MoJo

[JohnClimber]

I know it's lockdown, January and yesterday was Blue Monday......

Has anyone else lost there MoJo to do any adventuring?

I sent my Luna Solo up in the garden this weekend for a FB review mini film review that I've been asked to do.
And I didn't even crawl inside it when it was up.

Please tell me that I'm not the only one....

[fatbikephil]

I've got plenty mojo, I'm just not allowed to use it. Mountains covered in snow, full on winter in progress, I can't wait to get out in amongst it all. I've got a small approximation within my local area which is just about keeping me sane but the real thing is sitting there just up the road. Hopefully we get the spring weather to appreciate the snow before it all disappears.....

So sorry John, not much help but I suspect when the restrictions come off you'll be bouncing back out there like the rest of us.

[Charliecres]

I’ve done so much thinking and planning for trips I’ve not been able to do that I’ve almost stopped dreaming up new things. There’s only so big a wish list I can maintain. But I’m still itching to get out there and get those things done.

As above, once we’re unleashed I’m sure your mojo will return.

[ton]

i ride every day, 20 miles commute.
when it gets to the weekend all my mojo wants to lay on the settee, eating toast and supping sweet tea.


waiting for something to land, that should hopefully give me a mojo boost.

[FLV]

Interesting question with 3 answers for me

New routes, new places,
Im pretty much gagging to get out there, though im wanting to ride into the sunshine if possible.

Local overnighters,
Not sure id be heading out for any overnighters in this weather unless there was a particular ride i felt couldnt wait. My mojo for suffering laden bikes just for the sake of being out for the night rather than experiencing a new route or place is pretty low. Bivvying is part of a larger experience for me now, an enabler for riding a route if you will.

Just a ride, local,
Im barely holding to the will to keep popping out into the rain and dark for an hour or so every day, mojo for that is eroding rather fast.

[slarge]

You're not the only one John. Currently WFH so my old commute (last done regularly in March last year) is a thing of the past. So fitness is sliding and the will to get out there in the cold, dark and wet is sliding with it. The turbo trainer and Zwift has been a bit of a motivator but that novelty is wearing off, running is coming back into the list of things I do.

Struggling to get motivated to plan routes and stuff without any kind of timescale to actually do it. A couple of events are entered (carry over from last year) but I can't see them happening (Kielder in April....?).

But on the positive side; this time last year I was in Intensive care with Sepsis, so things are looking up!!

[JohnClimber]

Maybe this may help us and give us some "experts"* to snigger at tomorrow night

Alpkit Night In: Journeys by Foot
Description: Spend the evening with Al Humphreys, Athena Mellor and Chris Townsend as we talk about the joy of journeys by foot and the freedom that ultralight backpacking gives us

https://us02web.zoom.us/webinar/registe ... e%2FLondon

* I have a lot of time for Chris Townsend

[Bearbonesnorm]

* I have a lot of time for Chris Townsend

He speaks very highly of you John.

Mojo comes and go's but probably go's more than it comes when I think about it. As Steve says, it's the not having a timescale that's hard. If someone could say "from July 1st you can resume your life", then you'd be inclined to do some planning and put things in place to look forward to but without it, things seem somewhat futile, pointless and likely to end in disappointment. I appreciate there's perhaps a glimmer at the end of the tunnel but it's still a long way off from shining brightly.

[woodsmith]

Maybe this may help us and give us some "experts"* to snigger at tomorrow night

Alpkit Night In: Journeys by Foot
Description: Spend the evening with Al Humphreys, Athena Mellor and Chris Townsend as we talk about the joy of journeys by foot and the freedom that ultralight backpacking gives us

https://us02web.zoom.us/webinar/registe ... e%2FLondon

* I have a lot of time for Chris Townsend

I might have a look but I have to say I'm immediatley turned off by the term ultralight. I've met too many of them to have much patience with them and their particular brand of bigotry

[summittoppler]

Same here John. Currently 'working from' home' but I mean how can you teach bricklaying from my PC!! OK I do teach the theory parts of the qual but its like peeing in the wind with most of my students, and then don't get me going on my bosses wanting 100% engagement I suppose not having a normal day/week/month doesn't help at all.
A big help for me was the virtual GR bagging which did get me out on both days of the weekend
But monging out on the sofa, watching cr@p on the telly and drinking copious amounts of Stella/wine doesn't help either

Fingers crossed we can get to plan things and they get successfully carried out soon....

[sillybigfella]

I had ‘it’ once, then lost it and despite a few forced attempts, it never really came back. I’ve gone back to my original love of hillwalking and that’s helped me enormously in the last few years. I still have all the kit I need, but just can’t quite bring myself to sell everything in the hope ‘it’ will come back one day. I’m happy to accept the mojo may come back, but if it doesn’t, I’ve had some good times to fall back on and I’ll seek my pleasures elsewhere.

