What motivates you? AND WHY?

Lemond has a steal/carbon mix bike and Specialize has an aluminum carbon
mix bike with "zerks" to soak up vibration (road buzz). How do these
compare for soaking up road buzz?

Zen: an extended moment of serenity in an otherwise burdensome world.

The exercise is secondary to the peacefulness of listening to your
heartbeat on a cold morning's ride, the strum of your tires on the
road, the sense of accomplishment the first time you change a flat
during a ride, the even greater joy at helping someone else change a
flat (at that point, you can't claim to be a newbie any longer).
--Roy Zipris

"Claire Petersky" wrote in message
hlink.net...
"Maggie" wrote in message
om...
How do you
stay motivated? Does it just come naturally?

I like riding a bike. Some reasons a

1. It's a combo of routine and adventure. I hate it when exercise is
boring,
such as lap swimming, or running around a track. Yawn. Every ride is
different, due to weather and traffic, even on the same commuter route
I've
ridden for years. I like doing exploration rides from time to time, where
I
ride where I've never ridden before.

At the same time, I also like not having to think every single moment of
what I am doing. When I did aerobics, I was happiest when the instructor
did
the same old routine to the same old tape, so I wouldn't have to
constantly
think about where my left foot was going and what my arms were doing at
the
same time.

2. I prefer non competitive, non team activities. I don't want to think
about winning. I like to ride with others, and riding with my husband's
nice
because I know him so well and we work together well as a partnership. But
I
don't like my fate riding on everyone else's success. I want more personal
control than that.

3. I like rhythmic exercise -- I used to run, I enjoy aerobics, hiking,
x-c
skiing -- those sorts of things where you get into a groove and stay there
for a while. The short bursts of running around and then stopping, like
you
do in tennis, say, are not as pleasing to me.

4. I like being outside. It's grounding. I like the seasons, the weather,
the sights and smells of wet fall leaves, of roses baking in the summer
sun.
I hate the smell of chlorine, the musty smell of the gym.

5. I have very little upper body strength. My biceps are like chicken
insteps. I'd rather play to my strengths, like long, powerful legs.

6. I like maps. Cycling, like hiking, is one of those pursuits that give
you
an excuse to study maps -- topos and street maps. David R. rode out to
Seattle from Boise, and I probably spent more time looking at maps
thinking
about his trip than he did.

As for "staying motivated", some of it is being a bicycle commuter. If
what
you do everyday is ride your bike to work, then you don't make the
decision
to ride, it's just what you do. The night before I get out my biking togs,
and after I get out of bed in the morning and make it (so I'm not tempted
to
hop back in :-) ) I just get dressed and have breakfast, and maybe after
I've opened the garage door, make a few last minute decisions about
outerwear, and go out the driveway. It's the default action. No decision
necessary.

And as someone else noted, even if you don't really feel like riding while
you're sitting there with the newspaper and a bowl of Oatmeal Squares in
the
morning, you get on the bike, and before you know it, you're really
enjoying
yourself. On Thursday, I had spent the whole day rather hunched over the
computer. It was a holiday, so no one else was in the office, and the
usual
interruptions that cause me to get up and walk around weren't there, so I
had to consciously think, every ninety minutes or so, "Get up! Stretch!
Get
water!" Since I had stayed rather late, I thought I'd just ride to the
transit station, and take the bus much of the way home. But as soon as I
was
zipping down Second Avenue downtown, my whole body feel more alive. It was
cold, and the sun had already gone down, but it was clear. The crisp
late-fall air was in my lungs, and before I knew it I had passed the
transit
station without thinking much about it and was sprinting up the hill for
the
bike tunnel and the bridge across the lake.

I can't think of anything better for me than riding that evening. Plus, I
ran into (not literally -- I yelled "bike up" when he approached, and then
he circled around) our own Dane Jackson doing his own late commute home.
He
said then that his project at work was on the Death March, so he probably
was hunched over a computer all day too. What better way to stretch out,
de-compress, work the body and the lungs, and then come home ready for
supper and your family?


--
Warm Regards,


i do that all the time. get off work at midnight and sometimes i feel tired
so i'll plan to just zip down to catch the #5. by the time i get to the stop
i feel so great it's a pleasure to ride the rest of the way home (and
sometimes beat the bus!)
-another alan

"Maggie" wrote in message
om...

snip

do it!

"Maggie" wrote in message
om...
I am trying very hard to keep riding my bike. I don't want this to be
just another one of my crazy ideas that lasts a month then on to
something else....I sometimes have to kick my butt out the door just
to get on the bike. (I really had a hard time getting up and out today
because it's Saturday, the day I can sleep late) While riding I
realized how many people are out in the morning riding, walking,
jogging etc.... This is like a whole new world. There are actually
people who wake up early and go out to exercise every morning. You may
find this ridiculous but I was really shocked at how many people were
up and out taking care of themselves with various styles of exercise.
I even saw this old guy in the park doing that tai chi thing. It's
Saturday, no work, yet people are up and running. Where the hell have
I been all my life? Last week when I watched the NYC Marathon I could
not believe how many people ran just for the sake of finishing...not
to win....but to finish...to accomplish a goal. They interviewed a
woman at the finish line who was 60 years old and only started running
5 years prior. She went to NYC to run a marathon. I am being driven in
by car tonight to see an opera at Lincoln Center. I have no idea how
some people stay so motivated. Are you born that way? I have had 1001
hobbies in my life. Spent so much money on them its obscene..... Now I
have this bike, I have this newsgroup, I have links to cycling clubs
in this area......I guess its all up to me.

