How Do You Become A Lance?

Sillyoldtwit said:

And I don't mean become a TDF winner. My question is how do you stay motivated day in day out? How do you resist the temptation to indulge in the occasional tipple, the delicious looking apple pie, the gorgeous smell of melting chocolate?

I didn't go to the gym yesterday, and right now although I know I have to go, I don't really want to. Just the thought of doing my AWC session starting at 320Watts sends a chill down my spine. I would much rather head off to Starbucks (a sanctuary here in Japan) sit down with a tall caffe latte and read my newspaper whilst keeping a beady eye on the local talent.😉

I will go to the gym though, and afterwards I shall be glad that I did; it's just the getting there that is the hard part. Ah well! Where are my bib shorts?🙁

man o man - its tuff to stay away from the Starbuck, especially when you had a lite dinner and rode 22 mile swith alot fo climbs. I am staring at a loaf of freshly baked aspen cinnimon bread. Im going crazy. I want a latte. i also want to put a little margerine on a peice of the bread. After i toast it of course. I weigh 175 today and am doing everything I can to get to 166 by November. and not eating this stuff will play a role. So I won't. But I am going insane. No doubt about that.

tour here I come. if not I'll be saying the same about going to cold stone.

Sillyoldtwit said:

My question is how do you stay motivated day in day out?

Ride with teammates or a training partner.

I want to eat pizza. I can't. I become really lactose intolerance when I race. With coffee I drink it black. Forget about those $5 coffee.

Sillyoldtwit said:

And I don't mean become a TDF winner. My question is how do you stay motivated day in day out? How do you resist the temptation to indulge in the occasional tipple, the delicious looking apple pie, the gorgeous smell of melting chocolate?

I didn't go to the gym yesterday, and right now although I know I have to go, I don't really want to. Just the thought of doing my AWC session starting at 320Watts sends a chill down my spine. I would much rather head off to Starbucks (a sanctuary here in Japan) sit down with a tall caffe latte and read my newspaper whilst keeping a beady eye on the local talent.😉

I will go to the gym though, and afterwards I shall be glad that I did; it's just the getting there that is the hard part. Ah well! Where are my bib shorts?🙁

frenchyge said:

Ride with teammates or a training partner.

And practice showing them your back wheel!! 😄

Seriously, the thought does helps me keep riding on the trainer, day in, day out.

Funny that you ask, because I've had a lot of struggles with my sweet tooth too. For the longest time I just had to have something sugary every couple of hours. After every meal I had to have something for dessert, every afternoon I'd go downstairs to the deli and buy a candy bar or something. The subsequent weight gain was about what you'd expect. I'm no physiologist, but I think sugar cravings are a physical thing for a lot of people, not psychological. Once I realized that, my sweet tooth just kinda disappeared. Sounds weird, I know, but it was like as soon as I stopped blaming myself and feeling guilty for being a glutton and all that, it just went away.

That and I got tired of feeling fat and sloppy all the time.

Goal setting is important for all athletes motivation. If you write your goals on a piece of paper you can stick them to the wall, fridge or bathroom mirror. This will make your goals a physical object, not just something that you have in the back of your mind somewhere. By seeing the goals numerous times a day you should be more motivated to train towards achieving them.

frenchyge said:

Ride with teammates or a training partner.

+1

Because you have already committed, you aren't likely to cop out.

Mental toughness, not that I have any...

You have to be able to focus, and, I believe, it has to remain something fun, that you look forward to do, if you are to train in a sustainable manner.

bikecoach said:

Goal setting is important for all athletes motivation. If you write your goals on a piece of paper you can stick them to the wall, fridge or bathroom mirror. This will make your goals a physical object, not just something that you have in the back of your mind somewhere. By seeing the goals numerous times a day you should be more motivated to train towards achieving them.

Yeh along those lines the main question is, What do you *really* want?

It is amazing that I am on my 25th year of consistent training (not cycling) and I don't think I can pinpoint why it is that I feel compelled to wake up each morning at 4 or 4:30 am and head off to the gym.

I am not a Lance fan at all, but I can relate to his sentiments in one of his books about how he loves to train in the pain zone and I am addicted to the self abuse as well.

Sitting on the couch and relaxing drives me nuts, but I am human and so is Lance and other top athletes. This week was a tough week for me on the spin bike. I just couldn't get my legs to go and they have been tight and sore all week for some reason, but the drive is still there and I found myself in one of the spin classes mentally pushing away the discouragement for the sluggish feeling and saying to myself, "I control you (legs) and I will tell you how hard I want you to push and I will tell you when you can stop." The next thing I know I am pushing hard and not using the recovery periods like the rest of the spin class, but pushing past the mental and physical obstacle. Again even for those of us who seem to be pushing hard each day we still have struggles like everyone else, but somehow finding a way of motivating past the barriers. There are many different methods of motivation so I hope you can find one that works.

There's a few laughs in there guys and some quite serious stuff.

4 things keep me going.

1) I know RD is watching and I'm terrified of him.😉

2) I started the 'It's killing me thread' and I feel I couldn't just walk away and leave the guys who are following and conducting their own training based on RD's advice and upon seeing my improvement through following said advice. I feel obliged to keep on training hard and improving and at the same time hopefully drag 1 or 2 guys along with me towards whatever gaol they have set themselves.

