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I hate riding
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 2016-08-11 9:51 AM |
 1940     , Kronobergs lan |  Subject: I hate ridingInspired by the "I hate my bike" thread... I love swimming (in the lake, not doing laps in the pool), I enjoy running but riding bores me to death. Any ideas to make it more fun? |
| 2016-08-11 9:56 AM in reply to: Rollergirl |
| Pennsylvania | Subject: RE: I hate riding Ride pretty places. Ride with friends or other people. Make a ride a destination, or have mini-stops/destinations planned throughout the trip to encourage you to go on. What approach do you take to running that you aren't bored with that? |
| 2016-08-11 10:17 AM in reply to: Rollergirl |
| 1502 Katy, Texas | Subject: RE: I hate riding Originally posted by Rollergirl Inspired by the "I hate my bike" thread... I love swimming (in the lake, not doing laps in the pool), I enjoy running but riding bores me to death. Any ideas to make it more fun? If you're bored on the bike, you aren't going NEARLY hard enough. What differentiates biking from running is you can push really hard, and by doing so see some good gains. Make it hurt; it makes it fun, and makes you fast. Intervals, time trials, KOMs/QOMs...etc |
| 2016-08-11 11:04 AM in reply to: 3mar |
Regular 309 Euless, Texas | Subject: RE: I hate riding Listen to music |
| 2016-08-11 11:36 AM in reply to: Rollergirl |
Elite 3683 Whispering Pines, North Carolina | Subject: RE: I hate riding Get on a trainer, face the corner, and have somebody beat you with a pole if you slow down... :P My suggestion is try to find a group to ride with. ...and don't listen to music. Bad idea. |
| 2016-08-11 11:37 AM in reply to: 3mar |
Elite 3683 Whispering Pines, North Carolina | Subject: RE: I hate riding Originally posted by 3mar Originally posted by Rollergirl Inspired by the "I hate my bike" thread... I love swimming (in the lake, not doing laps in the pool), I enjoy running but riding bores me to death. Any ideas to make it more fun? If you're bored on the bike, you aren't going NEARLY hard enough. What differentiates biking from running is you can push really hard, and by doing so see some good gains. Make it hurt; it makes it fun, and makes you fast. Intervals, time trials, KOMs/QOMs...etc That's how I train...I like to get off the bike with wobbly legs. |
| 2016-08-11 12:08 PM in reply to: d00d |
Master 2429 Falls Church, Virginia | Subject: RE: I hate riding You say you don't like laps in the pool, either. Do you find that boring? The answer, like everyone has said, is intervals. Works on the bike or in the pool. You can't be bored when you're redlining! |
| 2016-08-11 1:52 PM in reply to: Atlantia |
Master 4119 Toronto Bronze member | Subject: RE: I hate riding Originally posted by Atlantia You say you don't like laps in the pool, either. Do you find that boring? The answer, like everyone has said, is intervals. Works on the bike or in the pool. You can't be bored when you're redlining! Haha, makes me think of Sufferfest. Get the videos and let it heckle you - i am usually laughing through sweaty tears!! LOL! But the same could be said for doing hill repeats - just curse and huff and puff up the hills! |
| 2016-08-11 4:53 PM in reply to: juniperjen |
| 1940 , Kronobergs lan | Subject: RE: I hate riding Thanks for the replies. I really ought to find a group to ride with but what I like about training for tris is that I can do it on my own, whenever I want. Yes, doing laps in the pool is boring too, but not as bad as riding. I do ride in beautiful places but that doesn't help. Intervals, yes, I guess that may work. It is trues that I do not make a huge effort on the bike. Can't seem to be motivated What makes running less boring is probably my dog, I talk to her. I have tried talking to myself on rides but it's not the same. Also rides are supposed to last longer than runs. As I only do sprints, I rarely run more than 10k (and by rarely I mean never and by 10 k I mean 8), which takes 45 minutes or so. 45 minutes of riding feels like I've done nothing... |
| 2016-08-11 6:25 PM in reply to: Rollergirl |
Pro 6582 Melbourne FL Gold member | Subject: RE: I hate riding Originally posted by Rollergirl Thanks for the replies. I really ought to find a group to ride with but what I like about training for tris is that I can do it on my own, whenever I want. Yes, doing laps in the pool is boring too, but not as bad as riding. I do ride in beautiful places but that doesn't help. Intervals, yes, I guess that may work. It is trues that I do not make a huge effort on the bike. Can't seem to be motivated What makes running less boring is probably my dog, I talk to her. I have tried talking to myself on rides but it's not the same. Also rides are supposed to last longer than runs. As I only do sprints, I rarely run more than 10k (and by rarely I mean never and by 10 k I mean 8), which takes 45 minutes or so. 45 minutes of riding feels like I've done nothing... Several years ago when I was heavy into training I started riding with a small local group via a friend. I was immediately enamored with the rides and looked forward to the gatherings. Such a change to lonely garage trainer intervals an outdoor rides to work. I quickly learned that there were certain points along the two rides (coastal bound north and south) where you had to be ready for sprints for certain