To the parents - where do you get the energy to cycle?

Turbulent Bill

We had our first child a few weeks ago, but even before this I hadn't commuted (25km round trip) on the bike since before the last snows, mainly because I needed the car for getting baby stuff, going to appointments etc. I'm just getting used to the sleep deprivation now, but my bike is laughing at my expanding belly me every time I walk down the hall...

For the fathers, how do you manage having a newborn in the family and getting the exercise in? It takes longer to cycle than drive, so the only justification is my own fitness.

Any voices of experience greatly appreciated!

daragh_

I find the opportunity to get away from my kids for a few hours is a great motivation. Don't tell them I said that

Youngest is now 3. When she was born I was just getting back to commuting having spent the previous couple of years driving to work. Fresh air and exercise on the route to and from work helped with energy levels and was able to deal with the sleep deprivation much better than with the first two anklebiters.

> Congrats BTW <

Lumen

Only one child? Stop moaning and get out on your bike before another one turns up. Or twins, god forbid.

Anyway, congratulations. A good parent is a sane parent, and cycling keeps us sane. Just force yourself to get an hour in here and there when you can.

Also, turbo trainers are good for when you can't leave the house.

Hungrycol

It's not easy. You get used to your sleep deprived state being your new "normal" state. For now baby come first and all your energy directed there. When things settled down the only exercise I get in is my commute and during the summer I try to get a handful of Club League races in. Longer spins at the weekend are harder to do even when you have the energy to do them!

You'll be asking yourself "How did life get so busy all of a sudden?"!

Good luck and big congrats.

Seaswimmer

Turbulent Bill wrote: »

We had our first child a few weeks ago, but even before this I hadn't commuted (25km round trip) on the bike since before the last snows, mainly because I needed the car for getting baby stuff, going to appointments etc. I'm just getting used to the sleep deprivation now, but my bike is laughing at my expanding belly me every time I walk down the hall...

For the fathers, how do you manage having a newborn in the family and getting the exercise in? It takes longer to cycle than drive, so the only justification is my own fitness.

Any voices of experience greatly appreciated!

Probably not what you want to hear but your cycling will have to be reduced considerably once kids start arriving along. Commuting by bike is your best way of getting a few miles in without disturbing family life. You are going to find it hard to justify spending 3+ hours out at the weekend. When more kids arrive and you end up "having" to drive them to school/various activitities, time for leisure becomes even more precious.

However the good news is that when they hit teenage years they want to be as far away from you as possible so your cycling days can begin properly again..

tomasrojo

My daughter's one on Saturday, and I seem to have defied all predictions and still get plenty of cycling in.

Get a goods trailer and do all your shopping by bike (if your wife is ok with looking after the baby for forty minutes or so at a time). Offer to do all errands by bike. If something is needed for the baby, cycle into town with the trailer or panniers and get it. That's what I do. Actually, I was doing all shopping before the baby, because I've never wanted to own a car.

I did join the GoCar scheme so that I can hire a car for a few hours for my one long journey with the baby, visiting my parents.

I haven't been so successful in persuading anyone that using my other trailer on the road, the child trailer, is safe, so I think I'm going to have bite the bullet and buy a Bullitt. Actually, probably a Christiania.

EDIT: I also get a bit of cycling, towing the child trailer around parks.

rochefan

I've 2 wee kids and it has not stopped me from racing. I get up at 6.20 and on the road at 6.30 and am back by 8.30 or maybe 9. I can do this during the week and arrive at work. You only need 5 or 6 hours a weekd for A3 races. Once our kid started taking the bottle at about 5 months then she started to sleep much better but before that there was not much I could do for night feeds...... Breast fed is best fo the health and well being of the father

EC1000

Have a five week old at home (our first) and was thinking that it would severely reduce my tri-training this year. However, so far its all about compromise and planning.

I've ditched the midweek turbo class that I used to attend and replaced it with an hour session at home after hours (or whenever newbie wants to sleep!). I've also ditched a midweek swimming sessions and replaced it with a pre-dawn session before work. You can still achieve quite a lot without affecting your new responsibilities - it just means squeezing in a cycle or run at a time when you would not have considered before this to be normal - early AM sessions or a lunch time run etc can plug a lot of holes in a training programme.

I realise the OP is talking about cycling specifically but good planning can be applied anywhere....

midonogh

Its all about routine. Wife knows I go out at 9am every Saturday and am back by 11.30. She works around that and is happy enough. Commutes do not cut intto family time so they do not count.

A high proportion of the people I cycle with are young parents so by coming home with a few shared incompetent young father stories (mothers love these) I get a bit more leeway.

Always good to have stories about a cycling peer who are out more and do more training than you therefore presenting you in a better light. Like lads who do the race around Ireland and have interval training two nights a week as well as racing and commuting. Thanks Shaungil;)

Admit things will change when my two (5 and 2) start to have Saturday am activities.

doozerie

Congratulations first of all.

