Cycling and the incremental pain gain.
There was a time when I was never off my bike. At one time it was hard to see where I ended and my bike began. From dusk til dawn we were together and, apart from fish fingers, that was all I craved.
Until recently the bike hasn’t played a big part in my life. Cut to full Power Rangers get up, pockets full of snacks and over 2,500km of riding later, I can safely say I’m well and truly back in the saddle.
Like any process, the key thing is the steps, or rather, pedal strokes, it takes to get where you want to go. Initially, any decent ride out seems way beyond what you think you are capable of.
With the physical endurance comes the psychological one. The doubt. The lack of belief. Very low motivation and endless head games. The “wall” is a very real thing – a very real, imaginary thing. You quickly realise that this happens ONLY when you obsess over the destination. The end feels so far away, so unachievable, that your head – followed swiftly by your body – goes, “nahhhh!”
Something had to change or else I’d be packing up the lycra for good.
I decided that whenever my head started to play games I would initiate just one, as I call it, “pedal thought”. The thought is simple. Every pedal stroke is one pedal stroke closer to home.
We often overlook the simple and the obvious in favour of the over-engineered. A simple thought allows you to be in the moment and deal with what you have to hand. A simple thought that can lend itself to so many aspects of our personal and working lives.
Damian Connop
Damian is Founder & Creative Director at G&V. If you'd like to connect and discuss how G&V can move your brand forward then please do get in touch.
