[Closed] Continuing to train and the first child

I wish you luck.

Congratulations on the impending arrival... best thing you'll ever do.
Commiserations on the cycling... best thing you ever did!!!

I dont really see why you need to cut back on the biking, just be diplomatic.

Conideration
Compromise
and cunning will win through.

All the best 🙂

First one made no odds for me, the second one had an effect which I've been struggling to break since.

Take up running it's more time efficient

Getting out riding is an important way of keeping your sanity. It can depend on how much sleep you need. Mrs weeksy used her downtime to catch up on needed sleep when I looked after our lad, I wasn't bothered about sleep so spent my spare hours in the hills kicking up dirt instead.

You need to get out the house at times, escape the insanity, find your own space.

Remember, "the older I get, the better I was". Enjoy your 15 year break and welcome to good-for-age and vets racing!

Then get the kid on the tandem to get the miles in...

First one isn't too bad.

Get through the initial shock and getting to train is manageable. The first 6 months to year they don't do that much so your other half bring with the baby is ok. Once they start to toddle and speak you probably won't want to go out as much

If you can get in an early morning routine and maybe 1 or 2 days including a weekend morning are training it's ok.

Once the second one comes along...... That's when it all goes up the spout and you realise how easy 1 is

Short high intensity sessions work wonders to keep the fitness you have, both my wife and i found we could ride and stay fit after our nipper was born... getting fitter might be a challenge though.

If your bike is already set up on the turbo 45 min is easily enough to do a proper session, so 60 min is enough to go from sat on couch, changed, on turbo, off, shower and back to couch (we only have one kid though, from the other posts it looks like 2 is much harder!).

Good luck!

Get used to short rides at unusual times. Or the turbo.

It's over. Start facing up to it now. No joke.

Our twins arrived in Jan. An hour a week is about all I manage on bike. Just need to
Get most out of whatever rising time you do get. Doesn't limit my endless hours on STW or ebay plotting the next build
tho :o)

If you have an understanding an unstressed partner it's not a deal breaker. However six years later with a second kid is way harder. We have to do things as a family, and the kids want to spend time with me. Leaving them with the Mrs is not just a case of changing nappies, she has to supervise and deal with two little kids running around and wrecking things and so on, which is harder work 🙂

Just letting you know

One week into this parenting thing. Hoping to go for a ride today now things have settled a bit. Funny thing is that my motivation to ride is greatly reduced, babies seem to rewire your brain!

I leave at 6am and often come back as the wife and kids are having breakfast or I go put at night once they are asleep. So plenty of riding, but I do find I ride alone more

Get yourself a Chariot or something similar. That way you can kill two birds with one stone. You give the mother some 'me' time and you get to ride your bike.

I've got one and its it's been fine. Not a problem at all in fact. Second is coming in September so will let you know then how fat I get from lack of training.

Riding with a Chariot, whilst fun family time, is no substitute for real riding.

As above, one was fine. Two has been nigh on impossible - but we're only a month in and things will get easier. It's about consideration isn't it? And not just from you to mum, but for you too .

1 is easy 2 much harder. The reason for so many running and road cycling posts on this forum is that they are generally much more time efficient. And just wait till your kids need taking to ruby tournaments and football matches or whatever equivilent activities they get involved in. Most of my riding is on the tandem for the school run or mountain biking with kids.

I am a much happier person when riding regularly, I think it is really important to have some time away to relieve stress. As a dad you will probably be told you have it easy, but it is very easy to do nothing but work and kids

As long as you give your partner the same amount of away time to relieve stress that's all good. It's very easy for mothers to do nothing but kids and more kids.

[i]Riding with a Chariot, whilst fun family time, is no substitute for real riding.[/i]

Not for me it isn't. I can do a fair lick with our Chariot and it's like hill training. We are lucky enough to have lots of cycle paths around lakes so it's all pretty safe. I've done it with all 4 of my kids.

Getting out riding is an important way of keeping your sanity.

This, my missus reckons there's an appreciable improvement in my mood if I go riding at least every other day.

Your life isn't over you are simply going to have to adjust, people manage it all the time. Figure out what works for you and 'er indoors...

I will say however that Road riding has started to take over a little now, two hours riding straight from my doorstep vs a trundle to the woods or a drive to somewhere makes it more practical than the MTB.

We didn't really get into am routine with the first that allowed either of us much free time for almost a year, and even then much of my riding was done at night (also a good option if you can do without so much sleep). But by the time we had the second we had enough idea that we both now get to!e to do stuff...

Oh and do try commuting by bike if you can, even if it's just a few miles, saves your sanity a bit and gets you out on a bike daily, plus saving fuel costs to spend on nappies and wipes.

Won't be a problem. My lad was 2 yesterday and I haven't really noticed a change in what I can do (if I have, it's purely been down to my not being disciplined enough for the midweek stuff).
As above, the commute has been important for me. I look after the lad until I go to work in the mid afternoon so even 20mins in the rain gives me precious headspace and I can extend it when needed.
A riding buddy is having one of his strongest seasons ever with his 2nd kid now a year old, and another is getting 15hr a week in with 3 young boys and working 10 hour days (I think he's resorted to training in the dark though!)

