Motivation ?

Page may contain affiliate links. Please see terms for details.

kimz

New Member
Location
Hampshire
right your all gona think im mad now i know i said i wanted to do the 118 london2bornemouth well already im thinking i cant do it seems way to far my son said how many days is that over :biggrin: when i said one he said you'll die :ohmy:

well i been thinking for a few days maybe do an 80 miles ride this year instead and maybe 118 next year i feel 80 miles is very doable but 118 :thumbsup: and if i start off a ride thiking i wont finnish will it finnish me before ive started ?
also apart from my normal work 3 miles in the morning and 4 miles in eveing i only did a 10 mile round trip yesterday and nothing today except normal 3 and 4 miles work riding help what do i do
 

andyfromotley

New Member
hi kimz,

depends on what sort of person you are i guess. i am very goal orientated i have ridden long rides and run a marathon basically because i felt i couldnt 'lose' the self imposed challenge. It worked for me but i wasnt fit enough for those tasks and it was bloody hard work. I sort of missed out on the point that these things (including the training for them are supposed to be fun!)

So you may be much better off choosing a smaller incremental challenge... or just scrap targets altogether.

Remember, there is no bike police.

andy
 

Fab Foodie

hanging-on in quiet desperation ...
Location
Kirton, Devon.
kimz, my kids also say stuff like that, I remember mine saying after my first TT that I'd been in a bike race and didn't die...

To be honest, there's plenty of time to get miles in if you put your mind to it. Finding a cycle-buddy will help. Regarding distance, if you can do 80, then 118's not far off. If it's a charity ride, then the other participants will help you along.
Don't give-up before you even start.
 

ASC1951

Guru
Location
Yorkshire
If you're only doing rides of 10 miles or so, you will struggle with 118, no matter how fit you might be. You could do it if you are exceptionally determined, but you won't enjoy it.

Your mind and body need to know what it is like to carry on for hour after hour. If you are reasonably fit, all you need to do is to pack in some long rides first, say a few 50 milers and at least one around 80. That shouldn't take more than two or three months and another advantage is that it will show up anything in your equipment, riding position and food/drink balance which you don't notice on short rides.

A bit of training first, kimz, and you'll have no trouble. But don't give yourself grief about it at this stage - there is always next month, or next year, or you can just get a map and go and do 118 miles wherever and whenever you want.
 

Bill Gates

Guest
Location
West Sussex
You're putting yourself under pressure because right now 118 miles is a very long way indeed. Right now in the middle of winter with next to no riding under your belt then it's enough to test anyone's motivation. This sort of riding where it's case of survival rather than how fast you can go can be a bit daunting. A lot of others might disagree but I would listen to your instincts. If you're worried it's too far then aim for a lesser distance to start off with and see how you go.

If there is a cut off date for entering then leave it until the last minute before deciding. In the meantime ride your bike for enjoyment, and as you get fitter you can increase the distance of your rides. Like you say thinking about riding 118 miles right now is demotivational but riding 25 miles and then 30 etc is doable.
 

jimboalee

New Member
Location
Solihull
You will do it.

Lots of riding up hills and down dales.

Your family might not see you very often. They will need to learn how to cook ( and wash up ).

It is up to you to disprove their misconcieved perceptions,,,,,
 

mr Mag00

rising member
Location
Deepest Dorset
what said above is all correct, try to get them involved too, take the kids out on short rides to show it doesnt have to be torture and slowly build it up withtm maybe they will get the bug too, but starting with them in this weather will be a non starter inmho :blush:

good luck one day at a time
 
OP
OP
K

kimz

New Member
Location
Hampshire
jimboalee said:
You will do it.

Lots of riding up hills and down dales.

Your family might not see you very often. They will need to learn how to cook ( and wash up ).