In my case, other than commuting, I did very little cycling for a while after my daughter was born. It wasn't that I didn't have the opportunity, as my wife was very supportive of my getting out on the bike, but between wanting to be around my family and being wrecked, the bike lost its appeal. The commute by bike gave me some exercise and certainly helped my sanity too, though there were days that even the 11km one-way route seemed like a daunting chore. I'd definitely recommend maintaining your commute by bike.

When I did start getting back out on my road bike, I found it tough going. I'd lost a bit, maybe even a lot, of fitness but my main issue was just being physically tired. Our daughter was 11 months before she started to sleep through the night and the accumulated effect of the regular lack of sleep took a long time to overcome. I eased myself back in by going out for shorter spins (50km-ish or so) before building up the distance slowly. I was stupid though, during those 11 months I should have taken every opportunity to sleep that I could get but instead I always found something to fill my time and keep me awake and usually it was something unimportant. So the best advice that I can offer, though I couldn't follow it myself, is to sleep when your baby sleeps if you can at all. That'll make everything, not just cycling, seem less daunting.

Oh, and I spent a small fortune on new cycling kit, gadgets, bike parts, and even a new bike, when I did start getting back into a routine of getting out on the bike. I'm not recommending that, by the way, though I did enjoy it I think I reverted to childhood and all this new "stuff" helped make getting out on the bike more appealing again - it had started to seem like a chore there, for a while. Unfortunately though, in my absence from the roads, some fecker had come along and made the hills steeper and the distances longer, and all my new stuff didn't lessen the blow of that by much!

BostonB

I only cycle for commuting and fitness. I'll echo what the others saying in that cycling give you energy and helps you sleep. But I'll qualify that by saying it depends what kinda run of luck you have. I've had months where I've been able to cycle, everything goes to plan. Then months when I can't. I'm hopefully at end of a bad spell at the moment where all the kids were sick, not sleeping, passing this on to me. Thats been pretty much going on since Nov. Longest off I've had since starting back cycling 2yrs ago.

You've a new baby. That's the hardest time. The older they get the easier it gets. Even a few months makes all the difference.

shaungil

All of the above. Organise your life, commute by bike. Cycle to the inlaws cinema whereever you're going meet them there. 4 kids aged 7 down to 5 months.

But for me giving up telly (maybe 2hrs in total Mon to Thursday) have a routine Tues and thurs 8.15 (after bedtime and you organise it so picking a time that suits you.

TBH the missus is on mat leave till sept so it's easier when she's on school drops etc. The hardest thing for me is getting in the long cycles and this is where I'm going to struggle with races but hey what can you do......

BostonB

Telly? If I get to see some extreme fishing on discovery thats about all the TV I get.

When the summer comes in, and theres longer daylight, you'll be able to go for a spin when everyone goes to bed. Some of the dads I know do this now, but they mainly MTB'ing.

Ryder

The first thing I noticed is that I didnt want the 3+ hr spins anymore, a 1.5 hr spin suits me fine now and would be perfect for racing (if I ever start again). Make use of the time you have....would advise running at night because its very easy for an indoor session to be disrupted by the baby crying. I also got rollers to make it more interesting and are a bit faster to set up etc

GlennaMaddy

in the summer you can leave at 6am and get a decent commute in a couple of days a week, provided the crèche drop-off or school drop off is a shared duty.

Also, never come home from a spin complaining of aches, pains, tiredness or being beaten in the sprint or being dropped.

Swim, run or gym at lunchtime also another option to consider

manwithaplan

I have four children aged from 8 down to almost 2. It's certainly very difficult to find the time when they are very young and not keeping regular hours. Now, on top of my commute, I go out early most saturday mornings for the Swords CC spin and late one evening a week after they are in bed (will increase this to 2 evenings shortly). I used get up ridiculously early on weekend mornings last summer to take to the Wicklow Mountains, as early as 5 am on occasion.

It helps if your partner has something that gets them out of the house regularly so that there is a bit of quid pro quo. My wife runs a lot (has done the marathon etc) and goes out early weekday mornings while I get the children up and fed. She also goes for a run on the weekend morning I don't go out. I think it would be harder for me to leave the house for hours with a clear conscience if she was feeling seriously hard done by.

The comments about partners being tolerant of the things that make you a happier, more tolerant father and partner are also very true. I'm not sure she would be as accepting of a serious gambling or drinking habit!

RoubX

Agree with the above. You'll be shattered for a while, but it gets better. Just when I was getting back into it we had another one! but the youngest is 3 now and there's no worries getting out. My wife takes Saturday up to lunchtime and I take Sunday up to lunchtime. So the earlier I get up, the farther I go. I can't commute cause I have to drop/collect the youngest lad to creche, but when the temperature warms up he can go in a seat on the back. When the evenings lengthen I can do mid-week spins outside, but until then it's the trainer in the garage. The distance and speed take a knock for a while, but that's comes back too.

unionman

Congrats to you, it's a great time, enjoy it. It's tough, but it's wonderful.

