Holiday Stress? The Short Ride Cure

We’re having some weather this year. It’s not news that we’ve had a lot of rain, and it keeps coming in spurts and blasts. Add to this the annual and inevitable holiday stuff, parties, plays, dinners, pageants, recitals, concerts, meetings, shopping trips, etc. It can be stressful.

One really good stress reliever is… You guessed it! A bike ride!

The problem is fitting the ride into all the rest of that. How to do it? There are two secrets to this, change your mind, and prepare.

The mind change first. Many of you are fairly serious about your riding. You think of it as “training.” I urge you to remember what it was that got you into this in the first place. It’s fun! So think of the rides during this time of year as riding for recreation and fun. This simple mind shift allows one to accept shorter rides, and less structured ones. By the way, the word “recreation,” literally means to re-create one’s self.

Now for the preparation part. The thing of it is, we don’t always know just when we will be able to sneak a ride in. But if we are to be able to do it, we must be ready, at a moment’s notice, to seize that opportunity. The way to do this is to follow the Scout Motto. “Be Prepared!”

Start with the bike. If it needs service, get it done. Do it now. Don’t wait until you see that ride coming up. Get it ready and keep it that way.

Now go find your pump and put it right next to the bike. You want to be able to inflate your tires and go!

This season requires special clothing and equipment. Find your lights, charge them, and put them with the bike. The same goes for cold and wet weather riding clothing. Store them, the helmet, shoes, and other gear with the bike. The idea is, if you see an hour or more that is “ride-able” you can be riding in less than ten minutes.

Now go out and do it. Take it easy, or pound it, do what the spirit moves you to do. Do what is satisfying. I think you will find, as I have, that a short ride beats no ride. It’s refreshing. It clears the mind. It’s therapeutic. It’s fun.

Don’t worry about heart rate zones, or average speeds. Not that you need this, but if it helps, I give you my permission to leave your computer and HR monitor at home. But do take your watch. You will want to keep an eye on the time. Wouldn’t do to miss the big dinner at the sister-in-law’s, now would it?