Ride more, bitch less.

Posted by: thaaad

I've ridden twice since August 2017. 

I'm a piece of shit.

I was really feeling like that too, just couldn't get into a consistent groove. Part of it was maybe loss of interest, part of it was being busy and part of it was being moody/depressed. After a while I knew what was missing in my life was the riding. When I decided to get back at it I didn't even really care about the trails at first, I just made sure I made getting out on the bike a priority. Sometimes it took me the whole day to get my mojo on and get out of the house, but after the first few rides it got easier. It's still a bit of a battle to be honest and I'm riding as much for my physical as my mental health, but I'm really starting to have fun on the bike again. I've had a bit of a personal setback over the past few days but I'm not going to let that derail things. I'm trying to ride everyday. If not on the trails then it's commuting to work and if I can't get motivated to go out in the rain then I'm going for out for a short run. Next step is to get back into trail building  bigly.

Posted by: syncro

Posted by: thaaad

I've ridden twice since August 2017. 

I'm a piece of shit.

I was really feeling like that too, just couldn't get into a consistent groove. Part of it was maybe loss of interest, part of it was being busy and part of it was being moody/depressed. After a while I knew what was missing in my life was the riding. When I decided to get back at it I didn't even really care about the trails at first, I just made sure I made getting out on the bike a priority. Sometimes it took me the whole day to get my mojo on and get out of the house, but after the first few rides it got easier. It's still a bit of a battle to be honest and I'm riding as much for my physical as my mental health, but I'm really starting to have fun on the bike again. I've had a bit of a personal setback over the past few days but I'm not going to let that derail things. I'm trying to ride everyday. If not on the trails then it's commuting to work and if I can't get motivated to go out in the rain then I'm going for out for a short run. Next step is to get back into trail building  bigly.

Every time when I think about NOT riding, I have to think about what you told me all those years ago - If you want to improve your riding, you need to ride as often as possible and speed does not really matter. Just get the miles in and the rest will follow.

Last year I clocked 3.5k km despite not having been able to properly ride the first half because of a blown disc. And so far I try to keep up a regular rhythm, with me going into the gym at least twice a week plus riding my commuter and Stylus, weather permitting. That is one huge advantage of having a kid who is really eager to ride as often as possible and who simply loves the outdoors.

Posted by: syncro

Posted by: thaaad

I've ridden twice since August 2017. 

I'm a piece of shit.

I was really feeling like that too, just couldn't get into a consistent groove. Part of it was maybe loss of interest, part of it was being busy and part of it was being moody/depressed. After a while I knew what was missing in my life was the riding. When I decided to get back at it I didn't even really care about the trails at first, I just made sure I made getting out on the bike a priority. Sometimes it took me the whole day to get my mojo on and get out of the house, but after the first few rides it got easier. It's still a bit of a battle to be honest and I'm riding as much for my physical as my mental health, but I'm really starting to have fun on the bike again. I've had a bit of a personal setback over the past few days but I'm not going to let that derail things. I'm trying to ride everyday. If not on the trails then it's commuting to work and if I can't get motivated to go out in the rain then I'm going for out for a short run. Next step is to get back into trail building  bigly.

That's great Synco, depression can really take the wind out of your sails and it seems easier to not bother. It's super common in men when they reach their 40's to get into a cycle of being super bummed. I find riding/trail running as much as possible really keeps me on a good level. It's not just the exercise, but being out in the woods is so good for the soul.

Posted by: Brocklanders

That's great Synco, depression can really take the wind out of your sails and it seems easier to not bother. It's super common in men when they reach their 40's to get into a cycle of being super bummed. I find riding/trail running as much as possible really keeps me on a good level. It's not just the exercise, but being out in the woods is so good for the soul.

thanks dude.  you're bang out about being out in the woods being good for the soul, even just a walk through the tress can be good.

Posted by: syncro

Posted by: Brocklanders

That's great Synco, depression can really take the wind out of your sails and it seems easier to not bother. It's super common in men when they reach their 40's to get into a cycle of being super bummed. I find riding/trail running as much as possible really keeps me on a good level. It's not just the exercise, but being out in the woods is so good for the soul.

thanks dude.  you're bang out about being out in the woods being good for the soul, even just a walk through the tress can be good.

What I have been doing lately is on every solo ride which is about 75% of the time. Stop somewhere and chill for a bit and soak up the surroundings. I feel so lucky to have had the North shore mountains in my backyard all my life. Sometimes when I go out and hammer a lap after work or something , I don't appreciate what we have here. Now I'm making a point of appreciating it... Life can be super hectic and a "speed check" is super helpful.

Posted by: Brocklanders

Posted by: syncro

Posted by: Brocklanders

That's great Synco, depression can really take the wind out of your sails and it seems easier to not bother. It's super common in men when they reach their 40's to get into a cycle of being super bummed. I find riding/trail running as much as possible really keeps me on a good level. It's not just the exercise, but being out in the woods is so good for the soul.

thanks dude.  you're bang out about being out in the woods being good for the soul, even just a walk through the tress can be good.

What I have been doing lately is on every solo ride which is about 75% of the time. Stop somewhere and chill for a bit and soak up the surroundings. I feel so lucky to have had the North shore mountains in my backyard all my life. Sometimes when I go out and hammer a lap after work or something , I don't appreciate what we have here. Now I'm making a point of appreciating it... Life can be super hectic and a "speed check" is super helpful.