I bought a road bike when my eldest was 9, and a few months before our third child was born. I have a short enough commute, and was doing this for a few years before I got the road bike. I suppose it kept my heart and lungs in some order, but I was pretty awful on the road bike at the start. It seemed I would never get the opportunity to build up fitness, particularly as so many spins had to be cancelled at the last minute due to sleepless nights or colds, flu and tummy bugs doing the rounds at home.

While there have been gaps, the cycling has become reasonably frequent as our youngest is almost 2 and a half. The group I cycle with are mostly dads too, there's a lot to be said for shared experience.

Planning in advance seems to be the key alright, and for me that includes getting a slow roast into the oven before I leave for a Sunday morning spin. Kids and wife all say I arrive back from a spin a much nicer person! Certainly more relaxed and the deep sleep post-cycle helps overcome that constant sleep deprived state of the early years.

It sounds like you're keen, so just build it slowly and don't beat yourself up if you're not getting out as often as you'd hope. It will, as others have said, get easier over time.

Undercover Elephant

RoubX wrote: »

I can't commute cause I have to drop/collect the youngest lad to creche, but when the temperature warms up he can go in a seat on the back.

Tell him to HTFU ! My 3 year old has been on the back seat pretty much all winter. She thought it was hilarious the day it snowed on the way in, and was miffed when I insisted on going in the car the following day when the roads were covered in ice.

Turbulent Bill

Thanks for all the excellent comments (and the congratulations!). This is pretty much where I am at the moment:

doozerie wrote: »

In my case, other than commuting, I did very little cycling for a while after my daughter was born. It wasn't that I didn't have the opportunity, as my wife was very supportive of my getting out on the bike, but between wanting to be around my family and being wrecked, the bike lost its appeal. The commute by bike gave me some exercise and certainly helped my sanity too, though there were days that even the 11km one-way route seemed like a daunting chore.

I'm not a competitive cyclist (a couple of sportives a year is as far as I go), but want to maintain some level of fitness through commuting. It's a mixture of lack of sleep/energy (for obvious reasons) and lack of time (waking hours spent doing stuff in the house as my wife is laid up) that's holding me back. Might try just getting back in the saddle and seeing how it goes.

cdaly_

My 28km round trip commute takes less time to cycle than drive in the rush hour. OTOH, there is a bit of time at each end changing clothes, showering so it probably works out the same.

Rallymad

I have an 11 month old and my wife works as do i but i work shift so when im off i mind him other than that he is in the child minders (my mother) but then his other granny doesnt get to see him as much .Enter me the opportunist would you like to look after the little fella for a few hours when i go for a spin works a dream she had him today when i got in 50k even made tea for me when i got back everyone is happy . God bless the grannys

BostonB

People have notice I'm in better form after cycling too. Definitely more energy. Its like a natural drug. I just don't do enough cycling tbh.

Hungrycol

BostonB wrote: »

People have notice I'm in better form after cycling too. Definitely more energy. Its like a natural drug. I just don't do enough cycling tbh.

Endorphins. :cool:

Iwannahurl

Congrats and commiserations all in one! Your life has now been changed for the better, despite the initial shock of a newborn and the daily challenges of child-rearing. You'll wonder what you did with your time before...

I used to do a total 120 km per week cycle commute. I got new wheels under the Bike to Work Scheme when I had the chance, but have been parenting full time since! Net effect is that the new bike spends a lot of time in the shed. With two kids under 4, one of whom needs to be transported to a creche, I just don't have the opportunity to cycle during the day and I am just too lacking in energy/enthusiasm at night, especially during the winter.

My proposed solution is to get a quality bike trailer. Then I can do the creche drop-off with both kids in tow, the shopping with the youngest on board, and general cruising around for the exercise and keeping the wee one entertained. Now I just need to find time to go looking for the right bike trailer...

Beasty

It's easy - just spend less time on the internet ...;)

Like a lot of the above posters, I commute - basically getting 45mins or so in the morning, and taking a longer route home

When I don't commute, I tend to head out on an evening, although some nights it can be after 9 before I get out

If none of the above work, it will be an hour or two on the turbo, sometimes finishing in the early hours

My youngest is now 6, and that makes weekends difficult because of the activities they all get involved in (I tend to spend all day Saturday ferrying the 4 kids round to and from various locations) - again I will go out after they have gone to bed if I can, but spins of more than 90 minutes or more are almost impossible to fit in

pprendeville

Lumen wrote: »

Only one child? Stop moaning and get out on your bike before another one turns up. Or twins, god forbid.

Anyway, congratulations. A good parent is a sane parent, and cycling keeps us sane. Just force yourself to get an hour in here and there when you can.

Also, turbo trainers are good for when you can't leave the house.

Totally agree. Had baby no2 in Nov. MAkes one seem like a walk in the park.

BostonB

Depends on the baby. One of ours was more far more work than the others.