Finding Time.......????

zak3737

Mornin all,
Just curious how you all manage to find enough time to get the miles in ??
I only came back to cycling in August, just as the summer started to wane, and now the evenings have gone, already finding it hard to get out enough !

I'm a keen golfer too, although this year, that was de-railed considerably with a prolapsed disc, which meant i couldnt play for long periods, hence I got back on a bike again, and got the bug.

However, backs nearly good again now, so I do need to keep playing over the winter, at least getting out at the weekend once if possible, to try and keep my game in some kind of order for next summer.
( play off 8, so those of you that play will know why you 'need' to keep playing !)

But, - I also want to ride at the weekend too, and altho the kids are older and not a demand on my time, there's the dog that needs walking, and a million & one other things that 'need doing' !
And invariably, by the time Sunday morning comes round, it'l be less than best cycling weather !

I do work for myself from home, so I do have the benefit of perhaps just sneaking out for a quick hour & half, without too much impact on my conciense, but I always find that the first 45mins are the worst, and just as I'm ready to get into a ride, its ended...
Or perhaps I just need to ride harder !? - Think I'm built for endurance rather than speed tho - 95kg and wrong side of 50 !

Damn these seasons, why cant it be June all year round ??!!

arthur_scrimshaw

Reading your post it seems that you have a lot of possibilities to ride but it's a matter of priorities. Working from home means you don't have a natural commute but you could build this into you day by setting aside a couple of hours. The advantage being that most peoples commute is split into two shorter rides whereas you can lump it into one.
You seem to be in a better position than many to do this?

bendertherobot

Yeah, for me, commuting is key. You could pretend to commute!

handful

It's a matter of prioritising what's important. On a good weekend I play golf on a Saturday, at first light and usually home by 10 in the Summer or 11 in the winter leaving plenty of family time. (I play off 13 so not as good as you!) Then on a Sunday I try and get a 40 miler(at least) in. I'm finding the golf taking second place so if I've got a lot on it's the cycling that I try hardest not to drop. I agree about the dark nights though, makes the weekday riding very difficult, I usually try and get a couple of turbo sessions in during the week early morning, this means an early start for me, I was up at 5.30am this morning to get an hour on Trainer Road in before work.

I'm a similar age to you btw and have a dog that needs walking as well but thankfully the OH does that most of the time, I tend to only go with her on the weekend pm walk after the golf or cycling!!

I would love to get more miles in but commute is only 2.5 miles so hardly worth it and I sometimes need to drive for work at short notice so need the car to be here. Frustrating at times.

MountainMonster

I struggle with a very busy schedule from work, plus taking care of priorities at home and still fitting in time for friends and family. I volunteer myself for more than I should probably, meaning I help my friends out a lot, leading to less time for the bike. It is a struggle getting the amount of riding in that I want while making sure I do everything that is needed.

I find my commute is great for getting the time in, but you won't have that issue. I also, where possible, ride to my friends houses if I don't need the car for a particular reason. That gives me at least 15 miles of riding round trip each time I do that as I live out in the country. The commute can also be stretched to about 20km each way if time permits.

Get an office, and you'll tick all the boxes.

supermurph09

I'm about to start the Time Crunched Training Plan, for me it's all about maximising the time I have to produce the best results.

zak3737

Well I realise that while i'm lucky to work from home, - it also perhaps does make you less motivated, especially early in the day ! Altho I'm ready to work & at my desk by 8.30/9am, I'm less than motivated to get up early and get out, - but I accept, thats perhaps the easiest solution, accepting a dark start and rush hour traffic.

To get an Office instead would be a totally unneccesary expense, just to commute ! &, in all likelyhood, I'd need my Car through the day anyway on most days.

Perhaps 1 'Day' ride during the week, for an hour or 2, and an evening ride, would be the way to go. I've got good lights, its just accepting that a night ride is often very 'boring' with no views and just a beam to concentrate on !
Might have to tempt a couple of cycling buddies out with me, maybe more fun in numbers, and with a Pub stop thrown in ;-)

richk

I find time by a) commuting by bike - which can get 'stretched' particularly if I get to leave work on time and b) getting up earlier at the week-end to get an hour in before anybody notices I've gone

LeighM

I leave for work at 7am and return at 7pm and work a demanding job. Every other weekend riding is ruled out due to other commitments.

