Last month I did something I never dreamed I'd be able to do. I cycled up Haleakala, a 10,000 foot volcano in Maui. I got the idea to do it in September, 2019 and started training, mostly indoors, so that I'd be in shape for the ride in early March, 2020.
As the date approached, the voice in my head that loved reciting all the reasons I couldn't do it or shouldn't do it became stronger and more persistent. But I had received coaching on this, and decided to hang my hat on the thought, "I am going to do this ride."
So even when the voices became louder, I found ways to reassure myself about the ride. These included doing more research on appropriate gear, teaming up with a guided tour so I'd have support along the way, and joining a local cycling club to get more experience riding outdoors beforehand.
So when the big day finally arrived, I was ready. Or as ready as you could be when tackling something as big as a 6-hour ride to the sun.
What struck me on the way up, though, was how during the hardest parts of the ride--the places where I felt like I was making no progress, I was cold and wet and legs cramping and butt hurting, the crew that organized the tour had written a word on the pavement.
BREATHE
That word was on the bike lane at all the toughest parts of the climb.
It was exactly the message that I needed to refocus my mind and keep pedalling up the hill.
And I made it. I felt supported in a hundred different ways as I did it. But especially by the coaching I received, both before the ride on how to manage my mind and prepare effectively.
But most definitely by the cyclists who had done this ride many times before and knew the spots that really started to suck.
That's what a coach can do for you: provide just the right shift of focus at just the right time.
Got something big you want to do? Work with me as your coach. You'll amaze yourself.
