Life getting in the way.

[skiezo]

Well, life just really put a big change in my riding time but I have to make the best of it and deal with the change.
My hours of work got changed from 50 hours per week to 60 hrs per week and working night shift. 6 days a week,10 hours a day,second shift,5:30pm till 4:00am monday through saturday. So now I can only ride in the early afternoon for about 1.5 to 2 hours a few times a week.
I am having a bit of trouble with eating before rides and still getting used to the time change and all.
I will need to adapt and keep on keeping on as the song goes.

[eBAUMANN]

my condolences, that sounds like a nightmare.
good luck!

[AngryScientist]

stick with it!

i know that working non-standard hours (is there such a thing anymore...) can really play hell on people's eating habits, body clock and general health and well being. dont give up on your exercise and try and stay as healthy, fit and determined as you can. good luck to you. 60 hr work weeks are no joke. :beer:

[redir]

Quit your job. Life is short and you will only live to regret working it away.

[guido]

Ouch! That they still want to pay you to come in is a good thing I guess...

Another approach might to be to ride after work with a generator light. Roads are a lot quieter and the temps are going to be a lot more comfortable come summer...

Good Luck!

[Zoodles]

on the bright side you can ride in daylight...

before adding intensity in make sure you carve out a routine first. If that means a shorter ride after work that can be done on a regular basis so be it. Once it's routine start the intervals.

Although, I agree with redir - life's too short.

[skiezo]

I will be doing my riding around noonish a few days a week and doing my long rides on Monday's starting around mid morning. I will still be getting in some decent rides and will do a mountain ride once a week and doing hill intervals once a week.
I agree life is short but in my trade it seems like it is either feast or famine.
Laid off a few months over the winter and start up again in the spring.
With the night shift differential and 20 hours a week time and a half I should be able to pay off my sons collage loan this year.
This is betters than the 7/13 hours days I was doing last fall for for seven weeks.:)
Life is short but life is also good. I am in better shape than alot of guys my age or younger so I do have alot to be grateful for. I try to see the glass as 1/2 full as opposed to 1/2 empty.

[Waldo]

This and that. Seriously.

my condolences, that sounds like a nightmare.
good luck!

Quit your job. Life is short and you will only live to regret working it away.

[eBAUMANN]

i just hope you are getting paid a lot...and overtime...
if those 60hrs are anything but temporary and well compensated, I would be looking for a new gig!
:beer:

also the name of this thread should be "WORK getting in the way."
work is not life.
;)

[skiezo]

Being a union pipefitter/welder I am being well compensated on both the front end( pay rate) as well as the back end(pension credits and annuity contributions). I have been doing this trade/craft for a long time(25+years) so it is what it is.
It will only last till mid summer than on to he next job/contractor that will hopefully be a 40 hour week.
As the saying goes " you have to make hay when the sun in shining".
I am still working on a training schedule and it will come together and all will be well.
Still plan on doing the century ride in a few months as my goal for the year. I just have to readjust and adapt.

[Dead Man]

also the name of this thread should be "WORK getting in the way."
work is not life.
;)

This is exactly what I was gonna post.

As a longtime former tradesman myself (and still in the industry, just not swinging the hammer myself anymore), I can relate to the nature of hay making. And if that's what you gotta do, then that's just what you gotta do.

OP's entire career, future, and retirement plan is built around this job - he's not going anywhere. Commercial union trades are 4 lyf, homie. Blood-in blood-out.

[bbobway]

Night shift is rough. I have worked that same sort of schedule before, 6x10's, rotating two weeks on days, two weeks on nights. For me the first few days are the most difficult. I had better luck fitting my rides in at 4:30 am when I'd get home - riding with lights until sunrise.

Getting good sleep is the hard part. Lawnmowers, barking dogs, the sun through the window, wife and kids....

[johnnywheels]

i just hope you are getting paid a lot...and overtime...
if those 60hrs are anything but temporary and well compensated, I would be looking for a new gig!
:beer:

also the name of this thread should be "WORK getting in the way."
work is not life.
;)

Couldn't have said it better myself! Life's too short to get stuck doing things that don't necessarily matter in the wide spectrum of life. However, to each their own!! :banana:

[Tickdoc]

Best of luck and I hope you find a way to find some creative riding therapy with your new schedule.

