Unwinding - Does this work for you?
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- ColinOldnCranky
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Unwinding - Does this work for you?
Postby ColinOldnCranky » Sun Feb 23, 2014 11:32 pm
I am the wrong side of sixty but I still have a lot of days at work where I work at high intensity and people still seem to hunt me down for my particular abilities. I like it but it certainly leaves me a bit flat by weeks end.
I do an all day ride most weekends that spans around six or seven hours with five or six hours being in the saddle. Today I rode one of my regular weekenders - Mandurah/Halls Head an hour south of Perth.
Now, with west coast weather for eight months of the year I finish up at home with a mild case of sunburn - or at the least the skin starts feeling a little sight a few hours after. (Yes, I slip-slop-slap but six or seven hours is a long time.)
Well, I musta got it about right today. Five hours then dropped into the pool and five hours later I feel great. No desire to scratch, No tightening of the brow And three Shiraz later and I still feel great.
(Fellow Sandgropers - In Mandurah the number of properties for sale or with a "Sold" sicker outside is just as it is in Perth inner city - Get some more property in your portfolio.)
Does your weekender work for you too?
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Re: Unwinding - Does this work for you?
Postby TheBikeShed » Mon Feb 24, 2014 4:38 am
The day you described (five hours, dip in the pool, then wine) sounds about perfect.
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Re: Unwinding - Does this work for you?
Postby grimbo » Mon Feb 24, 2014 12:27 pm
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Re: Unwinding - Does this work for you?
Postby find_bruce » Mon Feb 24, 2014 1:01 pm
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Re: Unwinding - Does this work for you?
Postby CXCommuter » Mon Feb 24, 2014 2:04 pm
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Re: Unwinding - Does this work for you?
Postby lobstermash » Mon Feb 24, 2014 2:12 pm
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Re: Unwinding - Does this work for you?
Postby HappyHumber » Mon Feb 24, 2014 2:33 pm
Hit me up via the BNA dm; I'll get an alert. If y'know, you know.
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Re: Unwinding - Does this work for you?
Postby moosterbounce » Mon Feb 24, 2014 2:57 pm
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Re: Unwinding - Does this work for you?
Postby embee8 » Mon Feb 24, 2014 4:28 pm
Whatever hormones cycling releases ... I love 'em.
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Re: Unwinding - Does this work for you?
Postby Duck! » Tue Feb 25, 2014 1:41 pm
Several years ago I suffered a nasty period of depression. Work generally helped give me some sense of focus (fortunately I love what I do), but there would be some times where something just wouldn't go right, and I'd get into a deepening cycle of frustration.... I'd get frustrated that what I was doing wasn't happening, then get frustrated at being frustrated and unable to focus on my work. The only way to break the spiral before I fell into a blubbering heap was to get the hell out & go for a ride.
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Re: Unwinding - Does this work for you?
Postby GAV!N » Thu Mar 06, 2014 12:35 pm
I was talking to a friend at work the other day about my MAMIL-ing (His term for cycling :p ). He can't believe I go for 4 to 5 hour solo rides, without head phones or anything. No one to talk to. Nothing to listen to. "That's an awful lot of time to yourself Gav! Just you and the MAMIL-ing. That's crazy. What do you think about all that time!?" He said.
When I thought about, I thought yeah, it is a bit weird. Just you, the bike, and bitumen for 5 hours, but there's something about it calms me and clears my mind. I don't really even know what I think about for those 5 hours. Maybe that's the secret. Wouldn't have it any other way at the moment!
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Re: Unwinding - Does this work for you?
Postby PapaJohn » Tue Apr 08, 2014 12:25 pm
Riding seems harder somehow now, I've retired. It's more about the ride, not a drift through "psychic zones" as it was. There is no imperative to start in the morning, no "escape" being made at the end of the day. No real relief in a ride, more about the occasional personal best or better time or a slow "smell the flowers" experience.
The 45 minutes extra travel time each day, I always saw as an investment in mental health, fitness, and of course saved a lot of money by not driving the 200km weekly.
The 42 kays in the ride for the ride sake (now) seems a more substantial investment for less return. Watch for it, when you stop working for a living; riding can seem to get harder to do. I get picky about the conditions, but not the distance for a week. The game to be played occasionally becomes making up a day missed. (85 kay day), or just taking off for a day and doing much more.
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Re: Unwinding - Does this work for you?
Postby g-boaf » Tue Apr 08, 2014 12:57 pm
I travel on the train and put music on - generally two or three types. Chorale (the greatest ever piece of music), or perhaps Rustic Chivalry (another famous one).
In my area, the commute would not be a way to unwind. That said, when I get home I love to get out on the bike and do 100km. I generally do between 350-500km a week that way along with some specific training. So apart from that, music is my escape.
I don't need to be pushed to ride a bike, it's something I do as much as I'm able to do. Occasionally my colleagues do see me come back from training in cycling gear, I don't get any comments about it. Perhaps it's because they can see how much more fit I've become compared to the way I was.
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Re: Unwinding - Does this work for you?
Postby Calvin27 » Tue Apr 08, 2014 1:03 pm
When you are riding you can't think of anything else except - the correct gear, cadence, approaching hills/turns/obstacles. All you think about is how your body works together to move. It's nice to give the brain a break and some easy stuff to solve.
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Re: Unwinding - Does this work for you?
Postby Lizzy » Tue Apr 08, 2014 6:24 pm
I have a colleague with a management job (ergo, a conga line of petty grievances through her office all day) and two young kids at home, her bike commute is literally the only time she gets to and for herself, at any time, ever. Perhaps unsurprisingly I've never known her to miss a day.
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Re: Unwinding - Does this work for you?
Postby Parker » Tue Apr 08, 2014 6:33 pm
I work with different people, it can be a challenge at times, I'm not a calm person, I'm mostly highly strung but I have a lot of my list for work. Right now I'm not going to kill anyone or smack my head violently against my desk repeatedly. Today is a good day.
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Re: Unwinding - Does this work for you?
Postby PapaJohn » Tue Apr 08, 2014 9:51 pm
Definitely unsurprising. It's quality "me time". Not to be missed, and no-one would accuse that person of selfishness over it, unlike so many other recreational things she could do, which might not "fit" into her busy life.Lizzy wrote:I have a colleague with a management job (ergo, a conga line of petty grievances through her office all day) and two young kids at home, her bike commute is literally the only time she gets to and for herself, at any time, ever. Perhaps unsurprisingly I've never known her to miss a day.
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Re: Unwinding - Does this work for you?
Postby queequeg » Wed Apr 09, 2014 2:08 pm
+1PapaJohn wrote:Definitely unsurprising. It's quality "me time". Not to be missed, and no-one would accuse that person of selfishness over it, unlike so many other recreational things she could do, which might not "fit" into her busy life.Lizzy wrote:I have a colleague with a management job (ergo, a conga line of petty grievances through her office all day) and two young kids at home, her bike commute is literally the only time she gets to and for herself, at any time, ever. Perhaps unsurprisingly I've never known her to miss a day.
two preschool age kids at home. up at 5am to go to work fir a 7am start. Finish at 4pm to get some time with the terror monkeys when I get home.
I find myself taking slightly longer ways to and from work to Stretch it out a bit, even if only by an extra km, or a few extra hills.
I suffer badly when forced to use the bus, which is why there has to be soccer ball sized hail before I consider it "too bad" to ride in
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Re: Unwinding - Does this work for you?
Postby BoardRider » Sun Apr 13, 2014 9:06 am
"Motivation is what gets you started. Habit is what keeps you going."
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