How much time will i have to ride when my new baby is born?
The Bullet
Posts: 16
Hi all,
I made the transition from mountain bike to road cycling in January this year and haven't looked back.
I have built up to about 8 hours per week averaging around 150 miles. I have ridden a few sportives and have had some good times - the most recent was the cheddar chalenge (160km) which i did in 4hrs 57 mins. I feel this was only manageable with the level of training i had done.
My wife is due to give birth on Nov 6th which i am thrilled about - it is our first and it is going to be a boy, awesome!
The thing that is playing on my mind is how my training will go - everybody keeps saying "you won't have any time for bikes when the baby comes."
If anybody has any experience in this situation, or would like to offer any advice, thoughts or comments, they are welcomed.
Regards
I made the transition from mountain bike to road cycling in January this year and haven't looked back.
I have built up to about 8 hours per week averaging around 150 miles. I have ridden a few sportives and have had some good times - the most recent was the cheddar chalenge (160km) which i did in 4hrs 57 mins. I feel this was only manageable with the level of training i had done.
My wife is due to give birth on Nov 6th which i am thrilled about - it is our first and it is going to be a boy, awesome!
The thing that is playing on my mind is how my training will go - everybody keeps saying "you won't have any time for bikes when the baby comes."
If anybody has any experience in this situation, or would like to offer any advice, thoughts or comments, they are welcomed.
Regards
"Pain is temporary...
... If I quit, however, it lasts forever. "
Lance Armstrong
... If I quit, however, it lasts forever. "
Lance Armstrong
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Build a man a fire, and he'll be warm for a day. Set a man on fire, and he'll be warm for the rest of his life.
+1
Mind you, doesn't mean you can't add on an extra few miles to the direct route...
(edit - sorry that's not meant to be a dig at anyone who isn't managing to get out. It's just that I've found the whole kids thing to be a wonderful focus for EVERYTHING, not just riding. You either have to start making the most of every single minute you can get, or you very quickly have no hobby, social life etc...!)
I've ridden more since the birth of our 2 sons than ever before. The youngest is 14 weeks old and I'm still managing 12 hours a week - other than the first 2 weeks when that was down at about 7.
Commute, and get up early at the weekends so you've ridden and you're back in time for breakfast and have the rest of the day to recoup brownie points with some family stuff.
And get a turbo, if you don't already have one - half an hour snatched in the evening is much better than none at all.
In my experience: none, for the first few weeks. very little thereafter...
Then you might be able to beg for a couple of hours once a week for the next 6 -10
Be prepared to negotiate for all your free time - whenever your other half does anything that requires you to look after your son (hairdressers, shopping, visiting her friends), this represents an opportunity to secure some precious time on your bike.
You can still get quick training sessions in to be honest, and if you have willing parents yourself, they can look after the child as well. As above get a turbo trainer, and you can train whilst the baby is asleep.
First 3 months you might not even feel like doing training, depending how well the little one sleeps at night, but I was the one constantly getting up all hours of the night to feed the little boy, and felt tired alot of the time, but as they sleep longer you soon get the energy back.
The thing is i keep thinking about the 3 weeks i have off in Novemeber and how much good riding i could be doing - though SBEZZA makes a good point:
I've got a turbo in the garage that i think will transfer to the nursery!
... If I quit, however, it lasts forever. "
Lance Armstrong
My little boy was one a couple of weeks ago and I'm only just beginning to scrape together a 6 + hour training week (also at a demanding stage in my career, which doen't help).
As above, it might be wise to lay off for a few weeks after the arrival and see how things go,
I regained control by extending my commute by at least 20 mins, giving me 1 hr 20mins a day, with the exception of Wednesdays where I get away early AM and get a decent 2hr mid-week ride in. Weekends i try to get out early and be back mid morning, then look after the monster while my wife goes for a swim in the PM.
Basically: before I just *had* time, now i have to *create* it by negotiating and planning ahead. But it is do-able.
Or you could be like Chris Boardman and be off racing the day the baby arrives
+1
Must go that is all I have time to write
Clearly the first few weeks will be hard as your good lady will need time to recover and you will need to find a routine or system....
Do your bit around the house and earn your brownie points and off you go... I used to run but its hard to run on 2 hours sleep a night
Mine are now 7 and 5, so it's better.
TBH you'll be knackered for a number of weeks - this lack of sleep will kill you.... until you get used to it.
Commuting might be hard first couple of weeks, as you'll not know what'censored you...
Even now, when the kids are bigger, my main riding is commuting, then a nip away for maybe 2-3 hours on a saturday or sunday...that's it..make it pay.....
One bike used loads, and two road bikes used not much - just weekends.... and I'm after more bikes......
Mine was an is an active horse rider, with a job too, when my "little darling" was born, I kept on with the cycling, disappearing all Sunday, be it club run or race, ditto several nights in the week.
