DOES THIS SCARE YOU? IT SHOULD.
I'M GONNA MAKE A GUESS ABOUT MOST OF YOU. Your goals suck. They are weak. And, I'll prove it. Because I know for too many of you...
... your goals don't scare the shift out of you.
Think about this.
When are we most alive on the bike...
... when we are closest to death.
For me, that's the finishing sprint or dropping off a steep ledge or tucked in at 60+ mph.
Our goals, the big ones, should be scaring us to death.
The really good ones are where we know if everything goes absolutely perfect...
leading up to the race,
during the race,
and crossing the finish line...
... then, and only then, we might accomplish our goal.
Because it demands EVERYTHING, it's scary.
We have to BE THAT PERSON that can make it happen...
... not just wanting.
Everybody wants.
We must be.
When I said I'd break my 20 year old PR at Leadville in 2019, it was scary. I wrote it out every morning. I made a wallet that had Leadville Sub 8:20 printed large on it. It ain't easy pulling that out in front of your friends.
The thing I like about the giant RaceDay Calendar™ is that it's hung in a conspicuous place and my top 3 goals are front and center...
... for all to see.
If we aren't failing, we aren't trying.
What are my top 3 goals for 2022?
I'm thinking PR Leadville (again), win a national championship, ride from the sandy beach at Doheny to the top of Snow Summit.
That's not set in stone yet, but it's getting close.
How the hell can I go faster at Leadville? Surfergirl, my biggest fan, even looked at me askance. I'm a grampa now, 60 freakin' years old in April. She knows how much I put in last time and how many miracles we had. Ouch.
Win a national? I think it's within in me, either the crit or MTB marathon... but it would take a lot of luck. Crit sprints are always a roll of the dice, and the MTB marathon is in MD... I hate flying - this is a big one.
Doheny to Snow Summit is at least 130 miles, 15-20,000 feet of vert, on dirt and asphalt, across the concrete jungle, and the final 9000' will be on the sun exposed southern slopes. Alone.
My palms are sweating.
I hope yours are too, as you consider your big goals for 2022.
May you be scared,
very scared.
https://pedalindustries.com/collections/training
This is the wallet I carried around with me for 8 months.
Every time I pulled it out I was reminded of that goal.
When you select the wallet, there's a button below Quantity. That's where you enter in your goal.
It's kinda like putting your money where you mouth is...
... it takes guts.
https://pedalindustries.com/collections/training
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165.8
7 hrs
Pull Ups + Clap PushUps + Heavy Squats
Stretch and Hypervolt
60 minutes reading + Journaling