It is up to you to disprove their misconcieved perceptions,,,,,

i work full time also they dont live with me one has a son and own place so dont have family to worry about :blush:

also although i only did 10 mile other day most of the time im doing 25 to 30 miles and i did say i would start training in march but thats now only 2 days away prob why im panicing :sad:

and my bike is my only transport so not a fair weather rider have to ride in all weathers although once it warms up might be more likely to do extra miles i think i will see how march goes then decide if i will go for it but do feel like im giving up already before even giving it a chance so 4 weeks i might change my mind again :thumbsup:
 

jimboalee

New Member
Location
Solihull
What more motivation do you need than surprising your family by 'waltzing' the 118 mile ride.

Train secretly in the evenings after work and blag them all the way to the event.

They might even put fifty quid on you failing :tongue:
 

zacklaws

Guru
Location
Beverley
Go for it, by the time the days get longer along with the better weather and a lot more miles under your belt your motivation level will have increased.

A challenge completed is far more rewarding if you did not think it was possible than one which you knew you could do. Push yourself to the limits of endurance and surprise yourself.

Just remember to eat and drink properly and look for things before hand which may impair you on a long ride, ie does your bike start to get uncomfortable on long rides, do you start to cramp up during long rides etc and then find solutions the problems. Also get a good game plan, carry minimum to lighten the load but plan on where you can top up with water and food etc. Everything you plan on drinking and eating try out a few times before the big event so that you know that they will not cause you intestinal problems etc on the big ride.

Keep at it and good luck.

Oh and I forgot to add, that the challenge I am contemplating is Beverley to London and back in 24 hours, approx 440 miles, my body says go, the brain says no. I may be able to do it, but not in 24 hours, plus the logistics of planning place's to get food and water during the night time in the middle of unknown territory could be crucial. I think it may be too much to do so will not go for it, but if I do, and I'm daft enough it will be a big achievement regardless of the time taken.
 

palinurus

Velo, boulot, dodo
Location
Watford
Winter's not even properly over yet.

You've done 30 miles. Once the nice spring weather has started try a 50 miler. Then a 63miler: that's just over 100 km, and more than half-way to 118 miles.
 

Arch

Married to Night Train
Location
Salford, UK
palinurus said:
Winter's not even properly over yet.

You've done 30 miles. Once the nice spring weather has started try a 50 miler. Then a 63miler: that's just over 100 km, and more than half-way to 118 miles.

Yeah, spot on, the more you do, the eaiser it is to add 10 or 20 miles. I went from just under 70 as my max ever, to a 100 miler the next month. It hurt, but I did it.

BTW, a bunch of us are considering something a bit more extreme - albeit 3 years away. London-Edinburgh-London in 5 days.

http://www.cyclechat.co.uk/forums/showthread.php?t=55437

Proportionately, you're ahead of me - My max is 100, this ride is over 800. If you can do 30, imagine 8 times that....

Your target ride is in July, right? That's 5 months away, loads of time to train. Read Arallsop's LEL thread in touring (better yet, buy his book!;)). He started from a pretty low weekly mileage and worked up to ultra-distances!

There are a fair few CC'ers in Hampshire - maybe you can can some long distance experts to come on a few rides with you. Having company makes a big difference.
 

GrasB

Veteran
Location
Nr Cambridge
Arch said:
There are a fair few CC'ers in Hampshire - maybe you can can some long distance experts to come on a few rides with you. Having company makes a big difference.
Maybe see if there's a local cycling club that does runs which fit in with you & your pace. This will give you a good platform to build longer runs on & no doubt you'll be surprised at how far you can go when there's 3 other people with you sharing the load.

Another thing to remember is that getting up to around the 50-60mile ride marker is the hardest bit, from there it becomes a case of keeping your body fuelled up & taking things steady. So push out 5 or 10 miles further every time you go on a longer ride & soon you'll be putting in 50... 60 & 70milers without really thinking about ;).
 
A lot of its in the mind.

If you never do it, then you think 30 miles is a long way.
But I used to do +100 miles rides fairly often 20 odd years ago.
I cannot do that distance now as knees & hips are going.
But I still think a 30 mile trip is a nice short spin.
So just get out there and do the miles.
Once you get used to it, its easy.

Luck ........ ;)
 
Top Bottom