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Mental and physical motivation for morning rides.

baribari

Maximum Pace
May 28, 2010
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Unless I'm suffering from jet lag (which only happens once a year a best), there's no way I'm up and about before seven for pre-work anything.

I'm curious how people who ride early-morning before work motivate themselves. Or is it simply a matter of finding something that wakes you up? I find menthol eye drops and Black-Black gum help, but still not enough to get me out of bed except to get to work on time.

Maybe I just need an espresso machine?
 
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The fact that they were group rides was more than enough pressure to motivate me. I was also religious in my calling it an early night the day before otherwise the 5AM wake ups were torture. For non-group stuff (whether it be for cycling or running) I've found that once I get into the routine I'm good to go, but if I don't force myself those first few weeks it never happens.
 
Peer pressure and fear of getting dropped motivates me to get up 45 minutes before sunrise. Other factors is that my time is taken up by family "service" or day job.

Try to get decent amount of sleep... so that means I'm sleeping before 9pm to get up at 4am. :sick:
 
not enough to get me out of bed except to get to work on time. Maybe I just need an espresso machine?
Presumably you ask because you have a need/desire to do more exercise/training. Cool.

I've found that drinking a glass of water and eating an apple wakes me up much better than coffee in any of its forms.

What time to you go to bed? What are you doing until that time? Do you fall asleep quickly? Do you feel rested when you get up? How many hours of sleep do you typically get? Do you think that's the right amount for you? (These are questions to ask yourself.)

Someone who is getting the right amount of sleep and is mentally and physically healthy should not find it difficult to wake up and get up.
 
I have a hill climb in two weeks...hehe

I go to bed too late, don't fall asleep quickly (30 minutes to an hour is normal), and don't feel especially rested.

I can get up for group rides on weekends as long I have agreed/promised to go and they aren't absurdly early (before 5 AM, etc.), but solo rides/runs on weekdays are a non-starter.

I suppose if I went to bed by 9:30 or so, I would find it a lot easier.

I also find that if I can just get myself dressed in whatever gear the appropriate sport requires, I can motivate myself to go and do it. Maybe I just need to put my jersey next to my pillow...
 
I suppose if I went to bed by 9:30 or so, I would find it a lot easier.

Sleeping early is a good start.

Check if you also have a previous condition, it might be recurring. I never had problems waking up early, but I did previously had problems staying awake mid-day. Then a blood count revealed that my RBC was low, again. I was last diagnosed anaemic during my teens.
 
Before you go to sleep get everything ready that way it's staring you down in the morning daring you to put something else on instead. Breakfast also ready before bed, the less time you have to spend faffing around the less time you have to find an excuse not to get out there. Sleep early, consider the time you lay awake in bed prior to dropping off as valuable rest time even though you aren't asleep yet.

Once you're out the door the job is done and you wont regret the early start.
 
Sleep early. If you have some ritual that helps you get to sleep like reading a book, listening to Chopin, or counting KOMs, put it into action.
Have everything ready. Chain oiled, kit laid out, oat cereal in bowl next to fridge, phone charging, legs shaved, jersey pocket contents sorted, blood bag refrigerated, route memorised.
 
I work day & night..since march I don't have a rest day...but I can like 2-3 rides in a week from 50-60km...at that rate I ride alone since I only find my free time to ride..

I motivate myself by challenging my own record on the same routes...
I think that will help??

Riding alone is very tiring since you don't have a mate to accompany the pace making...
But by challenging yourself maybe that will wake you up :)
 
Also, have your gear ready to go.
Clothing for the morning, bike, shoes...having that prepared will get you mentally motivated the night before, and make the morning much easier when you are still groggy.
 
2 weeks before the race you are trying to start training? If that is your motivation I wouldn't bother beating yourself up to do it.

You need to be getting up just because that's what you do. If you can't make it routine then you will never enjoy it and the chore aspect of it will make it not fun.

I get up at 5am everyday these days, out the door at 5:30. I don't use an alarm either, just have it on as back up in case I sleep in. 55km most mornings although lately I have been doing 2 cycling, 1 running.

The key is getting to bed at the right time. You need to start thinking about bed 30 min before you actually want to be asleep, to make it happen.

The rewards a good if you have a nice place to cycle in the mornings, all through the winter I watched the sun rise over saiko lake on arakawa, now I am missing dawn but still loving the morning vibe.
 
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I'm not so much trying to improve my fitness but try to get my weight down a more reasonable level before the race, and overall improve my health.

I've set up a group ride tomorrow morning... at like 4 AM... lol I made it to one on a Saturday a while back, but a weekday is a first.
 
If you want to lose weight then eat the same and ride a lot more, or ride the same and eat a lot less, or do something somewhere in between those things.
 
@GrantT is right. The main way to lose weight is by watching what you eat. No matter how much I exercise, if I eat junk, I will put weight on (only a little, but still). When I went to America over Christmas I was running between 120-135km per week but still put on 1.5kg.

Obviously don't go crazy. Eat sensibly. Plenty of veg and cut out any junk.
 
Getting out on the bike and riding is the motivation - if that alone is not enough to get you out of bed in the morning then nothing really is and maybe you're just not in to cycling as much as some of us that are up at 5am and cranking it out. That's nothing to be ashamed of or to be worried about you just have different passions in life.

if you really want to get out and do it then you need to make changes in your life - going to bed earlier, eating evening meals slightly earlier and probably best laying of the booze midweek and sticking to it. You are basically changing your body clock and it's going to take time to adjust.

I get the reverse of what you have in the off season, I want to lay in and sleep more but 'wide awake on the button at 5am regardless and if I sleep longer I feel like crap when I wake up again.

I've found that drinking a glass of water and eating an apple wakes me up much better than coffee in any of its forms.

Mike not sure if you have seen the studies on this but actually Apple juice is a much stronger brain stimulant than coffee and kicks in quicker than the caffeine which takes between 30 and 90 minutes to kick in. Grape and pineapple juice are also great for riding.
 
(if you drink alcohol) Energy densities:

Alcohol = 29 kJ/g
Refined sugar = 16 kJ/g

1 can (330 mL) of 5% strength beer = 16.5 g of alcohol, or energy equivalent to 30 g of refined sugar.
 
(if you drink alcohol) Energy densities:

Alcohol = 29 kJ/g
Refined sugar = 16 kJ/g

1 can (330 mL) of 5% strength beer = 16.5 g of alcohol, or energy equivalent to 30 g of refined sugar.
So you are saying that alcohol is a super fuel? Cool!
 
Like others have said it's all about routine and adjusting your body clock. I watch the sun come up everyday which is motivation enough. Get your kit ready the night before. I can be up and out in 10. No need for breakfast - bananas in your pockets.


I always think to myself "I never regret getting out on the bike, but I often regret staying in bed"

At the end of the day, you have to want to do it. In my case I have two small kids who I want to maximize my time with. Ride when they are sleeping. Night time rollers in winter. Asaren during the season.

So if you want to do it, just do it.

Andy

www.jyonnobitime.com/time
 
I simply love riding and morning ride is a pice of happiness for me, so there's absolutely no refrain.
On the other side I see no point on rides starting from 4 AM or like that; one hour of good rest is more important than 30 kilometers done in this hour with exhausted body.
 
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