Sometimes you get on your bike and head to the trails and
you’re just not feeling it. It could be feeling tired or ill, not being
switched on or just one of those inexplicable days where you just don’t feel
good on your bike and nothing quite goes right.
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| Fortunately my brakes worked well or this would have hurt. |
I've had a few of these days this year, although a few of
those have been enhanced by mechanical issues, getting up to Ashton Court to
find my bike squealing in certain gears despite liberal amounts of lube, the
noise is somewhat off-putting not to mention embarrassing. However other times
such as last week I’ve been on the edge of a cold and feeling pretty run down,
every pedal stroke is a struggle and nothing feels as smooth as it usually
does.
The question I asked myself as I laboured up the gravel
track to the start of the trails was; ’do I call it a bad day give up and go
home or do I get on with it ignore it and push myself as far as I can’. I’m not
sure what the sensible solution is but I went for pushing on, it’s kind of in
my nature though, be it a book or a game or riding it’s always a case of ‘I’ll
just read this last paragraph/ do this mission/ hit that trail, Then I’ll
stop.’ I kept telling myself I’d stop and go home but kept on pressing on
until, time and light gave out. In the
end I was happy with this choice as I turned round the day and had fun despite
not feeling in the zone and being completely wiped at the end of it, added on to
this events conspired to stop me riding the next couple of days so I was glad
I’d pushed on.
However it’s on these occasions that we make mistakes and
bad things can happen, I probably wouldn’t have tried anything new but even
doing tried and tested routes can go badly when you’re not on your game or
feeling great about your riding. Even if it’s just making you think more about
how you feel and not concentrate on what you’re actually riding.
Obviously in some circumstances giving up is less of an
option, race days or if you’ve gone a long way to ride some trails, it
certainly seems the better option to try and ignore it and have a crack even if
you’re going to take it a little easier than perhaps you normally would.
So is it a good plan to push on and try and save the day or
should you stop and come back another day, when you’re not feeling the love?
About a week ago I was heading out for a challenging solo climb - the ice conditions and weather were perfect, but I turned around, because I wasn't in the right frame of mind. I've given a lot of thought to this, and I think that precise awareness of your mood and psyche are very important when you're heading out to do something challenging and potential dangerous. More often than not, it's best to leave it until you are in the zone. Quality over quantity. Those are my thoughts anyway!
ReplyDeleteSorry to hear you aren`t feeling "it". Been there a few times but none yet this winter.Leave it and do something else that you enjoy just for "today". Come back primed for "it"
ReplyDeleteConversely though, I've had a few amazing days where I've really felt like going home but pushed on regardless, both with climbing and biking. I've also had a few days where I know I've pushed on when I've definitely not been in the right mental state and consequently almost died (my last post solo is probably the best example of that, hanging from a single ice screw because you are too pumped to climb on is never a good idea, especially when soloing!). I find that sometimes, even when everything seems pointless and shit, still pushing on and nailing whatever you are trying to do mostly leads to a positive experience. Take my west highland way attempt, I spent all day thinking this was pointless and stupid and wanting to go home, it was no fun at all, but I still got up the next day with a smile on my face and a great sense of achievement (even if I didn't manage the whole route). Personally though, I don't think I would label any time on the bike/climbing/kayak as a bad experience, even when it has nearly killed me.
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