How do you get back into the riding habit after months off?

[FastforaSlowGuy]

Adopting our daughter in April was the best thing to ever happen to me, hands down. She was 4 days old when she came to us, and my wife and I had all the usual new-parent life changes. No sleep, frenetic pre- and post-workday time, etc. As a result, I went from riding 6 days a week, to riding 2 (if I was lucky). My long ride went from 3 hours to 90 minutes. I don't regret dialing it back - every minute with that little girl is precious. But I wouldn't mind losing some of the flab that has accumulated around my midsection as a result of being inactive. Getting back into a workout habit is tougher than I would have thought, though. Riding and working out used to be as much part of my day as brushing my teeth, but now it just gets shoved to the bottom of the priority stack every single time. I'm sure I'm not the first person on this forum to wrestle with this. Any tips? Things that worked for you getting back into the habit? I still adore riding, but when the moment comes, it always seems like something else gets in the way (sleep, work, chores, diapers, etc.).

[weisan]

fast pal, first off, congratulations with your adoption and putting your priorities in the right order.

The only advice I would say is...dial back...I mean, way back especially if you used to be killing it on the bike...on your expectations. Take on a new perspective where every ride is a gift, whether it lasts 10 minutes or an hour, it doesn't matter. Just the fact that you are able to be outside, out in the open, with the wind on your face, count that as a privilege and also a necessity, because you need that outlet. It's not easy to have a newborn in the house, we all know that, it's WORK, big time.

Look at this guy with that silly smile on his face when he's on his bike...Print it out in large print and stick it on your wall as inspiration.

[fuzzalow]

Life is what happens while you're busy making other plans.

1. Dontworryaboudit.
2. Standards change with revised expectations.
3. And most importantly, you will always find or make time for whatever you really wish to do. However 3 hour rides may be not as worthwhile when weighed against other things relative to your newly revised outlook. See step 2.

That is why when when somebody beats their chest about how fast they are as a way to belittle the paucity of your current form, you can just smile. Because you really had something else better to do; balance in life is a good thing.

[pdmtong]

Originally Posted by fuzzalow

Life is what happens while you're busy making other plans.

1. Dontworryaboudit.
2. Standards change with revised expectations.
3. And most importantly, you will always find or make time for whatever you really wish to do. However 3 hour rides may be not as worthwhile when weighed against other things relative to your newly revised outlook. See step 2.

That is why when when somebody beats their chest about how fast they are as a way to belittle the paucity of your current form, you can just smile. Because you really had something else better to do; balance in life is a good thing.

wei-pal and fuzz speak the truth. after years of high performance windsurfing and mtb, I turned to road biking when we adopted my now 16yo newly licensed driving junior in high school on the cusp of going to college where did the time go daughter. I would gladly trade all the fitness and hours again and again for the happy times we've shared.

just dial back your expectations and do not lament what once was. be happy whenever you can go for a ride.

I started my daughter riding early. at age 3 she would do seven slow miles on a 12" with training wheels. single track at age 6. she rode up the local benchmark climb (3.3/1300') on a trek KDR1000 at age 9. same year she and I started racing CX and we began our love of lift-assisted DH.

your cycling life is far from over. in fact, I might say, it might be just beginning.

congratulations on your family!

[Kirk007]

And grab the miles where you can. Riding to work, if it is a possibility, is a nice way to make good use of that time. When our son was young I used to ride very early and be back in time to make everyone else breakfast (summer months - long Seattle days).

[slidey]

Congratulations OP!

I have nothing to offer from the standpoint of being a parent, and juggling priorities. I can however tell you that I've stopped riding altogether in the interest of time, and my successful replacement are a rotation between running/rowing/core workout. From the standpoint of getting the most out of your time, and being outdoors, its hard to beat running.

Good luck either ways.

[ofcounsel]

Congratulations! I meet up with a few like minded dads, and tend to go riding at night, around 8:30 pm, after our kids (ranging from 5 to 8) go to bed. Not long rides: only about 1 hour to 90 minutes. Not long rides like you're used to, but our families are the priority.

[Ti Designs]

If you were a good cyclist, you already know how to get there 'cause you've done it before. Things may have changed, but getting back there really doesn't. There's always a question of how much you can commit, but don't let that limit your goals.

I coach a number of people in the same situation, I know how it goes. I've also known much harder cases which show that anything is possible. An ex-girlfriend of mine got hit by an SUV and shattered her pelvis. She went from an ultra endurance athlete to being unable to stand in a split second. She ordered the replacement bike before she was weight bearing, knowing that she would get back to where she was. The day after she got our of the wheelchair, the bike shop staff helped her onto her bike and took her around the parking lot. 6 months later she did a century. My own story is similar, I suffered a severe back injury that left me unable to walk. As a junior racer I would write down what my coach wanted me to work on and tape it to my stem. In recovery I wrote "You know how to do this" and sealed it on my stem with clear packing tape.

My point is you know how to get there, life has just made it a bit harder - that shouldn't be a problem...

