Possibly not the best formed words ever, written on a phone in a coffee shop:
On Saturday, I went for what could be considered an unwise training ride. 5.5 hours of Surrey Hills singletrack in warm temperatures with all my Tour Divide gear on the bike. Probably 50 odd miles, but my GPS fell off and it was a few miles to recover it so I can’t be sure. What made it different from the normal was that I deliberately pared things down to 1.5L of water and no food in that time. Quite a lot like times when I got caught out on the Divide.
To know the effect is interesting. I was just reminding myself that I could do this, but it was still tough. The legs kept going but the mind went on a little trip. I kept forgetting where I was and I was riding without being conscious of it. Often riding OK, but my only thoughts were of Coke and burritos, not of roots and corners. Drink became a complete obsession and I could feel my body compensating: less sweat, less energy going into the riding, but still going forward.
It’s not a great way to train the body (I was pretty trashed the next day) but getting past the imagined barriers is a good way to train the mind. People are way tougher than we think we are.
I can relate to that. A few days ago I ended up frozen to the core crossing Rannocch Moor in hail storms and high winds. I was utterly unable to go on, but I had no choice but to ride for another 4 hours. I discovered that I could go on, sleep for 4 hours and get up and ride the next day. Amazing what you can ask your mind and body to do. Mind toughness training is required!