Strategies for Cycling Mental Toughness
Cycling, a sport synonymous with long stretches of torment punctuated by moments of exhilarating triumph, is an ideal proving ground for the mental fortitude that is the hallmark of legends. The Vikings, with their sagas of conquest and exploration, provide a blueprint for the unyielding warrior mindset that we seek to emulate. In the vein of relentless pursuit of self-conquest and stoic mastery over body and mind, we'll explore tangible strategies for honing an iron will. Prepare to embark on a voyage to the very edges of your resolve, and to return with the spoils of mental toughness that are worthy of the halls of Valhalla.
Seek Discomfort
Imagine the African savanna, where the gazelle grazes, always alert to the threat of predators. When a lion attacks, the gazelle's survival depends on an explosive burst of speed, pushing itself to the brink to escape immediate danger. Unlike gazelles, which may run at their top speed without reserve and risk exhaustion or even heart failure in a life-or-death chase, humans have evolved a more nuanced survival strategy.
The concept known as Rule 5, often paired with the colloquial military phrase "Embrace the suck," aligns closely with what David Goggins calls the "40% rule." When a human feels they’ve reached their limit - akin to the gazelle reaching its peak flight speed; the evolutionary wisdom embedded in our physiology suggests we're only at 40% of our potential. Our ancestors might not have outpaced a gazelle or escaped the first lion on speed alone, but they possessed the strategic reserve to endure, outmaneuver, or outlast a sequence of threats. The capacity to push beyond what feels like maximum exertion could have been the difference between survival and succumbing to the elements or predators.
In this lens, the initial signal to stop isn't a hard stop but a warning. even though it may feel like you are dying, It's the evolutionary echo of the central governor, an internal system designed to conserve enough energy to sustain a long hunt or to escape not just the first lion but the second one lying in wait. This internal regulator ensured that our ancestors could survive in the harsh and unpredictable environment of the ancient savanna, always leaving something in reserve for the next challenge.In modern times, this safeguard can be perceived as a prematurely triggered alarm, a psychological barrier to completing a strenuous task or pushing through a difficult moment. "Embracing the suck" means recognizing this alarm not as a stop sign but as a mile marker on the journey to greater achievement. It's about learning to negotiate with this internal governor, to convince it that you're capable of taking a few more steps, lifting one more time, or enduring a bit longer.
Actionable advice:
Embrace the Early Morning: Start with a dawn ride. The silence before the world stirs is not only tranquil but challenging. It conditions you to break the comfort of a warm bed, embracing the day when your demons are loudest.
Cold water immersion training: Encountering the initial shock and discomfort of cold water immersion and then staying in for a set duration reinforces the concept that initial discomfort is not the limit of one's capability. Nothing can put it in touch with your inner Viking faster than a swim in the icy currents.
Incremental Overload: Gradually increase your mileage or intensity each week. Just as the Vikings ventured into uncharted waters, push beyond your known limits. This doesn't mean going from a calm sea into a maelstrom in one sail, but rather, building your endurance stroke by stroke.
Mental Rehearsal: Visualize your training sessions in advance, including the discomfort. Anticipate the burn in your legs and the heave of your lungs. By expecting the battle, you'll not only be ready for it but welcome it.
Weaponize Adversity
Nassim Nicholas Taleb introduced the concept of antifragility in his book "Antifragile: Things That Gain from Disorder." Antifragility goes beyond resilience or robustness; an antifragile system improves as a result of stressors, shocks, volatility, or failures. True antifragility involves systems that benefit from chaos or adversity, growing stronger when exposed to stress within certain limits.
Actionable advice:
Diversify Athletic Identity: Develop a sense of self that's not solely tied to athletic performance, which can help maintain self-esteem when facing setbacks in sports. This is a crucial skill especially for young athletes to develop. So many seasoned athletes have fallen into this trap by making the sport their entire identity, myself included.
Embrace the Elements: If it's raining, don't hide indoors. Become one with the storm. Ride like the Valkyries, leading you through the battlefield of rain and weather.
Challenge Hierarchy: Regularly choose routes or training partners that are slightly above your current skill level. Like a young Viking challenging a seasoned warrior, this will hone your skills faster.
Reflective Journal: Keep a record of your rides, especially the most challenging ones. Strava or Training peaks works well here to automatically record rides along with your thoughts. Reflect on what you learned, how you can improve, and how it made you stronger.
Enter the Flow
The flow state," also known as "being in the zone," or experiencing “Bullet time”, describes a mental state in which a person performing an activity is fully immersed in a feeling of energized focus, full involvement, with complete immersion in that environment. It is also akin to the Viking entering berserker mode. Both involve a singular focus and peak performance.
Actionable advice:
Structured Breathing: Learn breathwork to control your physiology. Practice rhythmic breathing to regulate stress and maintain focus, especially during climbs or sprints.
Pre-Ride Rituals: Establish a consistent pre-ride routine. Align your gear, visualize your route, and affirm your goals. This ritual primes your mind for the task at hand, just as the Viking warrior would sharpen his axe before battle.
Mindfulness: During your ride, practice mindfulness. Focus on the present moment; the rotation of the pedals, the wind against your skin, the landscape flowing by. This awareness keeps you anchored in the flow state.
Stoic Resolve
Channel the stoicism of the Vikings, who faced the brutality of nature with a calm demeanor. To build stoic resolve, one must learn to endure discomfort without succumbing to it.
Actionable advice:
Cold Exposure: incorporate cold showers, Ocean dips or outdoor rides in the chill to build mental fortitude. Learn to accept and find comfort in the discomfort. additionally , 15 - 20 min of cold exposure per week has been shown to increase mitochondrial energy production potential.
Controlled Exposure: Regularly put yourself in controlled situations that test your resolve. Fasting rides, for example, can teach you to push through hunger and tap into your body's stored energy. Exposing yourself to the wost case scenario on race day, and training through it, can turn a race ending problem into a managable issue.
Power Statements: Develop mantras that encapsulate your inner strength. Repeat them when the ride gets tough, as the Vikings might have invoked the names of their gods.
Relentless Persistence
To be relentless is to keep hammering away, ride after ride, day after day. It's not about a single epic workout but the accumulation of consistent effort over time.
Actionable advice:
Setbacks as Stepping Stones: When faced with injury or failure, recalibrate your goals, but never stop moving forward. Adjust your training accordingly and focus on recovery with the same intensity as your training.
Embrace the Mundane: Understand that not every ride will be a saga of epic proportions. Some days, the true battle is simplyrolling out of bed and onto the bike. But it's these rides that build the bedrock of your tenacity.
Accountability: Partner with a fellow rider or use a coach to share your goals and progress. The expectation of others can be a powerful motivator to persist.
Final thoughts
By weaving together the wisdom of modern-day warriors like David Goggins and Wim Hof with the ancient ethos of the Vikings, you can craft your own saga of mental resilience. Each pedal stroke is a verse in the epic poem of your life. Embrace the early mornings, weaponize adversity, enter the flow with deep breaths, face the cold with stoic resolve, and persist with the heart of a warrior. This is your journey to Viking-level mental toughness, where every challenge overcome is a battle won in the war against your own limitations.
Forge ahead, cyclist. Your Valhalla awaits.
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