[Tandem Rider]

OP's entire career, future, and retirement plan is built around this job - he's not going anywhere. Commercial union trades are 4 lyf, homie. Blood-in blood-out.
Amen to that. A skilled trade that allows one to have a good family life and buy some nice bikes too. It also means doing the job and stepping up when it's needed, exactly what he's doing.

I was hoping to pull the ripcord at 62. Maybe not now. OP is also in the UA, if he's got 25 in, he'll retire out too. :beer:

[stephenmarklay]

Well, life just really put a big change in my riding time but I have to make the best of it and deal with the change.
My hours of work got changed from 50 hours per week to 60 hrs per week and working night shift. 6 days a week,10 hours a day,second shift,5:30pm till 4:00am monday through saturday. So now I can only ride in the early afternoon for about 1.5 to 2 hours a few times a week.
I am having a bit of trouble with eating before rides and still getting used to the time change and all.
I will need to adapt and keep on keeping on as the song goes.

Get a different job. I know that is rude ad you likely work really hard to make a living. Having said that a job that takes your health is not a living. Working nights, and working the kind of hours you do is a sure way to lose your health in no time flat.

[72gmc]

skiezo--I used to work in radio, midnight to 8am for a time and then 4am to noon. That was pre-kids so I'd often tack on an afternoon reporter role (from noon 'til dinner) to get the hours and the air time. I found that a short daily ride, an hour or less of easy spinning, meant much more to me than longer or more intense rides. My legs wanted to ride but my head needed it.

Good luck with this stretch ahead of you.

[Frankwurst]

Being a union pipefitter/welder I am being well compensated on both the front end( pay rate) as well as the back end(pension credits and annuity contributions). I have been doing this trade/craft for a long time(25+years) so it is what it is.
It will only last till mid summer than on to he next job/contractor that will hopefully be a 40 hour week.
As the saying goes " you have to make hay when the sun in shining".
I am still working on a training schedule and it will come together and all will be well.
Still plan on doing the century ride in a few months as my goal for the year. I just have to readjust and adapt.

Keep at it. Life IS short but you have the right attitude. It's not that short and after 25 years and building your pension and annuity contributions you'll still be a young man and ride the wheels off a bike. You've been doing this for 25 years my guess is you have no delusions of grandeur as far as racing and when your time is up You'll have a nice nest egg to spend your time on a bike.:beer:

[Peter B]

As a union fitter the OP will be well compensated for this effort. And with 25 in he's not going anywhere. This project will end but the pension will keep on paying.

I'm on the mgmt side of the industry and do the long hours on salary. The last few years have been tough. Do more with less and do it farther from home. Too many nights in hotel rooms. I've stayed employed through the Great Recession and managed my career well but its put a BIG squeeze on my cycling. Trying now to get back into balance and finding my peace with the cycles we inevitably go through in life.

[jlwdm]

Get a different job. I know that is rude ad you likely work really hard to make a living. Having said that a job that takes your health is not a living. Working nights, and working the kind of hours you do is a sure way to lose your health in no time flat.

A little harsh. The OP seems to have a good job and had a good career. This 60 hour work week is temporary. We don't know all of his circumstances so it seems awfully hash to make such strong statements.

I work for myself so I work more than 60 hrs a week. We can all figure the right balance. The OP just wanted to vent a little.

Jeff

[skiezo]

Its all good.No offence taken here. I have been doing this a long time and enjoy the trade as well as the people I work with. Even tho the hours are long there is something to be said about sleeping in my own bed,not staying in a sh)t hole hotel hours or days from home and living out of a suitcase.
I have been all over the USA as well as quite a few other countries doing what I do. Most times I go out of town to work a bike and my vitamix goes with me.
Work the hours now and take a few months off in the colder months and head to warmer weather for weeks or months at a shot and I can ride all winter.
Quitting is an option but being 30 miles from my house to good to pass up.
I will get my rides in as I always do. Maybe not as much as I would like but to me my solo rides are my best way to relax and clear my head of everyday stresses. Just pedaling to me is very relaxing.
And at the end of this a new custom stainless steel bike will be my reward.
As Jeff stated I was just venting but I will find the balance as I always manage to do and enjoy my time with my wife and my bike.

[oldpotatoe]

Being a union pipefitter/welder I am being well compensated on both the front end( pay rate) as well as the back end(pension credits and annuity contributions). I have been doing this trade/craft for a long time(25+years) so it is what it is.
It will only last till mid summer than on to he next job/contractor that will hopefully be a 40 hour week.
As the saying goes " you have to make hay when the sun in shining".
I am still working on a training schedule and it will come together and all will be well.
Still plan on doing the century ride in a few months as my goal for the year. I just have to readjust and adapt.