It came to a head when a tearful wife points out that she can't cope with going to a dressage with a baby, who may start bawling her head off just when the wife needs to get on the horse.
End of active cycling career (Not that I was any good and I was 32 also, so no great loss, no proto Tout winner's career in ashes).
My one assume that you're no LA in the making?
If your wife is happy to stay at home, play the mother & housewife, have no interests other than raise children, look after you & the house, then things will continue as before.
Otherwise, there's going to be changes. As to how much will be for you to "negotiate".
Ultimately, it's a case of which is more important to you and if the answer's "The bike", then you've made a big mistake somewhere along the line.
First 3 months with the kids were difficult - after that its all about routine, and its only now the kids are awake the whole day and not in nursery yet that we are really pushed for time.
Remember its about compromise when you must and holding firm when you can. Agree 2 or three (ONLY) times, max 3 or 4 hours, for you to ride, and you have to give somehting back in return (housework?!)
ANyway, my kide are better than riding. Really.
With ours, I got no time for the 1st 3 months -not enough sleep & too much guilt! Then 3hrs on Sun Morning for next 3 months, then 2hrs midweek & a long Sunday ride after that. For my long ride, I set off at the crack of dawn so that I'd be home & washed up for midday.
face facts - it will never be easy again for the next 18 years!.. learn to adjust.... time management is the key!
......heading for the box, but not too soon I hope!
I can ride all day every day, now.
When he was born, I did my bit around the house, looked after little man when the wife wanted a break, and went out on the bike as often as I needed to, though I did cut the long rides down to around 2 hours...Better than nothing.
Keep her sweet, mate, and don't take the p!ss when she lets you out!
You can't help with the feeds, 'cos you haven't got t!ts! (or have you?)....... :shock:
Best advice must be to talk about it. Regularly. Common sense says that you will be a better father if you are fit, relaxed and not bottling up resentment at not getting out on your bike. However, be warned, your version of common sense is often the last thing that applies when you are negotiating with a spouse!
Good luck. Kids are great. My boy's 14 and he tells me he wants to go cycle camping with me in October. That makes me feel good.
Fast and Bulbous
Peregrinations
Eddingtons: 80 (Metric); 60 (Imperial)
just going to try and blag an hour or so at the weekend for a while until he gets into a bit of a routine at home
http://i270.photobucket.com/albums/jj11 ... ike032.jpg
Winter ride http://i270.photobucket.com/albums/jj11 ... ike019.jpg
On an even more flippant note, I also found that when I return from a bike ride, I arrived with fresh supplies from the shop, including (important for Mrs Special K) lots of chocolate.
Congratulations and good luck.
Where the rain gets in.
But they're ever so small
That's why rain is thin. " Spike Milligan
I came to cycling after I'd already had 4 kids so it has always been a balancing act to keep everyone happy. We trade a lot of favours - he lets me cycle and I let him go and watch Man city (I drove to scotland on my own with the kids while he watched the match and then flew up later (at my suggestion - major brownie points to me), if I'm going out on my bike at night, I make sure that all the kids are bathed, fed and ready for bed and our tea is in the oven for when I get back. He cycles too but he needs a bit of a shove to get him going - If I encourage him out then I know I won't feel too guilty when I go out. There are kids all wanting attention in this equation so if I'm riding at the weekend, I try to get up and out really early so I'm back to make them breakfast. Or, I can do a rollers session at home when my little one is sleeping etc.
If you do things for each other, give her the time away from it all etc you should still be able to carry on.
By the way, one thing my husband did when I had my last baby was to really go on and on about how brilliant I was to have delivered this huge baby (11lb 1oz! :shock: ). It made me feel fantastic to hear him telling everyone about how wonderful I was :oops: . You don't need to have a whopper like that to tell everyone how wonderful she is and I'm sure that she would appreciate it like I did.
Oh, and like Special K said, I was certainly a bit irrational during those first weeks - lack of sleep and those damn hormones can play havoc but it will pass.
Congratulations & good luck!!!!!!!!
Sometimes it's hard - I mean you roll in from 80 miles in the hills and straight away you have to cut the grass, get the shopping in, put the kids to bed when all you want to do is collapse in an armchair and have someone put food in front of you. Anyway we manage - she runs marathons so it's not a one way street. I'm not saying nothing has to give - cycling is now my only real hobby and my social life isn't what it was - depends what you want. My partner is pretty easy with it - she doesn't resent me cycling - in fact she's become a big cycling fan and watches all the racing even getting me to tape them if she's out - she wont actually ride a bike yet but I'm working on it.
it's a hard life if you don't weaken.
With my daughter_loads... she never slept and still doesn't.
I had to use one of those backpack baby-sling things but it made me popular with the wife at three in the morning.