No over achiever here. I'm right there with you. It is a tough thing to balance your personal aspirations with the facts of the life you have chosen. I spend way too much time browsing the internet for stories of other people's cycling adventures. As a part-time-employed 43 year old student who handles most of the transporting of school age kids to and from their various commitments and with a spouse who has her own career and personal ambitions, I find that I have to be boldly selfish every once in a while in order to carve out the time for anything that is my "own" (ie anything on two wheels).
Though I can't claim much consistent success in this matter I do have a couple of thoughts: First, as others have mentioned, get your kids involved in cycling with you. I put together a tandem with a child stoker kit plus a tag-along so my daughters (5 and 7) and I can cruise around town. They are never happier than when out for a ride and I even get a bit of a workout lugging the whole contraption around. As a side benefit, we get many appreciative comments and attention. Second, be spontaneous! I have a small circle of buddies that I can call on when the stars line up for me and it looks like I will have a couple of hours available. More often than not, I end up riding solo but occasionally I get lucky. This technique is especially rewarding when we can finagle an S24O! Third, try to negotiate a semi regular chunk of time that you and your spouse each claim as personal time. My wife has a regular group that she meets with three times per month, I've more or less claimed Saturday mornings for a bike ride. We are both better parents and spouses for the time we get away. And lastly, be creative when looking for time to ride. I just recently got myself set up with dynamo lighting and I am getting more comfortable riding at night. I can duck out when most of the family is in bed and ride for an hour without my absence impacting anyone. I love those night rides! My plan is to keep a decent level of fitness and try not to get fat over the next ten years. By then my kids won't command so much of my attention and I'll have the rest of my life to ride. It will be glorious! -- You received this message because you are subscribed to the Google Groups "RBW Owners Bunch" group. To unsubscribe from this group and stop receiving emails from it, send an email to rbw-owners-bunch+unsubscr...@googlegroups.com. To post to this group, send email to rbw-owners-bunch@googlegroups.com. Visit this group at http://groups.google.com/group/rbw-owners-bunch. For more options, visit https://groups.google.com/groups/opt_out.
