Making a comeback!

[Trailrat]

I use to be a serious cyclist then a few years ago my already small pot of depression overwhelmed me. I reached a scary stage in my life and my desire to leave the house was at best marginal.

My cycling suffered and despite the fact I'd still tend to the bike it would hardly see tarmac. If it did it was me kidding myself that this was a new start.

A lot has changed since then. I have changed mentally and slowly I am changing physically. I have become a new person.

I tended to the bike again on Monday and took her for a ride to the local shops. My legs ached by the time I got there but didn't ache by the time I got back. We are talking probably a 3-4 mile round trip with some walking between various stops. My lungs ached/burned and I could feel my chest pounding. My throat felt clogged with mucus.

I don't want this new start to become another failed start. I want to become serious again. I don't want to be a fair weather cyclist either.

I don't work so I can't say commuting will help. But I need ideas. I need goals both off and on road. And I need a way to track my progress.

[Wowbagger]

My Cycling Log will help you track your progress in terms of mileage.

Whereabouts are you and what sort of riding do you prefer?

[Trailrat]

North London, Enfield to be precise.

As for the sort of riding, I use to enjoy a lot of wet off road stuff. I wouldn't complain if it was dry either. I also enjoy some road work too as long as the roads are fairly quiet or not to busy.

I also enjoy riding at night.

I think I just like the quiet! 

As distances go I'd aim for 40-60 miles on road and about 20-30 off road in my fitter, younger days!

[Seineseeker]

This is the kind of heart warming cycling story yacf is all about. Best of luck, start slowly and you never know you might be up to 40 miles again!

[perpetual dan]

Steady, a little and often, and you'll be back up there and without the pain.    I won't pretend to know too much about depression, but there's people here that do. Maybe it helps to think of today's ride not so much a start but as a resumption of an old friendship?

As for targets ... the problem I find here is picking the few nice sounding rides I can realistically fit in. I've got a long list of stuff I've daydreamed of. My ambitions get reined in by the rest of life now and then and a new, more realistic, plan is formed.

[PloddinPedro]

I'd say that choosing cycling as a means of progressing back to where you want to be is a very good idea. I have no personal experience of your problems but others I have have known who've suffered similarly have told me that the companionship available within the cycling community has been invaluable. Making contact here is a good start; if you post regularly updating us on your progress, you can expect a steady stream of encouragement.

In addition, I'd say that making contact with other riders would be beneficial if you can face it and I can't think of a better way of doing so than looking out your local CTC group. There may not be one on your doorstep but finding out where their rides go would be a good way of developing a list of targets for your rides; make their cafes your destination and make yourself known, have a chat, even if at first you don't ride far with them. The companionship of like minded people is a great mood enhancer and when you add the pleasure of cycling, it's a potent medicine I feel!

Other than that, all I can do is echo what others have said. Start small, set yourself targets, not too ambitious just enough to stretch yourself a bit further each time; be prepared to fail occasionally; three steps forward and two back still means progress. Good luck.

[border-rider]

^Excellent advice

post here to let us know how it's going and get encouragement & support, and try to ride with others to get you out.  That first couple of metres off the sofa and out of the door is often the hardest.

[mike]

As for the sort of riding, I use to enjoy a lot of wet off road stuff. I wouldn't complain if it was dry either. I also enjoy some road work too as long as the roads are fairly quiet or not to busy.

I also enjoy riding at night.

I think I just like the quiet! 

<cough>  dun run </cough>

[teethgrinder]

You want to be a serious cyclist?
Are you serious?


No, really, I mean, are you really a "serious cyclist?" Is it really you?

Go out and ride. Ride how you like to ride. Do what you enjoy, then build from there and see how far you want to take it. Don't ride with pre-conceptions of what you are or should be, be honest with yourself and find out what you really enjoy. Fast or slow rides, short or long rides, solo or group rides. Do what you like, not what you think you like or think you should like.

This song sums it up very well.

[inc]

If you set a target and don't meet it, how would that affect your motivation, for some they try harder and others feel they have failed and give up. I think it may be worth just getting out on your bike for the enjoyment that brings. If you like off road try seeking out new routes  ISTR there are quite a few bridleways not too far away,. you get the enjoyment of riding and studying OS maps when not riding. You could seek out company for your rides but I prefer to ride alone less to organise just go out when you want. If you can  get out 3 -4 times a week fitness will quickly follow and you can then decide if and how you want to progress from there.

[Alouicious]

There's this fantastic organisation called Audax UK.

Don't be fooled, it DOESN'T do what it says on the tin.

Their shortest medal ( or cloth badge ) is 50 km, that's 31 and a bit miles.

No-one cares if you only ride 50km rides and collect the cloth badges to make a patchwork quilt.

You'll soon go on to 100km rides,, and so on and so forth.

[Julian]

Yes, and the advantage of Audax is that it remains very quiet even when there are loads of other riders near you. 

If I've had a period of not wanting to ride, and want to get back to it, I find that aiming for small achievements and then giving myself disproportionately large rewards helps.  Aiming too high means I fail and then I feel dreadful about myself, and then I don't want to try again.

[Doosh]

I was in more or less your position just over a year ago.

I used to be a reasonable cyclist in my late teens/early twenties, then I learnt to drive 

The Black Dog™ got hold of me about 4 years ago and slowly cut me off from the world, had to give up work, the house, the car, basically everything. I'm still out of work but cycling is helping me get back to some sort of normality, god knows the drugs didn't work.

I too like it quiet, I went out for a trial run with my local CTC group a while back and as nice a bunch as they were I just can't deal with groups of people so it's not for me.

My only advice would be to not really set any goals or have any preconceptions of what you want to achieve, just go out when you feel like it and enjoy it, forcing yourself out of the house because "you've still got 15 miles to do this week" is sure to have you loathing it in no time.

It 100% has to be something you look forward to and not something you have to talk yourself into.

[Trailrat]

I have decided!!

40 miles per month. Yes, per month! Just to get me back on the wheels and get the muscles remembering their old jobs!

I might also actually join one of those Sunday cycle rides that Enfield Cycling Club keeps emailing me every week for the past year and a half! 

Also does anyone know if the Epping Forest rides still happen?