KOM bragging rights. It was a blast, yes I started hitting the trainer intervals hard for those! For riding, I suggest getting a trainer such as a simple Kurt Kinetic road machine. Its dependable and you can have "fun" using virtual power via a PC and an Ant+ dongle with an ANT+ speed transmitter on the bike. Guarantee when you first do your FTP or Critical Power tests you'll be "uh-oh what did I get myself into!" Some 60' workouts will have you wishing they were 45'! BT has there own generic cycling program that will bust your @$$! I know the program is available on subscription software such as TrainerRoad and MaximumTrainer. Funny you bring up your dog. Mine is now 4, once the vet cleared him for running we were running pals, everyone around here knows us, help's that he's very unique as a Aussie Blue Merle. Any way, he's now on a no running regime due to genetic carpal (wrist) issue that will eventually require joint fusion. When he had to stop running it killed me. I actually stopped running for a while. |
| 2016-08-11 6:38 PM in reply to: Rollergirl |
| 319 Sarasota, Florida | Subject: RE: I hate riding I do agree some, the bike isn't my favorite, possibly due to comfort issues and just the time spent on it. Sometimes it starts to drag out some thinking about everything else I need to get done that day. I don't have the tolerance to redline myself for an hour and a half. Push myself some yes, but at any point, I can push quite a bit more, but choose to reserve it for the remainder. I have never tried intervals, might give this a go. When I run in the gym using the treadmill people have asked how I don't get bored without music and honestly I wonder. I'm usually in an active stoic meditative wrestling match with the creeping exhaustion and can't really think about anything, I just push and build up my endorphin high but over the course of an hour this isn't too long for me. I don't necessarily recommend it, but outside of the gym, I have a habit of routing a large loop where I know there's no turning back, which can add some excitement. On the bike this loop can go through a lot of different scenery, shops, fields, beaches, parks, golf courses. I feel more accomplished seeing the landscape gradually change. |
| 2016-08-11 6:54 PM in reply to: Rollergirl |
Master 8248 Eugene, Oregon Bronze member | Subject: RE: I hate riding Jealous that you can ride in beautiful places! Spare a thought for me--my ONLY bike training in Saigon (ten months a year, for distances up to HIM) is on the trainer in my spare room, or a 4 km loop around an industrial park. I guess there are a couple of trees there, maybe, if they haven't cut them down over the summer. If scenery doesn't work, chocolate? Or some other bike snack you really enjoy? Go a little gourmet? Stop mid-ride for a picnic? (On longer, less intense stuff.) Honestly, I used to really hate longer rides here, because they were boring and lonely (I almost always train solo--there's just no one the right speed who lives nearby and has a compatible schedule; local clubs don't welcome women) and I really don't like the usual bike snacks (gu, energy bars, and the like). One day I happened not to have any of that around, so grabbed a big bar of dark chocolate (really nice single-origin stuff from the Central Highlands here) that I had in the fridge. I ate it in small increments for a 3+ hour ride, and it was one of the best rides I'd ever done. Call me a glutton, but I was really looking forward to my chocolate breaks! I think there is also some kind of mood-boosting compound in chocolate... On that theme, a little caffeine is always helpful too. Not sure what products you have over there but some gu has it, Infiniti, or Nuun Energy tabs. Also, people to ride with? As for indoors on the trainer, music and videos go a long way. My go-to site is called HD Cycling. Upbeat music (they do tend to re-use the same tunes over and over again, but it's always at a good solid tempo) and a happy German bike club doing scenic rides all around Europe. They're real people, too, not the hard bodies you see on those spin videos. You even get to see videos of the beer stops! They're kind of my virtual cycling buddies. Finally, maybe you're someone who'd be motivated with more structure. I wouldn't call it "enjoy", exactly, but I've gotten a lot more out of my bike training since I got my power meter. It lets you set goals for workouts and track progress, even if your training is a mix of indoors and out, in different conditions (wind, hills, etc.) Also useful for pacing in races. There are plenty of programs online and on this site using power. Most can also be done with heart rate or effort, but power is a lot more useful under varied conditions, and Garmin Connects/ Training Peaks gives you all kinds of cool graphs and stats of your efforts, if you're the analytical type. Hope some of this is useful. |
| 2016-08-11 9:26 PM in reply to: Rollergirl |