[Vonruden]

Some great advise coming in from others. As a father of 3 young boys (including 8yr old twins) just get out when you can. My weekend riding mostly consist of waking up at 4:00am to ride before soccer, baskeball games or birthday parties begin. During the work week, most of my rides are after 8 or 9pm when the kids are in bed, normally and hour or less. I'm sure sleep for you is at a premium, so waking early may not help, in that case just grab whatever you can, even a mile or two can help relieve stress and put a smile on your face.

Good luck / Congrats, hang in there it get's easier as they grow.

[velomonkey]

Congrats. Let me give it to you straight. In DC there are 2 big group rides. The 10am and the 7:30am. The 10am, to me in my 20s, seemed so hard to make as a college kid, but I'd make it. Barely. Ride would last till 1pm. I didn't know who the heck rode the 7:30 ride and why - I just knew they were older.

Fast forward, had my first kid and figured out who did the 7:30 ride. Parents.

Look, my license still says Cat I. I'm not a Cat I. At all. Maybe 3 times a year I do a race - typically a 1,2,3 race and I'm pack fodder. I'm OK with it.

I can only sometimes get in a 3 hour ride and a lot of riding is 25 miles cause that's all I got time for. My kids are 15 and 11 - I want to be with them as much as possible.

I know guys who lug their families or leave their families to drive 2 hours, prep for 2 hours, race for an hour, sit around an hour and then drive home 2 hours and they are CAT 4 masters. Sorry, that's just not me. I'd rather go coach my son's lacrosse team and see him play and ride less and slower.

At worlds we got together 6 of us who all used to race together back in the 90s. We all had kids and we hung out the hole week and had a blast. We all were also thicker in the mid section - it happens.

[fuzzalow]

Originally Posted by Ti Designs

My point is you know how to get there, life has just made it a bit harder - that shouldn't be a problem...

I differ with the basic premise of what you're saying because it makes it a requisite that whatever level of form used to be had is what the goal is after a life changing event. This macho obsession with studly bike fitness is comical. At a certain point, nobody cares there was a loss of 50 watts on your FTP or that a climb done in 53x17 is now done in 39x16.

You seem to be saying squeeze the rock harder and stay the same cyclist even if life now makes somebody not the same person from 1 month ago.

I say, don't worry about it because even backed-off to 6/10s, a serious cyclist is in better shape than 90% of the average Dads out there. Life is no different than the TdF, gotta save your energy for the things and times that count: family, spouse and career always come first before cycling. That's not to say that the OP can't have the same form as before but it will come at a cost. And unless the OP earns a paycheck riding a bike, I can think of a hundred things I'd rather do then riding a bike for the purpose of attaining and keeping the form I had before I had real responsibility.

Balance in life is a good thing. Time flies. Your kids will be grown before you can look back and blink an eye. Chasing bike is futility because it is a metaphor for a fleeting point in life that was best enjoyed as a fleeting point in life. Bike changes and so did you.

[milkbaby]

I don't have kids but ride and run with plenty of parents who do. They are masters in time management and have their workouts on a schedule that works for them. I know a lot of them start their workout at 4:30 am because I have gone out and done it with them.

I knew a guy who had two infants, a demanding job, and still ran 120 miles a week. It's all in how disciplined you are willing to be. If, I had kids, that wouldn't be me, but I understand why and how they do it. Everything depends on what we're willing to work for, not simply what we wish for.

[ultraman6970]

Easy fix, go out and ride

[Ken Robb]

Grant Petersen wrote some good thoughts on having fun riding as much or as little as your schedule and fitness allow.

I guess I was lucky because when my activity level was severely curtailed due to my crash injuries my appetite also decreased. It was rather funny that it took me a while to realize that portions that used to be normal for me are now a lot more than I can eat. I have dialed back how much food I prepare at home to realistic levels but most restaurant entrees are way too big. How many people need their burger to be 1/2 pound?

While riding less than you used to probably means that you can no longer match your old performance on your bike you can still have fun and stay fit enough to be healthy. If you ride when you can and cut down portion size a bit I'll bet your "spare tire" goes away.

[rwsaunders]

I'm too old to be getting up at 6:00am on the weekends so that I can get a couple of hours on the bike while it's cold, wet and nasty out but I do it so that I can fit the rest of our family's activities in. I watch a couple of Rapha flicks about some folks riding through the slop in Holland and I motivate myself to ride...it's a good excuse to buy some foul weather gear as well.

I can recall when our kids were very young, spending a lot of hours in the basement on the trainer as their sleep habits suddenly changed ours and there was no way that I could fit an outside ride in. It's all good.

Fast forward...two in college and one a sophomore in high school. Time does become a little more free, but you value the time with your kids and your wife even more in terms of visits and family events. My wife and I have found more time to enjoy path rides together as she won't ride on the road but that's ok...we have a blast.

Search for a Burley over the Winter and look forward to some Spring and Summer riding with your wife and your daughter. Those are the rides and the memories that I cherish the most.