One of those days....

[Bret SD]

Yesterday my girl and I took a ride on our usual route, 112 mile loop where we stop for lunch and to hang out at The Hangout Bar near the lake.

When we took off I said to myself, 'uh-oh, one of those days..' Every once in a great while I'll hop on the Valk, head down the street and turn around within a short time and put the bike away. This day I found cagers to be particularly petty and annoying, things that normally don't bother me were bugging the crap out of me. I didn't share with my girl how I was feeling because I wanted her to be comfortable.

I'm not sure exactly what factors are in play when that happens but I will say sh*t sleep or sleep quality as well as quantity, are probably the strongest things affecting how I feel on the machine.

Most days I get on and it's all so effortless.. don't have to think, feel in tune to subtle vibrations, feeling of perfect balance and inertia, shifting at perfect rpm, listening to the sounds, feeling the wind, picking perfect lines around corners.. just a euphoric and effortless feeling as the bike sings under me.

Yesterday was kind of a tweener, not too bad, but definitely I felt like something was off kilter. I considered carefully whether it would be safe for us to go and decided to do it.
Having another person's trust when they're on the back carries a huge responsibility for me and I don't take it lightly. The day's ride was smooth and uneventful but still it carried some of that 'can't find my ass with both hands' feeling.

I thought about this and how using some sense of fear is essential to safety. Like a skydiver who's made thousands and thousands of jumps with no problem.. that's when things get more dangerous, not less. Complacency I believe is a lack of fear, and some level of fear keeps us sharp. Consequences of a laissez-faire attitude can be pretty severe if we don't stay vigilant.

Yesterday I wasn't riding in excess fear, but was aware of the concept.. of using some level of 'fear'. It can be a very good way to overcome those 'one of those days' days.. 

[old2soon]

        Yeah-KNOW zackly Where yer comin from. Left or right lean lose concentration for a fraction of a split second and yer over or on the center line or over or on the fog line.  Putting the front wheel in the gravel of the shoulder in a lean WILL git yer attention.  Here in the farm and ranch country of Southern Missouri I listen to the voices when approaching a blind hill or a blind curve. Far too many times some slow moving farm equipment-8  10 M P H compared to my 45  85 M P H. And here bouts hay still comin out the fields. Well sounds like yer still here and no new nicks abrasions or injuries so we as Riders write it off to It's all Good.  RIDE SAFE.
       

[Bret SD]

        Yeah-KNOW zackly Where yer comin from. Left or right lean lose concentration for a fraction of a split second and yer over or on the center line or over or on the fog line.  Putting the front wheel in the gravel of the shoulder in a lean WILL git yer attention.  Here in the farm and ranch country of Southern Missouri I listen to the voices when approaching a blind hill or a blind curve. Far too many times some slow moving farm equipment-8  10 M P H compared to my 45  85 M P H. And here bouts hay still comin out the fields. Well sounds like yer still here and no new nicks abrasions or injuries so we as Riders write it off to It's all Good.  RIDE SAFE.
       

This^^
Listening to instinct and voices.. can't explain how it works, but it works.. operating from gut instinct is now my MO, times that I've let my brain or heart override instinct has led to not so good outcomes.
Like you, I love to twist the throttle and let the fat girl sing.. just have to be smart about it.

That's all we can do brother 

[Oss]

The wind crossing the 3.5 mile long Tappan Zee Bridge (now called Cuomo by some) was bodacious.

Sort of knew it would be as the trees were bending lol

Not a great fan of cross winds while high above water but it was invigorating.  

On the return I had a car carrier on my left so it was calm as could be  

Can not have courage without awareness of fear.  How to react to it?

It is similar to what holds some people back from achieving success, a little part of our brains that says you cant do that.      Why the hell not?

I may not ride as fast as some but I get there.

Glad you and your girl had a terrific outing.  Riding is therapy

[old2soon]

           Evan-It's that Thing in Fire Men and Women and L E Os that git them to face the danger head on. I've been fortunate in that I've worked the flight deck couple cat shots and arrested landings put on the Scott Air Pak a time or three and over hauled fires and ridden a few times with an on Duty L E O. And some folks wunder Why I still Ride!  I Know that sounded like a brag but It Isn't. I guess at 75 I am Still an adreniline junky. RIDE SAFE.

[Jess from VA]

I've read other posts besides yours about having a bad feeling or foreboding on a ride, and cutting it short for home.  I've never had that feeling, though I've had a close call or two that made me ride like Grandma for the rest of the day.

The worst one of those, was taking strong antibiotics one day (for something or other, not a social disease), and riding along in high heat and humidity and slowly getting all sleepy and woozy, and suddenly finding myself riding in a ditch next to the road (about 45-50mph).  Woke me right up, and I jacked the bike up out of the ditch too sharply, and got just a bit airborne (never done that before either), then almost going off the road on the other side, but saved it. It was definitely time to go home after that one.  But first, I pulled into the next little country store, got off and laid on my back in the grass for awhile thanking my guardian angel. 