Sounds like right after you pay off your kid's college bill, retire, go to one of the really fine bike frame build classes and hang a shingle..'Skiezo Cycles' has a nice ring. :D

[fuzzalow]

Sounds like skiezo is doin' the right thing. It is true that life isn't necessarily to be all consumed by work. But neither should cycling, which is a hobby and a fitness lifestyle, take priority over earning a living and career.

Some advice offered the OP about getting a new job that supports cycling riding time better is way out there to me. Kinda loopy. Losing saddle time might cost a little form but it isn't a reversion to sloth either.

As I've said before: there is an inverse relationship between FTP and W-2.

And as sagely stated by the OP: he will find a balance and still enjoy the rides.

[sonnyhooper]

Hang in there. Maybe the schedule will change and allow you more time to ride... It sucks. I've been there.

SH

[93legendti]

Support your family. The riding will come.

[stephenmarklay]

A little harsh. The OP seems to have a good job and had a good career. This 60 hour work week is temporary. We don't know all of his circumstances so it seems awfully hash to make such strong statements.

I work for myself so I work more than 60 hrs a week. We can all figure the right balance. The OP just wanted to vent a little.

Jeff


I didn’t mean it that way and if it sounded like that I am sorry.

My comments come from my great bias toward health (mental and physical) over work.

Again, my apologies.

[Schmed]

Want to move to Colorado? I know a few mechanical contractors and pipefitters.... :cool:

[rcnute]

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=FrkEDe6Ljqs

Ryan

[rounder]

I just returned from LAX on a flight this morning. Worked in Callabasas north of LA all this week. It was beautiful there and drove through the Santa Monica Mountains on the way back. Lots of mountains and Malibu was great. Anyway, I am old enough to be retired, But still work because it pays the rent and I like it.

[rounder]

'

[Saint Vitus]

HTFU

http://www.velominati.com/the-rules/#5

[skiezo]

Rule number 5 sounds like me to a tee. The sounds,smell of the fresh air and the feeling of my legs just doing what they should. That is why I like my solo rides. It stops the clutter of everyday life if only for a few hours.
After a ride no matter how hard I push myself I feel refreshed and ready to face life on life's terms again.

[redir]

I have done long hours and then had time off so I can relate to that. I had a gig inspecting bridges so I was on the road constantly, no pun intended, and worked at least 60 hours a week but then I would take 4 or 5 months off and travel or do what ever I wanted. That was a very reasonable trade off in my young life. I kind of miss it.

But what really really pizzes me off more then anything is companies taking advantage of workers and corporate cultures of 'take one for the team' when really you are working overtime hours for free so the CEO looks good for the stock holders... Been there done that too!

[54ny77]

it's better to be working and riding when you can than not working and riding all the time.

that's my $0.02.

do what ya gotta do.

[sonnyhooper]

Just ride more... Work can come later.

SH

[BobbyJones]

have you ever considered taking up running?

When I was traveling (and when working long hours, still) alot I found it easier to get similar kicks without the hassle that goes along with cycling (gear, time on the road, etc)

It's not exactly the same, but its a good way to take a break from the grind.

[skiezo]

Well my life will be back to a normal routine starting tonight. They just had a reduction of force lay off. Now I will take 4 to 6 weeks off and start riding alot more than the 3 days a week I was doing working the 6/10's nite shift.
At least I was getting out a few times a week just to keep in decent condition.
I have till August 6 to get ready for my 100 mile ride. I feel better already :banana:

[Scuzzer]

Well my life will be back to a normal routine starting tonight.

Good for you! I think. I've never been part of the trade industry but it seem kinda stressful going from 60 hour weeks to having a month off. Ride lots and enjoy your well deserved time off.

[etu]

Nice to see a seemingly depressing thread with a vent turn into an affirmation about finding balance in work and life. We're lucky to be able to enjoy this great hobby. I don't need to point this out tot he OP, as he is obviously a very thoughtful individual, but it sounds like he's getting a lot more riding in than a lot of people. Definitely deserves kudos for perservering. The few times I've had to do nightshifts just drained me.

[skiezo]

I did 12 weeks of the 60 hour per week nite shift and that was long enough going into the start of summer and my primary riding season.
Life is life and most learn to adapt. I made some decent $$ and can now enjoy some time off for myself and with my family.