3) I still haven't completely destroyed my young riding partner. I have increased my power to a point where there is no way he can stay with me on the flat, however, he is now at 66 Kilos compared with my 71Kilos. It's just too great a difference to make up power-wise on the climbs, but I'm working on it. (sweet things are preventing me from dropping to my target of 69Kilos)

4) The upcoming Lake Biwa 150K event on October the 8th.
Last year I got my a--e kicked by many riders. Roughly the same 60 guys will be there again this year and I intend to kick some a--e of my own this time.😄 TYSON

Chris Carmichael has often said how amazing it would be if we could all approach every day with clear goals in mind and no fear of giving absolutely 100% toward achieving them. The more that I have learned about Armstrong the more that I have come to appreciate his ability to do just that. Anyone who watches the way that he has handled his foundation and fundraising work after cycling will know what I mean. He takes the same approach to business as he did on the bike, and he is incredibly effective.

Sillyoldtwit said:

There's a few laughs in there guys and some quite serious stuff.

And to think probably on your worst day while you are running a high fever I doubt I could keep you in sight. 🙂

Sillyoldtwit said:

How do you resist the temptation to indulge in the occasional tipple, the delicious looking apple pie, the gorgeous smell of melting chocolate?

Uhmm, why would you want to resist? I mean, at a brisk pace (which is what you do, judging from your "It's killing me" thread), you'll easily burn 1000kcals/hour. I haven't tried to look up how many hours you invest per week, but that should be good for quite a few chocolate cakes. Unless you insist on loosing weight at a fast clip, you need to get some calories to feed that engine, so it's a win-win situation: You get to eat your cake, and keep your fitness gains, too. So, what did you say is the problem?

Sillyoldtwit said:

I didn't go to the gym yesterday, and right now although I know I have to go, I don't really want to. Just the thought of doing my AWC session starting at 320Watts sends a chill down my spine. I would much rather head off to Starbucks (a sanctuary here in Japan) sit down with a tall caffe latte and read my newspaper whilst keeping a beady eye on the local talent.

So, what's wrong with doing that, at least every once in a while? You do sound like you have been overtraining (maybe not physically, but mentally), in which case it would not be surprising that your motivation suffers. It all comes down to what it is you want to achieve. Do you really need to train as hard as you do? Nobody is forcing you, right? Except yourself, of course. If you really feel that this (training hard) is what you have to do, then you should not have problems with motivation. On the other hand, if you feel that you have come a long way already (I would certainly say that you did!), then why not take it easy (or easier) for a while? I bet you won't become the next Lance Armstrong no matter what you do, anyway...

Felt_Rider said:

And to think probably on your worst day while you are running a high fever I doubt I could keep you in sight. 🙂

Ehhh! You can't be serious. It's me the silly old twit.😄

I literally stuff myself with chocolates. Believe me, you ain't seen anything like it. I was glad to find Chris Eubank had the same problem. I eat Galaxy, Swiss chocolate, Minstrels, Twixes, Mars, Kit Kats, you name it.
Thank God I burn a lot of it off by cycling.

Syrio Forel said:

Funny that you ask, because I've had a lot of struggles with my sweet tooth too. For the longest time I just had to have something sugary every couple of hours. After every meal I had to have something for dessert, every afternoon I'd go downstairs to the deli and buy a candy bar or something. The subsequent weight gain was about what you'd expect. I'm no physiologist, but I think sugar cravings are a physical thing for a lot of people, not psychological. Once I realized that, my sweet tooth just kinda disappeared. Sounds weird, I know, but it was like as soon as I stopped blaming myself and feeling guilty for being a glutton and all that, it just went away.

That and I got tired of feeling fat and sloppy all the time.

Carrera said:

I literally stuff myself with chocolates. Believe me, you ain't seen anything like it. I was glad to find Chris Eubank had the same problem. I eat Galaxy, Swiss chocolate, Minstrels, Twixes, Mars, Kit Kats, you name it.
Thank God I burn a lot of it off by cycling.

OMG you're making me slobber and drool!
I can't get any of the good chox from back home over here in the USA
🙁
I have to stock up when I go back for a visit!

read up on what junk food does to you and how your body uses clean foods. its a great replelent! i used to eat masses of junk chocolate, and could easily get through a whole pack of maryland cookies in one sitting. however these days i dont want or crave junk much. granted if its paraded in front of me i might want it but as a trat i make myself a big fruit salad with yog. and it tastes so good and natural. you will be a better cyclist if you eat better! whats the point of cycling 100k to eat a cheesecake!

Eat to train, dont train to eat!!!

Syrio Forel said:

Funny that you ask, because I've had a lot of struggles with my sweet tooth too. For the longest time I just had to have something sugary every couple of hours. After every meal I had to have something for dessert, every afternoon I'd go downstairs to the deli and buy a candy bar or something. The subsequent weight gain was about what you'd expect. I'm no physiologist, but I think sugar cravings are a physical thing for a lot of people, not psychological. Once I realized that, my sweet tooth just kinda disappeared. Sounds weird, I know, but it was like as soon as I stopped blaming myself and feeling guilty for being a glutton and all that, it just went away.

That and I got tired of feeling fat and sloppy all the time.

Syrio,

Nice handle...

Gee, I wonder what your favorite series is...

🙂

Where did you find the avatar?

Jim