Biking: Mind and Body
By
Rosemary Hollinger
Posted: 2020-05-13T17:23:00Z
Some days I think I can tackle any hill on the Puget Sound island where I live. Other days the hills seem to beat me down. Funny, sometimes it’s the same hill. What’s going on?
I started thinking about this like being in training, so I now keep a journal. I started riding further, and the hills became goals. This leads inevitably to my first tip about conquering hills: mindset - a real game-changer for me. My thoughts can impact whether or not I make it to the top and how well I do. I started up a hill one day feeling like a lumpy sack of potatoes. It goes without saying that I barely dragged myself up, and it was not fun. The next day, I envisioned myself as a feather and it lightened the load. Now, as I approach a hill, I visualize clouds, feathers, leaves and think positive thoughts. It helps. A lot.
In my “training” journal, I also noticed that I was a lot more successful with hills if I rode shortly after eating. If I was hungry or felt like my blood sugar level was low, I just didn’t have that "hill" energy I needed. So, now I try to eat before I jump on my bike, and I often carry some clementine oranges or energy bars to snack on when I need an energy jolt. No doubt staying hydrated and fed is critical to performance. Tip two: listen to your body and take care of it.
Finally, I observed that taking good care means that I don’t ride every day. Days when my body is tired or I just need to do something else, I find a valuable cross-training activity. My body is telling me to do something else - hiking, walking on the beach or taking an exercise class. Consequently, I ride about 5 days a week. Next week, I will write about my failures and what they taught me.