[Bret SD]

The wind crossing the 3.5 mile long Tappan Zee Bridge (now called Cuomo by some) was bodacious.

Sort of knew it would be as the trees were bending lol

Not a great fan of cross winds while high above water but it was invigorating. 

On the return I had a car carrier on my left so it was calm as could be   

Can not have courage without awareness of fear.  How to react to it?

It is similar to what holds some people back from achieving success, a little part of our brains that says you cant do that.      Why the hell not?

I may not ride as fast as some but I get there.

Glad you and your girl had a terrific outing.  Riding is therapy

Thanks OSS, we did have a good time and got some wind.. mission accomplished.

I believe you're right about fear holding us back, some anyway.. I'm a survivor and always find a way. Life's too short to be a spectator, so let's ride! 

[Bret SD]

I've read other posts besides yours about having a bad feeling or foreboding on a ride, and cutting it short for home.  I've never had that feeling, though I've had a close call or two that made me ride like Grandma for the rest of the day.

The worst one of those, was taking strong antibiotics one day (for something or other, not a social disease), and riding along in high heat and humidity and slowly getting all sleepy and woozy, and suddenly finding myself riding in a ditch next to the road (about 45-50mph).  Woke me right up, and I jacked the bike up out of the ditch too sharply, and got just a bit airborne (never done that before either), then almost going off the road on the other side, but saved it. It was definitely time to go home after that one.  But first, I pulled into the next little country store, got off and laid on my back in the grass for awhile thanking my guardian angel. 

It's funny how things can sneak up on us, your ditch experience is similar to what I said about sleep, without it my brain functions at a lower level, with a bunch of markers being 'off' or worse. Those are the times i feel most at risk of making a mistake, and mistakes lead to bad things... so I try to recognize my limitations and act accordingly.

[DDT (12)]

... so I try to recognize my limitations and act accordingly.


Bret,

Wise words indeed, those... Thanks for the story and reminder. All of the replies verify we've all been there... Fortunate most of us are still here, but all of us are only one tinsy little mistake or 'minor' boo-boo away from...

DDT

[scooperhsd]

I can certainly relate to the lack of sleep condition. In the last couple years, I've developed a "problem" - when I wake up in the middle of the night, I have A  LARGE PROBLEM falling back to sleep - it's not uncommon for me to take 2-5 hours to fall back asleep. And, I would go only 2 days out of 2 weeks  where I actually got 6+ hours of sleep. A friend introduced me to Gabapentin - 3 300 mg capsules a night and I can reliably get 5-6 hours (sometimes more) every night.

[Bret SD]

... so I try to recognize my limitations and act accordingly.


Bret,

Wise words indeed, those... Thanks for the story and reminder. All of the replies verify we've all been there... Fortunate most of us are still here, but all of us are only one tinsy little mistake or 'minor' boo-boo away from...

DDT

Bruce I was thinking yesterday as I rode down to the beach for a run, traffic wasn't too bad but it seemed that every car was in a place where it was in the way of another car and the thought struck me as I buzzed around the seemingly impossible to assemble deadlock, considering there weren't near enough cars to have that happen.. The reason I like to ride so much is that I have freedom to move around and not get stuck in most of those traffic situations.
Given that my freedom does come with some baggage in the form of risk, I'll gladly accept the risk and revel in the freedom of wind in my face, and a throttle that will with a minor twist rocket me out of those silly little cage traps that drive most people nuts.

So long suckas! 

Most people who sit in cages and hate on us bikers are the same ones who are unwilling to accept the risk, and therefore, they forgo all of the beautiful rewards.

[Bret SD]

I can certainly relate to the lack of sleep condition. In the last couple years, I've developed a "problem" - when I wake up in the middle of the night, I have A  LARGE PROBLEM falling back to sleep - it's not uncommon for me to take 2-5 hours to fall back asleep. And, I would go only 2 days out of 2 weeks  where I actually got 6+ hours of sleep. A friend introduced me to Gabapentin - 3 300 mg capsules a night and I can reliably get 5-6 hours (sometimes more) every night.

Sleep quality, or sleep hygiene has been a tough one for me lately. Stress and some other factors are really taking a toll on me lately..
Unwinding the Sleep mystery does take a real effort, even when doing things the way I think is right, where I've checked all the boxes of factors I think may be affecting me, sleep is still elusive at times, in fact far too often. In full disclosure I've been fighting some dental issues for several months and it's beginning to weigh on me, all about the old time and money thing.

Probably the most effective thing that's helped me sleep better is breathing practice, by that I mean training my body to keep a higher blood CO2 level.. which increases oxygen transfer efficiency from the blood to tissues.

It's a paradox, breathing less to get more oxygen into the body.. who'da thunk it?  

edit: I looked at Gabapentin, it's interesting that an anticonvulsant will help you sleep.. Possibly it helps with snoring and tracheo blockage. So again it appears to come back around to getting enough oxygen into the body as we sleep.