It's tough! Though now we have two, one would seem easy.

Turbo was the answer for me. Can do it when the kids are asleep and Mrs Blobby can go out while I watch the baby monitor. Rest is mostly road, hardly ever mtb now, just not as time effective for me and road better for racing goals. Work from home and ride lunchtimes too when I can. Have lost much of the social side of riding though.

One of the biggest problems for me is tiredness and lack of sleep when trying to maintain a heavy training load, sometimes you just have to give it a break. My sleep is now a total mess after 3 years and two kids.

And sometimes I have to remind myself that Mrs Blobby and the kids are far more important than riding my bike 🙂

I am a much happier person when riding regularly, I think it is really important to have some time away to relieve stress. As a dad you will probably be told you have it easy, but it is very easy to do nothing but work and kids

This too. Thankfully both me and Mrs Blobby appreciate this and we try and give each other the time to go do our own thing.

If you can.. Ride to work.
Plan on quick 20 mile road rides.
Go early or late in the day.
You'll be suffering sleep deprivation and have a sleep debt... Be careful as it can affect you have in rather odd ways and can actually make you very ill. I have 3 girls under 6.
Good luck

Agree with a couple of posts above.

After the first couple of months chaos and sleep deprivation 1 had little impact on riding time. However number two has completely changed things. This twinned with a new job which I have to drive to has drawn me to the conclusion that I'm going to have to give racing a miss for a while.

I've got my head around this now and looking at different types of riding so I can still get my fix. I'm building up the enthusiasm to do a bit of running too

can you cycle to work? I managed 10 miles each way for a couple of years, most weeks the only time on the bike id get

child trailers good for when they are a bit older but thats more just family time on the bike than training
as said decent amount of sleep is essential and you preparing everything in advance; work clothes, riding gear, get all that stuff ready ahead of schedule means you can get your sleep in too

My wife is really understanding, I just have to arrange all my biking trips well in advance and make sure her parents are available to help outand spend sometime with the grand kids

as said once 2 comes along it gets really hard

and now my wife wants a 3rd !!!!!!! Im doomed!

I'll just turn into a fat mid thirties weekend warrior?

my missus reckons there's an appreciable improvement in my mood if I go riding at least every other day

Are you me?

Being able to ride from your front door is key too.. Also be organised with your kit so its all ready to go.. so if you get a spare hour or two its all clean and in one place ready to throw on. Faffing around is a luxury you wont be able to afford.

I started riding - not training, admittedly - when Jnr was born.

Your other half MUST have as much chance to get out and do her thing as you do for your riding.

Get used to shorter rides at strange times - commuting, night rides, early weekend mornings. Not so bad when little one has you up at 4am anyway. You will find ways to mix it up to get some sort of training effect.

Running is quite time efficient as well.

But training really isn't that important compared to the well being of your baby and your other half. You need to keep that thought paramount.

Road bike. Much less pre and post ride faff.

However, the wife and kid come first.

As above, be considerate to Mum and sibling, get a road bike and/or a turbo. But most of all your riding just moves to confinement times, such as the middle of the night, early mornings, evenings etc. you might consider a long ride at the weekend then - when Mrs is ready - looking after jnr the next weekend so she can pootle of for a break. You'll both need the mental rest.

But you are having a kid, and that's what comes first as I'm sure you're about to realise, just work out how the riding can be exploited to the max as Priority no3 from here on in.

Its not too bad!

7 weeks old today, I've managed 2 races and about 80 miles a week with commuting and other stuff. Get the lights on charge, night riding is the new norm.

My other half rides horses though so there's a a bit of quid pro quo going on.

The best bit is for her to go for a ride in the evening I have to do a longer ride from work to the yard 😀

I was too tired to ride seriously for the first few weeks (tried to commute by bike as much as I could though).

As time went on cycling took more of a back burner, I was competing at a reasonable level before kids but that gradually slipped away.

To me, the kids/family became the main priority. I grabbed the odd ride when I could but my racing days were over.

When they reached school age I was doing stuff with them almost every day of the week (swimming lessons, football training/matches, Scouts, badminton etc. etc.) this went on for years.

Cycling was always there for me. It has always been my passion, I joined my first club around 12-13 years old and it has been in my blood ever since. As the boys grew up I carried on grabbing rides when I could, watching it on TV and reading cycling magazines and the kids picked up on this. I never pushed it but they started to take an interest and soon wanted to go out riding. They got the bug and jacked in football.

We started on MTBs and they then wanted road bikes as well. Then they wanted to join a club and race. Now they regularly ride cx, track and road. It costs me a fortune but it is great!

It has taken a while but I can now train to a level that allows me to race. On Wednesday I am doing a local 2-up time trial with my youngest.

I am getting to the point where my eldest will be dropping me soon, that will be bitter sweet!