Would love some help. I completed my A race back in March. It was a long 50 mountain bike race on mostly technical single track. Since completing the event I cannot get back to consistent training.
In addition to the event I have pick up some additional stress at work. It’s a big project with big implications. I have struggled with sleep and managing stress.
I usually distress by time on the bike but now lack the motivation and mental toughness to complete the prescribed workouts.
My nutrition has remain consistent.
Any tips or tricks to get my workouts back on track would most welcomed.
I find if I have a lot of work stress, riding outside is a much better de-stressor than indoor riding. I don’t know if that’s a possibility for you but if you can get some outdoor rides in, it might after a week or two help you get your mojo back for indoor riding.
Sounds like a fairly common situation - post physical peak and event completion plenty of people suffer with a lack of motivation. They are both physically and mentally burned out
Assuming this is the cause - take a break. Find your love of the bike - whether that’s the same as it was before or different will vary depending on who you are. I’d suggest getting out for some fun rides, don’t focus on fitness but on fun
The fitness and training motivation will come once you have your fun back
Worth considering - maybe your fun will be in preparing for your next event. If you try the above and it doesn’t work - pick a new event to target that sounds enjoyable and start thinking about that and build a plan to move you in that direction
Everyone is motivated differently, be gentle with yourself post event - an emotional low point often follows an A event, even if it went well!
I often go through periods of ‘falling off of the wagon’ with my trainin, sometimes the reasons are obvious, others not so. I’ve noticed a number of things that seem to work at times, although there is no silver bullet for me.
I switch up my workouts. I drop the levels / duration / focus of the scheduled workout. If I can’t face a threshold session I might do an endurance session as in some cases, something is better than nothing. And completing a session always feels good even if you have adapted.
I sometimes switch up when I train. In a perfect world I’d train in the morning before work and the rest of the day gets in the way. But sometimes I can’t face a morning workout so manage to carve out time later in the day or shuffle the week around.
I usually prefer to get my structure at home on the turbo, but recently I’ve been struggling with that. So I hit a spin session in the gym before jumping on a gym bike and riding a steady tempo effort. Spin classes are not ideal but they get me on a bike, the tempo sessions give me a more specific stimulus… But I’m doing something. And it’s getting me back into the feeling of wanting to hit my turbo sessions with a decent fan and own music
But let’s not forget that sometimes we need to cut ourselves some slack and we need to back things off a bit and readjust to different life stresses.
A chill ride out with friends in good weather always gets me feeling like I want to get back to work on a bike.
After my big road road event last year I was completely uninterested in getting back on my road bike or riding on the trainer. However, I found a lot of joy riding my hardtail and SSCX bike. Maybe try a different discipline/join a new group ride/seek out some new roads!
Great advice already. To piggy back on suggestions above… Take two weeks off. If you need another, take it. Start easy riding outside. Any mountain bike trails near by? Ride those a few times a week if you can. No workouts. In fact even leave the bike computer/watch at home. Ride with friends and just enjoy being out there. When you get the itch to get a workout in or chase a segment you’ll know you getting back to normal. And when life stress hits the fan don’t feel bad if you take a day off. And if you prefer to take a chill ride to de-stress go for it.