It is up to you, Maggie. No one else is going to force you out the door and
on the bike. It has to be something you want to do. I've owned a bike
since I was 5 years old. My reasons for riding have changed through the
years but I've always enjoyed it. Until this year most riding was done with
my kids and grandkids. This year I decided to apply for a volunteer bike
patrolman position with the local park system. I've enjoyed every minute of
patrolling the trails in my county, leading weekly bike rides, judging kid's
bike rodeos, teaching bike safety, etc.

Look into one of the cycling clubs in your area. I always enjoy riding by
myself but it's fun to ride with others, too. If other family members enjoy
biking then arrange family outings on the bikes. Our family vacations
usually include a day or two of biking. The first thing I look for when
planning a vacation is nearby bike trails. It's a fun and healthy exercise
for all ages.

Biking is about the only exercise I really likeg I only do the weight
training to help build healthier bones.

Get out there and enjoy the bike.

Beverly










Do I change my life and
my health for the better or do I shop and sip martini's? How do you
stay motivated? Does it just come naturally? Is it a personality
type? Why are some people so focused when they start something that
they remain dedicated and win. What is it that drives some people to
succeed and others to give up. Is it genetic or is it will. What the
hell is it? What puts that determination into some people and not
into others. I am tired of being a slug. And a slug I am when it comes
to exercise. Seems I can't blame it on my age any longer....I am
running out of things to blame it on. What keeps you motivated? Do I
have to have a heart attack before I wake up and exercise willingly
and with determination?

http://www.geocities.com/lindaannbuset/mypage.html

http://hometown.aol.com/lbuset/

In article ,
"Pat" writes:

:
: Maybe the question to ask is: What's holding you back?
:
:
: cheers,
: Tom

She hasn't yet gotten in with both feet. she's still just got one toe in,
testing the water. She is looking for other people's motivation to give her
motivation.

Possibly. I think Maggie's already found her motivation,
but doesn't realize it yet. But from the sound of her
posts it seems like she's undergoing some sort of awakening,
in a good way.

Anyhow, I hope Maggie doesn't think from my previous post
I'm implying that she's lazy, or that I'm saying anything
bad like that. It's just that since she mentioned having
all these other pastimes, I wondered if her day is fuller
than she realizes. Sometimes there just aren't enough
hours in a day :-)


cheers,
Tom

--
-- Nothing is safe from me.
Above address is just a spam midden.
I'm really at: tkeats [curlicue] vcn [point] bc [point] ca

I started cycling 18 months ago and I found that one good way to
motivate is to measure improvements in performance, weight, size etc
that occur over extended periods so maybe aren't as noticeable. The way
to do this is to have a speedo on your bike and some accurate scales at
home. Knowing that you are slowly improving your fitness and health,
even when it's hard to detect, is a good feeling. Another really cool
motivator is chucking your 'big' clothes in the charity bin and buying
new stuff in smaller sizes (preferrably after attaining said smaller size).
Like everybody else here is saying, the rewards of exercise are many
and far reaching, and cycling is a great way to get it. It seems with
cycling that there is no middle ground - you either love it or you
haven't tried it yet!

Zoot Katz wrote:

13 Nov 2004 06:18:29 -0800,
(Maggie) wrote:

What puts that determination into some people and not
into others. I am tired of being a slug. And a slug I am when it comes
to exercise. Seems I can't blame it on my age any longer....I am
running out of things to blame it on. What keeps you motivated?

I don't think of cycling as "exercise". For myself it's
transportation. Motivation amounts to simply having to be somewhere
else at a certain time. Pleasure rides usually just amount to taking
the long way or a different route to some place I want to go.

I think Zoot is right on here.

You need to incorporate the bike ride as part of your daily
(or weekend) *routine*. It can't simply be "the bike ride".

For me, it's my usual "drive" to work. It's not my "morning/
evening bike ride". Virtually all my bike mileage per year
is commuting. I seem to find very little time for just hopping
on the bike for a ride, although next season, I'm going to
make more effort to do so.

Commuting to work is an ideal way to incorporate bike riding
into your daily routine, but this is not always viable for
some. If so, some other reason for choosing the bike as the
"standard" way to go needs to be found.


SMH

On Sun, 14 Nov 2004 20:03:51 +1300, tspoon wrote:


I started cycling 18 months ago and I found that one good way to
motivate is to measure improvements in performance, weight, size etc
that occur over extended periods so maybe aren't as noticeable. The way
to do this is to have a speedo on your bike and some accurate scales at
home. Knowing that you are slowly improving your fitness and health,
even when it's hard to detect, is a good feeling. Another really cool
motivator is chucking your 'big' clothes in the charity bin and buying
new stuff in smaller sizes (preferrably after attaining said smaller
size).
Like everybody else here is saying, the rewards of exercise are many
and far reaching, and cycling is a great way to get it. It seems with
cycling that there is no middle ground - you either love it or you
haven't tried it yet!

How about a little challenge here. Everyone, me included, buy a speedometer
for their bikes and see what is the absolute top speed they can get up to.
Of course this would have to be the average of both directions so no tail
wind or slope effects could affect the outcome.
Could be interesting.
Just an idea.
Bill Baka

--
Just Bill again

Bill Baka wrote:

How about a little challenge here. Everyone, me included, buy a speedometer
for their bikes and see what is the absolute top speed they can get up to.

What? You don't have a computer? ;-)

48.8mph one way, 25mph average for one circuit of a track (just short of
1/2 mile, I think, and on a windy day). That was on my current everyday
commuter bike. The best average speed I've achieved for a week's
commuting was just shy of 20mph, and I have average over 20mph there and
back on my old commute. That was I think on the old bike. I've also
done 41 miles in a minute or two under 2h, no appreciable wind.

Sometimes I think if I trained, maybe I could go fast, but I don't
really have the motivation.

--
Guy