I manage to get in +300km per month, riding +75km every other weekend and 1 or 2 +30km evening rides. I do this whilst also running twice a week and swimming 1-2 times a week - I do Triathlons, but cycling is the discipline I devote most time to as its my fav. I also have a home life and other stuff to be doing.

I treat my rides (and all my training) as appointments at set times each week. I might be late to the "appointment" if I'm late out of work, but I attend regardless and complete the intended duration, even in bad weather (I'll run/cycle indoors in snow or dangerous weather). I find this works well for me and gives me the required kick up the @rse.

For bad weather, it helps to keep rules #5 and #9 in mind too

Tjgoodhew

I am finding very similar problems and have decided its mind over matter most of the time. When i get in from work and i feel a bit tired and the football is on its easy to write off going out for a ride. It just depends how important the cycling is against other things.

I have some ambitious goals for 2015 so am currently trying to work out a training plan to achieve these with pretty limited free time. I work long hours and live too far away from work to commute in the winter (my route would involve unlit country lanes).

I am currently riding 3 hours in the week and then 4/5 hours at the weekend. In the week if the weather is bad its turbo and if not i will light myself up and go out. Then its up early on a Saturday morning and out for 70+miles and if i can a short ride on Sunday

wavefront

I get up at 5.30 to be out the door for a 2hr ride, get back and leave for work and am at my desk for 9am. Or I'll take an extended lunch to get a ride in during the day. Same with weekends, quite often up and out and back before many have woken up. Find I can easily get 10-14 hrs a week riding in on top of all my other commitments.

It depends what you want from riding - my riding is training at the moment so it's more functional than just going out to enjoy the nice weather etc. I could imagine for many, there would be no point in going out in the dark and rain as it's not that enjoyable!

zak3737

wavefront wrote:

I get up at 5.30 to be out the door for a 2hr ride, get back and leave for work and am at my desk for 9am. Or I'll take an extended lunch to get a ride in during the day. Same with weekends, quite often up and out and back before many have woken up. Find I can easily get 10-14 hrs a week riding in on top of all my other commitments.

It depends what you want from riding - my riding is training at the moment so it's more functional than just going out to enjoy the nice weather etc. I could imagine for many, there would be no point in going out in the dark and rain as it's not that enjoyable!

*Respect*

5.30am, ......cant see me doing that !
As for Darkness & Rain combination not being enjoyable.......Amen to that.

Clear crisp dark nights, well, I can see me going for it, perhaps for 90mins or so, gotta be better than nothing, and also grab a ride mid-week when window of weather opprtunity appears.

whoof

As others ave said commuting is a great way of using time that you might otherwise be sat in a car to be riding. Whilst you work from home are there other journeys that you could do by bike? A friend of mine goes to his inlaws for lunch on Sundays. His wife drives and he rides there.
Do you spend Saturday in the Supermarket shopping? Try getting your groceries online delivered mid-week and ride on Saturday.
Do you sit in front of the TV in the evenings, try a session on the turbo-trainer (personally unless I was racing and doing intervals I would go nuts doing this).
Get your wife to ride a bike. Mrs Whoof and I have at least of weekend bike ride together a week and some weekend both days.

DavidJB

I make time.

whoof

DavidJB wrote:

I make time.

You stretch the space-time continuum to form new time. Interesting!

Anonymous

Get some rollers.
By far the quickest and easiest way of getting on your bike in winter.

An alternative to rollers might be a Kinetic Rock and Roll turbo trainer.

blackpoolkev

I find that I get the miles in better if I ride as far as I can when I get the chance. The way I see it is - Getting ready, 45mins (bowl of porridge/weetabix,coffee,get dressed,prepare bottles etc.) + winding down afterwards, 30 mins(shower,recovery snack and put everything away). This 75 minutes is not time that you are enjoying out on the bike.
It doesn't matter if you are riding for 90 minutes or 3 hours - you still lose the same time either end of your ride faffing about. So long rides make better use of your bike riding "windows of opportunity".

Flâneur

You don't find time, you make time, like with all good things in life

DavidJB

whoof wrote:

DavidJB wrote:

I make time.

You stretch the space-time continuum to form new time. Interesting!