[Jess from VA]

I had trouble sleeping when I had extremely high pressure jobs (30 years).  I had to sit down and write a list of everything I had to do at work the next day, and prioritize it, before going to bed, or I would lay there and do it in my head for half the night.  They were good notes too, I took them to work with me.

Since retirement with almost no stress at all, I sleep like the dead.  My only trick now is, I won't go to bed until I'm sleepy, so sometimes my hours are all messed up.  I don't care.   And afternoon naps are wonderful, but bedtime might be 3am as a result.  That's OK too.

But if I can't sleep for any reason, I get up and do something for awhile (like a reboot), then try again .  If I just lay there, it never gets better, only worse.  

[scooperhsd]

I can certainly relate to the lack of sleep condition. In the last couple years, I've developed a "problem" - when I wake up in the middle of the night, I have A  LARGE PROBLEM falling back to sleep - it's not uncommon for me to take 2-5 hours to fall back asleep. And, I would go only 2 days out of 2 weeks  where I actually got 6+ hours of sleep. A friend introduced me to Gabapentin - 3 300 mg capsules a night and I can reliably get 5-6 hours (sometimes more) every night.

Sleep quality, or sleep hygiene has been a tough one for me lately. Stress and some other factors are really taking a toll on me lately..
Unwinding the Sleep mystery does take a real effort, even when doing things the way I think is right, where I've checked all the boxes of factors I think may be affecting me, sleep is still elusive at times, in fact far too often. In full disclosure I've been fighting some dental issues for several months and it's beginning to weigh on me, all about the old time and money thing.

Probably the most effective thing that's helped me sleep better is breathing practice, by that I mean training my body to keep a higher blood CO2 level.. which increases oxygen transfer efficiency from the blood to tissues.

It's a paradox, breathing less to get more oxygen into the body.. who'da thunk it? 

edit: I looked at Gabapentin, it's interesting that an anticonvulsant will help you sleep.. Possibly it helps with snoring and tracheo blockage. So again it appears to come back around to getting enough oxygen into the body as we sleep.

It's biggest effect I've noticed is that slows my brain down so I don't leave the groggy stage as easily (normally, I wake up and I'm ready to go to war - consequence of Navy time). I'm very careful about sticking to a routine - up at 7, meals at regular times, no alcohol except on special occaisions (and then not very much), get to bed at a regular time. The gabapentin helps me get more sleep than a CPAP ever did. Before that, I was seriously considering sleeping pills.

[Bret SD]

I can certainly relate to the lack of sleep condition. In the last couple years, I've developed a "problem" - when I wake up in the middle of the night, I have A  LARGE PROBLEM falling back to sleep - it's not uncommon for me to take 2-5 hours to fall back asleep. And, I would go only 2 days out of 2 weeks  where I actually got 6+ hours of sleep. A friend introduced me to Gabapentin - 3 300 mg capsules a night and I can reliably get 5-6 hours (sometimes more) every night.

Sleep quality, or sleep hygiene has been a tough one for me lately. Stress and some other factors are really taking a toll on me lately..
Unwinding the Sleep mystery does take a real effort, even when doing things the way I think is right, where I've checked all the boxes of factors I think may be affecting me, sleep is still elusive at times, in fact far too often. In full disclosure I've been fighting some dental issues for several months and it's beginning to weigh on me, all about the old time and money thing.

Probably the most effective thing that's helped me sleep better is breathing practice, by that I mean training my body to keep a higher blood CO2 level.. which increases oxygen transfer efficiency from the blood to tissues.

It's a paradox, breathing less to get more oxygen into the body.. who'da thunk it? 

edit: I looked at Gabapentin, it's interesting that an anticonvulsant will help you sleep.. Possibly it helps with snoring and tracheo blockage. So again it appears to come back around to getting enough oxygen into the body as we sleep.

It's biggest effect I've noticed is that slows my brain down so I don't leave the groggy stage as easily (normally, I wake up and I'm ready to go to war - consequence of Navy time). I'm very careful about sticking to a routine - up at 7, meals at regular times, no alcohol except on special occaisions (and then not very much), get to bed at a regular time. The gabapentin helps me get more sleep than a CPAP ever did. Before that, I was seriously considering sleeping pills.

I wear a watch at night that tracks my total sleep time as well as restful sleep time. In the past six nights I've bounced each day between decent sleep and crappy sleep. I went from 6 1/2 hours to 3 hours the next night, then 6 hours to 4 hours and finally 6 hours to 4 hours once again. That's the restful sleep.. time spent moving tossing and turning are not something I track.

Honestly I believe dental problems are behind most of my sleep woes, I'm working to address the situation but there's never any easy answers when it comes to dental work. On days like today if I can get even a 20-minute nap it really seems to make a big difference for the rest of the day, otherwise I walk around in a fog all day, and productivity goes to s***.

I'm glad to hear some of us are getting some decent sleep, from what I've read many people in this country suffer from sleep problems, and now apparently I'm one of them. I'm very interested to see how getting my teeth fixed will help sleeping.