[faustus]

To coin a microsoft analogy: My mojo is currently operating in safe mode.

[Cheeky Monkey]

Mojo has been borked for a while. Used to go up to the van in Lakes and that was a lovely time and often a good reset. Haven't been able to do that for ages and missing it badly (boo hoo, 1st world problems, hardly in a tough spot etc!).

There seems to have been summat about the weather for many months that has killed most enthusiasm to just go out and ride. Even walking the dog is a dull chore (unusual) at the same old spots and in the utter clag that seems to be semi-permanent in W.Yorkshire. It probably isn't really, just feels that way.

I think it's the lack of other people, even though I'm a fairly antisocial gimp and happy with my own company for a lot of time. Clearly even the limited level of interaction I used to indulge in was probably a vital refresher.

Have found some stuff to do at home including patterns practice (I'd got very rusty on those), indoor rowing (what an utter bitch that can be but at least no big clean ups and travelling required) and even started chucking a kettlebell about (which has been an expensive doorstop for years since I first bought it - weights are dull but this is surprisingly accessible - high weight, low reps).

Looks at us lot eh? Like they say, misery loves company

[Gummikuh]

I think this is always a difficult time of year anyway, and the current lockdown isn't helping.
I sometimes sit on the trainer watching a film but that is sooooo boring.

I am not sure it's loss of mojo, just reality, I went out for a long ride last weekend and my bike looked like stig of the dump. I got fed up trying to open gates where horses had churned up the ground, it was horrible, and then takes hours to sort everything out when you get home.

I try to get all the jobs done around the house that need doing, that way when the weather starts to turn, I have banked enough weekends to get out there without too much guilt.

Wait for the early signs of spring and the longer days and you'll have ants in your pants wanting to get out there.

[ScotRoutes]

I'm currently doing a 90 day "challenge" - at least 30 mins of exercise every day. That's giving me an incentive to carry on, even when the weather is a bit grim. I'm also mixing it up a bit, riding, walking, swimming, running, even some yoga. TBH I've really been enjoying the walking a lot recently.

I appreciate that my circumstances are better than many though.

[jameso]

Trails are a mess, always are in winter but added walkers has made getting out to the other stuff a slog.
Weather's dull.
Routine is dull.
Been running 2x a week and doing more short, fast rides on road, not done that this time of year for ages. Less time out, feeling fitter. Finding it's leaving me itching to go further at weekends (ie mojo raised - not saying where/how far I ride or getting into that)
Watching some escapism films that are sparking the need to go somewhere when it's possible.
Zero bivi mojo but that's mostly normal for winter unless it snows, who'd want to camp out in the mud?

[thenorthwind]

I did a lot of riding over Christmas, mainly due to the festive 500, which felt really satisfying, and then I enjoyed some more casual rides and mucking around with the snow and ice the first week or so of the New Year. Since then, I've found my mojo to be somewhat absent too. In fact, I think the only time I rode a bike last week was to Screwfix and back, which is about 5 miles round trip, with a detour t' top a' hill because the light was nice.

I'm just accepting it though - rather than force it and ride for the sake of it, I'm just doing other stuff, which isn't as fun but will be nice to have done when I'm out riding all the time. I've plumbed the dishwasher and washer into the kitchen and conservatory, and reclaimed 4sq. ft. of garage. Added an outside tap that will make cleaning bikes easier (for all I do that). Made some rails to store sleeping bags to practice welding. Etc. The weather's turned substandard anyway, and it's still dark all the time. A week or two off riding in January is no great loss.

I know it'll come back, and yours probably will too.

[Scud]

I've come to realise that riding bike is good, riding bike with friends is better, riding bikes with friends kitted up for a night under tarp is bestest... so missing the social aspect mostly...

But as i have barely left my village since March, I have just developed a coping mechanism of routine using the turbo and an old weight bench in the garage every lunchtime during the week to stay sane. and getting out at weekend riding on my own with the sole intention of riding a bridleway or off road section i've not ridden before locally, and planning in my head good bivi spots and which bits i am going to share with friends when we can.

Hard though, it is very easy at the moment to let it all overwhelm you, i have been planning trips abroad that i may never get chance to take, shopping for kit i may not get to use for months/ years, but anything to stay sane and to stay fit (-ish).

[pistonbroke]

Those who are able to motivate themselves to ride through any weather have my admiration, I struggled to get out more than once a week when we lived in Yorkshire so did little more than tread water fitness wise in the Winter. It usually took a week in Majorca at Easter to crash start my season, my record was 550 miles in 6 days. These days I can stick to my fair weather credentials and mix riding 3-4 times a week with playing at farming olives and almonds. I find having an event or big ride on the horizon motivates me, mainly out of fear of letting myself down. My current target is the Spanish Divide in May-June, whether or not it actually happens, who knows.

