Not 70 miles.

Not 35 miles.

Not even 15 miles.

It’s 5 miles. Drink of water. 5 miles. Drink of water. 5 miles.

When the road turns uphill, when it begins to rain, when the gears aren’t sticking; you have to find a way to do something hard without fixating on the fact that it’s hard. This is the desired mindset: putting yourself in a position to succeed the long haul, by making it manageable in the mind.

At the base of this is brain chemistry.

We feel the way that our brain feels, and that comes from a collection of neurotransmitters hooking to various tipping points. Exercise—endorphins. Smile—dopamine trigger. Gratitude—more dopamine. The power of the endurance athlete is being aware of how to emit these neurotransmitters at pivotal points in order to keep going.

Break it down.

My brain can’t handle the thought of riding 70 miles a day, every day, in order to make it to Denver before my flight to London. The bike rides I’ve been doing have just topped 20. The most useful part of those rides is listening for what I need to fix on the bike, and what might make the rides smoother and more enjoyable. The second most useful part of those rides is instilling in my brain that 20 miles is a very do-able amount. Even slowly, even with great uphills and headwinds, I can crank out 20 miles in under three hours. I can concentrate on three hours.

And I just have to do one of those every day. Then one set. And then one set, maybe a bit longer, and I’ve gone 70 miles.

Be present. Keep it possible. Do not panic.

Picture this scenario with two different emotional responses:

You’re out in the ocean, south shore Oahu on your surfboard. The summer swells are approaching, and you can feel the waters rise to meet you as you paddle out to join the other surfers. As many as there are, they are scattered and far in between; this tells you that the sets, which are docile now, are long and steep and have cascaded their riders along and afar.

You’ve paddled beyond some inside waves and are just getting into optimal position, when you see the first of the set begin to break. These waves are thunderous. Probably irresponsible. These waves are well over head, and some are even the semblance of barrels. Surfers scatter, some catching behemoths that take them far left, some paddling and being tossed under. The sun catches off the droplets and casts prisms of rainbow light. Salt water is in your eyes. Hair is slicked against your cheek.

You’re here and however large these waves are, you’re resolute to catch at least one.

This one:

5-foot face, rising up to meet you, throwing the gauntlet. You get into position, perpendicular to the wave, facing the shore, looking around and seeing if you would drop in on anyone. No. Everyone is gone. There is no one here anymore. It’s you and the wave.

You have two options: either you think to yourself, I’m just going to paddle and do my best and see where this wave takes me. In this case, you start to paddle and when the wave sweeps up your board and you with it, you’re loose and vulnerable because you were giving too much power to whether or not it’s “meant to be”. The wave sweeps you up and you, flabby and insecure, pop up too far forwards and the nose of your board dips under the crashing wave and swallows you whole.

Second option:

I’m ready for this. I got this.

When the wave catches your board, you’re in control. You’re not aware of it, but your core is tight and your arms tense, just from thinking I got this one. This is what confidence does to you, it propels you forwards in the direct center of your board, nose up and you, flying, firm and in control.

And when you’re here, when you’re tight and engaged and your body is performing to your mind’s standards, then you are not thinking about how many waves you’re going to have to catch to be as good as you’d like. You’re not thinking about being like the other surfers, how much better they are than you. You’re in flow state, baby, you’re in it. You’re here and you’re present and there’s no panic.

In order to get to this state, whereupon your own interest and confidence in the mission is able to propel you physically, you have to concentrate on the bite-sized. If you think of the wave in terms of all the waves, then what stake does this one wave have on you? In the light of all the waves, what’s this one?

Well, both of us know that this one wave–that this 5 mile stretch of cycling–is everything. The entire thing is made up of these individual markers. Performance requires focus. The way that I’m going to cycle 70 miles is by cycling 5 miles, and cycling 5 miles, and cycling 5 miles. (The way that I’m going to get better at surfing is taking each wave intentionally.) In order to do that as well as I could do, I’ve got to be in control.

I am in control of this 5 miles.

Scurry from words like again, five more, yet another. Those trigger panic that will not serve you.

Be present. Keep it possible. Do not panic. 

 

Peace and blessings,
Josie