I make it a point to do this at some point on the ride (climb or descent) usually at a point when I notice some natural beauty, most often the sun coming through the trees at a certain angle (most of my rides are early in the morning or just before dusk - young baby at home). Really appreciating having the shore close to home now that we have the baby. I used to be a snob always heading up to Squamish/Whistler or the fraser valley to ride different stuff but am having a ton of fun on my weekend morning rides on Fromme/Seymour... definitely did not appreciate the mental health benefits of getting out into the woods alone as much before the kid arrived.

Posted by: grambo

Posted by: Brocklanders

Posted by: syncro

Posted by: Brocklanders

That's great Synco, depression can really take the wind out of your sails and it seems easier to not bother. It's super common in men when they reach their 40's to get into a cycle of being super bummed. I find riding/trail running as much as possible really keeps me on a good level. It's not just the exercise, but being out in the woods is so good for the soul.

thanks dude. you're bang out about being out in the woods being good for the soul, even just a walk through the tress can be good.

What I have been doing lately is on every solo ride which is about 75% of the time. Stop somewhere and chill for a bit and soak up the surroundings. I feel so lucky to have had the North shore mountains in my backyard all my life. Sometimes when I go out and hammer a lap after work or something , I don't appreciate what we have here. Now I'm making a point of appreciating it... Life can be super hectic and a "speed check" is super helpful.

I make it a point to do this at some point on the ride (climb or descent) usually at a point when I notice some natural beauty, most often the sun coming through the trees at a certain angle (most of my rides are early in the morning or just before dusk - young baby at home). Really appreciating having the shore close to home now that we have the baby. I used to be a snob always heading up to Squamish/Whistler or the fraser valley to ride different stuff but am having a ton of fun on my weekend morning rides on Fromme/Seymour... definitely did not appreciate the mental health benefits of getting out into the woods alone as much before the kid arrived.

Hey Congrats...Think we are living parallel lives. My son arrived 6 weeks ago. Funny we have the same appreciation for the time out there riding now.

Some very wise words in the preceding posts, gentlemen. Some mornings it can be tough to get outta bed & hit the trails. Lotsa times I just wanna stay in bed, stay warm & get some more sleep. But it pays in the end. I also like to stop & have a good look around, maybe at a funky tree or a big fungus or something weird like that. Plus it's great when you have a quiet forest to yourself within minutes of a large city. The Shore is awesome.

Those fragmented winter rides pay off huge once the sun comes out and your fitness is already in a pretty good place.

Posted by: Brocklanders

That's great Synco, depression can really take the wind out of your sails and it seems easier to not bother. It's super common in men when they reach their 40's to get into a cycle of being super bummed. I find riding/trail running as much as possible really keeps me on a good level. It's not just the exercise, but being out in the woods is so good for the soul.

So true, being out in the woods, even in bad weather, helps me getting over a pretty tiring and frustrating personal situation at the moment.

I remember having read an article on the frontpage about how riding helped one rider to overcome adjustment difficulties, aka a mild form of depression. It surely helps me. On the downs there is just the present moment, kind of like a Zen flow, and on the uphills I can fight and vent my frustration and all the stress - or I get off and push uphill, enjoying the scenery and focusing on the sights and sounds and smells, kind of like soul soothing.

Posted by: Stuminator

Some very wise words in the preceding posts, gentlemen. Some mornings it can be tough to get outta bed & hit the trails. Lotsa times I just wanna stay in bed, stay warm & get some more sleep. But it pays in the end. I also like to stop & have a good look around, maybe at a funky tree or a big fungus or something weird like that. Plus it's great when you have a quiet forest to yourself within minutes of a large city. The Shore is awesome.

What about staying in bed AND then going off for a ride at a later time? At the moment when my kid is not with me, I enjoy some time snuggled up in bed and not having to get up early, to the annoying sound of an alarm clock.

Posted by: Mic

Every time when I think about NOT riding, I have to think about what you told me all those years ago - If you want to improve your riding, you need to ride as often as possible and speed does not really matter. Just get the miles in and the rest will follow.

You could put anything in there; riding, lifting, playing the guitar, learning a language, whatever, consistency is huge in getting good at something.

That's why I'm always trying to be a smart-ass on here.

Posted by: Brocklanders

Hey Congrats...Think we are living parallel lives. My son arrived 6 weeks ago. Funny we have the same appreciation for the time out there riding now.

Congrats to you as well, ours is just over 5 months now... I'm sure many people have told you "it gets easier", well it actually does in some ways even from that early stage to now, sleep is way better than it was a few months ago! Enjoy the ride.

Posted by: syncro

Posted by: Mic

Every time when I think about NOT riding, I have to think about what you told me all those years ago - If you want to improve your riding, you need to ride as often as possible and speed does not really matter. Just get the miles in and the rest will follow.

You could put anything in there; riding, lifting, playing the guitar, learning a language, whatever, consistency is huge in getting good at something.

That's why I'm always trying to be a smart-ass on here.

"We are what we do repeatedly, excellence, therefore, is not an act, but a habit." 

- long dead Greek