[TheBrownDog]

Trails are a mess, always are in winter but added walkers has made getting out to the other stuff a slog.

Have to agree here. Ive kept my riding very much to a 10 or so mile radius for ages and the number of times I have to stop to let a group of folk past (ie. lean hard up against something really prickly) is crazy. Kinda messes with the flow. Such is life in t'Chilterns.

So for this, and some other reasons, my go for a ride mojo, which usually kicks in twice a week, has kindA been blocked out. Only riding for at most two hours a week now ... that will change. And doesn't include the grinding misery of 30 mins a day on my cheap spin bike. Fark I hate that.

Camping but ... freaking still loving it and don't give a rat's arse that it's in my garden. And I am very, very thankful for the space down the back of my house and the two trees there that I can hang a tarp and hammock from. Just being able to be outside is actually enough for me at the moment.

[RIP]

Just being able to be outside is actually enough for me at the moment.

With ya there Tim mate. Adjusting expectations. Can't go to Wales so this princess dries her eyes and kips in the garden like you. Better than kipping in a C19 ward, poor folks . Having adjusted expectations, make the most of them and in fact make more of them. I'm using my garden BaMs to fiddle about with my shelter, try new things with it, etc.

[ericrobo]

I’ve got a ‘sort of’ answer for you folks......

I’m into week 9 of the Wim Hof Fundamentals course....

I came across Wim Hof about 3 years ago, and wrote it off as too extreme
(the cold showers I didn’t fancy at all)

I started cold showers end of August, but hardly a minute.

Week 9 is 5 minutes cold straight off. Earlier weeks you have the bliss of warm for as long as you like, then a minute cold, slowly building up to 2 minutes cold, warm unlimited, 3 minutes cold...

The 5 minutes cold is definitely brutal, makes the head (and other parts ache)....but you feel very alive and invigorated after it.
Before the cold showers there is a sequence of deep breathing.

It definitely resets your system...

I’ve not been riding much due to the cold spell, too icy and all that, but walking and a bit of wetsuit outdoor swimming.

Sunday I took a dip outdoors without wetsuit... a doddle compared to the shower, but I only stayed in for a minute, and didn’t swim, just a ‘dip’ without head under.

I was experimenting. Next time it’ll be a swim.... (with a tow float)

If you do crawl your (well, mine) head is under most of the time.

All geared up for January BAM with the fatbike tonight... but... MOJO ?

Peeing down outside, and forecast is 10degrees

Called it off. Too warm !

I’ll wait till it gets a bit colder....

I’m determined that January BAM will be a pleasant and toasty experience, so bike is packed with my old Rab sleeping bag, it weighs 4 lbs, (AND a full length Thermarest ) and I bought it for my crazy coast to coast Oban to Aberdeen in 1997, end of October... alone risky.... but it was a good experience

First night ice inside tent, and water bottle froze, but in that bag I was warm

So to get the mojo going try a warm shower followed by a minute cold....

And good luck

PS - I bet Colin can vouch for this if he swims in Loch Morlich

[RIP]

. And I thought I was weird! Glad our Pensioners' Outing will be in summer now I think .

[BigdummySteve]

I quite often turn the shower on cold before I get out, gives you quite a rush and makes you feel alive and fresh. I got used to cold showers while travelling, often beach showers. I’m obviously weird as well

As for mojo, mine suffered quite a bit towards the end of last year. It was quite an ‘interesting’ year and combined with the fact that I’d already slept in my old garden twice I just couldn’t be arsed and failed at my fourth year of BAM. I’d have failed anyway as my new garden isn’t somewhere I’d want to sleep. After nearly a month not riding at all I gave myself a stiff talking to and forced myself out, turned out that riding my bike and wading through flooded tracks was just what I needed all along, I managed 600k in December and I’m missing exploring. Looking forward to this year, I’ll most likely not do bam, January will be missed due to COVID so I’m planning on longer trips this year, less of dashing out for last minute kipping out for the sake of it. Mojo in full flow again, I just want things return to some sort of normal, I missed the winter event and Christmas Bivvy social jollies, missed staying at the star pre-WRT.
I’ve been wondering if anyone else is planning on some over compensation when we’re finally given the green light?

[Boab]

It's not just you, everything is just sub standard at the moment. I realised on a walk the other day, that I missed swimming, haven't been for a proper swim since April. It's my usual escape when things are sub standard, leave the bike in the shed and head for the pool, but I can't even do that.

I don't see any point in dreaming up trips and routes at the moment, or buying gear for that matter. I have however, bought my own body weight in vinyl recently; even more ruinous than buying bike kit. Instead, tomorrow I'm going to start cleaning all my old vinyl with an ultra sonic record cleaner. At the weekend I'll also start painting stones to place around the village again, that cheered me up no end in Lockdown I.