Walter S

Do you have little phrases that help you when the going gets tough?

I have things I say to myself that motivate me or inspire me or something. It doesn't really have to be that there's some great challenge, it's just a voice that I hear that confirms or emphasizes a feeling that I like. It's good to think of short phrases that convey a positive attitude that also have a rhythm that fits comfortably with my breathing.

Some things I've said to myself for years, like "elevate your baseline" is a motivator for getting out there and pushing hard. It affirms my feeling that part of what we do as cyclists riding long hours in the saddle is redefine the resting state of our bodies. If you can take what is a significant effort for many people and put it into the background as you explore, then when you're truly stopped you might be working at 5% effort instead of say, 25% effort. The higher your level of function when you're pushing hard, the further you have to slide down the scale. In other words, the more I can do when challenged, the easier life is when not challenged. It goes with my feeling that the higher your level of function, the less your body is working when you're just resting. And when just resting becomes a lot of work, death is that much closer.

I developed another mantra last year that helps me when I'm climbing long hills. It started when I was on a short climb in a little town in Mississippi on tour last fall. As I was going up a hill a man called out to me from his front yard, "how much horsepower you got on that thing?". I responded "I don't know -- not much!". Afterall, a horse is a strong animal. But that's a negative thought. When I'm climbing a hill I want to feel strong while I'm doing it - that's much more enjoyable than climbing a hill and feeling like a wimp doing it. I don't want this negative thought haunting me. I want to feel like more-than instead of less-than. So rather than compare myself to a horse I thought, I'll compare myself to a pony. But let's be honest - a pony could probably outdo me too. So I backed off to being a young but frisky pony. And turned this into the mantra, "strong as a teenage pony". It puts energy in my legs. Goes best with a cool breeze in the morning. It gives me the feeling that the world was made for playing in - the strength to do it with vigor fades into the background and it elevates the experience.

Do you have things that you say to yourself while riding?

dellwilson

Sometimes, I'll think about a kickass song that always gets me going; King's X "Groove Machine" is an example. Sometimes, I'll think about Anne Brancroft's character's saying in Point of No Return, "I never did mind about the little things." If I'm climbing a tough hill, I'll sometimes remember a mantra I read about a few years ago. I cannot find it again and I'm sure I'm not quoting it accurately. But it was something like, "Step 1: Am I still breathing? Step 2: Has my heart exploded yet? Step 3: Pedal for 30 seconds more and repeat."

staehpj1

No, I don't. I do sing or play music in my head, but only for my enjoyment, not so much for motivation.

bikebuddha 

Roads go ever ever on,
Over rock and under tree,
By caves where never sun has shone,
By streams that never find the sea;
Over snow by winter sown,
And through the merry flowers of June,
Over grass and over stone,
And under mountains in the moon.

wphamilton

"Just keep swimming. Just keep swimming. Just keep swimming, swimming, swimming. What do we do? We swim, swim."

I don't have a mantra, but if I did I think this would be it.

RoadTire 

...pedal.pedal.pedal...pant...pant..pedal.pedal.pedal...pant...pant..pedal.pedal.pedal...pant...pant .. I also can't think of much else except what I'm doing. The sound of tires on the road is music to my ears, except for the occasional "ping" of a rock going out sideways...

Oh, sorry. Didn't realize this was the touring forum. I'm just riding, not long distance touring.

fietsbob

Try something out of traditional Kundalini Yoga? think Nam/Om on inhale , and Sut! when you exhale..

antokelly

if i had the wings of a swallow,
and he dirty black arse of a crow,
i'd fly to the top of the mountain,
and crap on that tourist below.

thats in the key of Gmajor.

or

oh danny boy ,me bike me bike is broken,
from spoke to spoke up to the handle bars.


yeah so when the going gets tough i think of the weirdest things just the way i'm built i reckon no harm in it.

TGT1

Gravity is the weakest of the fundamental forces.

By a lot!

andrewclaus

If you're going through hell, KEEP GOING! (Winston Churchill)

psy

Ya! Mule! YAA!!!!

Machka 

When I'm touring, I don't really have a motivational mantra ... it's touring ... it's not a race.

But we do have a general touring mantra which has spilled over into everyday life ... "We'll see when we get there".


And regarding hills ... on randonnees and other long distance rides, or challenging events ... as I approach the hill, I keep repeating to myself, "It's not as bad as it looks".

Walter S

Walter S

Remember the Little Engine that Could? "I think I can, I think I can, I think I can....I thought I could!".

Rowan

1, 2, 3, 4, 5, 6.... 47, 48, 49, 50.

Stop.

Rest.

Drink.

Look around at the scenery.

1, 2, 3, 4, 5, 6...

It's been a handy way to reach the top of a long climb, and helps to keep me focused.

And another that is a question-answer that is used a lot in randonneuring:

How do you eat an elephant? One mouthful at a time.

That helps reduce a gargantuan task to more manageable bits, both emotionally and in practical terms.

Walter S

That's a good one. I'm often similarly reminding myself of the power of persistence. The idea of, just keep moving (even if you're slow). You'll get there in due time. In that sense live where you are (not where you're going) is a good mantra.

LucF

Great question.

I have a piece of tape on my top tube with the letters L, R, P, NQ written on it, which stand for:

andrewclaus

A warmshowers.org guest stayed at my place on his trip from Alaska to Argentina, and he had tattooed on his knuckles, "REST" and "LESS." I guess that was his mantra. Or maybe a description of his personality.

pamaguahiker 

When i would kayak, i was considerably slower than some friends when it came to open water and headwind. I would repeat this poem very loud making them laugh and slow down. I would, of course, say it with a french trapper accent.

The wind she blows on zis here lake
She blows and she blows some more
If you don't wanna die on zis here lake
You had better stay close to the shore

On climbs...or at the end or in a tough part of a ride, when i am exhausted. I found prayer helps.

Another phrase, taken from the book "a walk in the woods"...when they were hiking the appalachian trail...."this is great, isn't this the best?" as said with sarcasm from Kat! But mostly i try and keep positive.

indyfabz

I, too, sing aloud or in my head, but that's mostly it, although at the start of a difficult day in MT back in June I had a relatively easy 6 mile climb out of camp and kept telling myself to keep it light as I was in no hurry and the harder climbing was coming later in the day. Also, if I know there is something nice at the end of a day (e.g., a place where I can get a nice beer and/or meal) I will occasionaly think about that if I need some motivation/distraction.

fietsbob

the Bob went over the mountain, to the tune of [: 'the Bear went over the mountain' ..

.. to see what he could see.., ''//,, :]

Booger1

If I had the wings of Angels
and the balls of a red ass baboon
I fly to the tops of the mountains
and c*rnhole the man in the moon





On hard climbs,I just pick out something as a goal and ride to there.Makes it easier for me to break it up into smaller climbs.The rest of the time I'm loving life.

robow

On really bad days,

"If it doesn't kill me, it will make me stronger"

Leebo

Not a mantra but a saying, never pass up a good place for lunch, even at 11 am.

rumrunn6

was gonna say frack it just keep swimming but someone used the best part of that.

I also like: if you miss or mess-up an opportunity today, do not fret because each day presents new opportunities.