Embrace the hill

Well I was going to write about the concept of being in the moment, as it relates to our chosen activities. A zen-like, absolute, attention-grabbing focus. I was going to wax philosophical about the mental energy spent on cycling, about how when you are climbing up a very steep hill, your mind is unable to wander, and focuses instead on the immediate task at hand: turning over the next pedal stroke. Failing to do so with maximum force means risking falling or getting off your bike. I was reminded of an article I wrote many years ago called Zen and Mountain Biking about the similarities between mountain biking and sparring.  Dominique Larocque published it on her website, Creative Wheel Centre, and I wondered if it was still available. Instead of that article I stumbled across a blog called Zen and Mountain Biking: Lessons for Life. I read it and it blew me away. It said more and it said it better than I ever could. So I will take the best quote from that blog and share it with you.  

"To move forward you have to embrace the hill that is the unpleasantness of now."

Needless to say, this caught my attention for being relevant to what I have been writing about this month, namely, riding mountains. In a nutshell, it explains the purpose of riding these mountains, which can be applied to life in general. 

If zen is the art of being in the moment, of incorporating mind and body as one, of adapting to uncertainty, and letting go, then riding mountains can be thought of a zen experience. Cycling and martial arts have these imperatives in common. It is not possible to do martial arts and have your mind wander elsewhere because if it does, you lose. You lose the battle, you lose the drill, you lose the skill. So being in the moment while practicing martial arts is essential to being in it and doing it. You have to adapt to the unexpected, and let go of illusions (and delusions).

We have friends staying here for the week. They discovered the Catskills three years ago (through our recommendation) and have been coming back ever since. I got an email from one them the other day so excited to get here. When I mentioned it might rain on Sunday she wasn’t happy. I said but hey, you’ll be on vacation so it’s all good. She said true but she really needed to get out of the office and on the bike. “I’m so office-bound so much of the time that I’m just wanting to be out there, on the road, in the sun, sweating/panting profusely, working to keep up (gets me outta my brain, which I wanna escape from)…” 

I totally empathize. It’s amazing how a bike ride, especially an epic one on a hot summer’s day, can help clear the mind. You have no other worries except getting up that hill or staying on that wheel in front of you. It’s therapeutic. Which is ironic (or is it?) given my friend’s line of work: she is a doctor of psychology. I don’t suppose it’s an easy way to make a living, listening to other people’s problems all day.

This mindset applies uniquely to the mountains, whether on the road or off–road. Once the road flattens however, it is a different kettle of fish. You can enter code white, allow your thoughts scatter, and there are (usually) no consequences. In fact, riding on flat roads for long periods can be a good opportunity to think and be creative. This doesn’t happen when you are grappling with a mountain road... To move forward you have to embrace the unpleasantness of now! This applies to all our training doesn’t it? What a liberating thought!