| 1055 | Subject: RE: I hate riding Originally posted by Rollergirl Thanks for the replies. I really ought to find a group to ride with but what I like about training for tris is that I can do it on my own, whenever I want. Yes, doing laps in the pool is boring too, but not as bad as riding. I do ride in beautiful places but that doesn't help. Intervals, yes, I guess that may work. It is trues that I do not make a huge effort on the bike. Can't seem to be motivated What makes running less boring is probably my dog, I talk to her. I have tried talking to myself on rides but it's not the same. Also rides are supposed to last longer than runs. As I only do sprints, I rarely run more than 10k (and by rarely I mean never and by 10 k I mean 8), which takes 45 minutes or so. 45 minutes of riding feels like I've done nothing... Zwift, Strava. Riding with a fast group, even if it's just once a week, can make you stronger and help motivate you to work the rest of the week. |
| 2016-08-12 1:31 AM in reply to: ziggie204 |
| 1940 , Kronobergs lan | Subject: RE: I hate riding Thanks for the replies. all very useful tips (I think, once I saw "chocolate" I stopped reading hahaha). I did ride with a group once, they all had mountain bikes and we rode trails. (I was riding my hybrid). Went faster than ever over 30k. seems to be the solution. Maybe not for all rides but once a week or so. The problem is that I am really slow. I average 20k/h on my own (road bike) ; 22-23 in my last tri over 20k, Not sure if any group would have me back after having had to wait for me. Obviously I would probably go faster than that but that would still be slow to them. |
| 2016-08-12 10:07 AM in reply to: Rollergirl |
Pro 6582 Melbourne FL Gold member | Subject: RE: I hate riding Originally posted by Rollergirl Thanks for the replies. all very useful tips (I think, once I saw "chocolate" I stopped reading hahaha). I did ride with a group once, they all had mountain bikes and we rode trails. (I was riding my hybrid). Went faster than ever over 30k. seems to be the solution. Maybe not for all rides but once a week or so. The problem is that I am really slow. I average 20k/h on my own (road bike) ; 22-23 in my last tri over 20k, Not sure if any group would have me back after having had to wait for me. Obviously I would probably go faster than that but that would still be slow to them. In these parts the rides are based on your strength. "A" for the uber fast riders, "B" for fast mortals, and "C" for slower mortals. The B are often no drop rides and C rides are all no drop. There use to be a "D" ride once a month at a LBS for those new to riding to learn all about it. It's all a system to help with encouragement and progression. |
| 2016-08-12 3:21 PM in reply to: ziggie204 |
| 467 , Wisconsin | Subject: RE: I hate riding Originally posted by ziggie204 Originally posted by Rollergirl I think that is the main problem, you're just cruising without any effort, and that can be boring. Start to push yourself part of the time whenever you ride. Not for the whole thing, but maybe just up the hills, or just a particular 1K stretch of road, recover, repeat. Do some speed play, try riding faster cadences, pushing a bit through turns (be safe though). Watch some bike races on TV and then pretend when you're out that you're in them and pulling away from everybody. Play at it and you'll be having fun in no time, and getting faster besides. Pretty soon when you ride with others they'll be working to keep up with you  |
| 2016-08-13 4:52 AM in reply to: MikeD1 |
| 1940 , Kronobergs lan | Subject: RE: I hate riding Thanks. So 1) ride with a group when possible 2) vary the effort when not. Got it, thanks |
| 2016-08-13 5:20 AM in reply to: Rollergirl |
| Bronze member | Subject: RE: I hate riding Agree with what has already been suggested. Riding with the group will make you a better rider even if it is uncomfortable to start with. I ride with a group on the weekend and I ride by myself during the week. It was WAY out of my comfort zone to go with the group. Many things I did not want to deal with - routes I don't know, the group is all men except for my friend and I, felt I couldn't keep up. Riding with that group has been the best thing for me gaining fitness and endurance on the bike. For intervals when I am by myself - I live in the country and we have lots of flat farm roads with nothing but corn and bean fields. I will use the telephone poles for intervals. Something like sprint 10 telephone poles as hard as I can, recover for 5. I'll repeat that until I run out of road. Of course this is on a very low traffic road. Or I will go to a state park and ride laps around trying to beat my own time for each lap. And sometimes I get out the hybrid and ride with my dog |
| 2016-08-13 9:22 AM in reply to: trigal38 |
| 1940 , Kronobergs lan | Subject: RE: I hate riding Really? Ride with the dog? I do take her for a walk on my bike when I am sick or too tired to walk her but I don't think she would be able to keep up, even with my slow pace if I took her on a training ride. |
| 2016-08-13 10:26 AM in reply to: Rollergirl |
| Bronze member | Subject: RE: I hate riding Originally posted by Rollergirl Really? Ride with the dog? I do take her for a walk on my bike when I am sick or too tired to walk her but I don't think she would be able to keep up, even with my slow pace if I took her on a training ride. Ha yes. But only in cooler weather at the park when I am just riding for exercise, not training. She is trained on an ecollar so I carry the remote in my hand. She knows to stay to my right in the grass and NEVER cross in front of me. She is very smart and high energy. She just runs and runs, does not bother anyone else that is at the park for exercise. If she sees an oncoming car she knows to stop and wait by my side. |
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