Moronacity Cycling Journal » Entries tagged with "Motivation"
Motivating a Tired and Sluggish Self
Motivation. It is difficult to determine what it is that drives us. Okay, not always. After all, I know why I’ve been exercising these last two months. I want to be stronger and faster on the bike, and it would nice if my weight would eventually fall in line with that of an active lifestyle. Today was difficult. I felt tired and sluggish (prior to the margaritas). I … Read entire article »
Filed under: Cross Training
Watching, Not Riding
It’s funny how these slumps come about where getting on the bike just doesn’t seem like it is going to happen. Two days ago, I soaked my water bottles in preparation for ride. Yesterday, I brought my gear in from the house, including my tire pump. Today, I finally brought the bike up to the deck and lubed the chain…I still need to inflate the tires. This ride thing just doesn’t seem to be happening. I wake up early, turn on Versus, write my Tour de France article, and no ride happens. The sad thing is that I wait for the AP photos to post so I can grab them for my articles, and they sometimes take a few hours. The reality … Read entire article »
Filed under: Cycling
I Will Be Strong
There really is no excuse for having a poor season. I am blessed with a body that responds quickly to a little gravitational abuse followed by protein consumption. With a little work, I am a fairly respectable mountain biker. Over the last week, I have noticed quite a difference in my climbing ability. Compared to last year, I have a few things going against me: • I haven’t been riding much. • I am 20 pounds heavier. • I’ve been severely lacking in motivation. • I’ve had a lot of personal issues to work through. Recent changes in my life have given me new hope. I am now a full-time freelance writer with another job prospect on the horizon. While I am still building the foundation of my career, I am envisioning … Read entire article »
Filed under: Motivation
Flexibility
I didn’t have much time to think. It was 2:15. My family had plans to go see Star Trek at 5:15. I had to get in a bike ride. I grabbed the tire pump to add air to my super slick road tires that are on Jake. I found it interesting that the rear tire was pretty low on air, but I filled it, anyway. As soon as I removed the pump from the valve, air began rushing out. Well, that’s a great thing to happen when you’re pressed for time. I really didn’t have time to fuss with a difficult-to-remove tire, so I opted for the Jamis, instead. It really wasn’t what I wanted. I was ready for a longer-distance, fast-paced road ride … Read entire article »
Filed under: Cycling
Monday Night Group Ride
Tonight was the first Monday night group ride of 2009. I was pretty excited to go. I went. I had a lot of fun. We started by riding down the road for awhile. A good deal of this “while” was spent climbing. It’s the Keweenaw Peninsula – we have long, long hills. We continued down a couple of roads until we reached a two-track. This two-track led to areas we weren’t familiar with, so we took it. We even had the great pleasure of riding through a water pit. The mud was a bit much for my over-inflated tires. We got back on the road and took it to the edge of McLain State Park. The park is fenced in, so we … Read entire article »
Filed under: Mountain Biking
Desperate Planning
Looking at the weather forecast, I see that there will be a little clear up in the weather tomorrow evening. I fully intend to take advantage of that little window of partly cloudy, 50-degree weather. I still have quite a cough, but my energy level is up and my voice is returning. Either way, I am desperate to return to cycling. … Read entire article »
Filed under: Motivation
Wherever, Whenever
I had an odd revelation, today: I will have no schedule to adhere to after tomorrow. That’s kind of bizarre. Even though I am going to try to take a summer course, I won’t have to go to class because it will be online. I’ll pick up a couple of work shifts, but those are incredibly necessary and not every week. What this all means is that I will have a lot of free time to do the things I don’t get to do throughout most of the year, like reading books for no reason other than for pure pleasure and personal enjoyment. The part that really excites me is that I will be able to ride my bike wherever and whenever I want. … Read entire article »
Filed under: Motivation
The Land of Sweat and Chain Lube
In times like this, I find it quite amazing how doing something one truly loves can inspire one in so many ways, such as finding the inspiration to draw or paint, play music, capture a unique photograph, or write a blog post. Doing is getting involved, and getting involved creates an experience, and an experience becomes something you truly know. For me, to be a good writer is to write what I know. This web site is evidence that there is something about getting out on a bike that gets the creative juices flowing. It can be likened to that in the Land of Milk and Honey, except, in this case, it is the Land of Sweat and Chain Lube. Yes, in the Land of … Read entire article »
Filed under: Motivation
Dissuaded
Tomorrow and Wednesday, I am going to hit the pavement for a couple of short rides ranging from 60-90 minutes. Yeah, right. Sure, I did a 90-minute ride with intervals, yesterday, but I was easily dissuaded from riding by today’s cold wind. What is one to do? Well, not much. Normally, I would head to the Tech Trails and ski, and that might still happen, but what I really need to do is clean the house and pack for my trip to Marquette. I also need to study a little organic chemistry. Fun stuff. … Read entire article »
Filed under: Motivation
Motivation Can Be Found Outside of the Throne Room
Last week, I received my last issues of Bicycling and Mountain Bike magazines. I’ll probably receive the customary last-issue-after-your-subscription-runs-out-to-entice-you-to-resubscribe, but I’m not bitin’. I subscribed to these magazines three years ago. I was new to mountain biking and super hungry for info regarding my new sport. I wanted more. I just wanted more – lots more. Sure, I got some great training information, which is exactly what I wanted, but it got repetitive pretty quickly. Sometimes, it wasn’t really there at all. What I really didn’t appreciate were their annual buyer’s guides – the same issue for both magazines. Basically, once per year, two magazines, bundled together, would arrive in my mailbox. They were completely useless to me because they were chock … Read entire article »
Filed under: Motivation