That's how I roll. 8)

Bobbinogs

sa0u823e wrote:

You don't find time, you make time, like with all good things in life

Yepp, great advice. I would have written "Quit your jibber jabber, get off your lardy arse and ride your bike"

chris_bass

I was struggling to find time so last weekend I decided to put my clocks back to give myself an extra hour to ride on Sunday, It seemed to have very little impact at all which was surprising, so i think i'll do it again this weekend.

letap73

Do like I do, forego friends and family, in that way you have plenty of time for the bike and you can use the emotional pain of eternal loneliness and rejection to fuel your performance to bag all those KOMs.

antsmithmk

letap73 wrote:

Do like I do, forego friends and family, in that way you have plenty of time for the bike and you can use the emotional pain of eternal loneliness and rejection to fuel your performance to bag all those KOMs.

I know that feeling.

If you want the time..... You will find it.

Bordersroadie

Night riding after kids in bed.

Greenbeetle

Chris Bass wrote:

I was struggling to find time so last weekend I decided to put my clocks back to give myself an extra hour to ride on Sunday, It seemed to have very little impact at all which was surprising, so i think i'll do it again this weekend.

Excellent. Best suggestion yet.

ilovegrace

To be honest I sympathies with the OP.
I have a job 15 mile away from home, for the most part on traffic free roads including challenging climbs and flat stretches.
Up at 6 stretch , shave breakfast and out . shower and clothes at work my Emma works at the same place so packed lunch and spare kit if needed.
However , military precision is the key , gear ready etc.
Would not like to work from home .
regards
ILG

Mccaria

I was a 9 handicap but found it difficult to combine golf, cycling and life in general. Over the past few years the golf has taken a back seat and I have just had to accept poorer scoring. Have just begun to play a bit more, primarily as I missed spending time with my golf buddies !

In terms of getting the hours in I have a turbo set up permanently with good fan and supply of cycling DVDs. Everything is set up to facilitate getting on the turbo and using it - if I had to set it up every time I doubt I would use it anywhere near enough.

jonny_trousers

Now that it's November I can say that I literally haven't ridden my bike in months.

Early this year I was unlawfully made redundant and I'm back to working fully freelance again, which means no more bike commuting. I look after my little boy on my own for two days a week and for large chunks of the other days. I also take on as much work as I'm offered and there seems to be a never ending admin to tend to.

I have no idea how anyone with a young family that they actually want to spend time with, and who does not commute by bike, manages to get out riding, never mind maintain a high level if fitness.

There's a possibility of a position that would mean I can cycle commute again next year. My fingers are permanently crossed.

gimpl

Jonny_Trousers wrote:

Now that it's November I can say that I literally haven't ridden my bike in months.

Early this year I was unlawfully made redundant and I'm back to working fully freelance again, which means no more bike commuting. I look after my little boy on my own for two days a week and for large chunks of the other days. I also take on as much work as I'm offered and there seems to be a never ending admin to tend to.

I have no idea how anyone with a young family that they actually want to spend time with, and who does not commute by bike, manages to get out riding, never mind maintain a high level if fitness.

There's a possibility of a position that would mean I can cycle commute again next year. My fingers are permanently crossed.

You're a 'victim'. In my experience victims can never find the time to do anything.

jonny_trousers

Gimpl wrote:

Jonny_Trousers wrote:

Now that it's November I can say that I literally haven't ridden my bike in months.

Early this year I was unlawfully made redundant and I'm back to working fully freelance again, which means no more bike commuting. I look after my little boy on my own for two days a week and for large chunks of the other days. I also take on as much work as I'm offered and there seems to be a never ending admin to tend to.

I have no idea how anyone with a young family that they actually want to spend time with, and who does not commute by bike, manages to get out riding, never mind maintain a high level if fitness.

There's a possibility of a position that would mean I can cycle commute again next year. My fingers are permanently crossed.

You're a 'victim'. In my experience victims can never find the time to do anything.

You're 'prone to making sweeping statements about people you know next to nothing about online'. In my experience, people who are prone to making sweeping statements about those they know next to nothing about online do so in order to compensate for a deep-rooted sense of personal inadequacy.

One hack piece of psychoanalysis deserves another.

Zingzang

letap73 wrote:

Do like I do, forego friends and family, in that way you have plenty of time for the bike and you can use the emotional pain of eternal loneliness and rejection to fuel your performance to bag all those KOMs.

Better still, get a dose of Myalgic Encephalomyelitis. For years on end you'll have all the time in the world to ride your bike, but not even the energy to pump the tyres up, let alone go out on it. Your problem of finding the time will be resolved. In the meantime your job, family and friends, and all social activities will forgo you, rather than the other way round.