there - I also have about 8 hours per week and typically ride about 3/4 times per week so get plenty of recovery.

Until you see what results I managed this year... :roll:

popette

SteveR_100Milers wrote:

popette wrote:

Hi Steve, you've reassured me there - I also have about 8 hours per week and typically ride about 3/4 times per week so get plenty of recovery.

Until you see what results I managed this year... :roll:

Do you do time trials and races and things? I've never tried but think I might like it. At the moment I'm just planning to do various sportives.

dennisn

I believe it was Wille Nelson who described cycling best, without really knowing it.

Sometimes it's heaven and somtimes it's hell
and somtimes I don't even know
sometimes I take it as far as I can
sometimes I don't even go

from "Heaven and Hell"

Dennis Noward
Toledo, Ohio

Random Vince

duckiciao wrote:

I did pass two people on hybrids today, they were quite comical. Helmets all skew whiff, denim pedal pushers on the bloke *shudders*, I felt well smug zooming past them sat down whilst they were up out of the saddle.

a bit like me, 60's road bike, 2 speed, jeans + t shirt overtaking lycra clad roadies

SteveR_100Milers

popette wrote:

SteveR_100Milers wrote:

popette wrote:

Hi Steve, you've reassured me there - I also have about 8 hours per week and typically ride about 3/4 times per week so get plenty of recovery.

Until you see what results I managed this year... :roll:

Do you do time trials and races and things? I've never tried but think I might like it. At the moment I'm just planning to do various sportives.

Rode 3 sportives, including the Dragon in 7hrs 20
TT's - rode 8 x 10, 2 x 25, 2 x 50, 1 x100 and an aborted 12 hour. Did a club 10 almost every week. I found the Dragon was much harder than riding the welsh 100 despite all the pundit advice beforehand - but then I'm the least natural climber I know. Next year I'm planninng on doing fewer TT's, do the Dave Lloyd mega challenge, and if Im fit enough in time a couple of RR's