All of us cyclists who are on the bike regularly know one
thing: That we will ride even when we don’t feel 100% physically or mentally.
Why do we do this? If we need a little mental therapy we know a long ride can
be just as beneficial, if not more, than seeing a shrink.
But if it’s a matter of physical pain, we also ride. Because
we’re pretty sure that even if we’re not 100% injury or pain free, we’ll feel
better by going on a ride than not going.
Is this mental toughness? Maybe.
They say courage is shown when we do something challenging despite
our fears about doing it. That sounds noble and everything, but sometimes it
might not be smart. It might be just plain old stubbornness. Fueled by denial!
One morning a few years ago I woke up with back spasms, but
was supposed to go on a mountain bike ride with my buddies. I was in agony, on
the floor, could barely put on my shorts. But I was determined to go on the
ride. Turned out the pain went away for a little bit on the ride, but on the
way home, when I cooled down, everything stiffened up, and my back turned into
a seething, searing ball o’ beat-down pain. I couldn’t move in the truck seat without
getting sudden jolts of off the charts pain.
My buddy drove me to a nearby hospital emergency room. I
couldn’t even sit down as I waited for a doc. I eventually got some painkillers,
and gimped home.
So, looking back, it was probably unwise to deny the chronic
pain my back spasms were sending to my brain, and go on the ride in spite of
them. But hey, I really wanted to ride that day, and I was in some way testing
my ability to push back the pain and try to ride through it. I wanted to see if
I could do it.
But I learned something. Without painkillers, it’s
impossible to deny the crippling feeling of chronic physical pain. Yeah, I felt
good about the mental toughness that led me to do a ride even though I was
fighting nasty pain. But, ultimately, the pain won, so it would have been smarter
to put up the white flag, bag the ride and get some treatment for my back.
Earlier this year, I was at a rest area with other riders half
way up Mount Diablo. An older guy pulled up on his road bike with his buddy,
and sat down on a wood bench. He started telling his buddy all the injuries he
had, and it began to sound like this guy should be in a hospital bed in
traction instead of climbing up Mt. Diablo on his bike with his friend. But he
wasn’t letting his aches and pains get in the way of going on a ride. He was
toughing it out, but maybe he had the benefit of pharmaceuticals that deadened
his chronic pain receptors. He sure didn’t seem in pain.
I found that riding, even without painkillers, often ease
aches and pains as the body loosens and lathers up. But the cool down is where
I hit the wall, and then it hit me like a brick. I needed to curl up in the
fetal position, and whimper a mantra for relief, “OK, body, ride bad idea, I
surrender…I won’t do this again…repeat, won’t do this again…”
What I learned was when my body tells me it’s hurting badly,
even the high of a ride isn’t going to overcome it. It might put it off, but
the pain will return and set up camp all over again. So listen to your
injuries, aches and pains. It may be best to treat them and heal before going on
your next ride. Because denying them, even with painkillers, ultimately won’t
make them go away.
Real mental toughness
When your legs are dead, you haven’t had enough sleep,
you’re facing hot temps and headwinds, and you get on your bike anyway, hey, that’s
mental toughness! Because you know it’s going to be a slog, you know you don’t
have much gas in the tank, but you want to get your pedals in. And you’re
willing to pay the price.
I’ve had a few rides like that lately, and I’ve developed a
defensive strategy that helps me ride through the tough conditions.
The first thing I do is find a pedaling rhythm and cadence
that is right for my energy level that day. If I’m low on energy, I just go to
the speed where I’m riding within myself, not too fast, staying out of the red
zone, but not too slow, so I’m still getting a workout, even if it’s low level.
When I get to that zone, I relax and let the mind go blank
with no thoughts. I get into a dream-like state and watch the bike path unfold
ahead as I ride. So while the legs move at a slower pace in the tough
conditions, my mind is relaxed in a meditative state. That minimizes the stress
of riding in the heat and wind with tired legs, and a not completely rested
body. It’s a way of accepting the tough conditions mentally, without combatting
them physically, and draining energy. And when you finish the ride, you can
feel good that you got your pedals in, despite very tough conditions.
Use that strategy a few times and you’ll take away dreading a
ride even though it looks like it’s going to be nothing but an ugly beat-down!
No need to talk yourself out of getting on the bike. You’ve
got a self-preservation coping strategy to see you through it. That’s the key.
Til next time, remember to pull on a helmet every time you
get on the bike. Then ride with the rubber side down, and as safely as
possible. And then, don’t forget to have a blast.
--Mark Eric Larson
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