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How do you find the time?!?

Posted: 09 Oct 2017 15:06
by GrahamGamblin
Hello Beaconites,
I returned to full-time work in Summer and since May I haven’t been on a proper bike ride – I just can’t seem to find the time. The week is taken up with work, several evenings ferrying kids to various activities, and weekends wanting to spend time with my wife and family, help with homework, more kids activities etc. At the moment I’m cycling to work, and getting an hour or two on the turbo – and that’s it. I’ve tried to coax the family into taking up cycling but no luck so far! I’m starting to think that I might have to forget about cycling for a couple of years until the kids get older and don’t need/want me around so much.
Obviously I’m not the first person to find work and family getting in the way of leisure time – I was wondering whether anyone else had been in this position and what you did about it?
cheers
Graham

Re: How do you find the time?!?

Posted: 09 Oct 2017 15:16
by AlanW
Rest assured your kids will always need you, even when they have left home they still have a habit of returning!

I guess its all about finding the balance and one that needs careful consideration to all parties concerned.

Now I tend to think better when I'm out on my bike, so therefore I spend a lot of time considering and evaluating things and weighing up all the pros and cons. But I've still not drawn to a overall conclusion as to what is the best way to go forward. So sort of work in progress really..... :lol:

Re: How do you find the time?!?

Posted: 09 Oct 2017 16:03
by CakeStop
Embrace the good times while they last, they'll be over before you know it leaving plenty of time for cycling when you have nothing better to do.

Re: How do you find the time?!?

Posted: 09 Oct 2017 16:13
by RichK
Most of my week-end rides are just an hour to 90 minutes long for precisely the reasons you cite. I try to get up reasonably early, get out quickly & then I'm back before I'm needed as the taxi service etc. I also commute to work & will rarely take the direct route (time &/or weather permitting).

Re: How do you find the time?!?

Posted: 09 Oct 2017 16:36
by StuartWhite
I don't have kids, but I do have a lot on so can struggle to get the time I want quite often.

The things I've found that help me.
- I try and plan for my weeks slots at the beginning of the week (Sunday evening), nothing too formal, just a personal commitment to when stuff is going to happen around the things that are already booked.
- Early mornings, If things are looking a bit packed in the evenings, I'll try and make at least one really early weekday morning whereby I can get a couple of hours in before work. The key for me with a really early one is minimising the excuses to not do it. I lay my kit out in the bathroom before bed, so as not to wake anyone and ensure my bike can literally be wheeled straight out of the garage. Tools and water bottle filled ready by the door, I can be out of the house within half an hour (you can have breakfast when you get back).
- Saturday Sette Dodici - with 3 different intensity rides there's no reason not to. You can be back home before 9am having completed 40-50 miles and you've still got the whole day.
- Get a buddy - Early rides are tough to motivate for, especially in the winter, but that's the best time of day in the UK, quiet roads and all that, but when that alarm goes off, that snooze button is easy to find. If you find a reliable early morning mate, you have an extra incentive to get the hell up.
- If maintaining fitness is one of the key goals, the evening turbo session is till well worth holding onto at least once a week.

I hope a smidge of that is helpful.

Re: How do you find the time?!?

Posted: 10 Oct 2017 09:50
by GrahamGamblin
Thanks for the replies - early mornings may be the way to go, although Stuart, you're right - the other part of this is motivation when you are already busy.
Alan - impeccable logic. "I need to work out how to fit cycling into my busy schedule - just going to ponder that for 50 miles or so..."

Re: How do you find the time?!?

Posted: 10 Oct 2017 11:56
by Alberto Recchioni
StuartWhite wrote:
09 Oct 2017 16:36
I don't have kids, but I do have a lot on so can struggle to get the time I want quite often.

The things I've found that help me.
- I try and plan for my weeks slots at the beginning of the week (Sunday evening), nothing too formal, just a personal commitment to when stuff is going to happen around the things that are already booked.
- Early mornings, If things are looking a bit packed in the evenings, I'll try and make at least one really early weekday morning whereby I can get a couple of hours in before work. The key for me with a really early one is minimising the excuses to not do it. I lay my kit out in the bathroom before bed, so as not to wake anyone and ensure my bike can literally be wheeled straight out of the garage. Tools and water bottle filled ready by the door, I can be out of the house within half an hour (you can have breakfast when you get back).
- Saturday Sette Dodici - with 3 different intensity rides there's no reason not to. You can be back home before 9am having completed 40-50 miles and you've still got the whole day.
- Get a buddy - Early rides are tough to motivate for, especially in the winter, but that's the best time of day in the UK, quiet roads and all that, but when that alarm goes off, that snooze button is easy to find. If you find a reliable early morning mate, you have an extra incentive to get the hell up.
- If maintaining fitness is one of the key goals, the evening turbo session is till well worth holding onto at least once a week.

I hope a smidge of that is helpful.
Thank you for these tips!

:)

Re: How do you find the time?!?

Posted: 10 Oct 2017 23:25
by Tim
I'm in same boat. Have been for almost a decade now. Divorce is an option or sell all the bikes. But if I need to be helpful I'd say don't worry, kids and wives/husbands are way more important than miles on a bike. My approach has been: Sign up to few crits and/or short tts and/or track and/or cyclocross each year and that will give you the external motivation to have to do as much as possible and then just commute by bike and do 60-120min rides where possible like red lion on a weds night or Sette early sat morning. These race events need you to be fit and quick for 2-60 mins so all rides can all be under 150mins. Or if these red lion/Sette rides don't suit pick a time in week and tell us on here and who knows it might become another Beacon 'unofficial' club run! They don't all need to be six hours long because then we will never have many women, younger adults, or young parents, or unfit people as members, ruling out 90% of the population! A Beacon Mums and Dad's Thursday or Sunday evening ride might get me there occasionally, 7.15pm start for 90-120mins?

What ages are your children? Mine are 6 and 9 and are now just starting to really get into cycling. Doesn't matter if it happens later. We offer occasional good stuff for children and other local clubs do too and the BC holiday coaching sessions are excellent. But if they get obsessed with it you definitely won't have the time to do any yourself!

Re: How do you find the time?!?

Posted: 11 Oct 2017 15:39
by AlanW
Tim wrote:
10 Oct 2017 23:25
.... kids and wives/husbands are way more important than miles on a bike.
Okay, lets not be to hasty ah...... :wink:

Re: How do you find the time?!?

Posted: 12 Oct 2017 09:06
by GrahamGamblin
:D Indeed Alan.
Tim - thanks for your comments - my riding has always been mostly recreational and based on longer more leisurely rides, I suppose I need to think more about squeezing in short sharp rides instead. My kids are a couple of years older than yours, they do ride bikes for transport but not caught the bug yet. If I find myself with a regular slot for a 1-2 hour ride I'll put something up here.
Thanks again everyone.

Re: How do you find the time?!?

Posted: 13 Oct 2017 09:09
by Tim
Bring them along to the next go ride racing we do in Bournville or can recommend Redditch at abbey stadium every weds at 6.30, first session is free. Not enough days in the week though I find